Method of displaying data in a table

• US 20080104091A1
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Philip Chin
• Original Assignee: Philip Chin
• Inventors: Chin, Philip
• Application Number:
  US11/983,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20080104091A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines

Abstract

A method and computer-executable program code for displaying data in a table having columns, rows and a plurality of cells defined by the columns and rows. The method involves the steps of creating a first and a second sub-tables positioned one above another or side-by-side. The top sub-table defines a non-scrollable, fixed header, while the bottom table defines a scrollable data table. The top table has a visible part and a hidden part, which contains records copied from a maximum width cell in the top or bottom table corresponding to each individual column. To form a fixed sidebar, the code computer-executable program code adjusts the height of the rows based on the parameters of a maximum height cell in the row.

Claims

1. A method of displaying on a computer-controlled screen, records arranged in a table, said table having columns, rows and a plurality of cells defined by the columns and rows, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a first non-scrollable sub-table within said table for displaying headings of the columns;

forming a second scrollable sub-table within said table for displaying records corresponding to the headings in the first sub-table;

defining maximum width and/or height parameters for each column in the first sub-table and the second sub-table based on pre-determined parameters of a maximum width or height cell within said each column, thereby creating a maximum height-or-width parameter cell;

defining a visible part of the first sub-table to be visible on the computer-controlled screen and a hidden part of the first sub-table that is non-visible on the computer-controlled screen;

copying data of the maximum parameter cell into a hidden cell within the same column in the hidden part of the first sub-table, thereby hiding a data copy of the maximum parameter cell in a header for the said same column, while defining the width or height parameters of the said same column and while the maximum parameter cell remains visible in the first sub-table; and

displaying on the computer-controlled screen, records arranged in a table having a non-scrollable header part and a scrollable part in each data cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter data to be copied into the hidden first sub-table are assigned a pre-determined height adjusted to a pre-determined height-or-width attribute value prior to copying the parameter data into the hidden part of the first sub-table.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the height-or-width attribute value has the height value of 1 px or less.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a cell width is assigned by setting a <

td>

width attribute to a pixel value of the record within the cell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a cell is assigned a discrete width by determining a percentage value of the corresponding column in relation to a remainder data table width.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-scrollable first sub-table defines a fixed header of the table.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sub-table defines a fixed sidebar of the table.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein data of the maximum parameter cell from the visible part of the first sub-table is copied to the hidden part of the second sub-table, so as to balance and equalize widths of cells for each column in the stationary part and the scrollable part and create alignment between the hidden part and the visible part of the table.

9. Computer program code embodied in a computer-readable medium, comprising:

computer-executable program code for defining a set of height-or-width parameters for a record of the database arranged in a data table having columns, rows and a plurality of cells defined by the columns and rows;

computer-executable program code for determining maximum height-or-width parameters for each column or row in the data table based on the records to be displayed in a cell that will have the maximum height-or-width parameters;

computer-executable program code for establishing a first sub-table defining a non-scrollable part of each column;

computer-executable program code for establishing a second sub-table defining scrollable part of each column;

computer-executable program code for establishing a visible part of the first sub-table and a hidden part of the first sub-table;

computer-executable program code for copying records from a visible cell having maximum height-or-width parameter data into a hidden cell within the same column in the hidden part of the first sub-table, to thereby define height-or-width parameters of the said same columns or rows in the first sub-table and the second sub-table, said computer program code thereby hiding a copy of the maximum height-or-width parameter data in the hidden cell, while allowing the maximum height-or-width parameter data to remain visible in the visible cell, while defining a set of parameters for displaying records arranged in a table having a stationary part and a scrollable part in each column.

10. The computer program code of claim 9, wherein the records to be copied into the hidden first sub-table are assigned a pre-determined height adjusted to a predetermined attribute value prior to copying the records into the hidden part of the first sub-table.

11. The computer program code of claim 10, wherein the attribute value has the height value of 1 px or less.

12. The computer program code of claim 9, wherein a cell width is determined by setting the <

td>

width attribute to a pixel value of the record within the cell.

13. The computer program code of claim 9, wherein a cell width is assigned a discreet width determined by determining a percentage value of the corresponding column in relation to a remainder data table width.

14. The computer program code of claim 9, wherein the non-scrollable first sub-table defines a fixed header of the table.

15. The computer program code of claim 9, wherein the non-scrollable first sub-table defines a fixed sidebar of the table.

16. The computer program code of claim 9, wherein the records to be copied into the hidden first sub-table are copied into the hidden part of the first sub-table.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the data of the maximum parameter cell copied into a cell within a corresponding column in the hidden part of the first sub-table is representative data of the maximum parameter cell.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the placeholder is generated in the stationary header row and copied into the table of data so as to balance and equalize widths of cells for each column in the stationary part and the scrollable part and create alignment between the stationary part and the scrollable part.

18. A method for creating stationary header rows in a web page for a table of data having a plurality of data cells each having vertical columns and horizontal rows that are scrollable, the method comprising:

generating it least one placeholder in an originating, cell of the table of data;

copying into stationary header rows said at least one placeholder from the table of data;

introducing said at least one placeholder in the same table column to cause the column to automatically size to the same widest width as a corresponding originating table cell and column;

calculating the maximum text width for each data cell; and

creating a stationary part, a scrollable part, a hidden part and a visible part in each column, and wherein each column has a stationary header row.