WEB PAGE EDITOR WITH ELEMENT SELECTION MECHANISM

• US 20090138810A1
• Filed: 11/27/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Howard, Robert M., Chtcherbatchenko, Andrei
• Granted Patent: US 8,078,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A web page editor displays a web page including web page elements. At least some of the elements at least partially overlap other elements. The web page editor includes an element selection mechanism. The element selection mechanism allows a user to unambiguously select between the web page elements.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method of selecting a web page element, the method comprising:

displaying a user interface of a web page editor, the user interface including a web page having web page elements;

receiving a first input identifying a location on the web page;

displaying a list of web page elements that are at the location with the user interface;

receiving a second input identifying a first element from the list of web page elements; and

selecting the first element.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a third input; and

modifying the third element after selecting the first element based on the third input.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving a fourth input prior to receiving the first input, and awaiting the first input after receiving the fourth input.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein receiving a fourth input further comprises selecting a button with an input device, the button being displayed by the user interface.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a fifth input identifying a second element from the list of web page elements;

deselecting the first element after receiving the fifth input; and

selecting the second element after deselecting the first element.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a sixth input after selecting one of the first and second elements; and

removing the display of the list of web page elements from the user interface after receiving the sixth input, while maintaining the selection of the one of the first and second elements.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a number of the web page elements that are at the location prior to displaying the list of web page elements;

if the number is equal to zero, then selecting no web page element and ending the method;

if the number is equal to one, then selecting the one web page element and ending the method; and

if the number is greater than one, then proceeding to display the list of web page elements.

8. A method of selecting a web page element using a web page editor, the method comprising:

receiving a first input to initiate element selection;

receiving a second input identifying a location on a web page after receiving the first input;

displaying a list of web page elements that are at the location;

receiving a third input identifying a first element from the list of web page elements; and

selecting the first element.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a number of web page elements at the location after receiving the second input and before displaying the list of web page elements.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the list of web page elements, receiving the third input, and selecting the first element occur only if the number of web page elements is greater than one.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein if the number of web page elements is equal to one, then selecting the one element.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein if the number of web page elements is equal to zero, then selecting no elements.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a fourth input identifying a second element of the web page elements at the location;

deselecting the first element after receiving the fourth input; and

selecting the second element of the web page elements.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a fifth input; and

dismissing the list of elements after receiving the fifth input.

15. A computing system comprising:

an input device for receiving input from a user;

an output device for generating a user interface;

a processor communicatively connected to the input device and the output device; and

memory storing program instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the computing system to perform operations to implement a graphical web page editor including a web page element selection mechanism, the operations comprising;

displaying a web page with the output device, the web page including web page elements, wherein at least one of the web page elements is displayed as being located at least partially in front of another of the web page elements;

receiving a first input from the input device identifying a location of the web page after displaying the web page;

displaying a list of the web page elements that are at the location with the output device after receiving the first input;

receiving a second input identifying a first element of the web page elements from the list; and

selecting the first element of the web page elements after receiving the second input.

16. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the second input comprises moving a pointer over an identifier of the first element in the list, wherein selecting the first element is performed automatically upon moving the pointer over the identifier.

17. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a third input after selecting the first element; and

modifying the first element based on the third input

18. The computing system of claim 17, further comprising a communication device configured to communicate across a communication network, wherein the memory stores program instructions that perform operations further comprising communicating the web page across the communication network to a web server after modifying the first element.

19. The computing system of claim 17, wherein modifying the first element is an action selected from the group consisting of:

adding to the first element, modifying a property of the first element, modifying a content of the first element;

moving the first element, resizing the first element, deleting the first element, and copying the first element.

20. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the web page elements are selected from the group consisting of:

a body, a background, an image, text, a text box, a table, a frame, a button, a paragraph, a heading, and a division.