Method and system for marking and subsequently retrieving a collection of objects within a multipage compound document utilizing selectable page numbered dialog boxes

• US 5,950,216 A
• Filed: 11/12/1996
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dodson, John P., Dao, Dan L., Amro, Hatim Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kindred, Alford W.
• Application Number:
  US08/748,221
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 345/341, 345/973, 345/974, 345/342, 345/347, 707/515
• US Class Current: 715/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

A method and system for marking and subsequently retrieving a collection of objects contained within a compound document. The compound document is displayed within a graphical user interface within a data processing system. The graphical user interface includes a scroll bar. A collection of objects within a portion of the compound document may be selected by a user. Thereafter, a horizontal line is displayed within the scroll bar which corresponds to the relative location of the collection of objects within the compound document. Next, in response to a user input, a dialog box is displayed at a location adjacent the horizontal line. The graphical user interface next prompts a user to enter within the dialog box a label and attributes of the collection of objects. Thereafter, In response to a selection of the horizontal line, the dialog box, including the label and the attributes, is displayed; and in response to a subsequent user input, the compound document is automatically scrolled to a location which corresponds to the location of the collection of objects within the compound document.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for marking and subsequently retrieving a plurality of objects contained within a multipage compound document wherein said compound document is displayed within a graphical user interface within said data processing system, said graphical user interface including a scroll bar, comprising the steps of:

selecting a plurality of objects located within a portion of said compound document;

displaying a horizontal line within a scroll bar wherein said horizontal line corresponds to the relative location of said plurality of objects within said multipage compound document;

displaying, in response to a user input, a dialog box at a location adjacent said horizontal line;

prompting a user to enter a label and a description of said plurality of objects within said dialog box;

automatically calculating a page number of said plurality of objects within said multipage compound document and entering said page number within said dialog box; and

thereafter

displaying, in response to a selection of said horizontal line, said dialog box including said label, said description and said page number; and

automatically scrolling, in response to a subsequent user input, to a location which corresponds to the location of said plurality of objects within said compound document.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

storing said label, said description and said page number within a memory of said data processing system; and

editing said label, said description and said page number in response to a user input.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing said label, said description and said page number within a memory of said data processing system when said compound document is stored within said memory.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of deleting said label, said description and said page number in response to user input.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of automatically retrieving said plurality of objects in response to user input.

6. A data processing system for permitting a user to mark and subsequently retrieve a plurality of objects contained within a multipage compound document wherein said compound document is displayed within a graphical user interface within said data processing system, said graphical user interface including a scroll bar, comprising:

selection means for selecting a plurality of objects located within a portion of said compound document;

display means for displaying a horizontal line within a scroll bar wherein said horizontal line corresponds to the location of said plurality of objects within said multipage compound document;

display means for displaying, in response to a user input, a dialog box at a location adjacent said horizontal line;

means for prompting a user to enter a label and a description of said plurality of objects within said dialog box;

means for automatically calculating a page number of said plurality of objects within said multipage compound document and entering said page number within said dialog box; and

thereafter

means for displaying, in response to a selection of said horizontal line, said dialog box including said label said description and said page number; and

scroll means for automatically scrolling, in response to a subsequent user input, to a location which corresponds to the location of said plurality of objects within said compound document.

7. The data processing system of claim 6 further comprising means for storing said label, said description and said page number within a memory of said data processing system.

8. The data processing system of claim 7 further comprising means for editing said label, said description and said page number in response to a user input.

9. The data processing system of claim 6 further comprising means for storing said label, said description and said page number within a memory of said data processing system when said compound document is stored within said memory.

10. The data processing system of claim 9 further comprising deletion means for deleting said label, said description and said page number in response to user input.

11. The data processing system of claim 6 wherein said dialog box further comprises an attributes window having display means for displaying said label and said at least one attribute within said attributes window.

12. The data processing system of claim 6 further comprising retrieval means for automatically retrieving said plurality of objects in response to user input.