System and method in an electronic spreadsheet for displaying and/or hiding range of cells

• US 20030188259A1
• Filed: 11/19/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bauchot, Frederic, Aureglia, Jean-Jacques
• Granted Patent: US 7,546,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/503
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method, system and program for displaying and/or hiding, in an electronic multi-dimensional spreadsheet on a user interface, elements of a range of cells, a range of cells having one or more contiguous elements aligned along a given spreadsheet dimension, an element of a range of cells having one or more cells along one or a plurality of spreadsheet dimensions. The method includes (A) detecting a command for hiding at least one element in a selected range of cells, the command comprising means for identifying the selected range of cells and means for identifying a display focus level selected among a plurality of ordered display focus levels defined for the selected range of cells; (B) identifying the selected range of cells in the element to hide; (C) identifying the selected display focus level; (D) identifying a table associated with the selected range of cells, the table associating each defined display focus level with at least one cell content criteria to apply to the content of the at least one cell; and (E) selectively displaying the element on the user interface based on the relationship of the selected display focus level with the display focus level associated with the element.

Claims

1. In an electronic multidimensional spreadsheet comprising a plurality of cells identified by a cell address along each dimension of the spreadsheet, a method for displaying and/or hiding on a user interface, elements of a range of cells, the range of cells comprising one or a plurality of contiguous elements aligned along a given spreadsheet dimension, an element comprising one or a plurality of cells, the method comprising:

(A) detecting a command for hiding at least one element in a selected range of cells, the command comprising means for identifying the selected range of cells and means for identifying a display focus level selected among a plurality of ordered display focus levels defined for the selected range of cells;

(B) identifying the selected range of cells comprising the element to hide;

(C) identifying the selected display focus level;

(D) identifying a table associated with the selected range of cells, the table associating each defined display focus level with at least one cell content criteria to apply to the content of the at least one cell; and

(E) selectively displaying the element on the user interface based on the relationship of the selected display focus level with the display focus level associated with the element.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein (E) further comprises:

(E1) hiding the at least one element on the user interface where the associated display focus level is lower than the selected display focus level.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein (E) further comprises:

(E1) displaying the at least one element on the user interface where the associated display focus level is at least equal or higher than the selected display focus level.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein (E) further comprises:

(E1) for each element of the selected range of cells;

(i) identifying at least one predefined cell in the element;

(ii) identifying the content of the predefined cell;

(iii) applying to the identified content, the cell content criteria associated with each display focus level defined in the table;

(iv) identifying in the table, the lowest display focus level for which all the associated cell content criteria is satisfied;

(v) associating the identified display focus level with the element; and

(vi) comparing the display focus level associated with the element with the selected display focus level.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

(F) defining a plurality of display focus levels and ordering the display focus levels; and

(G) defining at least one range of cells.

6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising:

(H) for each defined range of cells;

(i) defining elements in the range of cells;

(ii) defining a table and associating the range of cells with the table;

(iii) defining at least one criteria for each display focus level; and

(iv) associating, in the table, each defined display focus level with the at least one cell content criteria.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein an element of a range of cells comprises one of a row, column and sheet.

8. The method according to claim 4 wherein (El) further comprises:

(vii) defining a threshold variable; and

(viii) comparing the content of the cell with the predefined threshold variable.

9. The method according to claim 4 wherein (El) further comprises:

(vii) defining means for identifying a second cell;

(viii) comparing the content of the first cell with the content of the second cell.

10. A computer program product for use with a computer system capable of displaying an electronic multidimensional spreadsheet with a user interface, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having embodied therein program code comprising:

(A) program code for detecting a command for hiding at least one element in a selected range of cells, the command comprising means for identifying the selected range of cells and means for identifying a display focus level selected among a plurality of ordered display focus levels defined for the selected range of cells;

(B) program code for identifying the selected range of cells comprising the element;

(C) program code for identifying the selected display focus level;

(D) program code for identifying a table associated with the selected range of cells, the table associating each defined display focus level with at least one cell content criteria to apply to the content of at least one cell; and

(E) program code for selectively displaying the element on the user interface based on the relationship of the selected display focus level with the display focus level associated with the element.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10 wherein (E) further comprises:

(E1) program code for hiding the at least one element on the user interface where the associated display focus level is lower than the selected display focus level.

12. The computer program product according to claim 10 wherein (E) further comprises:

(E1) program code for displaying the at least one element on the user interface where the associated display focus level is at least equal or higher than the selected display focus level.

13. The computer program product according to claim 10 wherein (E) further comprises:

(E1) for each element of the selected range of cells, program code for;

(i) identifying at least one predefined cell in the element;

(ii) identifying the content of the predefined cell;

(iii) applying to the identified content, the cell content criteria associated with each display focus level defined in the table;

(iv) identifying in the table, the lowest display focus level for which all the associated cell content criteria is satisfied;

(v) associating the identified display focus level with the element; and

(vi) comparing the display focus level associated with the element with the selected display focus level.

14. The computer program product according to claim 10 further comprising:

(F) program code for defining a plurality of display focus levels and ordering the display focus levels; and

(G) defining at least one range of cells.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14 further comprising:

(H) for each defined range of cells, program code for;

(i) defining elements in the range of cells;

(ii) defining a table and associating the range of cells with the table;

(iii) defining at least one criteria for each display focus level; and

(iv) associating, in the table, each defined display focus level with the at least one cell content criteria.

16. The computer program product according to claim 10 wherein an element of a range of cells comprises one of a row, column and sheet.

17. The computer program product method to claim 15 wherein (El) further comprises:

(vii) program code for defining a threshold variable; and

(viii) program code for comparing the content of the cell with the predefined threshold variable.

18. The computer program product according to claim 15 wherein (El) further comprises:

(vii) program code for defining means for identifying a second cell;

(viii) program code for comparing the content of the first cell with the content of the second cell.

19. An apparatus for use with a computer system capable of displaying an electronic multidimensional spreadsheet on a user interface, the apparatus comprising:

A) program logic for detecting a command for hiding at least one element in a selected range of cells, the command comprising means for identifying the selected range of cells and means for identifying a display focus level selected among a plurality of ordered display focus levels defined for the selected range of cells;

(B) program logic for identifying the selected range of cells comprising the element;

(C) program logic for identifying the selected display focus level;

(D) program logic for identifying a table associated with the selected range of cells, the table associating each defined display focus level with at least one cell content criteria to apply to the content of at least one cell; and

(E) program logic for selectively displaying the element on the user interface based on the relationship of the selected display focus level with the display focus level associated with the element.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein (E) further comprises:

(E1) program logic for hiding the at least one element on the user interface where the associated display focus level is lower than the selected display focus level.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein (E) further comprises:

(E1) program logic for displaying the at least one element on the user interface where the associated display focus level is at least equal or higher than the selected display focus level.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein (E) further comprises:

(E1) program logic for each element of the selected range of cells;

(i) identifying at least one predefined cell in the element;

(ii) identifying the content of the predefined cell;

(iii) applying to the identified content, the cell content criteria associated with each display focus level defined in the table; and

(iv) identifying in the table, the lowest display focus level for which all the associated cell content criteria is satisfied.

(v) associating the identified display focus level with the element; and

(vi) comparing the display focus level associated with the element with the selected display focus level;