Graphical user interface with hierarchical structure for customizable menus and control objects

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In accordance with the present invention, these objectives are achieved by organizing the program code relating to graphical user interface elements, such as menus and control objects, in a multi-level hierarchial structure.
At one level of the structure, each different type of menu and control defines a class of objects.
The definition of a class includes most, if not all, of the functionality associated with the objects of that class.
In addition, the class definition can include the overall structure of the object, i.
e.
, the relative positions of different elements which make up the object.
The actual appearance of these elements, however, is defined by user selectable software that resides at a lower level of the hierarchy.
With this architecture, only one instance of the program code which defines the functionality and overall structure of each object is required, rather than being repeated for each theme.
As a result, the overall memory requirements of the program code are smaller.
In addition, since the functionality of each object remains the same, regardless of its specific appearance, greater consistency of operation is attained.
As a further advantage, this architecture permits different drawing mechanisms for controlling the display of user interface elements, in accordance with different respective themes, to be supported within the same computer.
Further features of the present invention, as well as the advantages offered thereby, are explained in detail hereinafter with reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.