Common charting using shapes

• US 20060059414A1
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cory, Daniel P., Vafiadis, Miltos, Hsiao, Sissie Ling-le
• Granted Patent: US 7,584,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/215
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A method for rendering a chart associated with a document includes translating a chart object into a shape-based chart definition, wherein the chart object defines the chart with chart elements, and the shape-based shape definition defines the chart with shapes, and maintaining the chart object in the document to enable access to underlying chart data contained in the chart. A system includes a chart object defining a chart with chart elements, a graphics module operable to render shapes, a charting module generating a shape-based chart definition based on the chart object, wherein the shape-based chart definition defines the chart with shapes that can be rendered by the graphics module.

Claims

1. A method for rendering a chart associated with a document, the method comprising:

translating a chart object into a shape-based chart definition, wherein the chart object defines the chart with chart elements, and the shape-based shape definition defines the chart with shapes; and

maintaining the chart object in the document to enable access to underlying chart data contained in the chart.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising rendering the chart based on the shape-based chart definition.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the translating comprises retrieving data from a data source referenced by the chart object.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the retrieving comprises retrieving the data from one or more of the following:

the document;

a database;

a file;

or

the Internet.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the translating comprises grouping related shapes.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 further comprising applying a group effect to related shapes in a group.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the translating is performed automatically when the document is opened.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the translating is performed automatically when the chart is copied to another document.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising caching the shape-based chart definition.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising editing the chart through a common charting component, the common charting component being used by one or more application programs.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

manipulating underlying chart data based on the chart object; and

manipulating a shape in the chart based on the shape-based chart definition.

12. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform a process for rendering a chart associated with a document, the process comprising:

receiving a chart object defining the chart with one or more chart elements;

generating a shape-based chart definition based on the chart object, the shape-based chart definition defining the chart with one or more shapes; and

rendering the chart using the shape-based chart definition without disassociating the chart object from the document.

13. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the generating comprises translating a chart element of the chart object into a corresponding shape in the shape-based chart definition.

14. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12 wherein the generating comprises retrieving data from a data source referenced by the chart object.

15. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12 wherein the generating comprises:

generating a plurality of shapes corresponding to chart elements; and

putting two or more related shapes into a group.

16. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15 wherein the two or more related shapes correspond to two or more chart labels.

17. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15 wherein the two or more related shapes correspond to a series of data points in the chart.

18. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15 further comprising applying a group effect to all of the shapes in the group.

19. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 15 further comprising:

detecting a first user-manipulation of a shape in the group of shapes; and

in response to detecting the first user-manipulation, editing the chart by applying the user-manipulation to all of the shapes in the group.

20. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19 further comprising:

detecting a second user-manipulation of a shape in the group of shapes; and

in response to detecting the second user-manipulation, editing the chart by applying the user-manipulation only to the shape.

21. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the generating comprises determining a dimension of a shape associated with a chart element based on one or more data values characteristic of the chart element.

22. A system comprising:

a chart object defining a chart with chart elements;

a graphics module operable to render shapes;

a charting module operable to generate a shape-based chart definition based on the chart object, wherein the shape-based chart definition defines the chart with shapes that can be rendered by the graphics module.

23. A system as recited in claim 22 wherein the charting module comprises a translation engine that translates the chart object into the shape-based chart definition by retrieving data from one or more data sources referenced by the chart object.

24. A system as recited in claim 23 wherein the one or more data sources are one or more of the following:

a document associated with the chart object;

a file;

a database;

or

the Internet.

25. A system as recited in claim 23 wherein the translation engine translates one or more chart elements in the chart object into one or more corresponding shapes.

26. A system as recited in claim 25 wherein the translation engine puts related shapes from the one or more shapes into a group.

27. A system as recited in claim 22 wherein the translation engine determines a dimension of a shape associated with a chart element based on one or more data values associated with the chart element.

28. A system as recited in claim 22 wherein the charting module comprises a common charting component operable to manipulate charts in a common manner for multiple application programs.

29. A system comprising:

a document including a chart, wherein the chart is defined with chart elements;

a graphics module operable to render shapes representative of the chart elements;

a means for translating the chart elements into shapes that can be rendered by the graphics module.

30. A method as recited in claim 29 wherein the means for translating comprises a translation module that determines the type of chart, retrieves one or more data values representative of a chart element, and determines dimensions of a shape associated with the chart element based on the one or more data values.

31. A method as recited in claim 29 wherein the shapes are specified in extensible markup language code.

32. A method as recited in claim 30 wherein the translation module further groups one or more related shapes, whereby a group effect can be applied to all the related shapes in the group.