Object and connection organization in a diagram

• US 10,013,241 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bleizeffer, Terry M., Hawkes, Nicholas C., Wu, Aimin
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/065,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A method includes presenting, on a display, a diagram. The presenting of the diagram includes presenting a first row that defines a location where objects of a first object type can be created, wherein a first ghosted object of a first object type is displayed in the first row. The first ghosted object represents a first creatable object of the first object type. The presenting of the diagram includes presenting a second row that defines a location where objects of a second object type can be created. The method also includes responsive to a first input to create a first object of the first object type in the first row, creating the first object of the first object type. Also in response to the first input, the method includes graphically changing the first ghosted object into the first object and presenting a second ghosted object of the second object type in the second row.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a diagram, the method comprising:

providing a user interface (UI) for organizing and creating the diagram utilizing a swim lane style row structure for representing types and relationships between different objects and for presenting ghosted objects for use in creation of new objects, wherein the UI further comprises;

presenting visible rows upon entry to the UI, wherein each row represents a specific object type, with a first ghosted object on a first row pre-connected with a selected first non-ghosted object from a second row using a first ghosted connection;

responsive to a user selection of the first ghosted object for creation, creating a second non-ghosted object to replace the first ghosted object and presenting a connection between the first non-ghosted object and the second non-ghosted object as a first non-ghosted connection; and

responsive to a user selection of a third non-ghosted object in the same row as the first non-ghosted object, removing at least the second non-ghosted object and first non-ghosted connection, and displaying a number in proximity to the first non-ghosted object, the number representing a number of connections between the first non-ghosted object and a first set of one or more objects connected to the first non-ghosted object that were removed, and adding a second set of one or more objects connected to the third non-ghosted object and one or more connections to the second set of one or more objects.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to selection of the first ghosted object, presenting a menu including a menu entry, which upon selection, creates the second non-ghosted object.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to selection of a third object in a third row, automatically presenting one or more child objects of the third object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a card flipping interface, wherein a row of the UI includes a plurality of non-ghosted objects included in the card flipping interface and at least one ghosted object excluded from the card flipping interface, the plurality of non-ghosted objects including a first selected object, wherein the card flipping interface includes fully displaying the first selected object as connected to the first ghosted object using the first ghosted connection, and partially displaying a remainder of the plurality of non-ghosted objects in at least one stack in the row and without any ghosted connections.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the diagram represents a cloud environment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the UI for organizing and creating the diagram comprises providing the UI for organizing and creating a topographical diagram.