ASSISTED DISPLAY FOR COMMAND LINE INTERFACES

• US 20150082166A1
• Filed: 11/24/2014
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sarbin, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/708
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A method for an assisted display for command line interfaces is described. In an embodiment, an input region and an output region of a command line interface are displayed. Commands are displayed within the input region as they are received. A history is maintained that stores the output of previous executions. At least a portion of the output maintained by the history is displayed within the output region. The output region is scrolled by adding one or more outputs from the history to the display of the output region and/or removing one or more outputs from the display of the output region. Wherein, scrolling the output region does not cause the display of the input region to become obscured. In another embodiment, an input assistance region is displayed that walks a user through selecting commands supported by the command line interface as well as options and arguments for those commands.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying an input region and an output region of a command line interface;

receiving part of a command via the input region;

selecting a predicted set of commands from a set of commands supported by the command line interface based on the part of the command received via the input region;

displaying the predicted set of commands in a input assistance region;

receiving a remainder of the command, wherein the command identifies an operation of an executable program;

receiving one or more outputs based on executing the command using the executable program;

displaying at least a portion of the one or more outputs in the output region;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising concurrently displaying the input assistance region, the input region and the output region.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the predicted set of commands is performed by determining which commands of the set of commands supported by the command line interface contain a substring representing the part of the command received via the input region.

4. A method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the predicted set of commands in the input assistance region with one or more drill-down graphical elements, wherein each drill-down graphical element of the one or more drill-down graphical elements is associated with a particular command of the predicted set of commands and selection of the drill-down graphical element causes display of a description of the particular command in the input assistance region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least part of the remainder of the command is received by receiving a selection of a particular command in the predicted set of commands displayed in the input assistance region.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to receiving the selection of a particular command, displaying within the input assistance region a set of options for the particular command, wherein at least part of the remainder of the command is received by receiving a selection of one or more options of the set of options for the particular command displayed in the input assistance region.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

in response to receiving the selection of the set of options, displaying within the input assistance region a set of arguments for the particular command, wherein at least part of the remainder of the command is received by receiving a selection of one or more arguments of the set of arguments for the particular command displayed in the input assistance region.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when the software is executed operable to:

display an input region and an output region of a command line interface;

receive part of a command via the input region;

select a predicted set of commands from a set of commands supported by the command line interface based on the part of the command received via the input region;

display the predicted set of commands in a input assistance region;

receive a remainder of the command, wherein the command identifies an operation of an executable program;

receive one or more outputs based on executing the command using the executable program;

display at least a portion of the one or more outputs in the output region.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 wherein the software when executed is further operable to:

display the input assistance region, the input region and the output region.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein selecting the predicted set of commands is performed by determining which commands of the set of commands supported by the command line interface contain a substring representing the part of the command received via the input region.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8 wherein the software when executed is further operable to:

display the predicted set of commands in the input assistance region with one or more drill-down graphical elements, wherein each drill-down graphical element of the one or more drill-down graphical elements is associated with a particular command of the predicted set of commands and selection of the drill-down graphical element causes display of a description of the particular command in the input assistance region.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein at least part of the remainder of the command is received by receiving a selection of a particular command in the predicted set of commands displayed in the input assistance region.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 12 wherein the software when executed is further operable to:

in response to receiving the selection of a particular command, display within the input assistance region a set of options for the particular command, wherein at least part of the remainder of the command is received by receiving a selection of one or more options of the set of options for the particular command displayed in the input assistance region.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 13 wherein the software when executed is further operable to:

in response to receiving the selection of the set of options, display within the input assistance region a set of arguments for the particular command, wherein at least part of the remainder of the command is received by receiving a selection of one or more arguments of the set of arguments for the particular command displayed in the input assistance region.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing one or more instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, are operable to;

display an input region and an output region of a command line interface;

receive part of a command via the input region;

select a predicted set of commands from a set of commands supported by the command line interface based on the part of the command received via the input region;

display the predicted set of commands in a input assistance region;

receive a remainder of the command, wherein the command identifies an operation of an executable program;

receive one or more outputs based on executing the command using the executable program;

display at least a portion of the one or more outputs in the output region.

16. A system of claim 15, wherein selecting the predicted set of commands is performed by determining which commands of the set of commands supported by the command line interface contain a substring representing the part of the command received via the input region.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors is further operable to:

display the predicted set of commands in the input assistance region with one or more drill-down graphical elements, wherein each drill-down graphical element of the one or more drill-down graphical elements is associated with a particular command of the predicted set of commands and selection of the drill-down graphical element causes display of a description of the particular command in the input assistance region.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions, wherein at least part of the remainder of the command is received by receiving a selection of a particular command in the predicted set of commands displayed in the input assistance region.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors is further operable to:

in response to receiving the selection of a particular command, display within the input assistance region a set of options for the particular command, wherein at least part of the remainder of the command is received by receiving a selection of one or more options of the set of options for the particular command displayed in the input assistance region.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors is further operable to:

in response to receiving the selection of the set of options, display within the input assistance region a set of arguments for the particular command, wherein at least part of the remainder of the command is received by receiving a selection of one or more arguments of the set of arguments for the particular command displayed in the input assistance region.