Providing user input values in input controls

• US 20060242600A1
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Mathai, Jackson, Parthasarathy, Prabha, Santhanam, Srivatsan, Pradhan, Aurobinda
• Granted Patent: US 7,562,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/831
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

A method of providing user input values for input controls includes receiving, in a graphical user interface wherein input controls are associated with predefined alternative input values, a first input identifying user selection of at least some of the input controls. The method includes receiving a second input identifying user selection of at least one of the predefined alternative input values that is associated with each of the selected input controls. The second input is made using one of the selected input controls. The method includes entering the selected predefined alternative input value in each of the selected input controls. The value may be automatically entered upon receiving the second input. A third input, for example made with a context menu, may be required to enter the value in the selected controls.

Claims

1. A method of providing user input values for input controls, the method comprising:

receiving, in a graphical user interface wherein input controls are associated with predefined alternative input values, a first input identifying user selection of at least some of the input controls;

receiving a second input identifying user selection of at least one of the predefined alternative input values that is associated with each of the selected input controls, the second input being made using one of the selected input controls; and

entering the selected predefined alternative input value in each of the selected input controls.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying available input values before receiving the second input, the available input values excluding any predefined alternative input value that is not associated with each of the selected input controls.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected predefined alternative input value is automatically entered in each of the selected input controls upon receiving the second input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a third input is required for causing the selected predefined alternative input value to be entered in each of the selected input controls.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the third input is made using a context menu associated with the selected input control with which the user selection of the at least one of the predefined alternative input values is made.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second user input is received before the first input is received, and wherein the third input is thereafter received.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the input controls are located in columns of the GUI, and wherein upon the user selecting more than one of the several input controls in a first one of the columns, the at least one predefined alternative input value is entered in any other of the selected input controls in the first column.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein several of the columns are associated with a user-selectable control for value assignment and wherein upon selection of the control for value assignment for the first column, a value most recently assigned to one of the input controls in the first column is chosen as the selected predefined alternative input value.

9. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, in a graphical user interface wherein input controls are associated with predefined alternative input values, a first input identifying user selection of at least some of the input controls;

receiving a second input identifying user selection of at least one of the predefined alternative input values that is associated with each of the selected input controls, the second input being made using one of the selected input controls; and

entering the selected predefined alternative input value in each of the selected input controls.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the operation of entering the selected predefined alternative input value in each of the selected input controls is automatically performed upon receiving the second input.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein a third input is required for causing the selected predefined alternative input value to be entered in each of the selected input controls.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the third input is made using a context menu associated with the selected input control with which the user selection of the at least one of the predefined alternative input values is made.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the input controls are located in columns of the GUI, and wherein upon the user selecting more than one of the several input controls in a first one of the columns, the at least one predefined alternative input value is entered in any other of the selected input controls in the first column.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein several of the columns are associated with a user-selectable control for value assignment and wherein upon selection of the control for value assignment for the first column, a value most recently assigned to one of the input controls in the first column is chosen as the selected predefined alternative input value.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise displaying available input values before receiving the second input, the available input values excluding any predefined alternative input value that is not associated with each of the selected input controls.

16. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed, generate on a display device a graphical user interface (GUI) for providing user input values for input controls, the GUI comprising:

several input controls, any of which a user can select in the GUI, each of the several input controls being associated with predefined alternative input values;

wherein the user can select, using a selected one of the input controls, at least one of the predefined alternative input values for causing the at least one predefined alternative input value to be entered in any selected input control.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein upon the user selecting the at least one predefined alternative input value in the selected input control, the at least one predefined alternative input value is automatically entered in any other of the several input controls that is also selected.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein upon the user selecting the at least one predefined alternative input value in the selected input control, the user can activate a context menu of the selected input control to cause the at least one predefined alternative input value to be entered in any other of the several input controls that is also selected.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the several input controls are located in columns of the GUI, and wherein upon the user selecting more than one of the several input controls in a first one of the columns, the at least one predefined alternative input value is automatically entered in any other of the selected input controls in the first column.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein available input values are displayed, the available input values excluding any predefined alternative input value that is not associated with any selected input control.