STATE-SPECIFIC MOUSE-OVER GUIDANCE IN USER INTERFACES

• US 20140075378A1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Sauer, Dietmar Michael, Eirich, Ilona
• Granted Patent: US 9,940,144 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/808
• 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 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

State-specific mouse-over guidance can be provided to a user of a user interface such that a field in the user interface can include more than one mouse-over guidance content item, and a specific mouse-over guidance content item provided to the user is determined based on a current state of the field and at least one underlying factors identified as resulting in the current state.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising:

determining a current state of a field in a user interface of a software application program, the current state comprising at least one of an editable state, a read-only state, and a locked state;

identifying at least one underlying factors that have resulted in the current state of the field, the at least one underlying factor comprising a condition of a database structure associated with the field;

accessing a metadata repository based on the identified underlying factors, the accessing comprising retrieving at least one pre-determined mouse-over guidance content item relating to the one or more underlying factors; and

returning a state-specific mouse-over guidance content for display to a user when the user activates a mouse-over guidance for the field by moving a pointer on a screen to a trigger point associated with the field, the state-specific mouse-over guidance content comprising the retrieved at least one pre-determined mouse-over guidance content item.

2. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting that the pointer on the screen displaying the user interface has moved to the trigger area of the field; and

promoting the state-specific mouse-over guidance content.

3. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the determining occurs dynamically at run time upon the detecting that the pointer on the screen has moved to the trigger area.

4. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the state-specific mouse-over guidance content further comprises a default mouse-over guidance content item for the field.

5. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the database structure associated with the field comprises a business object.

6. A computer program product as in claim 5, wherein the at least one pre-determined mouse-over guidance content item applies to an extension field added to the business object.

7. A system comprising:

at least one programmable processor; and

a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising;

determining a current state of a field in a user interface of a software application program, the current state comprising at least one of an editable state, a read-only state, and a locked state;

identifying at least one underlying factors that have resulted in the current state of the field, the at least one underlying factor comprising a condition of a database structure associated with the field;

accessing a metadata repository based on the identified underlying factors, the accessing comprising retrieving at least one pre-determined mouse-over guidance content item relating to the one or more underlying factors; and

returning a state-specific mouse-over guidance content for display to a user when the user activates a mouse-over guidance for the field by moving a pointer on a screen to a trigger point associated with the field, the state-specific mouse-over guidance content comprising the retrieved at least one pre-determined mouse-over guidance content item.

8. A system as in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting that the pointer on the screen displaying the user interface has moved to the trigger area of the field; and

promoting the state-specific mouse-over guidance content.

9. A system as in claim 7, wherein the determining occurs dynamically at run time upon the detecting that the pointer on the screen has moved to the trigger area.

10. A system as in claim 7, wherein the state-specific mouse-over guidance content further comprises a default mouse-over guidance content item for the field.

11. A system as in claim 7, wherein the database structure associated with the field comprises a business object.

12. A system as in claim 11, wherein the at least one pre-determined mouse-over guidance content item applies to an extension field added to the business object.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining a current state of a field in a user interface of a software application program, the current state comprising at least one of an editable state, a read-only state, and a locked state;

identifying at least one underlying factors that have resulted in the current state of the field, the at least one underlying factor comprising a condition of a database structure associated with the field;

accessing a metadata repository based on the identified underlying factors, the accessing comprising retrieving at least one pre-determined mouse-over guidance content item relating to the one or more underlying factors; and

returning a state-specific mouse-over guidance content for display to a user when the user activates a mouse-over guidance for the field by moving a pointer on a screen to a trigger point associated with the field, the state-specific mouse-over guidance content comprising the retrieved at least one pre-determined mouse-over guidance content item.

14. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, further comprising:

detecting that the pointer on the screen displaying the user interface has moved to the trigger area of the field; and

promoting the state-specific mouse-over guidance content.

15. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, wherein the determining occurs dynamically at run time upon the detecting that the pointer on the screen has moved to the trigger area.

16. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, wherein the state-specific mouse-over guidance content further comprises a default mouse-over guidance content item for the field.

17. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, wherein the database structure associated with the field comprises a business object.

18. A computer-implemented method as in claim 17, wherein the at least one pre-determined mouse-over guidance content item applies to an extension field added to the business object.

19. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, wherein at least one of the determining, the identifying, the accessing, and the returning is performed by a system comprising at least one programmable processor.