Interactive formatting interface

• US 20020188637A1
• Filed: 06/07/2001
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Taboada, Roberto C., Bailey, Eric D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,886,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/530
• 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: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

An interactive formatting tool enables a user to analyze and modify the formatting properties that have been applied to a text string. A user can invoke the formatting tool by displaying an Interactive Formatting Pane and then selecting a text string for analysis. The Interactive Formatting Pane will display all formatting properties applied to the text selection, including font properties, paragraph properties, and section properties. The Interactive Formatting Pane may also display table format properties, frame format properties, cell format properties and bullets and numbering format properties, if applicable. The user may then select a formatting category (e.g., font size) from the Interactive Formatting Pane and a format modification dialog will be displayed. The format modification dialog enables the user to modify the formatting properties associated with the selected formatting category. The Interactive Formatting Pane also includes a compare selection checkbox. The Interactive Formatting Pane will highlight the formatting differences between the selections. The user may then select each highlighted difference and reconcile the formatting properties of the two selections.

Claims

1. An interactive formatting pane for displaying and modifying a formatting properties set associated with a first text string, comprising:

a selected text window for displaying the first text string with the formatting properties set applied thereto;

an interactive formatting window operative to display a formatting property that is a member of the formatting properties set and to enable the formatting property to be modified;

wherein the formatting properties set is modified.

2. The interactive formatting pane of claim 1, wherein the modification of the formatting properties set is operative to modify the first text string displayed in the selected text window.

3. The interactive formatting pane of claim 1, wherein the interactive formatting window displays every formatting property in the formatting properties set.

4. The interactive formatting pane of claim 1, wherein the interactive formatting window displays a subset of the formatting properties in the formatting properties set.

5. The interactive format pane of claim 1, wherein the formatting property is displayed as a hyperlink.

6. The interactive format pane of claim 5, wherein the hyperlink is selectable to provide a format modification dialog box.

7. The interactive format pane of claim 6, wherein the format modification dialog box is operative to modify the formatting property.

8. The interactive formatting pane of claim 1, further comprising a compare checkbox, the compare checkbox being operative to display a formatting difference between the first text string and a second text string.

9. The interactive format pane of claim 8, wherein the formatting difference is displayed as a hyperlink.

10. The interactive format pane of claim 9, wherein the hyperlink is selectable to reconcile the formatting difference.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying a compare checkbox, the compare checkbox being selectable to display a formatting difference between the first text string and a second text string.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the formatting difference is displayed as a hyperlink.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the hyperlink is selectable to reconcile the formatting difference.

11. A method for modifying a formatting properties set associated with a first text string, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying the first text string with the formatting properties set applied thereto;

displaying at least one formatting property that is a member of the formatting properties set; and

providing a format modification dialog box, in response to the selection of the displayed formatting property;

wherein the format modification dialog box is operative to modify the formatting properties set.

12. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 11.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one formatting property is displayed as a hyperlink.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the hyperlink is selectable to provide the format modification dialog box.

19. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 18.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the format modification dialog box includes a selection for reconciling all differences between the first formatting properties set and the second formatting properties set, by setting the second formatting properties set equal to the first formatting properties set.

18. A method for comparing a first formatting properties set associated with a first text string and a second formatting properties set associated with a second text string, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying the first text string with the first formatting properties set applied thereto;

displaying the second text string with the second formatting properties set applied thereto;

displaying a formatting difference between the first formatting properties set and the second formatting properties set; and

providing a format modification dialog box, in response to the selection of the displayed formatting difference;

wherein the format modification dialog box is operative to modify the first formatting properties set and to modify the second formatting properties set.