Apple Inc.

Philip James Holland

John Owen Louch

Ivan Krstic

Chendi Zhang

Kristin M Forster

Assana Fard

Pierre-Oliver J Martel

Pierre-Olivier J Martel

Ivan Krstić

Assana M Fard

In some implementations, windows can be displayed based on a global z-order. The global z-order can be maintained for all open windows. The global z-order can include windows that are not currently displayed. The global z-order can define a display order of windows across multiple workspaces. In some implementations, workspaces can be associated with respective levels. The workspace levels can be used to determine how to display windows associated with each workspace when multiple workspaces are displayed simultaneously.

Global z-order for windows

Prior art attempts to manage authority designation in GUI-based computer systems have set up various 'handshaking' schemes between a graphics management system, such as a window server, and the various processes that are attempting to offer and accept access to each other. However, these schemes have certain limitations. In particular, when windows are used as the 'fundamental basis' for implementing authority designation, events that should treat all content within a window identically can't do so because, even though all content in the window may appear to be &#x201c;owned&#x201d; by the window, there may be some other process that is actually rendering the content to some portion of the window. Thus, described herein are systems and methods to manage authority designation and event handling within &#x201c;hierarchical&#x201d; GUIs using &#x201c;handshaking&#x201d; schemes that are secure, sub-window granular, and that generalize recursively when applied to the various graphical layers used to construct the windows.

Systems and methods for managing authority designation and event handling for hierarchical graphical user interfaces

A first workspace, which may include one or more windows, may be associated with a first display device. A second workspace, which may also include one or more windows, may be associated with a second display device. The first and second workspaces may be provided for display to the first and second display devices, respectively. The first and second display devices may be independent such that manipulation a window of the first workspace across a coordinate location of the second display device does not affect the second display device.

Multiple displays for displaying workspaces

According to one aspect, a graphics management system receives a first message from a first process for granting one or more rights to a second process for accessing a GUI element owned by the first process. In response, the graphics management system transmits a second message to the second process, the second message offering the one or more rights to the second process. The graphics management system receives a third message from the second process indicating an acceptance of the offer. Thereafter, the graphics management system restricts access of the GUI element by the second process based on the one or more rights accepted by the second process.

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Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America

Philip James Holland