TWI520042B - Method and system for spin control user interface for selecting options, and computer-readable storage medium for recording related instructions thereon - Google Patents

Description

Method and system for rotating control user interface for selected options, and computer readable storage medium for recording related instructions

The present invention relates to a rotary control user interface for selecting options.

[related application]

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12/770,992, filed on April 30, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, and the priority of the earlier filing date of 35 U.S.C. § 120.

Many individuals spend a lot of time trying to visualize materials. Data is often presented as a block of information in a series or rows of spreadsheets without the need for a visual graphical representation of any material. In order to understand this information, it takes time for the user to try to find the best way to view the data and then create a chart that is needed to understand the data. This process is time consuming and requires familiarity with how to use the visual features of an application.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that is further described in the following. This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed content, and is not intended to be used as a benefit in determining the scope of the claimed content.

A rotary control graphical user interface is used to display a currently used option and to receive a selection from a user. The rotary control is an annular graphical user interface component located adjacent to the display file it is in use with. For example, the rotation control can be located at a corner of the display file or near a corner of the display file. The rotation control includes an option to present to a user based on the rotation of the rotation control. An option can be manually selected or automatically selected, and the rotation control is applied to the display file based on clockwise or counterclockwise rotation. More than one rotation control can be associated with the display file. The rotation control is automatically displayed and removed from a display in response to whether the file to which the rotation control is attached is currently displayed.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to In particular, Figure 1 and the corresponding discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in which specific embodiments may be practiced.

In general, program modules include: routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. Other computer system configurations can also be used, including: multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based, or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, large computers, and the like. A decentralized computing environment can also be used in which tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a decentralized computing environment, the program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Referring now to Figure 1, an illustrative computer architecture for a computer 100 for use with various embodiments is described. The computer architecture shown in Figure 1 can be configured as a desktop computer, a server, or a mobile computer, and includes: a central processing unit 5 ("CPU"), a system memory 7, comprising: A random access memory 9 ("RAM") and a read only memory ("ROM") 10, and a system bus 12 are coupled to the memory of the CPU 5. A basic input/output system that includes a basic routine that facilitates the transfer of information between components within a computer (e.g., during power up) is stored in ROM 10. System 100 further includes a primary storage device 14 for storing an operating system 16, an application, and other programming modules, which will be described in greater detail below.

The main storage device 14 is connected to the CPU 5 by a main storage controller (not shown) connected to the bus bar 12. The primary storage device 14 and its associated computer readable media provide non-volatile storage to the computer 100. Although the description of computer readable media as referred to herein means a primary storage device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, the computer readable media can be any available media that is accessed by computer 100.

By way of example and not limitation, computer readable media may include: computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes: volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media that can be implemented by any method or technology for storing information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other materials. . Computer storage media includes (but is not limited to): RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital multimedia audio and video ("DVD"), or other optical storage, magnetic storage , tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and be accessible by computer 100.

In accordance with various embodiments, computer 100 operates in a networked environment that uses logical connections to connect to a remote computer via a network 18 (e.g., the Internet). The computer 100 can be connected to the network 18 by a network interface unit 20 connected to the busbar 12. The internet connection can be wireless and/or wired. Network interface unit 20 can also be used to connect to other types of networks and remote computer systems. The computer 100 can also include an input/output controller 22 for receiving and processing input from a number of other devices (including a keyboard, mouse, or electronic stylus (not shown in Figure 1)) . Similarly, an input/output controller 22 can provide output to a display screen that includes a user interface 28, a printer, or other type of output device. The Rotation Control User Interface (UI) 29 is designed to provide a user-visual interaction with the displayed file, such as a graphical chart. Other UI elements can also be used to interact with the functionality contained in computing device 100.

As briefly mentioned above, several program modules and data files can be stored in the main storage device 14 and the RAM 9 of the computer 100, including an operating system 16 suitable for controlling the operation of the networked computer, such as from MICROSOFT CORPORATION. Of Redmond, Washington's WINDOWS 7 . The main storage device 14 and the RAM 9 can also store one or more program modules. In particular, primary storage device 14 and RAM 9 can store one or more applications. One of the multiple applications is a productivity application 24, such as MICROSOFT EXCEL One of the programs or MICROSOFT OFFICE One of the programs. In general, the productivity application 24 is an application that is used by a user to view and interact with a data block, such as in a spreadsheet and/or a spreadsheet. The productivity application 24 is an application such as a spreadsheet program, a database program, a word processing program, a display program and the like.

The visualization manager 26 is configured to automatically temporarily format and chart the selected material to assist a user in viewing and understanding the selected material. Since the charting is automatically performed on the charted material, the user does not need to manually generate a display of the charted material. Once temporary formatting and charting are automatically applied to the selected material, the user can interact with the visual formatting and graphics to obtain additional information. For example, the chart can be formatted differently, the reference line can be added, the chart can be sorted, the type (multiple) of the displayed chart can be changed, and the user can navigate the chart to obtain more detailed information, and It is similar. Once the user has completed interaction with the temporarily formatted and generated chart(s), they are removed from the display 28.

A rotation control graphical user interface 29 is also associated with a display file, such as a displayed chart, which can be used to display a currently used option and receive an option from a user. The rotation control 29 is a circular graphical user interface located adjacent to the display file it is used by. For example, the rotation control can be located at a corner of the display file or near a corner of the display file. The rotation control includes an option to present to a user based on the rotation of the rotation control. An option can be manually selected or automatically selected, and the rotation control is applied to the display file based on clockwise or counterclockwise rotation. More than one rotation control can be associated with the display file. Once the user has completed interaction with the temporarily formatted and generated chart(s), the chart(s) and rotation control(s) are removed from the display 28.

Figure 2 shows an example temporary formatting and charting system. As an example, system 200 includes display 28, rotation control 29, visualization manager 26, input 205, productivity application 24, data repository 240, and other applications 230. The visualization manager 26 can be implemented as shown in the display application 24 shown in FIG. 2, or can be implemented from outside the application 24 as shown in FIG.

In order to facilitate communication with the visualization manager 26, one or more callback routines may be implemented, an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 2 as the callback code 210. By using callback code 210, visualization manager 26 can query additional information for use in temporarily formatting and charting data selected from productivity application 24. For example, the visualization manager 26 can request to be notified when a user selects a profile, selects a user interface component, such as a rotation control 29 that is associated with one of the temporarily displayed graphs, and/or A displayed chart moves and navigates. Additional information related to the characteristics of the application can also be provided. As discussed above, the visualization manager 26 is configured to automatically format and generate graphics from the materials selected within the productivity application 24 such that the selected material can be understood graphically.

The display 28 is configured to provide a visual display of one of the graph(s) of the user based on the temporary formatting and display of the selected material (see Figures 3-5 for an exemplary display). Input 205 is configured to receive input from one or more input sources, such as a keyboard, mouse, a touch screen, and/or some other input device. For example, the input can be a mouse movement on a display chart, a selection of a material, a selection of a menu item, a hover on an item, and the like. The input can interact with the rotation control 29. As shown, the rotation control example illustrates that a second option ("2") is currently applied to the displayed chart(s). According to a specific embodiment, the rotation of the rotation control 29 causes another option to be automatically applied to the displayed chart(s). For example, rotating the rotation control clockwise results in a first option being applied to the displayed chart(s), whereas rotating the rotation control counterclockwise results in a third option being applied to the displayed chart(s).

The data repository 240 can be configured to store information about the productivity application 24. For example, data repository 240 can be used to store data for a series and rows displayed within a spreadsheet.

The visualization manager 26 can be coupled to other applications 230 such that materials for temporary formatting or charting can be received from other applications. For example, the visualization manager 26 can be coupled to another productivity application, and/or provide a web scenario for temporarily formatting and generating data for the chart.

Figures 3-5 show an exemplary user interface and a display for temporarily formatting and charting selected materials. Referring now to Figure 3A, display 310 shows a spreadsheet containing data for several columns and rows. Information can be provided from a variety of sources. For example, data may be obtained from a database, a file, another application, an instant source, and the like. When a user wants to temporarily format or view data from a source of material, it enters a temporary charting mode and selects the material that it wants to temporarily format or chart. In the current example, the user has selected the woman's data column and the man's data column (315). Users select the data they expect to be viewed in a chart. For example, a user may select a single column, two columns, three columns, and the like. The user can also select some or more of the lines he wants to view. For example, the user may select only a portion of the rows presented within the material.

Users can enter temporary chart views in a variety of different ways. In the current example, the user selects the selection option and the automatic option displayed in the user interface 320 of FIG. 3B. Other user interfaces can be used to enter this mode. For example, the user can right click to guide a list of words, select a list option from a toolbar or list, and the like. According to another embodiment, the chart can be automatically displayed based on the selection of the material without first selecting a temporary chart selection.

In the temporary formatting and charting mode, a selection of materials (e.g., selection 315) displays the selected material in a graphical form. As an example, the display 330 of Figure 3C shows: a chart 334 showing a graph of values in the selected women's row, and a chart 336 showing the selected man's column (Men's row). One of the values of the chart. According to a specific embodiment, a separate graph is generated for each column of the selected material. According to another embodiment, the data is used to generate a single chart. In the current example, the chart type can be set to be automatically selected based on the selected material. Many different types of charts can be displayed, such as (but not limited to): rows, lines, regions, and pie charts. According to a specific embodiment, charts 334 and 336 share a common axis (337) such that their charts can be easily compared. According to another embodiment, each chart is generated individually such that each axis depends on the data in its selected column. As discussed above, more information can be displayed to the user as they move and navigate through the chart. In the current example, the user has moved on point 338 of the online chart 334. In response to navigating to a point, a graphical representation of one of the corresponding values in the selected material is displayed. In the current example, point 338 corresponds to the May value in the woman's column, which is $7,071. In the present example, a corresponding graphical display is provided at a corresponding location at point 338 in other displayed graphs. For example, in chart 336, point 338 in chart 334 corresponds to point 339 in chart 336. The value of point 339 is $7,027, which is the May value from the column of the man. In addition to displaying the corresponding values from other selected columns, the differences can also be graphically displayed so that a direct comparison between the values of the graphs can be easily determined. In the current example, the difference is $44 (7,071-7,027). More formatting can be provided to assist the user in visualizing the material. For example, different colors can be used within the display, different values can be highlighted within the material, some data can be hidden in the view, and the like. In display 330, it can be observed that when the chart is temporarily displayed, the unselected series of data are hidden in the view. According to another embodiment, the temporarily displayed chart may be presented in one or more different windows from the display of the material.

4A-4C shows: an example display showing an exemplary display of different charting and formatting options.

The display 410 of Figure 4A shows the display of a bar chart 412 of a woman's column of data and a chart 414 of a man's column of data (416). The type of chart can be pre-configured, automatically selected (416) based on the selected material, and/or changed from a preset chart type. For example, a user uses a user interface (eg, a user interface 320 displayed in FIG. 3B) to select a chart type.

Display 420 of FIG. 4B shows reference line 422 that is added to the display of charts 412 and 414. As an example, the reference line is set to a value of $8,000. Reference line 422 extends across the displayed chart. According to a particular embodiment, the value below reference line 422 is formatted differently than the value in reference line 422 or above reference line 422. For example, values below the reference line may be different from the values in the reference line or above the reference line plus color/shadow. In the present example, values above the reference line are illustrated as darker colors compared to values in the reference line or below the reference line. The values displayed within data 424 may also be formatted based on the generated reference line 422.

The display 430 of Figure 4C illustrates an example of selecting a value in a displayed chart. As the example illustrates, the user has selected point 432. Users can choose a different way. For example, the user can navigate and hover at a point, click on the point, and the like. Point 432 corresponds to the December value of the woman's column data. When selecting a point, more information is provided to the user. According to a specific embodiment, the additionally displayed information includes: a value of the point and a difference between the point and the reference line. In the current example, the corresponding points are highlighted on the display in the other charts (in this case, chart 414), and the corresponding information display is presented. On the display of the man's chart 414, the difference between the value of the man's December value and the value and the reference line is presented. Other information can also be included in this display. For example, a comparison can be made between the data values of a man and a woman, and/or a different format is applied to a value greater than/less than the selected point.

Figure 5 illustrates an example of a bar chart in which the displayed charts are sorted.

As illustrated, display 510 displays the display of the chart 512 of the man and the display of the chart 514 of the woman. In addition to changing the formatting of the displayed chart, the user can sort the displayed chart according to different criteria. For example, in the current example, the charts displayed in Figures 4A-4C are ordered based on the chart headings, which results in the display of the man's chart 512 being to the left of the display of the woman's chart 514. As illustrated, the rotation control 516 can be used to control the display of the sorted chart. Other controls and/or user interfaces can also be used to control the ordering of the charts. In general, the rotation control 516 is configured such that the user can cycle through one of various options by selecting one of the display arrows on the rotation control 516. For example, the chart can be sorted based on a downward trend, an upward trend, a chart title, a low to high value, a high to low value, an average value, and the like. An example of the selected option is illustrated within the display of the rotation control 516. In the current example, the currently selected option is the "chart title". When the rotation control 516 is configured to include an option to sort the chart, a rotation control can be configured to utilize other options. In general, a rotation control can be configured with different options, which can be shown in the example of a pie area within the rotation control (see Figure 8 and Figure 9 for more details on the rotation control). ).

Referring now to Figures 6-7, an illustrative program for temporarily formatting and charting selected materials is described.

When reading the discussion of the routines presented herein, it should be understood that the logical operations of the various embodiments can be implemented as (1) a sequence of computer implementable steps or a program module executed on a computing system and/or Or (2) interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system. This implementation is selected in accordance with one of the performance requirements of a computing system embodying the present invention. Thus, the illustrated embodiments and the logical operation of the specific embodiments described herein are intended to represent various operations, structural devices, acts or modules. Such operations, structuring devices, steps, and modules can be implemented in software, firmware, special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof.

Figure 6 illustrates a procedure 600 for temporarily charting selected materials.

After the initial operation, the program moves to operation 610 where the material to be temporarily formatted and graphed can be selected. The user selects many or small amounts of data to view within the chart. For example, the user may select one or more complete or partial series of data.

Moving to operation 620, the chart title and axis information are determined from the selected material. When the selected material does not contain the title information of the selected column and/or row, the data can be traversed until the corresponding title of the column/row is obtained. For example, the column can be crossed from the right to the left until the column header row arrives. In the example illustrated above, each of the selected columns can be traversed until the woman's title (woman) is obtained and the man's title (man) is obtained. Similarly, each row can be traversed to determine the title of each row. For example, for each selected row, the data can be traversed until the title of the row is determined. In the example presented above, the line heading is the selected month (eg, January-December). This information can be used when the line heading is not initially displayed in the chart, but when a point is selected in a displayed chart (see, for example, point 338 in Figure 3C).

Moving to operation 630, the axis information of the chart for display is determined. According to a specific embodiment, each displayed chart shares a common axis. This common axis is determined from the range of values determined.

Moving to operation 640, the type of chart to display is determined. The chart type can be predetermined or determined according to different factors: the number of selected values, the type of data selected, the range of selected values, and the like. This chart type can also be selected by the user. For example, the user may select an option to enter a temporary chart mode and select the type of chart to display when selecting the material.

Moving to operation 650, the chart(s) are displayed. According to a particular embodiment, a separate chart can be displayed for each selected data column. For example, when a column is selected, a single chart is displayed, and when five columns are selected, five charts are displayed. According to a specific embodiment, a single chart can be used to display the selected material. In this particular embodiment, the data for each column can be visually formatted to distinguish one column of selected data from another column of selected data. The chart can be displayed in the same window as the selected material, or in one or more different windows. For example, the chart can be displayed in a quick view through the displayed data. According to a specific embodiment, unselected material is not displayed when the chart is displayed. According to another embodiment, unselected material is displayed as the chart is displayed. In addition to displaying the chart, the selected material can be formatted to further provide visual differences to the user.

This program then moves to the end point operation or returns to handle other actions.

Figure 7 shows a procedure 700 for formatting a temporarily displayed chart.

After the initial operation, the program moves to operation 710 where the chart type is changed for the temporarily displayed chart. The type of chart displayed can be a different type of chart. For example, the chart type can be a one-line chart, a region chart, a row chart, a pie chart, and the like. In addition to changing this chart type, the user can also switch columns/rows. According to a specific embodiment, each of the displayed graphs is displayed using the selected type of graph. According to another embodiment, each of the graphs displayed is of a different type.

Moving to operation 720, one or more reference lines are added to the display of the chart. The reference line extends across each of the displayed graphs and provides a visualization of how the user's values within the displayed graph compare to the reference values. The formatting of the values in the chart is determined based on whether the currently displayed value is above or below the reference line. For example, values above the reference line are formatted in one way (eg, a first shadow), and values below the reference line are formatted in a different manner (eg, a second shadow). When more than one reference line is displayed, the value between the two reference lines is displayed in a third manner (eg, a third shadow). In addition to formatting the values based on the reference line, the values within the selected data may also change.

Moving to operation 730, additional information is displayed to the user in response to navigating the point at which the displayed chart is displayed. For example, when the user navigates through the chart, the current value of the point being navigated can be displayed. According to a specific embodiment, it also shows the corresponding values in other charts. When a reference line is displayed, the current value of the navigated point can also be compared to the reference line.

Moving to operation 740, different sorting operations can also be selected by the user. For example, the chart can be sorted based on a downward trend, an upward trend, a chart title, a low to high value, a high to low value, an average value, and the like.

Moving to operation 750, one or more charts can be stored for subsequent display. The charts can be stored as a group, or each chart can be individually selected for storage. The charts can be stored in many different ways. For example, the charts can be stored and stored in a scrapbook using a copy operation, which can be stored as an image file, and the like.

This program then moves to the end point operation or returns to handle other actions.

Figure 8 illustrates an exemplary rotational control circular user interface for selecting an option. The rotating circular user interface is organized into different pie regions based on the number of options available to a displayed file. For example, the circular user interface can include two or more pie regions that present a different option.

The example description 810 shows a rotation control 812 comprising: 4 pie regions arranged in a circle to present options, including option 1, option 2, option 3, and option 4. As illustrated, option 4 can be hidden by the displayed file 814. Alternatively, option 4 can be displayed in a semi-transparent manner through the displayed file or through the displayed file so that the user can still view the semi-transparent year of option 4 of the rotation control 812. Display the contents of the file.

The rotation control 812 can be navigated in different ways. For example, the user can move a pointing device from one area within the rotation control 812 to another area that causes the rotation control to rotate to display another option that is available to the user. The options presented by the pie area can be displayed in many different ways. For example, the current options used by the displayed file 814 are formatted differently than other options associated with the CUI 812. As illustrated, option 2 is bolded to show that option 2 is currently applied to the displayed file 814. Rotation control 812 is configured to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise about its center. Rotation control 812 can be configured to rotate and present different options (eg, selection of an arrow) based on selection of another region of rotation control 812 and/or using some other user interface element. This option can be automatically selected and applied to the displayed file based on the rotation of the rotation control 812, or the option can be manually selected after presenting a new option. For example, the user can rotate the rotation control of presentation option 4 and click within the display of option 4 to select the option. Alternatively, an option can be automatically selected in response to the movement of the rotation control. In the current example, the clockwise movement of the rotation control 812 automatically selects option 1, whereas the counterclockwise movement of the rotation control 812 automatically selects option 3.

Rotation control 820 displays a graphical ring user interface with only the currently displayed displayed options. Based on the rotation of the rotation control 820, the next option is displayed. According to another embodiment, an option can be found once a pointing device enters a different selection area. For example, once a pointing device enters another option area within the rotation control, the name of the option is visible. In this way, the user can preview the name of the option before selecting and/or rotating the rotation control. According to a specific embodiment, the current option utilized is displayed diagonally on the upper right portion of the displayed rotation control.

Rotation control 830 illustrates a graphical ring interface with one of eight different options and one set of two arrows that can be selected to rotate the rotation control. The number of options depends on the number of options available to the user and available to the displayed file.

Display 840 illustrates the use of multiple rotation controls for displayed file 842. More than one rotation control can be used to interact with a displayed file. In general, each rotation control is configured to perform a different operation depending on the displayed file. For example, rotation control 844 can be used to select different chart types for displaying Chart 1 and Chart 2, and rotation control 846 can be used to apply different rankings to Chart 1 and Chart 2. According to a specific embodiment, the rotation control is displayed at one of the corners of the display to which it is affected.

Figure 9 shows the program used to display and interact with a rotation control.

After the initial operation, the program moves to operation 910 where a decision can be made as to which option is presented within the rotation control graphical user interface. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an option presented in one rotation control is associated with the other. For example, a rotation control can be used to select a type of chart for display, to apply formatting to a file, and the like.

According to a specific embodiment, when the rotation control is first displayed, a currently selected option is displayed. The currently applied/selected option provides an indication that the feature has been turned off. For example, when an option is turned on or off, an indication can be displayed that the option is off (see, for example, display 330 in Figure 3C, which shows the rotation control with the display "No Sort"). The currently used option can also display to the user an option currently applied to the displayed file, such as a chart. For example, when the rotation control includes options for the type of chart (eg, line, strip, area), the type of chart displayed is provided within the description in the menu.

Moving to operation 920, the rotation control is displayed. According to a specific embodiment, only the currently used options are displayed. According to a specific embodiment, more than one option is displayed. For example, all or some of the options are displayed within the rotation control and near the rotation control. In the case where all options are displayed, different formatting can be applied to the currently used options (eg bold, different colors, larger fonts, and the like). According to a specific embodiment, the rotation control is displayed at one of the corners of the display to which it is affected. More than one rotation control can be used with the displayed file. For example, in the examples presented above, the rotation control that provides the sorting options can be illustrated in a corner, and a rotation control that provides different chart options can be provided in another corner.

Moving to operation 930, user input can be monitored to determine when to update the rotation control. User input can come from many different types of input devices, such as a touch screen, a mouse, a stylus, and the like.

Moving to decision operation 940, a determination can be made whether to update the display of the rotation control based on user input. According to a specific embodiment, when the user is in an area within the rotational control of the currently unused option, the rotation control is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise depending on the selected position. The user may also select some other area of the rotation control, such as an arrow indicator, in order to rotate the rotation control. When the rotation control is not updated, the program returns to operation 930. When the rotation control is updated, the program moves to decision operation 950.

At decision operation 950, a decision can be made whether to select the option. According to a specific embodiment, the option can be automatically selected based on the rotation of the rotation control. According to another embodiment, the option can be manually selected by the user after the display of the rotation control is updated to display the option resulting from the rotation of the rotation control. When the option is not automatically selected to be applied, the program moves to operation 960. When the option is automatically selected and applied to the displayed file, the program moves to operation 960 where the option is applied.

At operation 960, the option is applied to the displayed file. For example, when the user rotates the rotation control to another option, such as a different sorting option, this option is applied to the displayed chart and its ordering according to the options resulting from rotating the rotation control.

At operation 970, the display of the rotation control is updated. When the option is selected and applied in step 960, the rotation control is updated to display the currently applied options. According to another embodiment, a rotation control can be updated to display a preview of an option. For example, when the user places a cursor (or some other pointing device) in an area adjacent to the currently selected option, and the display of this option can be displayed to the user.

Moving to decision operation 980, the rotation control can be released when deciding. For example, when the displayed file using the rotation control is no longer displayed, the rotation control can be automatically released. The user can also release a rotation control by selecting an option to hide the rotation control.

The program can then be moved to the end point operation and returned to handle other operations.

The foregoing description, examples, and materials provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the synthesis of the invention. Since many specific embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the scope of the appended claims.

5. . . Central processing unit

7. . . System memory

9. . . Random access memory

10. . . computer

11. . . Read only memory

12. . . System bus

14. . . Main storage device

16. . . working system

18. . . network

20. . . Network interface unit

twenty two. . . Input/output controller

twenty four. . . Productivity application

26. . . Visual manager

28. . . User interface

29. . . Rotation control user interface

200. . . system

205. . . Input

210. . . Callback code

215. . . format

225. . . Charting

230. . . Other applications

240. . . Data repository

310. . . display

315. . . select

320. . . User interface

330. . . display

334. . . chart

336. . . chart

337. . . Common axis

338. . . point

339. . . point

410. . . display

412. . . Bar chart

414. . . Chart of information of man's column

420. . . display

422. . . reference line

424. . . data

430. . . display

432. . . point

510. . . display

512. . . Man's chart

514. . . Woman's chart

516. . . Rotation control

810. . . display

812. . . Rotation control

814. . . file

820. . . Rotation control

830. . . Rotation control

840. . . display

842. . . Displayed file

844. . . Rotation control

846. . . Rotation control

Figure 1 illustrates a computer architecture for a computer.

Figure 2 shows an example temporary formatting and charting system.

Figures 3-5 show example user interfaces and displays for temporarily formatting and graphing selected materials.

Figure 6 illustrates a procedure for temporarily graphing selected materials.

Figure 7 shows a program for temporarily formatting the displayed chart.

Figure 8 illustrates an exemplary rotary control ring user interface for selecting an option.

Figure 9 shows the program used to display and interact with a rotation control.

812. . . Rotation control

814. . . file

820. . . Rotation control

830. . . Rotation control

840. . . display

842. . . Displayed file

844. . . Rotation control

846. . . Rotation control

Claims (20)

A method for temporarily formatting and graphing data using a rotation control, comprising the steps of: receiving a user selection of the data, the data is currently displayed on a display; determining a value within the selected data; Automatically displaying first information in a chart, the first information representing a value from the selected material; wherein the chart is automatically generated and displayed in response to the user selection of the received data; and displaying a rotation control, The rotation control rotates about a center point and includes an option arranged in a pie area around the center point, and when the options are selected, a second message is displayed in the chart, the second information representative from the The values of the data are selected; wherein the center point is located adjacent to the chart, and wherein a portion of the rotation is hidden by a display of the chart, the rotation control being operable to affect the display of the chart. The method of claim 1, wherein the rotation control is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, wherein the movement of the rotation control presents different options for applying to the chart. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of: in response to determining that a pointing device selects one of the rotation controls The pie area (pie area), while rotating the rotation control to present different options, is outside the pie area (pie area) representing a currently used option. The method of claim 2, wherein a rotation of the rotation control automatically selects another option and applies the other option to the displayed chart. The method of claim 2, wherein the center point of the rotation control is located at a corner of the displayed chart. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of: displaying a second rotation control at a second corner of the displayed graph, wherein the second rotation control comprises: performing on the display An option for a second set of options on the chart. The method of claim 2, wherein the rotation control comprises: an option for sorting the displayed chart or changing a type of the displayed chart. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of: displaying only a name of an option currently applied to the chart within the rotation control, and presenting a different name of an option after rotating the rotation control. A computer readable storage medium having computer executable instructions for interacting with a rotational control graphical user interface, the computer readable storage medium not including a signal, instructions executed on a processor of a computer include Executing the following steps: in response to a user selection of the received data, automatically displaying a file having the first information and the first information is generated by the value selected by the user of the data; An option within a rotation control; wherein the options are applied to the displayed file when selected; the rotation control is displayed adjacent the displayed file, the rotation control portion being obscured by the displayed file; wherein the rotation Control is divided into a plurality of pie regions (pie regions) according to the determined options presented within the rotation control; wherein each of the pie regions (pie regions) represents one of the determined options; monitoring uses Input to determine when to interact with the rotation control; in response to the rotation control being updated by the user input operation, a display of the rotation control is updated, This causes a different portion of the rotation control to be partially obscured by the displayed document; wherein the rotation control rotates about a center point; and the selected one of the options is applied in response to the rotation of the rotation control such that the file displays the second Information, the second information represents the value within the user selection of the material. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the rotation control is rotated clockwise and counterclockwise, wherein the rotation of the rotation control presents different options for applying to the displayed file. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the option displayed in a pie area (pie area) of the rotation control when the rotation control is rotated is automatically applied, diagonally Display to the displayed file. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions for: in response to determining that a pointing device selects an area within the rotation control, and rotating the rotation control to present a different one Alternatively, the rotation control is external to the pie area (pie area) representing a currently used option. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein a rotation of the rotation control provides a name of an option before a user manually selects the option for application to the displayed file. One shows. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the rotation control bit is located at a corner of the displayed file. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions for: displaying only a name of an option currently applied to the displayed file within the rotation control, and rotating the rotation A different name for an option is presented after control. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the step of masking the rotation control portion by the displayed file further comprises: displaying a shaded portion of the rotation control as a semi-transparent portion. A system for displaying and interacting with a rotational control graphical user interface component, comprising: a processor and computer readable media; a work environment stored on the computer readable medium and on the processor Executing; a display for displaying a file and a rotation control; a visualization manager operating on the processor; and configured to perform a task, the method comprising: responding to a user selection of receiving data Automatically displaying a file having first information and the first information is generated by a value selected by the user of the material; determining an option presented within the rotation control; wherein the options are selected The time is applied to the displayed file; the rotation control is displayed on the display near a display of the file The rotation control is partially obscured by the displayed document; wherein the rotation control is divided into a plurality of pie regions (pie regions) according to the determined options presented within the rotation control; wherein the pie regions (pie regions) Each of the representatives represents one of the determined options; monitoring user input to determine when to initiate the rotation control; responding to the rotation control being activated to update a display of the rotation control, thereby causing the rotation control A different portion is partially obscured by the displayed document; wherein the rotation control is rotated about a center point; the selected one of the options is automatically applied in response to the rotation of the rotation control such that the file displays the second information, the second The information represents the value within the user selection of the material; and the file in response to the display is removed from the display and the rotation control is removed from the display. The system of claim 17, wherein the rotation control rotates clockwise and counterclockwise, wherein the rotation of the rotation control presents different options for applying to the file; wherein the currently applied option is presented in the Within a pie area (pie area) of the rotation control, it is diagonally displayed to the file. The system of claim 18, further comprising the task of: in response to determining that a pointing device selects a pie region (pie region) within the rotation control, and rotating the rotation control to present different options, The rotation control is representative of a currently used option The outside of the pie area (pie area). The system of claim 18, wherein the rotation control is located at a corner of the document.