SEAMLESS DRAG AND DROP OPERATION WITH MULTIPLE EVENT HANDLERS

• US 20090259959A1
• Filed: 04/09/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Grotjohn, David K., Jania, Frank L., Scherpa, Josef, Ramirez, Jessica W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,127,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of selecting event handlers can include initiating a drag and drop operation for a source object and, responsive to detecting contact between the source object and a window of a graphical user interface (GUI), displaying a plurality of icons, wherein each icon represents an event handler for a drop target within the window. The method can include detecting contact between the source object and at least one of the plurality of icons while dragging the object, designating each event handler associated with a contacted icon to process the source object, and responsive to dropping the source object onto the drop target, invoking each designated event handler to process the source object for the drop target. Each designated event handler can output a process result.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of selecting event handlers comprising:

initiating a drag and drop operation for a source object;

responsive to detecting contact between the source object and a window of a graphical user interface (GUI), displaying a plurality of icons, wherein each icon represents an event handler for a drop target within the window;

detecting contact between the source object and at least one of the plurality of icons while dragging the object;

designating each event handler associated with a contacted icon to process the source object; and

responsive to dropping the source object onto the drop target, invoking each designated event handler to process the source object for the drop target, wherein each designated event handler outputs a process result.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising responsive to detecting contact between the source object and the window, determining whether the window contains at least one drop target.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising determining whether a plurality of event handlers is associated with the drop target.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising determining whether each event handler associated with the drop target processes an object of a same type as the source object.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising selecting only event handlers associated with the drop target that also process objects having a same type as the source object, wherein only icons corresponding to the selected event handlers are displayed.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the window comprises a parent node and at least one child node, the computer-implemented method further comprising, responsive to detecting contact between the source object and a child node, determining that the child node is the drop target and displaying the plurality of icons, wherein each icon of the plurality of icons represents an event handler of the child node for processing the source object.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein detecting contact between the source object and at least one of the plurality of icons further comprises changing an appearance of the icon to indicate the event handler associated with the icon has been designated to process the source object responsive to detecting contact between the source object and the icon.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein designating each event handler associated with a contacted icon further comprises, responsive to the event handler being designated, changing an appearance of the source object to indicate an event handler designation for the source object.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying the plurality of icons further comprises:

dynamically presenting the plurality of icons in a display; and

responsive to dropping the source object, removing the plurality of icons from the display.

10. A computer-implemented method of selecting event handlers comprising:

initiating a drag and drop operation by dragging a source object and contacting a window of a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising a parent node that is not a drop target;

responsive to selecting the parent node in the window during the drag and drop operation,

expanding the parent node to reveal at least one child node that is a drop target;

identifying a plurality of event handlers associated with each child node that process objects of a same type as the source object;

presenting icons associated with each identified event handler;

responsive to detecting contact between the source object and at least one of the plurality of icons, designating each event handler associated with a contacted icon to process the source object; and

responsive to dropping the source object onto the child node, invoking each designated event handler to process the source object for the child node, wherein each designated event handler outputs a process result.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein identifying a plurality of event handlers comprises identifying only event handlers that are common to each child node.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein at least one identified event handler is not common to at least one of the child nodes, wherein identifying a plurality of event handlers comprises:

delaying identification of any event handlers until a particular child node is selected during the drag and drop operation;

detecting contact between the source object and one of the child nodes; and

identifying a plurality of event handlers associated with the contacted child node that process objects of a same type as the source object.

13. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-usable medium comprising computer-usable program code that selects event handlers, the computer-usable medium comprising;

computer-usable program code that initiates a drag and drop operation for a source object;

computer-usable program code that, responsive to detecting contact between the source object and a window of a graphical user interface (GUI), displays a plurality of icons, wherein each icon represents an event handler for a drop target within the window;

computer-usable program code that detects contact between the source object and at least one of the plurality of icons while dragging the object;

computer-usable program code that designates each event handler associated with a contacted icon to process the source object; and

computer-usable program code that, responsive to dropping the source object onto the drop target, invokes each designated event handler to process the source object for the drop target, wherein each designated event handler outputs a process result.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer-usable program code that, responsive to detecting contact between the source object and the window, determines whether the window contains at least one drop target.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising computer-usable program code that determines whether a plurality of event handlers is associated with the drop target.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer-usable program code that determines whether each event handler associated with the drop target processes an object of a same type as the source object.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer-usable program code that selects only event handlers associated with the drop target that also process objects having a same type as the source object, wherein only icons corresponding to the selected event handlers are displayed.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the window comprises a parent node and at least one child node, the computer-readable medium further comprising, computer-usable program code that, responsive to detecting contact between the source object and a child node, determines that the child node is the drop target and displays the plurality of icons, wherein each icon of the plurality of icons represents an event handler of the child node for processing the source object.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer-usable program code that detects contact between the source object and at least one of the plurality of icons further comprises computer-usable program code that changes an appearance of the icon to indicate the event handler associated with the icon has been designated to process the source object responsive to detecting contact between the source object and the icon.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer-usable program code that designates each event handler associated with a contacted icon further comprises, computer-usable program code that, responsive to the event handler being designated, changes an appearance of the source object to indicate an event handler designation for the source object.