JP2537015B2 - How to add fields - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to computer system graphical user interfaces, and more particularly to allowing a computer system user to add user-defined fields to an application dialog. Regarding how to enable.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Typical graphical user interfaces for existing application programs include primary and secondary windows.
The primary window is used to display information to the user. The secondary window is used to supplement the interaction in the primary window. For example, in a typical calendar application, the primary window,
Daily, weekly, and monthly windows are presented to the user from which scheduled events are presented to the user at various levels of detail. When a user wants to add, delete, or modify an event, it usually cannot be done in one of the primary windows. In that case, the user must cause the application to display a secondary dialog window.

The dialog window contains various controls that allow the user to select choices and enter information for the application to process. Selection controls include radio buttons, check boxes, list boxes,
There are push buttons and other items. Besides the selection control, there are also input fields. This input field is either one-line or multi-line, which allows the user to provide free-form text and numerical information to the application.

[0004]

At present, the contents of the dialog are decided and fixed by the application developer. Traditional dialog design techniques require all possible dialog fields to be displayed from the dialog. In many cases, dialogs are included in the configuration, even though the end user sees them as an arbitrary or useless arrangement. As a result, learning and using the system has become difficult. In addition, it often does not include fields that the user finds useful.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to
It is to provide a method that allows a user of the system to add user-defined fields to an application dialog.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a
Dialogue on computer display screen
A new field group that the user can select when displayed.
The rafical object associated with that dialog
Is displayed. The user has the new field graphical
· Select an object to define a new field
Dialog box for the new field
Prompts you to enter information such as the
Instructed by The. The user responds to this prompt with the information
Once you enter the information, new fields will be created according to the information you entered.
Positioned within the dialog .

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the overall computer display screen is shown at 11. A “new event” dialog window 13 is displayed on the display screen 11. The "New Event" window 13 is an electronic calendar application (not shown).
Is part of. New event dialog window 13
Allows the user to add an event to the calendar. The new event dialog window 13 includes a "date" input field for the user to key in the date of the event, and a "start time" input field 1 for the user to enter the start and end times of the event, respectively.
7 and an “End time” input field 19. In addition, the "New Event" dialog window 13
It includes a description input field 21 for the user to enter a description of the event.

In addition to the input fields, the new event dialog window 13 has an access level control area 23 . The control area 23 includes a radio button group including a radio button 25. The user can use this radio button to set the access level for the scheduled event in the new event dialog window 13. In addition, the new event dialog window 13 has an Add button 27, a Cancel
Ri off) consisting of such as a button 29, Help (help) button 31, and includes a push-button group. Add
The push button 27 is for adding a new event in the new event dialog window 13 to the user's electronic calendar. Cancel push button 29
It is, without having to add an event to the user's electronic calendar, revoke a new event dialog window 13
You The Help push button 31 is for displaying help information to the user.

In addition to those described above, the new event dialog window 13 includes a palette , generally indicated at 33, of fields that can be used when inserting into the new event dialog window 13. Palette 33 contains a plurality of graphical objects that the user can select with pointer 35, such as new field graphical object 37. Selecting the new field graphical object 37 with the pointer 35 causes the system to display the ADD FIELD dialog box 39, as shown in FIG.

According to the present invention, the user can
By selecting the graphical object 37, a new field defined by the user can be displayed in the new event dialog.
It can be added to the window 13.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, ADD FIE
The LD dialog box 39 includes a " field name " input field 41. The user can name the new field by typing a new name for the new field in the input field 41. AD
The D FIELD dialog box 39 also includes a "field type" control 43. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the field type control 43
As indicated by prompt box 45
It's a drop down list . In the preferred embodiment, the field type defaults to "ENTRY F".
IEELD ", but other field types such as date fields, time fields, spin buttons, etc. are possible. In FIG. 1, selecting the date field yields an input field in the format of field 15, while selecting the time field yields the format of field 17 or 19.
Referring again to FIG. 2, the user enters the default input field
If a field type other than the type is required, the user can use the pointer 35 to prompt box 45.
The selection can be made by activating the field and selecting the appropriate field from a drop down list (not shown). Additionally, the ADD FIELD dialog box 39 includes a "width" field 46 along with a spin button control 48 to allow the user to define the width of the new field.

In addition to the above, the ADD FIELD dialog box 39 includes a "software support" input field 47, and a "help support" input field 49. The user has the required path to enable the fields added according to the invention.
If there is information, it is possible to type in the information to the software support input field. Similarly,
The user can type in a path in the help support input field 49 for help information regarding fields added by the method and system of the present invention.

As an example of the present invention, consider a user wanting to add a "time period" field to the "new event" dialog window 13. The Duration field allows the user to enter the duration of the event, and the system will add that duration to the entered start time to arrive at or end the event. The period will be subtracted to find the start time of the event. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the user will type in a "period" into the "name" field 41. Since the time period is a time field, the user activates the prompt box 45 to
Display a drop down list below Type 43,
You will select the time field. The user can then use the width control 46 and spin button 48 to select the width of the new field.

Next, the user enters a path in the software support field 47 for the software to support the term field. Software support is a program that performs the necessary calculations to determine a start or end time from a period. The path statement of the software support field 47 in the present invention is, for example, "c: \ duration \ du.
relation. exe ”.
n. An exe is a program that needs to be written and stored in the computer system or already stored in the storage device of the computer system. For example, the calendar application developer is durati
on. Even if you are writing an exe program, you may not include the duration field in the new event dialog for presentational reasons. In such a case, the pass data is in hard copy or in an online document so that the user can add a duration field in accordance with the present invention. Similarly, the help support path
The statement is, for example, "c: \ duration
\ Duration. hlp ”. The information required by the user is displayed in the ADD FIELD dialog box 3
After filling in the 9 fields, the user selects the " Add " button 51 using the pointer 35.

Next, as shown in FIG.
Selecting the Add push button 51 (FIG. 2) in the FIELD dialog box 39 causes ADD FIE
The LD dialog box 39 disappears from the screen 11 and the new field icon 53 is linked to the pointer 35. The user moves the pointer 35 together with the new field icon 53 connected thereto with a mouse (not shown).
Can move to a vacant place in the new event window 13. This is done in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. When the new field icon 53 is in place, the user can click on one of the mouse buttons and "drop" it.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, when the new field icon 53 is dropped, the new event dialog window 13 is displayed. In this way, the period field 55 is displayed between the start time field 17 and the end time field 19. In accordance with the present invention, the date field 15, start time field 17, end time field 19, and description field 21 have been slightly repositioned to fit the time period field 55.
Also, in accordance with the present invention, the new event dialog window 13 can be resized appropriately to accommodate the new time period field 55, if desired.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a system according to the present invention. System is processor 5
7, the processor 57 includes a central processing unit (C
It is equipped with a PU) 59 and a random access memory 61. The system is a hard disk storage device 6
3, and may include additional memory in the form of floppy disk drive 65, or preferably both.
Floppy disk drive 65 is constructed to receive a diskette 67 on which the present invention is recorded in software. The system shown in FIG. 5 comprises user interface hardware having a display 69, a mouse 71, and a keyboard 73. Optionally, the system may include a printer 75.

Next, FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the logic implementing the method and system of the present invention in suitable software. At block 77, the system is initialized and at block 79 the system default windows, icons, and applications are opened. When the system is initialized and default windows, icons, and applications are opened, the system monitors user input at block 81. When the system receives user input, it tests at decision block 83 if the user input is "dialog open" (open dialog ) . Dialog open user input identifies a particular application. In the example of the electronic calendar of FIGS. 1 to 4,
User input for dialog open is daily calendar
This is done by selecting the "NEW" button (not shown) on the window. If the user input is dialog open, the system executes the OPEN routine 84 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the system first fetches a dialog window frame at block 85. The system then fetches the ordered list of active fields, field locations, and field attributes at block 87 and the palette of available fields at block 89. When the system fetches the window frame, ordered list, and palette, the window frame, active field, and palette are written to the display buffer at blocks 91, 93, and 95, respectively. Next, the system tests at decision block 97 if there is default data. For example, in the electronic calendar example, the default date may be today's date and the default access level may be general . If decision block 97 determines that there is default data, the system fetches these default data and writes them to the appropriate fields of the display buffer at block 99. When default data is fetched and written to the display buffer,
Alternatively, if there is no default data, the display is updated at block 101 by displaying a dialog window and the system returns to block 81 of Figure 6 to continue monitoring for user input.

[0021] As again shown in FIG. 6, then, whether the system is a user input is "new field definitions",
The decision block 103 tests. In the example of FIGS. 1 to 4, the user input for the new field definition is
This is done by selecting the graphical object 37. If the user input is a new field definition, the system executes the "NEW" routine 104 shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the system first fetches and displays the "ADD FIELD" window at block 105. The system then monitors the user input at block 107. When the system monitors user input, it collects field name input at block 109, field type and width at block 111, software support path at block 113, and help support path at block 115. . The system tests at decision block 117 if the user input is "add" . This "addition" is
This is equivalent to selecting the Add push button in the ADD FIELD window 39 of FIG. If the user input is not "Add," the system will return
If it is "erased" , a decision block 119 tests. This "cancellation" is the ADD FIELD of FIG.
Corresponds to selecting the Cancel push button 52 in dialog box 39. Preparative user input "
Ri off "Otherwise, the system processes other inputs at block 121 to continue monitoring user input back to block 107.

[0023] The user input at decision block 117 is "add
Add , the system fetches the new field icon (new field icon 53 of FIG. 3) at block 123, closes the ADD FIELD window at block 125, and returns to block 81 of FIG. 6 to monitor for user input. to continue. If the user input is "cancel" at decision block 119, the system closes the ADD FIELD window at block 125 and returns to block 81 of FIG. 6 to continue monitoring the user input.

[0024] As shown again in FIG. 6, the system determines whether the user input is "location pickles" block 1
Test at 27. If so, the system is D in FIG.
The RAG routine 128 is executed.

The new field icon is linked to the pointer at block 129, as shown in FIG. Next, the system monitors user input at block 131. The system tests at decision block 133 if the user input is a drop. This drop is equivalent to clicking one of the mouse buttons. If not, the system returns to block 131 to continue monitoring for user input. If the user input is a drop at decision block 133, the new field is block 135.
The active field list is inserted into the active field list and a flag indicating that the window has changed is set at block 137. Next, the system determines in block 139 if window frame adjustment is required and in block 141 if layout adjustment is required for the active field. The updated window frame is then written to the display buffer at block 143 and the field layout is at block 14
5 is written to the display buffer. Once the frame and layout have been written to the display buffer, the display is updated at block 147 and the system is shown in FIG.
Return to block 81 of Figure 8 to continue monitoring user input.

Referring again to FIG. 6, decision block 12
User input not equal positions pickled 7, the system processes other inputs as shown in block 149.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0028]

The present invention allows a computer system user to add user-defined fields to an application dialog.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates a “New Event” dialog window according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an “ADD FIELD” dialog displayed overlaid on the “new event” dialog shown in FIG. 1;

3 is a diagram showing the "new field" icon located in the "new event" dialog window shown in FIG.

4 is a diagram showing the "Period" field displayed in the "New Event" dialog window shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a high level flowchart illustrating a preferred software embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the “OPEN” routine of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a “NEW” routine of FIG.

9 is a flowchart showing a "DRAG" routine of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Display Screen 13 "New Event" Dialog Window 15 "Date" Input Field 17 "Start Time" Input Field 19 "End Time" Input Field 35 Pointer 37 New Field Graphical Object 39 ADD FIELD Dialog Box 45 Prompt Box 47 “Software Support” input field 49 “Help Support” input field

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of adding a field that allows a user of a computer system to add a user-defined field to an application dialog having the field, the step of displaying the dialog on a computer display screen. And in relation to the dialog, a new fee is added to the dialog.
A new field graphical object for adding a field, and defining a new field in response to the user selecting the new field graphical object.
To display a dialog box for collecting the user input to the dialog box.
In response to a step and a field addition command from the user,
Locating a new field defined in the dialog box by a user input in the dialog, the method of adding a field. 2. The step of locating comprises adding a new pointer to a graphical pointer that the user can move.
Linking the field icons and selecting the new field icon in the dialog.
In response to being dropped by the user at
The new field icon instead of the new field icon.
The method for adding a field according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of displaying a field. 3. A step of displaying the new field
Is the window frame and
The method of adding a field according to claim 2, comprising adjusting the out .