Importance

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Abstract

Relationships between first one of a number of graphical objects, such as windows, displayed in a computer display device and several others of the graphical objects are displayed to the user in the form of a relationship window in response to an event associated with the first graphical object. The event, e.g., a resize event in a view relationships mode, is one in which the user selects the first graphical object whose relationships are of interest and specifies a position within a computer display device in which to display the relationship window in a single gesture. For example a resize gesture by the user selects a graphical object and directs display of the relationship window since resize gestures are commonly implemented in conventional graphical user interfaces and are therefore familiar and intuitive to the user. The relationship window includes representation of the graphical objects related to the first graphical object and representation of the relationships between the related graphical object and the first graphical object. Graphical objects which are not related to the first graphical object are occluded by the relationship window to the extent those graphical objects overlap the relationship window. The first graphical object and the related graphical objects are positioned within the relationship window such that the relationship window appears not to occlude the first and related graphical objects. The relationship window includes tools and mechanisms for altering, i.e., editing or modifying, the relationships between the first and related graphical objects.

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First Claim