Contextual navigation and action stacking

• US 20060015479A1
• Filed: 07/19/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Beringer, Joerg, Wood, Eric
• Application Number:
  US11/184,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015479A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for contextual navigation and action stacking. A method includes, in a computer system having a context repository in which at least two context templates are stored, each of the context templates representing a meta-model of a business situation, and an action repository in which at least two actions are stored having respective action definitions, instantiating a context in response to the business situation based on a context template stored in the context repository, the instantiated context representing a model of the business situation, associating at least one action with the instantiated context, generating a user interface (UI) based on an interface template, the UI enabling at least one action to a user based on the instantiated context, the at least one action adopting the instantiated context, in response to a user'"'"'s selection of one of the at least one action, enabling the user with a plurality of sub-actions the user can perform before completing the one action, and adding the plurality of sub-actions to the instantiated context, the sub-actions adopting the instantiated context.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

in a computer system including a context repository in which at least two context templates are stored, each of the context templates representing a meta-model of a business situation, and an action repository in which at least two actions are stored having respective action definitions, instantiating a context in response to the business situation based on a context template stored in the context repository, the instantiated context representing a model of the business situation;

associating at least one action with the instantiated context;

generating a user interface (UI) based on an interface template, the UI enabling at least one action to a user based on the instantiated context, the at least one action adopting the instantiated context;

in response to a user'"'"'s selection of one of the at least one action, enabling the user with a plurality of sub-actions the user can perform before completing the one action; and

adding the plurality of sub-actions to the instantiated context, the sub-actions adopting the instantiated context.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising filtering the instantiated context associated with the one or more action so the plurality of sub-actions added adopt the filtered instantiated context.

3. The computer-implemented method of claims 1 further comprising enabling a control in the UI to govern a completion of at least one of the action and sub-action.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of actions and sub-actions are portable user interface (UI) services.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the actions are related goals and the sub-actions are related sub-task.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the sub-tasks are contextual actions that the user can perform before completing a goal.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the instantiated context comprises context data, the context data being passed to the sub-actions.

8. The computer-implement method of claim 1 wherein the generated UI enables a stacking the sub-actions on the selected action.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 further comprising a user interface navigation framework (UINF) for that maintains context through the stack of sub-actions.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising incrementally adding additional context with each sub-task.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein a sub-action is provided as a possible action that the user should complete before successfully completing an action.

12. Apparatus for contextual navigation and action stacking in a business application, the apparatus comprising digital circuitry configured to perform the following actions:

in a computer system including a context repository in which at least two context templates are stored, each of the context templates representing a meta-model of a business situation, and an action repository in which at least two actions are stored having respective action definitions, instantiate a context in response to the business situation based on a context template stored in the context repository, the instantiated context representing a model of the business situation;

associate at least one action with the instantiated context;

generate a user interface (UI) based on an interface template, the UI enabling at least one action to a user based on the instantiated context, the at least one action adopting the instantiated context;

in response to a user'"'"'s selection of one of the at least one action, enable the user with a plurality of sub-actions the user can perform before completing the one action; and

add the plurality of sub-actions to the instantiated context, the sub-actions adopting the instantiated context.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises a programmable processor and the apparatus is configured by instructions stored in a memory for execution by the processor.