Insertion bar

• US 5,778,401 A
• Filed: 10/31/1995
• Issued: 07/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Beer, John Carl, Cline, Troy Lee, Poston, Ricky Lee, Werner, Jon Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOOD JOHNSON, MOTILEWA
• Application Number:
  US08/551,014
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 395/776, 395/761-763, 395/771, 395/777, 395/792, 707/514, 707/500-502, 707/510, 707/515, 707/530
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A computer implemented method, computer system, and article of manufacture embodying computer readable program means direct a computer system to create in a window an insertion bar for inserting hierarchical level identifiers into any hierarchically arranged data. The method includes the first step of inserting a blank line at the location of an insert event, in response to detecting the insert event at the location in the window. The second event includes the step of counting a number of hierarchical levels above the blank line and placing a marker on the blank line, each marker corresponding to a horizontal position of each hierarchical level, thereby creating the insertion bar. The third step includes the step of in response to detecting a move event over one of the markers in the insertion bar, creating an additional hierarchical level identifier of the same hierarchical level and in succession to the hierarchical level corresponding to the selected marker.

Claims

1. A graphical method for directing a computer system to create in a window an insertion bar for inserting hierarchical level identifiers into existing hierarchically arranged data within said window, comprising the steps of:

in response to detecting a graphical insert event at a location within said existing hierarchically arranged data in the window, inserting a blank line at the location of the graphical insert event;

counting a number of hierarchical levels within said existing hierarchically arranged data above the blank line and placing a marker on the blank line corresponding to a position of each hierarchical level, thereby creating the insertion bar;

in response to detecting graphical selection of one of the markers in the insertion bar, creating an additional hierarchical level identifier of the same level and in succession to the hierarchical level corresponding to the selected marker;

automatically altering each subsequent hierarchical level identifier below said additional hierarchical level identifier within said same level of said existing hierarchically arranged data.

2. The graphical method according to claim 1 wherein said step of placing a marker on the blank line corresponding to a position of each hierarchical level comprises the step of placing a hash mark on a horizontal line corresponding to a position of each hierarchical level.

3. The graphical method according to claim 1 wherein said step of automatically altering each subsequent hierarchical level identifier below said additional hierarchical level identifier within said same level of said existing hierarchically arranged data comprises the step of automatically incrementing each subsequent hierarchical level identifier below said additional hierarchical level identifier within said same level of said existing hierarchically arranged data.

4. A graphical system for directing a computer system to create in a window an insertion bar for inserting hierarchical level identifiers into existing hierarchically arranged data within said window, comprising:

means for inserting a blank line at the location of the graphical insert event in response to detecting a graphical insert event at a location within said existing hierarchically arranged data in the window;

means for counting a number of hierarchical levels within said existing hierarchically arranged data above the blank line and placing a marker on the blank line corresponding to a position of each hierarchical level, thereby creating the insertion bar;

means for creating an additional hierarchical level identifier of the same level and in succession to the hierarchical level corresponding to the selected marker in response to detecting a graphical selection of one of the markers in the insertion bar;

means for automatically altering each subsequent hierarchical level identifier below said additional hierarchical level identifier within said same level of said existing hierarchically arranged data.

5. The graphical system according to claim 4, wherein said means for placing a marker on the blank line corresponding to a position of each hierarchical level comprises means for placing a hash mark on a horizontal line corresponding to a position of each hierarchical level.

6. The graphical system according to claim 4, wherein said means for automatically altering each subsequent hierarchial level identifier below said additional hierarchical level identifier within said same level of said existing hierarchically arranged data comprises means for automatically incrementing each subsequent hierarchical level identifier below said additional hierarchical level identifier within said same level of said existing hierarchically arranged data.