METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A USER INTERFACE IN A COMPUTER

• US 20100251133A1
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Hammerich, Reiner P., Tornow, Dominik R., Richter, Kai S., Beringer, Joerg
• Granted Patent: US 8,782,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Presenting a user interface in a computing system, where device-specific information is added to data defined generically with respect to a particular device or presentation technology. The generic definition can be provided via template representing data and functionality of a user interaction, which is presented to a user in a specific way on a specific user interface. A class can be derived in the user interface from the template and instantiated with data in accordance with particulars of a data type. Data can be presented via instructions representing basic presentation patterns defining how data is to be presented on a user interface. Identifications of the instructions are matched to instructions to generate instructions specific to a presentation environment.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user interface in a computer, comprising:

providing a template that represents data and functions for a user interaction for the user interface, wherein the user interaction is defined generically with respect to the user interface;

providing an interaction-specific decoder for the computer to present the user interface with the data and functions according to the interaction;

deriving a class from the template, the class defining specific parameters to add particulars of a data-type while preserving the interaction to provide a user interaction specific to the user interface;

instantiating the class with data, in accordance with the particulars of the data-type; and

evoking the decoder to read the instantiated class and to present the user interface according to the user interaction.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step providing the decoder is executed on a first computer wherein the step evoking the decoder is executed on a second computer.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the decoder is deployed from the first computer to the second computer prior to instantiating the class with data.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the step providing the template, first and second templates for first and second interactions are provided, in the step providing the decoder, first and second decoders are provided, and in the step evoking, the user interface is presented with first and second interactions.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step deriving the class from the template is repeated while presenting the user interface, to modify the presentation in accordance with the class.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step deriving the class from the template is repeated using the earlier derived classes.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing the template and interaction-specific decoder is executed by reading from a repository.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein user interaction comprises presenting at least one data record to a user and receiving manipulation from the user of the data record.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein user interaction comprises presenting metadata and receiving manipulation of the metadata.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein manipulation comprises changing the presentation.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein changing the presentation comprises changing the filer or the sort.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein user interaction comprises to solicit from the user the input of a data record into the computer.

13. A method for presenting data on a user interface that is coupled to a processor, comprising:

receiving instructions for the processor to present data on the user interface, the instructions representing basic presentation patterns defining how the data is to be presented on the user interface, the instructions being part of the definition of the data;

receiving a signal with data from a data source in combination with identifications of the instructions;

matching the identifications to the instructions to generate instructions specific to a presentation environment of the user interface; and

processing the instructions to present the data in the user interface corresponding to the presentation patterns.

14. The method for presenting data of claim 13, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to enable the user interface to interact with a user and wherein the presentation patterns comprise interaction patterns based on user input.

15. The method for presenting data of claim 13, wherein the instructions include instructions to further process the data by the processor.

16. The method for presenting data of claim 13, wherein the presentation instructions are derived in an enabling environment from templates, and wherein the templates correspond to the presentation patterns.

17. The method for presenting data of claim 13, wherein the predefined presentation instructions comprises pre-defined rendering schemes.

18. A computing device comprising:

a user interface including devices to present data and receive user interaction;

a decoder to receive a signal including a basic presentation pattern defining how data is to be presented on the user interface in accordance with a user interaction pattern, the presentation pattern defined generically and not specific to the user interface, wherein the decoder is to further match the presentation pattern with parameters specific to the user interface to generate instructions for presenting data and functions on the user interface in accordance with the user interaction pattern and the presentation pattern; and

a processor to process the instructions to generate a presentation specific to a presentation environment of the user interface.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the instructions are derived in an enabling environment from templates, and wherein the templates correspond to the presentation pattern.

20. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the presentation pattern comprises a pre-defined rendering scheme.