Method and editing system for setting tool button

• US 5,812,805 A
• Filed: 03/18/1996
• Issued: 09/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: I'M SPA
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kitayama, Fumihiko, Kuse, Kazushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KATBAB, ABDOLLAH
• Application Number:
  US08/617,463
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 395/352, 395/354, 395/333, 395/334, 395/339, 395/348, 395/349
• US Class Current: 715/840
• 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

Abstract

A method of flexibly setting a tool button with user operation, comprises the steps of specifying commands for making a desired editing object and also of specifying parameters of the editing object. An editing object is generated on a display screen based upon the specified commands and the specified parameters. The object displayed on the display screen may be selected with a pointing device and related to a tool button. The specified command and the specified parameters of the object are then set to the related tool button. The first display form of the tool button may be changed to a second display form corresponding to the specified command and/or the specified parameters.

Claims

1. A method of selectively setting a tool button for executing an editing object on a computer screen with user operation, comprising the steps of:

specifying commands for execution upon selection of the tool button and parameters for a desired editing object, said parameters comprising characteristics of said desired editing object;

relating said desired editing object to the tool button in order to set said commands and said parameters of said desired editing object to the tool button; and

displaying on the computer screen said desired editing object based upon said commands and said parameters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said tool button displayed on said computer screen has a display form corresponding to said parameters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said editing object and said tool button are directly specified with a drag operation of a pointing device so that said editing object is related to said tool button.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said parameters set in said tool button can be changed by specifying other parameters displayed on said screen with a pointing device so that said other parameters are related to said tool button.

5. A system for selectively setting a tool button for executing an editing object on a computer screen with user operation, comprising:

means for specifying commands for execution upon selection of the tool button and parameters for a desired editing object, said parameters comprising characteristics of said editing object;

means for relating said desired editing object to the tool button in order to set said commands and said parameters of said desired editing object to the tool button; and

means for displaying on the computer screen said desired editing object based upon said commands and said parameters.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said tool button displayed on said computer screen has a display form corresponding to said parameters.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said editing object and said tool button are directly specified with a drag operation of a pointing device so that said editing object is related to said tool button.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein said parameters set in said tool button can be changed by specifying other parameters displayed on said screen with a pointing device so that said other parameters are related to said tool button.