Enhanced find and replace for electronic documents

• US 20020129053A1
• Filed: 01/05/2001
• Published: 09/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yu, Christopher C., Huynh, Tuan, Chan, Marise, Rader, Marcella C.S., Maguire, Justin M. III
• Granted Patent: US 8,205,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/503
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

An enhanced find and replace feature for a spreadsheet program module is disclosed. The enhanced find and replace feature allows users to search for terms and attributes across multiple sheets of a workbook. The find and replace feature also allows searches to be performed based on the formatting attributes of a cell as well as the textual or numerical contents of a cell. The enhanced find and replace feature also allows users to perform bulk formatting of cells (even cells without text) in a spreadsheet. In another aspect, the enhanced find and replace feature lists all the results of the find operation in a results list so that the user may choose which result(s) to view and edit. In another aspect, the find and replace feature is modeless so that a user can search for terms or attributes, view a results list, exit the find and replace feature, perform editing functions in the document and then return to the find and replace feature. With modelessness, when the user clicks into a worksheet and clicks back into the find and replace dialog, the search resumes on the current selection in the worksheet.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for populating a plurality of fields in a find dialog of a spreadsheet program module, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a plurality of formatting characteristics of a cell in the spreadsheet; and

editing the plurality of fields in the find dialog to correspond to the plurality of formatting characteristics of the cell.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the plurality of formatting characteristics of the cell in the spreadsheet is performed in response to a selection of the cell.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the selection of the cell comprises receiving an indication of a selection made by a user.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the indication is entered by the user moving a cursor over the first cell and clicking a mouse button.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the cursor is shaped like an eyedropper.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the plurality of fields in the find dialog comprise a plurality of number fields, a plurality of alignment fields, a plurality of font fields, a plurality of border fields, a plurality of pattern fields and a plurality of protection fields.

7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 6.

8. A computer-implemented method for performing a find operation on a file of a spreadsheet program module, the method comprising the following steps:

determining if text is entered in a find field of a find dialog;

if text is not entered in the find field, then performing the following steps;

determining whether formatting attributes are entered for the find operation and, if so, then finding any cells in the spreadsheet with formatting attributes matching the entered formatting attributes;

if text is entered in the find field of the find dialog, then performing the following steps;

determining whether formatting attributes are entered for the find operation and, if so, then finding any cells in the spreadsheet with formatting attributes matching the entered formatting attributes and text matching the entered text;

and, if no formatting attributes are entered for the find operation, then finding any cells in the spreadsheet with text matching the entered text.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of displaying the found cells of the spreadsheet in a results list of the find dialog.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of displaying the found cells comprises displaying a book entry, a sheet entry, a name entry, a cell entry, a value entry and a formula entry for each found cell.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the book entry, the sheet entry, the name entry, the cell entry, the value entry and the formula entry are links.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the links, when selected, will navigate the find dialog to the found cell associated with the link.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of claim 12.

15. The method recited in claim 14 wherein the step of finding any cells in the spreadsheet with formatting attributes and text matching the entered formatting attributes and text for the find operation is performed with the steps of claim 8.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of claim 14.

18. The find and replace dialog of claim 17 wherein the find all button, when selected executes computer-implemented instructions to find every instance of the text string and selected formatting attributes in the document.

19. The find and replace dialog of claim 18 wherein the found instances are displayed in a results list.

20. The find and replace dialog of claim 17 further comprising a find next button which, when selected, executes computer-implemented instructions to find a first instance of the text string and selected formatting attributes in the document.

14. A computer-implemented method for performing a replace operation on a file of a spreadsheet program module, the method comprising the following steps:

determining if text is entered in a replace with field of a find and replace dialog;

if text is not entered in the replace with field, then performing the following steps;

determining whether formatting attributes are entered for the replace operation and, if so, then finding any cells in the spreadsheet with formatting attributes and text matching the entered formatting attributes and text for the find operation; and

replacing the formatting attributes of the found cells with the formatting attributes for the replace operation;

if text is entered in the replace with field of the find and replace dialog, then performing the following steps;

determining whether formatting attributes are entered for the replace operation and, if so, then finding any cells in the spreadsheet with formatting attributes and text matching the entered formatting attributes and text for the find operation and replacing the formatting attributes and text of the found cells with the text entered in the replace with field and the formatting attributes for the replace operation;

and, if no formatting attributes are entered for the find operation, then finding any cells in the spreadsheet with formatting attributes and text matching the entered formatting attributes and text for the find operation and replacing the text of the found cells with the text entered in the replace with field.

17. A find and replace dialog for use in association with a document of a computer application program module, the dialog comprising:

a Find What field, wherein the Find What field comprises a text string to search for,

a format button, wherein, when selected, the format dropdown button displays a number of formatting attributes for selection by the user; and

a find all button.