Multi-Touch Editing in a Graphical Programming Language

• US 20110225524A1
• Filed: 03/10/2010
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Cifra, Christopher G.
• Application Number:
  US12/720,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20110225524A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

System and method for editing a graphical program. A graphical program is displayed on a display device. Multi-touch input is received to a multi-touch interface, where the multi-touch input specifies an edit operation in the graphical program. The edit operation is performed in the graphical program in response to the multi-touch input, and the edited graphical program is displayed on the display device.

Claims

1. A computer-accessible memory medium that stores program instructions executable by a processor to implement:

displaying a graphical program on a display device, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program;

receiving multi-touch input to a multi-touch interface, wherein the multi-touch input specifies an edit operation in the graphical program;

performing the edit operation in the graphical program in response to the multi-touch input; and

displaying the edited graphical program on the display device.

2. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1, wherein the multi-touch input specifies or manipulates a graphical program element in the graphical program.

3. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a pinching or reverse pinching motion applied to a graphical program element;

and

wherein the edit operation comprises resizing the graphical program element.

4. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 3,

wherein the graphical program element comprises a frame for containing one or more other graphical program elements, and wherein said resizing the graphical program element comprises resizing the frame.

5. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises two touchpoints applied respectively to two graphical program elements;

and

wherein the edit operation comprises wiring the two graphical program elements together.

6. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises double tapping two touchpoints applied respectively to two graphical program elements;

and

wherein the edit operation comprises wiring the two graphical program elements together.

7. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises two or more touchpoints applied respectively to two or more graphical program elements;

and

wherein the edit operation comprises selecting the two or more graphical program elements for a subsequent operation to be performed on the two or more graphical program elements.

8. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises three or more touchpoints defining a convex hull around one or more graphical program elements;

and

wherein the edit operation comprises selecting the one or more graphical program elements for a subsequent operation to be performed on the one or more graphical program elements.

9. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a rotation motion applied to one or more graphical program elements;

and

wherein the edit operation comprises rotating the one or more graphical program elements.

10. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises tapping or double tapping two or more touchpoints on the graphical program node; and

wherein the edit operation comprises expanding the graphical program node to the graphical subprogram.

11. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises tapping or double tapping two or more touchpoints on the border of the graphical subprogram; and

wherein the edit operation comprises collapsing the graphical subprogram to the representative graphical program node.

12. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a reverse pinching motion applied to the graphical program node; and

wherein the edit operation comprises expanding the graphical program node to the graphical subprogram.

13. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a pinching motion applied to the graphical subprogram; and

wherein the edit operation comprises collapsing the graphical subprogram to the representative graphical program node.

14. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a multi-touch swipe applied to the graphical program node; and

wherein the edit operation comprises expanding the graphical program node to the graphical subprogram.

15. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a multi-touch reverse swipe applied to the graphical subprogram; and

wherein the edit operation comprises collapsing the graphical subprogram to the representative graphical program node.

16. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a reverse pinching motion applied to a graphical program node;

and

wherein the edit operation comprises increasing the graphical program node in size with respect to other nodes in the graphical program.

17. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a pinching motion applied to a graphical program node;

and

wherein the edit operation comprises decreasing the graphical program node in size with respect to other nodes in the graphical program.

18. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a multi-touch swiping movement applied to a graphical program element;

and

wherein the edit operation comprises invoking a display of selectable operations applicable to the element.

19. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the multi-touch input is context sensitive, wherein the edit operation is based at least partially on a target graphical program element or region to which the multi-touch input is applied.

20. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1, wherein the multi-touch input specifies or manipulates a region in the graphical program.

21. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 20,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a pinching or reverse pinching motion applied to a region in the graphical program;

and

wherein the edit operation comprises resizing the region in the graphical program; and

wherein said resizing the region displaces one or more other graphical program elements or regions in the graphical program.

22. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1, wherein the multi-touch interface comprises a computer touch-pad.

23. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1, wherein the multi-touch interface comprises a computer touch-screen.

24. The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1,

wherein the multi-touch input is performed in combination with a keyboard key press to form a combination multi-touch input;

and

wherein the edit operation invoked by the combination multi-touch input is different from that invoked by the multi-touch input alone.

25. A computer-implemented method for creating a graphical program, the method comprising:

utilizing a computer to perform;

displaying a graphical program on a display device, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program;

receiving multi-touch input to a multi-touch interface, wherein the multi-touch input specifies an edit operation in the graphical program;

performing the edit operation in the graphical program in response to the multi-touch input; and

displaying the edited graphical program on the display device.