GENERATION OF APPLICATION BEHAVIORS

• US 20170109136A1
• Filed: 10/14/2015
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: COLLE, Olivier, CHAUHAN, Yudhvir Singh, ONU, Laura Sabina
• Granted Patent: US 9,910,641 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Examples of the disclosure provide a system and method for receiving a component at a design surface, the component representing a user interface element of an application. A selection of the component is received and a selection of at least a portion of a first target component is detected. Based on the selection of the first target component, a first property of the first target component is determined to use in an expression, the expression to be dynamically evaluated at runtime of the component. The expression automatically generated to change a property of the component based on the first property of the first target component.

Claims

1. A method for generating application behavior, the method comprising:

receiving a component at a design surface, the component representing a user interface element of an application;

receiving a selection of the component;

detecting a selection of at least a portion of a first target component;

based on the selection of the first target component, determining a first property of the first target component to use in an expression, the expression to be dynamically evaluated at runtime of the component; and

automatically generating the expression to change a property of the component based on the first property of the first target component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first property of the first target component to use in the expression further comprises:

determining a current context based on one or more factors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more factors include at least one of a cursor location within a formula bar displaying the automatically generated expression, a location of the expression where a parameter is inserted or selected, a match between property types, a default property, a dynamic property, a learned property, or a repeated gesture.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a first indicator proximate to the selected portion of the first target component, the first indicator providing a visual cue of the first property of the first target component used in the expression.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first property of the first target component is a parameter used in the expression.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the parameter used in the expression is displayed in a first color in a formula bar, and the first indicator proximate to the selected portion of the first target component is also displayed in the first color on the design surface.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

providing an interactive list of properties of the first target component proximate to the expression in the formula bar;

receiving a selection of a second property from the interactive list; and

generating the expression based on the selection of the second property.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the component is a control and the first target component is another control on the design surface.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a second selection of at least a portion of a second target component;

determining a second property of the second target component to use in the expression; and

modifying the expression to change the property of the component based on the first property of the first target component and the second property of the second target component.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first property is displayed as a first parameter and the second property is displayed as a second parameter in the expression.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first property used in the expression and a first indicator proximate to the first target component are displayed in a first color, and the second property used in the expression and a second indicator proximate to the second target component are displayed in a second color, the first color different than the second color.

12. A system for generating an application behavior, the system comprising:

a design surface implemented on a processor, the design surface configured to receive a control;

a component identification mechanism coupled to the design surface and configured to detect a selection of the control and a selection of at least a portion of a first target control;

a property selection mechanism coupled to the design surface and configured to determine a first property of the selected portion of the first target control;

an expression generation mechanism coupled to the design surface and configured to generate an expression to change a property of the selected control based on the first property of the selected portion of the first target control.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a visual cue generator coupled to the design surface and configured to display a first indicator proximate to the selected portion of the first target control, the first indicator providing a visual cue of the relationship between the first property of the first target control and a parameter used in the expression.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the parameter used in the expression is displayed in a first color, and the first indicator is also displayed in the first color.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the property selection mechanism is further configured to:

provide an interactive list of properties of the first target control proximate to the expression;

receive a selection of a second property from the interactive list; and

provide the selection of the second property to the expression generation mechanism for generating the expression.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the component identification mechanism is further configured to detect a selection of at least a portion of a second target control.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the property selection mechanism is further configured to determine a second property of the selected portion of the second target control to use in the expression, and provide the second property to the expression generation mechanism to modify the expression to change the property of the selected control based on the first property and the second property.

18. One or more computer storage devices having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for generating an expression, which, on execution by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving a component at an interactive design surface;

receiving a selection of the component via the interactive design surface;

detecting a selection of at least a portion of a first target component;

based on the received selection, determining a first property of the first target component to use in the expression, the expression to be dynamically evaluated at runtime of the component; and

generating the expression to change a property of the component based on the first property of the first target component.

19. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 18, having further computer-executable instructions which cause the computer to perform further operations comprising:

displaying a valid target indicator proximate to one or more valid target components, the valid target indicator providing a visual cue of other selectable components based on the received selection.

20. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 19, having further computer-executable instructions which cause the computer to perform further operations comprising:

displaying a first target indicator proximate to the selected portion of the first target component, the first target indicator providing a visual cue of the first property of the first target component used in the expression.