Text entry dialog box system and method of using same

• US 20020147744A1
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Letitia K., Smith, Glenn R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,596,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/507
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/20 Natural language analysis semantic analysis of natural language G06F40/30

Abstract

A text entry dialog box (62) is disclosed for use with an associated window and associated user. A text entry space (64) is provided for text entry by the user. A memory (82) stores previous text entries. A selection button (70) is displayed when the memory (82) contains at least one previous text entry. A selection list (72) is displayed when the selection button (70) is selected by the user. The invention may alternately be viewed as a modified drop-down list box (62). The text line (64) is editable, and the visibility of the drop-down selection arrow (70) is conditional upon the selection list (72) containing at least one entry. Preferably, a parser (102) parses the edited text line contents, and the selection list (72) contains previous text entries entered in the editable text line (64), parsed by the parser (102), and containing at least one character after the parsing.

Claims

1. A text entry dialog box system for use with a display device, data input means including pointing means, and processor means for executing an application program, and that displays on a screen of said display device a dialog box into which an associated user enters data during execution of said application program, said text entry dialog box system comprising:

a text entry space in a dialog box displayed on said screen of the display device for free-form entry of text items into the system by the associated user;

a memory for storing the text items; and

means for selectively displaying a selection button on the screen of the display device in association with the dialog box for selection by the pointing means.

2. The text entry dialog box system according to claim 1, wherein:

the means for selectively displaying the selection button includes means for selectively displaying the selection button solely when the memory contains at least one previously entered text item.

3. The text entry dialog box system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a parser for parsing the text items as parsed text items prior to storage in the memory; and

means for selectively storing the parsed text items in said memory based on the parsed text item containing at least one character.

4. The text entry dialog box system according to claim 2, further comprising:

means for selectively displaying a list of previously entered text items.

5. The text entry dialog box system according to claim 4, further including:

means for selectively displaying said list of previously entered text items when the selection button is selected by the associated user.

6. The text entry dialog box system according to claim 5, wherein:

the selection button is a drop-down arrow button on the screen of the display device in association with the dialog box; and

the list of previously entered text items is a drop-down list on the screen of the display device in association with the dialog box.

7. The text entry dialog box system according to claim 3, further including:

means for initializing the memory as empty each time the associated window is started.

8. A computer implemented method for facilitating input of text by an associated user using a dialog box on a screen of a display device that is connected to said computer, the method comprising:

displaying a text entry section of a dialog box on the screen of the display device;

counting entries stored previously in a memory;

based on the result of said counting step, selectively displaying a selection button on the screen of the display device;

determining a user focus on said text entry section;

modifying the text entry section based upon actions by the user; and

repeating the counting, displaying, determining, and modifying steps.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein:

the step of displaying said selection button is conditional on the counting step returning a count value greater than zero.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein:

the modifying step includes the step of selectively accepting a typed text entry from the user when the user focus is directed to the text entry section.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein:

the modifying step includes the step of selectively performing a list selection routine when the user focus is directed to the selection button.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein:

the step of counting entries previously stored in the memory includes counting previously accepted typed text entries which contain at least one character.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

the step of selectively performing the list selection routine includes accepting user selection of an entry from a list of the memory entries.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of initializing the memory.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

the step of displaying the selection button includes displaying a drop-down arrow button on the screen of the display device in association with the dialog box.

16. The method according to claim 13, further including the step of parsing the accepted typed text entry.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the selection list contains previous text entries entered in the editable text line.

19. The system according to claim 17, further comprising a parser for parsing contents of the editable text line which have been edited.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein:

the selection list contains text entries previously entered in the editable text line, parsed by the parser, and containing at least one character after the parsing.

17. A drop-down list box system for use with a processor, a display device, a main memory, data input means including pointing means, means for storing an operating system and at least one application program, and means for loading said operating system and said application program into main memory, and that displays on a screen of said display device a dialog box into which a user enters data during execution of said application program, said drop-down list box system comprising:

means for displaying an editable text line;

means for displaying a selection list; and

means for selectively displaying a drop-down selection arrow conditional upon the selection list containing at least one entry.