User Interface Pane for an Interactive Chart

• US 20080195930A1
• Filed: 02/08/2007
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tolle, Kirstin M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Configuration of an interactive chart is performed by user interactions with a user interface in a satellite pane, which is distinct from a chart pane used to display the data fields present on an interactive chart. Upon entry of a configuration selection, a query is executed to retrieve data to be displayed by the interactive chart.

Claims

1. A method of configuring an interactive chart displayed by a computer program, comprising:

displaying a user interface for the interactive chart within a satellite pane of the computer program;

presenting a data field identifier selection area to receive a selection, from a user, of a data field identifier within the user interface;

in response to receiving the selection, querying a data source for chart data associated with the selection; and

graphically representing the chart data within the interactive chart, wherein the interactive chart is displayed in a chart pane of the computer program that is separate and distinct from the satellite pane.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the selection of the data field identifier further comprises receiving a usage selection for the selected data field identifier; and

querying the data source for the chart data further comprises querying the data source for the chart data formatted in accord with the usage selection.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the usage selection is a display attribute of the interactive chart.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the display attribute of the interactive chart is an axis of the interactive chart.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the usage selection further comprises a filter selection.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the data field identifier for a first purpose; and

updating a selectability indicator of the data field identifier for a second purpose to indicate the availability of the data field identifier for selection for the second purpose.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the usage selection is determined in accord with the portion of the data field selection area in which the selection was received.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising docking the satellite pane to a display element of the computer program.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, activating the satellite pane upon receiving a user interaction with the chart pane.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection is in accord with dropping, in a drag-and-drop operation, a data field identifier within the data field selection area.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

displaying a chart interface in a satellite pane;

presenting a data field identifier selection area within the chart interface;

in response to receiving a selection, in the data field selection area, indicating a data field identifier, querying a data source for chart data associated with the selection; and

displaying an interactive chart in a display pane distinct from the satellite pane, wherein the interactive chart graphically represents the chart data.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein:

the instructions for receiving the selection further comprise instructions for receiving a usage selection for the elements indicated by the data field identifier; and

the instructions for querying the data source for the chart data further comprise instructions for querying the data source for the chart data formatted in accord with the usage selection.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the usage selection comprises a display attribute of the interactive chart.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the usage selection comprises a filter selection.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions to update a selectability indicator of the data field identifier for a second purpose, following selection of the data field identifier for a first purpose.

16. A computer system, comprising:

a processor operable to cause the computer system to retrieve a set of the data field identifiers from a data source;

a display device to present a graphical user interface with a data field identifier selection area in a satellite pane of the display device;

an input device to receive a selection of the data field identifiers in the data field identifier selection area; and

a processing unit to,

in response to the selection, compose and execute a query upon the data source for chart data associated with the selected data field identifiers; and

cause the display device to present an interactive chart in a chart pane distinct from the satellite pane, wherein the interactive chart graphically represents the chart data.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein:

the display device is further operable to present, in the satellite pane, usage selection indicators associated with ones of the data field identifiers; and

the input device is operable to receive the selection of ones of the usage selection indicators; and

the processor is operable to compose and execute the query upon the data source for the chart data in accord with the usage selections.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein at least one usage selection indicator is determined by the display attributes of the interactive chart.

19. The computer system of claim 17, wherein at least one usage selection indicator is a filter selection indicator.

20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the display presents the satellite pane docked to a display element of the computer program, wherein positioning operations upon the display element similarly affect the satellite pane.