Method for simultaneous update and change in parent and child windows

• US 5,226,117 A
• Filed: 05/15/1990
• Issued: 07/06/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miklos, Sarka J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark K.
• Application Number:
  US07/524,774
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 395/157, 395/160, 395/147, 395/146
• US Class Current: 715/853
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A technique which automatically updates and changes hierarchically related windows of an application. Code stored in the memory of a data processing system performs an automatic search on the data structures associated with each window also stored in memory to determine whether the window is related to the window in which the user is currently manipulating data. If the window is related, another search is performed to determine whether the related window also contains the data to be changed. Once all occurrences of the data within the related windows have been identified, the simultaneous update of the data within all related windows is performed. In the preferred embodiment, the method is implemented by a set of programs for controlling a data processing system. The data processing system includes a processor, a memory, and a display. Other elements preferably included in such a data processing system include a printer, a read only memory disk storage and I/O equipment. The memory stores a set of program modules which provides instructions to the processor to control the graphical interface presented on the display and to manipulate data entered by the user by the keyboard, mouse or other input means. The memory also stores code which controls the automatic updating of the related windows in the multiwindowing environment. Further, the memory stores a database which contains the data structures associated with each of the windows and icons therein.

Claims

1. In a data processing system including a processor, a memory, display means and input means, a method of simultaneously updating hierarchically related windows within a multiwindow graphical interface in which the hierarchically related windows are elements in a logical ranking, the method comprising the steps of:

responsive to a first input by a user indicating that a first set of data within a first window is to be updated, searching for at least a second hierarchically related window;

searching said second hierarchically related window for a second occurrence of said first set of data;

upon finding said first set of data in said hierarchically related second window, simultaneously updating said first set of data in both said first window and said second hierarchically related window without requiring the user to manipulate within said second related window.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said second hierarchically related window is a child window.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said second hierarchically related window is a parent window.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first searching step for said hierarchically related second window is performed by searching a data structure associated with said first window.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first searching step for said hierarchically related second window is performed by searching a data structure associated with a root window in the logical ranking.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first set of data is found in a first plurality of hierarchically related windows and the first set of data is updated in all of the first plurality of hierarchically related windows.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first set of data is found in a first plurality of hierarchically related windows and a menu is presented on the display means which allows the user to select which of the first plurality of hierarchically related window is to be updated.

9. The system as recited in claim 5 wherein the first search means searches for the presence of the second hierarchically related window in a data structure associated with said first window.

10. The system as recited in claim 5 wherein the first search means searches for the presence of the second hierarchically related window in a data structure associated with a root window in the logical ranking.

11. The system as recited in claim 5 which further comprises a selection means which allows the user to select which of a plurality of hierarchically related windows having the first set of data found by the first second search means is to be acted upon by the update means.

8. A data processing system for simultaneously updating hierarchically related windows within a multiwindow graphical interface in which the hierarchically related windows are elements in a logical ranking comprising:

a processor for controlling an operation of other components of the data processing system;

a memory coupled to the processor for storing sets of program instructions used by the processor to control the data processing system;

input means coupled to the processor and the memory to allow a user to input data and commands to the data processing system;

display means coupled to the processor and the memory for displaying a set of results of commands entered with the input device;

first search means coupled to the processor, responsive to a first input by the user indicating that a first set of data within a first window is to be updated, for searching for at least a second hierarchically related window,

second search means coupled to the processor for searching for a presence and location of the first set of data within the second hierarchically related window found by the first search means;

update means coupled to the processor, for simultaneously updating both the first window and the second hierarchically related window if the data to be changed is found within the second related window by the second search means, without requiring the user to manipulate in the second related window.