Seamless Grid and Canvas Integration in a Spreadsheet Application

• US 20140372858A1
• Filed: 06/15/2013
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Campbell, John, Radakovitz, Sam C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,664,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Seamless grid and canvas integration in a spreadsheet application is provided. One or more data items may be pulled from a grid-structured spreadsheet and may be allowed to “float” on the grid-structure spreadsheet without regard to the underlying grid. The floating object may be pushed or inserted back into the grid of the same or different spreadsheet at any location. A pulled data object also may be dropped onto a grid-less canvas user interface object and may be moved about on the canvas object in a free form manner. References between data and computations in the moved data object are structured and maintained so that the data object may be manipulated and increased/decreased without adversely affecting the underlying grid and such that both data and computational references between the data object and the underlying grid are maintained.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing data in an electronic spreadsheet, comprising:

displaying a data object in a grid-structured spreadsheet, the data object being positioned in one or more cells of the grid-structured spreadsheet;

receiving a pulling of the data object out of the grid-structured spreadsheet such that the pulled data object is removed from the one or more cells in which it is positioned; and

depositing the pulled data object on the grid-structured spreadsheet such that it is not positioned in one or more cells and such that the deposited pulled data object may be moved freely on the grid-structured spreadsheet without being positioned in any one or more cells of the grid-structured spreadsheet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein after depositing the pulled data object on the grid-structured spreadsheet, enabling one or more guide lines in the grid-structured spreadsheet for automatically aligning and positioning the deposited pulled data object on the grid-structured spreadsheet at a particular position.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising automatically re-sizing the deposited pulled data object to a display size corresponding to one or more cells onto which the deposited pulled data object is positioned.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to receiving the pulling of the data object out of the grid-structured spreadsheet, creating a structured reference between any data items or computational functions in or associated with the pulled data object and corresponding data items or computational functions in or associated with the grid-structured spreadsheet such that relationships between data items or computational functions in or associated with the pulled data object and corresponding data items or computational functions in or associated with the grid-structured spreadsheet are maintained after the data object is pulled from the grid-structured spreadsheet.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a data object in the grid-structured spreadsheet includes displaying one or more of:

a data object in a cell;

a data object in a range of cells;

a table;

a chart;

a pivot table;

a pivot chart; and

a named range of cells.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving a selection for pushing the pulled data object back into the grid-structured spreadsheet;

and

inserting the pulled data object back into the grid-structured spreadsheet such that the pulled data object is positioned in one or more cells of the grid-structured spreadsheet.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein inserting the pulled data object back into the grid-structured spreadsheet includes inserting the pulled data object into a second grid-structured spreadsheet and positioning the pulled data object in one or more cells of the second grid-structured spreadsheet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein instead of depositing the pulled data object on the grid-structured spreadsheet, depositing the pulled data object on a canvas-like user interface such that the data object may be moved freely on the canvas-like user interface.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising in response to receiving the pulling of the data object out of the grid-structured spreadsheet, creating a structured reference between any data items or computational functions in or associated with the pulled data object and corresponding data items or computational functions in or associated with the grid-structured spreadsheet such that relationships between data items or computational functions in or associated with the pulled data object and corresponding data items or computational functions in or associated with the grid-structured spreadsheet are maintained after the data object is pulled from the grid-structured spreadsheet.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a selection for pulling the data object deposited on the canvas-like user interface and pushing the pulled data object back into the grid-structured spreadsheet; and

inserting the pulled data object back into the grid-structured spreadsheet such that the pulled data object is positioned in one or more cells of the grid-structured spreadsheet.

11. A computer-implemented method of utilizing spreadsheet objects in an electronic canvas, comprising:

displaying a data object in a grid-structured spreadsheet, the data object being positioned in one or more cells of the grid-structured spreadsheet;

receiving a pulling of the data object out of the grid-structured spreadsheet such that the pulled data object is removed from the one or more cells in which it is positioned; and

depositing the pulled data object on a canvas-like user interface such that the deposited data object may be moved freely on the canvas-like user interface.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising in response to receiving the pulling of the data object out of the grid-structured spreadsheet, creating a structured reference between any data items or computational functions in or associated with the pulled data object and corresponding data items or computational functions in or associated with the grid-structured spreadsheet such that relationships between data items or computational functions in or associated with the pulled data object and corresponding data items or computational functions in or associated with the grid-structured spreadsheet are maintained after the data object is pulled from the grid-structured spreadsheet.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying a data object in the grid-structured spreadsheet includes displaying one or more of:

a data object in a cell;

a data object in a range of cells;

a table;

a chart;

a pivot table;

a pivot chart; and

a named range of cells.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a selection for pulling the data object deposited on the canvas-like user interface and pushing the pulled data object back into the grid-structured spreadsheet; and

inserting the pulled data object back into the grid-structured spreadsheet such that the pulled data object is positioned in one or more cells of the grid-structured spreadsheet.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein inserting the pulled data object back into the grid-structured spreadsheet includes inserting the pulled data object into a second grid-structured spreadsheet and positioning the pulled data object in one or more cells of the second grid-structured spreadsheet.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a selection for pulling the data object deposited on the canvas-like user interface; and

depositing the pulled data object on a second canvas-like user interface such that the deposited data object may be moved freely on the second canvas-like user interface.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

associating the canvas-like user interface and the grid-structured spreadsheet together as part of a spreadsheet document and allowing navigation from the grid-structured spreadsheet to the canvas-like user interface and vice versa in the spreadsheet document.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a portion or all of the grid-structured spreadsheet may be deposited on the canvas-like user interface as a data object that may be moved freely about on the canvas-like user interface.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising adding one or more additional grid-structured spreadsheets and one or more additional canvas-like user interfaces to the spreadsheet document.

20. A system for managing data in an electronic spreadsheet, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more processors operable to;

display a data object in a grid-structured spreadsheet, the data object being positioned in one or more cells of the grid-structured spreadsheet;

receive a pulling of the data object out of the grid-structured spreadsheet such that the pulled data object is removed from the one or more cells in which it is positioned;

deposit the pulled data object on the grid-structured spreadsheet such that it is not positioned in one or more cells and such that the deposited pulled data object may be moved freely on the grid-structured spreadsheet without being positioned in any one or more cells of the grid-structured spreadsheet; and

create a structured reference between any data items or computational functions in or associated with the pulled data object and corresponding data items or computational functions in or associated with the grid-structured spreadsheet such that relationships between data items or computational functions in or associated with the pulled data object and corresponding data items or computational functions in or associated with the grid-structured spreadsheet are maintained after the data object is pulled from the grid-structured spreadsheet.