Kilpatrick Stockton LLP
Method for dynamically displaying controls in a toolbar display based on control usage
 Displaying controls in a toolbar display based on the control's usage. A toolbar displays controls, including a special control for accessing a drop-off well display for those controls not fitting into the toolbar display. A Most Recently Used parameter is associated with each control and is determined by the user's selection of individual controls. When the user selects a control from the drop-off well display, the Most Recently Used parameter associated with the selected control is updated to indicate that it is the control that has been used most recently. Preferably, the toolbar display attempts to expand to incorporate the selected control. If the toolbar display can be expanded, then the selected control is added to the toolbar display and placed in the toolbar displayed in a predefined relational order. If the toolbar display cannot be expanded, then a calculation is performed to determine which controls to display in the toolbar and which controls to place in the drop-off well display. This calculation is based on the Most Recently Used parameter and the display size of the associated control. Only those most recently used controls will be displayed in the toolbar display and the remaining controls will be placed in the drop-off well display. 
Microsoft Corporation
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G06F G06F
inventional inventional
Tjeerd Michael P. Jeffrey J. Martijn E.
Hoek Arcuri Johnson Van Tilburg