Optimizing rendering of data tables

• US 10,157,173 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Villani, Massimo
• Primary Examiner(s): Stork, Kyle R
• Application Number:
  US14/824,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20150347370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines

Abstract

A method for determining optimal column widths used in the rendering of data tables displayed in a graphical user interface. The method includes receiving a table parameter associated with the contents of the table and determining if the table parameter has changed. If the table parameter has changed, statistical values are calculated for visible columns of the table. A user choice for a run time column width and a default column width are received for each of the columns. A readability index for data displayed in the visible columns is calculated. A maximum readability index for visible columns is calculated. The optimal column widths based on the maximum readability index are determined. The column widths are set to the optimal column widths. The optimal column widths are stored as meta-data. The table of data is displayed using the optimal column widths.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for rendering a table, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a data processing system, at least one table parameter associated with the contents of the table;

determining, from the at least one table parameter, whether data in the table has changed;

in response to determining the data in the table has changed, calculating, based on the at least one table parameter, two or more statistical values for a plurality of visible columns of the table;

receiving, for each of the plurality of visible columns, a selection, via an input device of the data processing system, of at least one of a user-selected run time column width and a default column width;

calculating, for data displayed in the plurality of visible columns, at least one readability index based on the selected column width and at least one of a data type and the two or more statistical values;

calculating, based on the at least one readability index, a maximum readability index for the plurality of visible columns, wherein the maximum readability index of a visible column identifies a length within a distribution of field lengths that allows all data in each row of the visible column to be viewed without adjusting a column width of any of the plurality of visible columns;

determining a chosen resolution for a display of the data processing system, wherein the chosen resolution is associated with a current user session of the data processing system;

determining, from the current user session, a total width that specifies an available space for presenting, on the display, an entire table at the chosen resolution;

determining an optimal column width of each of the plurality of visible columns based on the maximum readability index, wherein the optimal column width of a visible column maximizes a width of the visible column based on the total width and the chosen resolution;

setting the column widths for the plurality of visible columns to the optimal column widths;

storing the optimal column widths as metadata within system memory of the data processing system; and

rendering the table on the display using the optimal column widths;

wherein the optimal column widths of the table are accessed from the metadata within the system memory during subsequent renderings of the table on the display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the metadata from the system memory;

determining, from the metadata, whether the run time column width has changed for any the plurality of visible columns;

in response to determining the run time column width has changed for at least one visible column, determining, for each visible column that has changed, a new optimal column width for displaying data;

setting the column widths of each of the at least one visible column to the corresponding new optimal column widths; and

displaying the table using the new optimal column widths.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the metadata from the system memory;

determining, from the metadata, whether the run time column width has changed for any the plurality of visible columns;

in response to determining the run time column width has not changed for any the plurality of visible columns, setting the column widths for each of the plurality of visible columns to the optimal columns widths; and

displaying the table using the optimal column widths.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining the data in the table has not changed, continually receiving the at least one table parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the two or more statistical values further comprises:

calculating an average column width of the plurality of visible columns; and

calculating a standard deviation for the column widths of the plurality of visible columns.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein calculating the two or more statistical values further comprises:

calculating, for each row of the plurality of visible columns, a distribution function including a Gaussian distribution that contains an average length of the plurality of visible columns and a standard deviation of the length of the plurality of visible columns;

wherein the at least one readability index is calculated based on the distribution function.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the at least one readability index further comprises:

calculating a worst readability index; and

calculating a best readability index.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum readability index for the plurality of visible columns is calculated using a linear optimization system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one table parameter includes at least one of:

a total width of the table;

a total height of the table;

a height of at least one row;

a width of at least one column;

a type of data;

a field; and

a length of the field.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the default column width is a most frequently selected column width from among a plurality of column widths selected by a plurality of users.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

each of the plurality of column widths selected by the plurality of users are received from the input device; and

each of the plurality of users is associated with a different user session.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the input device is a mouse; and

each of the plurality of column widths is identified in response to receiving, from the mouse, a click and drag operation for a vertical line separating a first column and a second column from among the plurality of visible columns of the table.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one readability index is calculated based on a predetermined readability factor.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of visible columns is a subset of columns that is currently viewable on a display from among a plurality of columns of the table.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a total width of the available space for a different user session on the data processing system is different from the total width of the available space for the current user session on the data processing system.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving both the user-selected run time column width and the default column width, selecting the user-selected run time column width as the selected column width.