Filtering User Interface for a Data Summary Table

• US 20120079363A1
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Folting, Allan, Vial, Thibaut, Hawking, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,223,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A graphical user interface for creating a data summary table includes a data summary table including a plurality of fields, and a filtering pane programmed to apply filters to items in the fields of the data summary table, the filtering pane including a field selector control, wherein the field selector control is programmed to allow for selection of a field of the fields in the data summary table to define filtering for the field.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a processor unit; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor unit, cause the processor unit to create a graphical user interface of an application for creating a data summary table, the graphical user interface comprising;

a data summary table; and

a task pane separate from the data summary table, the task pane comprising a field pane including a list of a plurality of fields, and a layout pane comprising a row zone;

wherein the application is configured to;

receive a selection of a first field from the plurality of fields;

receive a selection of a first filter option available to the first field;

in response to the selection of the first filter option;

associate the first filter option with the first field; and

generate a first filtered value based on the first filter option;

receive an indication that the first field is dragged and dropped into the row zone; and

in response to the indication that the first field is dropped into the row zone, display the first filtered value as a row label in the data summary table.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the application is further configured to:

receive a selection of a second field from the plurality of fields;

receive a selection of a second filter option available to the second field;

in response to the selection of the second filter option;

associate the second filter option with the second field; and

generate a second filtered value based on the second filter option.

3. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a filtering pane including a manual filtering area programmed to list a plurality of items in the first field.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the filtering pane further comprises a plurality of checkboxes, one checkbox being associated with each of the items in the manual filtering area.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the application is further configured to:

receive a selection of a checkbox;

automatically determine a data type of a second field associated with the checkbox;

automatically place the second field into the row zone based on the data type of the second field; and

display a value of the second field as a second row label in the data summary table.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the data type of the second field is non-numeric.

7. A method, comprising:

creating, by a computing device, a graphical user interface of an application for a data summary table, the graphical user interface comprising;

a data summary table; and

a task pane separate from the data summary table, the task pane comprising a field pane including a list of a plurality of fields, and a layout pane comprising a column zone;

receiving a selection of a first field from the plurality of fields;

receiving a selection of a first filter option available to the first field;

in response to the selection of the first filter option;

associating the first filter option with the first field; and

generating a first filtered value based on the first filter option;

receiving an indication that the first field is dragged and dropped into the column zone; and

in response to the indication that the first field is dropped into the column zone, displaying the first filtered value as a column label in the data summary table.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second field from the plurality of fields;

receiving a selection of a second filter option available to the second field; and

in response to the selection of the second filter option;

associating the second filter option with the second field; and

generating a second filtered value based on the second filter option.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising a filtering pane including a manual filtering area programmed to list a plurality of items in the first field.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the filtering pane further comprises a plurality of checkboxes, one checkbox being associated with each of the items in the manual filtering area.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a checkbox;

automatically determining a data type of a second field associated with the checkbox;

automatically placing the second field into the column zone based on the data type of the second field; and

displaying a value of the second field as a second column label in the data summary table.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data type of the second field is a date.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor unit, cause the processor unit to create a graphical user interface of an application for creating a data summary table, the graphical user interface comprising:

a data summary table; and

a task pane separate from the data summary table, the task pane comprising a field pane including a list of a plurality of fields, and a layout pane comprising a value zone;

wherein the application is configured to;

receive a selection of a first field from the plurality of fields;

receive a selection of a first filter option available to the first field;

in response to the selection of the first filter option;

associate the first filter option with the first field; and

generate a first set of filtered values based on the first filter option;

receive an indication that the first field is dragged and dropped into the value zone; and

in response to the indication that the first field is dropped into the value zone, display a summary of the first set of filtered values as a result value in the data summary table.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the application is further configured to:

receive a selection of a second field from the plurality of fields;

receive a selection of a second filter option available to the second field;

in response to the selection of the second filter option;

associate the second filter option with the second field; and

generate a second set of filtered values based on the second filter option.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising a filtering pane including a manual filtering area programmed to list a plurality of items in the first field.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the filtering pane further comprises a plurality of checkboxes, one checkbox being associated with each of the items in the manual filtering area.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the application is further configured to:

receive a selection of a checkbox;

automatically determine a data type of a second field associated with the checkbox;

automatically place the second field into the value zone based on the data type of the second field; and

display a summary result of values of the second field as a second value in the data summary table.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the data type of the second field is numeric.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the application is further configured to create a filtering pane, wherein the filtering pane is programmed to modify filtering options presented in the filtering pane in response to a type of the first field selected.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the filtering pane is programmed to include:

text filters if the first field selected is of a non-numeric type;

date filters if the first field selected is of a date type; and

numeric filters if the first field selected is of a numeric type.