Visual command sequence desktop agent

• US 6,046,741 A
• Filed: 11/21/1997
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hochmuth, Roland M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Cuong T.
• Application Number:
  US08/976,115
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 345/339, 345/348, 345/349, 345/333, 345/966, 345/967, 395/391, 395/589, 395/580
• US Class Current: 715/704
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/966 Computer process, e.g. operation of computer

Abstract

User commands and command parameters in a graphical user interface are logged in a command log. Repeating patterns of commands and command parameters are automatically detected. This detection is invisible to the user. The user is then prompted to see if a shortcut script should be created for a given repeating pattern of commands and command parameters that has been detected. If the user responds affirmatively, a shortcut script is created that will execute that repeating pattern of commands and command parameters. The user may also be given the option of editing the commands and command parameters before they are made into a shortcut script.

Claims

1. A computer operable method, comprising the steps of:

(a) logging a plurality of commands executed by a user of a graphical user interface (GUI) in a command log;

(b) automatically detecting a repeating pattern of commands in said command log; and

,

(c) creating a shortcut script that will execute said repeating pattern of commands.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) displaying an icon representing said shortcut script on a computer screen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes:

(c.1) prompting a user for a user response; and

(c.2) creating said shortcut script in response to said user response.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said user may edit said repeating pattern of commands.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) includes logging said plurality of commands with command parameters.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein detecting a repeating pattern of commands in said command log includes detecting a repeating pattern of commands with command parameters and wherein said shortcut script will execute said repeating pattern of commands with command parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) includes:

(a.1) converting each of said plurality of commands into a textual form; and

,

(a.2) storing said textual form of each of said plurality of commands.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein step (a) includes logging said plurality of commands with command parameters and step (a.1) includes converting each of said plurality of commands with command parameters into said textual form and step (a.2) includes storing said textual form of each of said plurality of commands with command parameters.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said repeating pattern of commands is displayed in said textual form and a user may edit said repeating pattern of commands.

10. A program storage medium readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for automatically creating a shortcut script in a graphical user interface (GUI), said method steps comprising:

(a) logging a plurality of commands executed by a user of said GUI in a command log;

(b) automatically detecting a repeating pattern of commands in said command log; and

,

(c) creating a shortcut script that will execute said repeating pattern of commands.

11. The program storage medium of claim 10, wherein said method steps include:

(d) displaying an icon representing said shortcut script on a computer screen.

12. The program storage medium of claim 10, wherein said method step (c) includes:

(c.1) prompting a user for a user response; and

(c.2) creating said shortcut script in response to said user response.

13. The program storage medium of claim 12 wherein said user may edit said repeating pattern of commands.

14. The program storage medium of claim 10, wherein said method step (a) includes logging said plurality of commands with command parameters.

15. The program storage medium of claim 14 wherein detecting a repeating pattern of commands includes detecting a repeating pattern of commands with command parameters in said command log and wherein said shortcut script will execute said repeating pattern of commands with command parameters.

16. The program storage medium of claim 10, wherein said method step (a) includes:

(a.1) converting each of said plurality of commands into a textual form; and

,

(a.2) storing said textual form of each of said plurality of commands.

17. The program storage medium of claim 16 wherein said method step (a) includes logging said plurality of command with command parameters and said method step (a.1) includes converting each of said plurality of commands with command parameters into said textual form and said method step (a.2) includes storing said textual form of each of said plurality of commands with command parameters.

18. The program storage medium of claim 17, wherein said repeating pattern of commands is displayed in said textual form and a user may edit said repeating pattern of commands.

19. A graphical user interface (GUI) that is implemented on a computer, said GUI including graphical commands, comprising:

(a) means for logging a plurality of graphical commands executed by a user of said graphical user interface in a command log;

(b) means for automatically detecting a repeating pattern of graphical commands in said command log; and

,

(c) means for creating a shortcut script that will execute said repeating pattern of graphical commands.

20. The GUI of claim 19, further comprising:

(d) means for displaying an icon representing said shortcut script on a computer screen.

21. The GUI of claim 19, wherein said means for creating a shortcut script includes:

(c.1) means for prompting a user for a user response; and

(c.2) means for creating said shortcut script in response to said user response.

22. The GUI of claim 21 wherein said user may edit said repeating pattern of graphical commands.

23. The GUI of claim 19 wherein said means for logging a plurality of graphical commands includes logging said plurality of graphical commands with command parameters.

24. The GUI of claim 23 wherein said means for detecting a repeating pattern of graphical commands in said command log includes means for detecting a repeating pattern of graphical commands with command parameters and wherein said shortcut script will execute said repeating pattern of graphical commands with command parameters.

25. The GUI of claim 19, wherein said means for detecting a repeating pattern of graphical commands in said command log includes:

(a.1) means for converting each of said plurality of graphical commands into a textual form; and

,

(a.2) means for storing said textual form of each of said plurality of graphical commands.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said means for detecting a repeating pattern of graphical commands in said command log includes means for logging said plurality of graphical commands with command parameters and said means for converting each of said plurality of graphical commands into a textual form includes converting each of said plurality of graphical commands with command parameters into said textual form and said means for storing said textual form of each of said plurality of graphical commands includes storing said textual form of each of said plurality of graphical commands with command parameters.

27. The GUI of claim 26, wherein said repeating pattern of graphical commands is displayed in a textual form and a user may edit said textual form of said repeating pattern of graphical commands.