Context-based text auto completion

• US 10,031,907 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2015
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bell, David R., Cullen, Peter J., Duffell, John W., Sullivan, Darren J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh
• Application Number:
  US14/805,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20160026639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

An aspect of auto-completion of text entered by a user includes configurable data collection components that collect from software applications text data and metadata representing an initial state of each of the applications and text data and metadata representing changes to the state of one or more of the applications. A central text matching component receives and stores the text data and metadata. A sending component sends text entered by the user in a text-entry field and any metadata associated with it to the central text matching component. A comparison component compares the entered text and associated metadata to the stored text data and metadata and locates matching text strings. A weighted ordering component ranks the matching text strings using the metadata and its configuration settings. A completion component completes the entered text at the text-entry field based on a selection of one of the located matching text strings.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a computer processor configured with;

configurable data collection components for collecting, from a plurality of software applications, text data and text metadata representing an initial state of each of the software applications and text data and text metadata representing changes to the state of at least one of the plurality of software applications, wherein the text data and the text metadata collected by the configurable data collection components is selected by the configurable data collection components based on data collection settings of the configurable data collection components, wherein the data collection settings of the configurable data collection components establish what type and amount of the text data and text metadata are to be collected by the data collection components from each of the software applications;

a central text matching component for receiving from the data collection components the text data and text metadata representing an initial state and the text data and text metadata representing changes to the state of at least one of the plurality of software applications, wherein the text data and text metadata and the change text data and text metadata is stored in a database in the memory, the database maintained by the central text matching component;

a sending component for sending text entered by the user in a text-entry field of an application and any text metadata associated with said entered text to the central text matching component;

a comparison component for comparing said entered text and associated text metadata to text data and text metadata in the database and locating text strings matching the text data and metadata;

a weighted ordering component for ranking the matching text strings using the text metadata and weighted ordering component configuration settings;

a completion component for completing the entered text at the text-entry field based on a selection of one of the located matching text strings;

an updating component for updating text metadata of the matching text string in the database to reflect the selection; and

an updating component for updating the configuration settings of the weighted ordering component based on the updated text metadata.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the completion component further comprises a user selection component comprising:

a display component for displaying to the user a list of text strings matching the text data and text metadata ranked by the weighted ordering component according to the text metadata and its configuration settings, and wherein a user selecting one of the matching text strings causes the completion of the entered text based on the text string selection.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the completion component further comprises a selection component of the central text matching component for selecting the top-ranked one of the text strings matching the text data and text metadata based on weighting applied by the weighted ordering component and causing the completion of the entered text based on the text string selection.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the configurable data collection components is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of software applications.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the type and amount of the text data and text metadata collected is configurable by a user via the data collection settings.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising an update component for updating the data collection settings of the configurable data collection components based on feedback received by the central text matching component of information regarding usage of the text data and text metadata in auto-completion operations, wherein updating the data collection settings includes changing the type and amount of text data and text metadata that are to be collected by the data collection components in subsequent auto-completion operations.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the text data and text metadata supplied to the central text matching component is collected by the data collection components from a plurality of users.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the central text matching component is operable for supplying suggestions for auto-completion of text to a plurality of users.

9. A method comprising:

collecting from a plurality of software applications, via configurable data collection components of a computer processor, text data and text metadata representing an initial state of each of the software applications and supplying the text data and text metadata to a central text matching component, the central text matching component maintaining a database of the text data and text metadata, wherein the text data and the text metadata collected by the configurable data collection components is selected by the configurable data collection components based on data collection settings of the configurable data collection components, wherein the data collection settings of the configurable data collection components establish what type and amount of the text data and text metadata are to be collected by the data collection components from each of the software applications;

collecting by the configurable data collection components text data and text metadata representing changes to the state of at least one of the plurality of software applications and supplying the change text data and metadata to the central text matching component;

updating by the central text matching component the database of text data and text metadata based on the changes;

entering text by a user into a text entry field of a software application and supplying the entered text and any metadata associated with the text entry to the central text matching component;

comparing the entered text and associated text metadata to text data and text metadata in the database by the central text matching component and locating text strings matching the entered text data and metadata;

ranking the matching text strings by the weighted ordering component using the text metadata of the text strings and weighted ordering component configuration settings;

selecting one of the matching text strings and completing the entered text based on the text string selection;

updating text metadata of the matching text string in the database to reflect the selection; and

updating the configuration settings of the weighted ordering component based on said updated text metadata.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the selecting one of the matching text strings comprises:

displaying to the user a list of text strings matching the text data and text metadata ranked by the weighted ordering component according to the text metadata; and

selecting by the user one of the matching text strings and completing the entered text based on the text string selection.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the selecting one of the matching text strings comprises:

selecting by the central text matching component the top ranked one of the text strings matching the text data and text metadata based on ranking applied by the weighted ordering component; and

completing the entered text based on the text string selection.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein each of the data collection components is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of software applications.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the type and amount of the text data and text metadata collected is configurable by a user via the data collection settings.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising updating the data collection settings of the configurable data collection components based on feedback received by the central text matching component of information regarding usage of the text data and text metadata in auto-completion operations, wherein updating the data collection setting includes changing the type and amount of text data and text metadata that are to be collected by the data collection components in subsequent auto-completion operations.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the text data and text metadata supplied to the central text matching component is collected from a plurality of users.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the central text matching component is operable for supplying suggestions for auto-completion of text to a plurality of users.

17. A computer program comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a computer to cause the computer to perform a method comprising;

collecting by configurable data collection components from a plurality of software applications text data and text metadata representing an initial state of each of the software applications and supplying the text data and text metadata to a central text matching component, the central text matching component maintaining a database of the text data and text metadata, wherein the text data and the text metadata collected by the central text matching components is selected by the configurable data collection components based on data collection settings of the configurable data collection components, wherein the data collection settings of the configurable data collection components establish what type and amount of the text data and text metadata are to be collected by the data collection components from each of the software applications;

collecting by the configurable data collection components text data and text metadata representing changes to the state of at least one of the plurality of software applications and supplying the change text data and metadata to the central text matching component;

updating by the central text matching component the database of text data and text metadata based on the changes;

entering text by a user into a text entry field of a software application and supplying the entered text and any metadata associated with the text entry to the central text matching component;

comparing the entered text and associated text metadata to text data and text metadata in the database by the central text matching component and locating text strings matching the entered text data and metadata;

ranking the matching text strings by the weighted ordering component using the text metadata of the text strings and weighted ordering component configuration settings;

selecting one of the matching text strings and completing the entered text based on the text string selection;

updating text metadata of the matching text string in the database to reflect the selection; and

updating the configuration settings of the weighted ordering component based on the updated text metadata.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the selecting one of the matching text strings comprises:

displaying to the user a list of text strings matching the text data and text metadata ranked by the weighted ordering component according to the text metadata; and

selecting by the user one of the matching text strings and completing the entered text based on the text string selection.