METHODS, APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUMS FOR USE IN ASSOCIATION WITH ELECTRONIC SPREADSHEETS

• US 20120054591A1
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Ueberschaer, Thorsten, Karbach, Gilbert
• Granted Patent: US 9,069,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method comprises: providing an electronic spreadsheet having a plurality of cells arranged in an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; receiving information defining a plurality of items, each of the plurality of items representing a respective set of data usable in populating at least a portion of the plurality of cells of the electronic spreadsheet, at least one of the plurality of items including a table having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns; associating each of the plurality of items with a respective location in the electronic spreadsheet; associating each of the plurality of items with a respective position in a stack, each of the plurality of items being able to be associated with any position in the stack; and rendering the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing an electronic spreadsheet having a plurality of cells arranged in an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns;

receiving information defining a plurality of items, each of the plurality of items representing a respective set of data usable in populating at least a portion of the plurality of cells of the electronic spreadsheet, at least one of the plurality of items including a table having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns;

associating each of the plurality of items with a respective location in the electronic spreadsheet;

associating each of the plurality of items with a respective position in a stack, each of the plurality of items being able to be associated with any position in the stack; and

rendering the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the rendering comprises:

populating at least a portion of the plurality of cells of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the populating at least a portion of the plurality of cells of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item comprises:

using a one of the plurality of items having a highest stack position in populating each of the plurality of cells that are overlapped by the one of the plurality of items having the highest stack position; and

using a one of the plurality of items having a second highest stack position in populating each of the plurality of cells that are overlapped by the one of the plurality of items having the second highest stack position but not overlapped by the one of the plurality of items having the highest stack position.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request to change the stack position associated with one of the plurality of items;

changing the stack position associated with the one of the plurality of items and the respective stack position of at least one other item of the plurality of items based at least in part on the request to change the stack position associated with the one of the plurality of items; and

after the changing the stack position associated with the one of the plurality of items and the respective stack position of at least one other item of the plurality of items, re-rendering at least a portion of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request to change the location associated with one of the plurality of items such that the location of one of the plurality of items overlaps the location of at least one other item of the plurality of items;

changing the location associated with the one of the plurality of items such that the location of one of the plurality of items overlaps the location of at least one other item of the plurality of items;

determining a portion of the at least one other item of the plurality of items that is overlapped by the one of the plurality of items;

after the changing the location associated with the one of the plurality of items such that the location of one of the plurality of items overlaps the location of at least one other item of the plurality of items, re-rendering at least a portion of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item; and

after the re-rendering at least a portion of the electronic spreadsheet, retaining the portion of the at least one other item of the plurality of items that is overlapped by the one of the plurality of items.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least two of the plurality of items include a table having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein all of the plurality of items include a table having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns.

8. A computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by a machine to result in a method comprising:

providing an electronic spreadsheet having a plurality of cells arranged in an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns;

receiving information defining a plurality of items, each of the plurality of items representing a respective set of data usable in populating at least a portion of the plurality of cells of the electronic spreadsheet, at least one of the plurality of items including a table having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns;

associating each of the plurality of items with a respective location in the electronic spreadsheet;

associating each of the plurality of items with a respective position in a stack, each of the plurality of items being able to be associated with any position in the stack; and

rendering the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the rendering comprises:

populating at least a portion of the plurality of cells of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the populating at least a portion of the plurality of cells of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item comprises:

using a one of the plurality of items having a highest stack position in populating each of the plurality of cells that are overlapped by the one of the plurality of items having the highest stack position; and

using a one of the plurality of items having a second highest stack position in populating each of the plurality of cells that are overlapped by the one of the plurality of items having the second highest stack position but not overlapped by the one of the plurality of items having the highest stack position.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

receiving a request to change the stack position associated with one of the plurality of items;

changing the stack position associated with the one of the plurality of items and the respective stack position of at least one other item of the plurality of items based at least in part on the request to change the stack position associated with the one of the plurality of items; and

after the changing the stack position associated with the one of the plurality of items and the respective stack position of at least one other item of the plurality of items, re-rendering at least a portion of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

receiving a request to change the location associated with one of the plurality of items such that the location of one of the plurality of items overlaps the location of at least one other item of the plurality of items;

changing the location associated with the one of the plurality of items such that the location of one of the plurality of items overlaps the location of at least one other item of the plurality of items;

determining a portion of the at least one other item of the plurality of items that is overlapped by the one of the plurality of items;

after the changing the location associated with the one of the plurality of items such that the location of one of the plurality of items overlaps the location of at least one other item of the plurality of items, re-rendering at least a portion of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item; and

after the re-rendering at least a portion of the electronic spreadsheet, retaining the portion of the at least one other item of the plurality of items that is overlapped by the one of the plurality of items.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein at least two of the plurality of items include a table having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns.

14. Apparatus comprising:

a processing system to provide an electronic spreadsheet having a plurality of cells arranged in an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, receive information defining a plurality of items, each of the plurality of items representing a respective set of data usable in populating at least a portion of the plurality of cells of the electronic spreadsheet, at least one of the plurality of items including a table having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns;

associate each of the plurality of items with a respective location in the electronic spreadsheet;

associate each of the plurality of items with a respective position in a stack, each of the plurality of items being able to be associated with any position in the stack; and

render the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the processing system is configured to render the electronic spreadsheet by populating at least a portion of the plurality of cells of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the processing system is configured to use a one of the plurality of items having a highest stack position in populating each of the plurality of cells that are overlapped by the one of the plurality of items having the highest stack position, and to use a one of the plurality of items having a second highest stack position in populating each of the plurality of cells that are overlapped by the one of the plurality of items having the second highest stack position but not overlapped by the one of the plurality of items having the highest stack position.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, the processing system further to receive a request to change the stack position associated with one of the plurality of items, change the stack position associated with the one of the plurality of items and the respective stack position of at least one other item of the plurality of items based at least in part on the request to change the stack position associated with the one of the plurality of items, and after the change to the stack position associated with the one of the plurality of items and the respective stack position of at least one other item of the plurality of items, re-render at least a portion of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, the processing system further to receive a request to change the location associated with one of the plurality of items such that the location of one of the plurality of items overlaps the location of at least one other item of the plurality of items, change the location associated with the one of the plurality of items such that the location of one of the plurality of items overlaps the location of at least one other item of the plurality of items, determine a portion of the at least one other item of the plurality of items that is overlapped by the one of the plurality of items, after the change to the location associated with the one of the plurality of items such that the location of one of the plurality of items overlaps the location of at least one other item of the plurality of items, re-render at least a portion of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the plurality of items, the respective location associated with each item and the respective stack position associated with each item, and after the re-render of the at least a portion of the electronic spreadsheet, retain the portion of the at least one other item of the plurality of items that is overlapped by the one of the plurality of items.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein at least two of the plurality of items include a table having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns.

20. A method comprising:

providing an electronic spreadsheet having a plurality of cells arranged in an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns;

receiving information defining an item, the item including a table having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, the item further including a graphical tool activatable by a user to indicate a request to expand the item;

associating the item with a location in the electronic spreadsheet;

rendering the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the item and the location associated with the item;

after the rendering of the electronic spreadsheet in accordance with the information defining the item and the location associated with the item, receiving an indication that a user has activated the graphical tool included in the item; and

expanding the item in response to the indication that the user has activated the graphical tool included in the item.