APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A CONDITION BUILDER INTERFACE

• US 20110119286A1
• Filed: 01/18/2011
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pereira, Eduardo Jose, Springgay, David Douglas, Qadri, Nashib, McGuire, Kevin T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,348,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing a user interface through which a user may generate a conditional expression are provided. The user interface provides guidance to a user as to the proper parts of the conditional expression to include in the conditional expression as the user constructs the conditional expression. Thus, as the user completes parts of the conditional expression, the guidance that is offered is updated based on the current context of the conditional expression. This guidance may include listings of variables, attributes and/or functions that are most appropriate to be entered next in the conditional expression, help text, and the like.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for providing an interface for generating a conditional expression for use with a computer application, comprising:

generating an initial user interface having a conditional expression component and an entry suggestion list component;

receiving user input from a user to the conditional expression component; and

dynamically updating the entry suggestion list component based on the user input to the conditional expression component, wherein the updated entry suggestion list component identifies one or more selectable entries for inclusion in the conditional expression at a position in the conditional expression corresponding to the user input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial user interface further includes a hint message component, and wherein the method further includes:

dynamically updating the hint message component to include a message identifying an action to be performed or an input to be provided by a user in association with the position in the conditional expression corresponding to the user input.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditional expression component includes one or more tokens for the conditional expression, and wherein the user input is one of a selection of a token in the one or more tokens and a modification of a token in the one or more tokens.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more tokens for the conditional expression includes at least one hyperlink token that is selectable by a user, and wherein if the hyperlink token is selected by the user, the entry suggestion list is updated to include entries for replacement of the selected hyperlink token.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry suggestion list of the initial user interface includes a listing of templates for conditional expressions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one template in the listing of templates includes one or more hyperlink tokens selectable by a user, and wherein if a hyperlink token in the at least one template is selected by a user, the entry suggestion list is updated to include entries for replacing the selected hyperlink token.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditional expression component includes a representation of the conditional expression in a hierarchical tree format.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical tree format includes conditional expressions that must both be satisfied being depicted as connected by solid lines.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical tree format includes conditional expressions that may alternatively be satisfied being depicted as connected by dotted lines.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein dynamically updating the entry suggestion list component based on the user input to the conditional expression component includes:

generating a reference set of data identifying possible entries for a conditional expression;

determining a token type for a selected token in the one or more tokens for the conditional expression; and

matching the token type to data types for entries in the reference set of data; and

generating a listing of entries from the reference set of data which have data types that match the token type.

11. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for providing an interface for generating a conditional expression for use with a computer application, comprising:

first instructions for generating an initial user interface having a conditional expression component and an entry suggestion list component;

second instructions for receiving user input from a user to the conditional expression component; and

third instructions for dynamically updating the entry suggestion list component based on the user input to the conditional expression component, wherein the updated entry suggestion list component identifies one or more selectable entries for inclusion in the conditional expression at a position in the conditional expression corresponding to the user input.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the initial user interface further includes a hint message component, and wherein the computer program product further includes:

fourth instructions for dynamically updating the hint message component to include a message identifying an action to be performed or an input to be provided by a user in association with the position in the conditional expression corresponding to the user input.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the conditional expression component includes one or more tokens for the conditional expression, and wherein the user input is one of a selection of a token in the one or more tokens and a modification of a token in the one or more tokens.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the one or more tokens for the conditional expression includes at least one hyperlink token that is selectable by a user, and wherein if the hyperlink token is selected by the user, the entry suggestion list is updated to include entries for replacement of the selected hyperlink token.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the entry suggestion list of the initial user interface includes a listing of templates for conditional expressions.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein at least one template in the listing of templates includes one or more hyperlink tokens selectable by a user, and wherein if a hyperlink token in the at least one template is selected by a user, the entry suggestion list is updated to include entries for replacing the selected hyperlink token.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the conditional expression component includes a representation of the conditional expression in a hierarchical tree format.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the hierarchical tree format includes conditional expressions that must both be satisfied being depicted as connected by solid lines.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the hierarchical tree format includes conditional expressions that may alternatively be satisfied being depicted as connected by dotted lines.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the third instructions for dynamically updating the entry suggestion list component based on the user input to the conditional expression component include:

instructions for generating a reference set of data identifying possible entries for a conditional expression;

instructions for determining a token type for a selected token in the one or more tokens for the conditional expression; and

instructions for matching the token type to data types for entries in the reference set of data; and

instructions for generating a listing of entries from the reference set of data which have data types that match the token type.

21. An apparatus for providing an interface for generating a conditional expression for use with a computer application, comprising:

means for generating an initial user interface having a conditional expression component and an entry suggestion list component;

means for receiving user input from a user to the conditional expression component; and

means for dynamically updating the entry suggestion list component based on the user input to the conditional expression component, wherein the updated entry suggestion list component identifies one or more selectable entries for inclusion in the conditional expression at a position in the conditional expression corresponding to the user input.