Command and argument description display corresponding to user actions on an electronic instrument

• US 20070135946A1
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tektronix International Sales GmbH (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Tektronix International Sales GmbH (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Takai, Toru, Sugiyama, Toshio
• Application Number:
  US11/603,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20070135946A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/025 concerning dedicated user interfaces, e.g. GUI, or dedicated keyboards G01R31/31912 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 13/029 Software therefor

Abstract

An electronic instrument displays commands and arguments and their description related to specific user operations of an electronic instrument. A command help bar is displayed in a window with the command help bar displaying a command and associated argument and a description of the command and argument as a function of user defined operations of the electronic instrument using operation means. The user entered value is used as the argument, which allows the user to easily understand a specific description. The user may access additional help windows that displays information on a detailed explanation of the description method (syntax) of the displayed command and a programming example. The description of the command and argument including the specific setting value may be copied and pasted into a program file in a programming widow that is displayed at the same time, which enhances programming efficiency.

Claims

1. An electronic instrument comprising:

operation means for controlling the electronic instrument to perform a desired action;

means for displaying command and argument description of the desired action for programming the electronic instrument to perform the same desired action as operated through the operation means.

2. The electronic instrument recited in claim 1 wherein the command and argument displaying means further comprises displaying an explanation of the argument.

3. The electronic instrument recited in claim 1 wherein the argument is a specific value entered for the desired action.

4. The electronic instrument recited in claim 1 wherein the electronic instrument is a signal generator.

5. The electronic instrument recited in claim 1 wherein the display means displays a command help area in a window and a programming window, the command help area displaying the command and argument description corresponding to the desired action, and the command and argument description being copied and pasted into command script file in the programming window.

6. The electronic instrument recited in claim 1 further comprising a lookup table stored in a memory means of the electronic instrument having information on the command and argument description relating to the corresponding desired action, with the electronic instrument searching the lookup table for the command and argument description corresponding to the desired action.

7. The electronic instrument recited in claim 1 wherein a graphic element corresponding to the desired action stores the corresponding command and argument description in the property and the command and argument description is displayed on the display means during the desired action by reading it from the property.

8. The electronic instrument recited in claim 1 wherein the command and argument description is a remote command and argument description used in an external controller coupled to the electronic instrument with the external controller storing the desired action command and argument description for remotely controlling the electronic instrument.

9. An electronic instrument operating under program control for performing a desired action comprising:

display means;

operation means;

memory means for storing command and argument description for programming the desired action as operated through the operation means; and

control means for reading the command and argument description from the memory means corresponding to the desired action when the desired action is done by the operation means to make the display means displays the command and argument description.