Output of Help Elements that Correspond to Selectable Portions of Content

• US 20080059961A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lakshminarayanan, Suji, Kunz, Michael C., Miranda-Steiner, Emmanuel Jose
• Application Number:
  US11/469,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20080059961A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Techniques are described to output help elements that correspond to selectable portions of content. Content, for instance, may be output in a user interface having a plurality of selectable portions and a help element. The user interface may be updated in response to sequential selection of the plurality of selectable portions by retrieving corresponding help elements stored locally on the client and outputting the corresponding help elements as synchronized with the sequential selection.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

outputting content obtained via a network in a user interface having a plurality of selectable portions and a help element; and

updating the user interface in response to sequential selection of the plurality of selectable portions by retrieving corresponding help elements that were stored locally on the client before the content was obtained and outputting the corresponding help elements as synchronized with the sequential selection.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the updating includes:

identifying a particular said portion;

when the client does not include at least one said help element that matches a particular said portion, retrieving a default said help element.

3. A method as described in claim 2, wherein:

the plurality of help elements are arranged into groups; and

the default said help element is included in one of the groups that corresponds to the particular said portion.

4. A method as described in claim 2, wherein the default help element corresponds to a topic of the particular said portion.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of help elements are arranged into a hierarchy of groups based on topic and sub-topic.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the corresponding help elements are synchronized with the sequential selection such that a single said help element is displayed at a particular point in time that corresponds to selection of a corresponding single said portion.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein:

the portions are arranged into groups;

when an input is received selecting another said portion in another said group, outputting the user interface as having focus switched to the other said group and having another help element relating to the other said portion

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a control to switch between:

a first mode such that when a single said portion is selected, a single said help element corresponding to the selected portion is output; and

a second mode such that a plurality of said help elements corresponding to a plurality of said portions is displayed in the user interface.

9. A method comprising:

outputting a user interface having a plurality of selectable portions arranged into a plurality of groups and a help element, wherein;

the help element relates to a particular said portion in a particular said group; and

the particular said group is output as having focus in the user interface with respect to another said group; and

when an input is received selecting another said portion in another said group, outputting the user interface as having focus switched to the other said group and having another help element relating to the other said portion.

10. A method as described in claim 9, wherein each said portion in the particular said group, when having focus, is selectable such that the output of the help element relating to the particular said portion is continued.

11. A method as described in claim 9, wherein:

the plurality of selectable portions are configured from data received from a service provide via a network; and

the help element and the other help element are retrievable locally on a client that performs the outputting.

12. A method as described in claim 9, wherein at least one of the selectable portions is configured to receive text input by a user.

13. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the help element is output proximally to the particular said group and displayed over at least one other said selectable portion that is not included in the particular said group.

14. A method as described in claim 13, wherein when the input is received selecting the other said portion in the other said group, the other help element relating to the other said help element is displayed proximally to the other said group.

15. One or more computer-readable media comprising executable instruction that, when executed, direct a client to output a user interface having a plurality of portions that are selectable and a control to place the user interface in:

a first mode such that when a single said portion is selected, a single help element relating to the selected portion is output; and

a second mode such that a plurality of help elements corresponding to a plurality of said portions is displayed in the user interface.

16. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 15, wherein when the user interface is placed in the first mode, output of the user interface is configured such that another help element is not displayed that relates to another said portion displayed concurrently in the user interface with the selected single said portion.

17. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the control is selectable by a user through interaction with the user interface.

18. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions configure the client to retrieve one or more said help elements from local storage and wherein the plurality of portions are included in content received by the client via a network connection.

19. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instruction configure the client, when in the second mode, to retrieve the plurality of help elements corresponding to the plurality of portions and display the plurality of help elements as aggregated in the user interface.

20. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 19, wherein the aggregated help elements are concurrently displayed within a window along with at one or more said portions.