SYSTEM FOR OVERLAYING HELP, TRAINING, DOCUMENTATION, OR TRANSLATION OVER AN EXISTING APPLICATION

• US 20090158205A1
• Filed: 12/12/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Morentin, Eric Martinez de, Hampton, Mark Carl
• Granted Patent: US 9,268,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/790
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation

Abstract

A computer implemented method, a computer program product, and a data processing system provide overlays to an application. An application state of the application is identified. Responsive to identifying the application state, an appropriate overlay corresponding to the application state is identified. Responsive to identifying the appropriate overlay, the appropriate overlay is overlain onto the application. The appropriate overlay is then displayed in real time in a user interface, with the appropriate overlay overlain in the user interface of the application.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing overlays to an application, the method comprising:

identifying an application state of the application during execution of the application;

responsive to identifying the application state, identifying an appropriate overlay, the appropriate overlay corresponding to the application state;

responsive to identifying the appropriate overlay, overlaying the appropriate overlay onto the application; and

displaying the appropriate overlay during the execution of the application, wherein the appropriate overlay is overlain on a user interface of the application.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the application state of the application, wherein the application state is identified from at least one of an event trigger, an expiration of a timer, or determination of a sequence of historical actions.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to identifying the application state, identifying the appropriate overlay from a data structure containing a set of overlays.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the application state is a retrieved application state, and wherein the data structure further contains a set of application states, each of the set of overlays corresponding to at least one of the set of application states, the appropriate overlay being identified if the retrieved application state matches any of the set of application states.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the appropriate overlay comprises at least one of a set of data fields, a set of graphics, and a set of user interface components, and wherein the user interface comprises at least one of a set of corresponding data fields, wherein the user interface comprises at least one of a set of corresponding data fields, a set of corresponding graphics, and a set of corresponding user interface components, the method further comprising:

mapping the at least one of the set of data fields, the set of graphics, and the set of user interface components to the at least one of the set of corresponding data fields, the set of corresponding graphics, and the set of corresponding user interface components.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the set of data fields, the set of graphics, and the set of user interface components includes at least one of a branding, a button label, a button help tip, a navigation label, a navigation help tip, a field label, and a field help tip.

7. The computer implemented method of 5, further comprising:

receiving a user interaction within at least one of the set of data fields, the set of graphics, and the set of user interface components of the appropriate overlay; and

passing the user interaction from the at least one of the set of data fields, the set of graphics, and the set of user interface components to at least one of the set of corresponding data fields, the set of corresponding graphics, and the set of corresponding user interface components of the user interface.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the user interaction is selected from the group comprising an input of data into the appropriate overlay, an initiation of an action using the appropriate overlay, and a change in the application state of the appropriate overlay.

9. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer usable program code for providing overlays to an application, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for identifying an application state of the application during execution of the application;

computer usable program code, responsive to identifying the application state, for identifying an appropriate overlay, the appropriate overlay corresponding to the application state;

computer usable program code, responsive to identifying the appropriate overlay, for overlaying the appropriate overlay onto the application; and

computer usable program code for displaying the appropriate overlay during execution of the application, wherein the appropriate overlay is overlain on a user interface of the application.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising:

computer usable program code, for identifying the application state of the application, wherein the application state is identified from at least one of an event trigger, an expiration of a timer, or a determination of a sequence of historical actions.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

computer usable program code, responsive to identifying the application state, for identifying the appropriate overlay from a data structure containing a set of overlays.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the application state is a retrieved application state, and wherein the data structure further contains a set of application states, each of the set of overlays corresponding to at least one of the set of application states, the computer program product for identifying the appropriate overlay further comprising:

computer usable program code for identifying the appropriate overlay, the appropriate overlay being identified if the retrieved application state matches any of the set of application states.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the appropriate overlay comprises at least one of a set of data fields, a set of graphics, and a set of user interface components, and wherein the user interface comprises at least one of a set of corresponding data fields, a set of corresponding graphics, and a set of corresponding user interface components, the computer program product further comprising:

computer usable program code for mapping the at least one of the set of data fields, the set of graphics, and the set of user interface components to the at least one of the set of corresponding data fields, the set of corresponding graphics, and the set of corresponding user interface components.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer usable program code for mapping the set of data fields, the set of graphics, and the set of user interface components to the set of corresponding data fields, the set of corresponding graphics, and the set of corresponding user interface components includes at least one of mapping a branding, mapping a button label, mapping a button help tip, mapping a navigation label, mapping a navigation help tip, mapping a field label, and mapping a field help tip.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving a user interaction within at least one set of data fields, the set of graphics, and the set of user interface components of the appropriate overlay; and

computer usable program code for passing the user interaction from the at least one of the set of data fields, the set of graphics, and the set of user interface components to at least one of the set of corresponding data fields, the set of corresponding graphics, and the set of corresponding user interface components of the user interface.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable program code for receiving the user interaction is selected from the group comprising computer usable program code for receiving an input of data into the appropriate overlay, computer usable program code for receiving an initiation of an action using the appropriate overlay, and computer usable program code for receiving a change in the application state of the appropriate overlay.

17. A data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a communications unit connected to the bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein the storage device includes computer usable program code; and

a processor unit connected to the bus, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program code to identify an application state of the application during execution of the application, responsive to identifying the application state, to identify an appropriate overlay, the appropriate overlay corresponding to the application state, responsive to identifying the appropriate overlay, to overlay the appropriate overlay onto the application, and to display the appropriate overlay during execution of the application, wherein the appropriate overlay is overlain on a user interface of the application

18. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable program code, responsive to identifying the application state, to identify the appropriate overlay from a data structure containing a set of overlays.

19. The data processing system of claim 18, wherein the application state is a retrieved application state, and wherein the data structure further contains a set of application states, each of the set of overlays corresponding to at least one of the set of application states, wherein the processor unit further executes the computer usable program code identifying the appropriate overlay, the appropriate overlay being identified if the retrieved application state matches any of the set of application states.

20. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the appropriate overlay comprises at least one of a set of data fields, a set of graphics, and a set of user interface components, and wherein the user interface comprises at least one of a set of corresponding data fields, a set of corresponding graphics, and a set of corresponding user interface components, the processor unit further executes the computer usable program code to map the at least one of the set of data fields, the set of graphics, and the set of user interface components to the at least one of the set of corresponding data fields, the set of corresponding graphics, and the set of corresponding user interface components, to receive a user interaction within at least one of the set of data fields, the set of graphics, and the set of user interface components of the appropriate overlay, and to pass the user interaction from the at least one of the set of data fields, the set of graphics, and the set of user interface components to at least one of the set of corresponding data fields, the set of corresponding graphics, and the set of corresponding user interface components of the user interface.