Development system with application browser user interface

• US 6,247,020 B1
• Filed: 12/17/1997
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Borland Software Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Borland Software Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Minard, Jayson R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US08/992,434
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/513, 707/206, 707/1, 707/101, 707/104, 709/203, 709/206, 709/224, 709/229, 345/357, 345/435, 395/500.13, 717/1, 717/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A component-based, rapid application development (RAD) Java environment providing an improved user interface is described. The interface includes a single Application Browser or “AppBrowser” that is used to perform all the usual development functions. The AppBrowser lets the user explore, edit, design, and debug all in one unified window. Serving as a mechanism for hosting arbitrary documents or other objects related to development, the AppBrowser presents the documents or other objects for manipulation in a window that consists of three panes: Navigation pane, Content pane, and Structure pane. In general, the Navigation pane displays a list of documents, the Content pane displays the document itself, and the Structure pane displays the structure of the document if available. The grouping of the three panes exists on a browser “context” or mode. Multiple contexts can appear on an AppBrowser represented by a tab in a tab set at the lower left of the window. These contexts add a 3D feel to AppBrowser by layering its functionality in one window rather than spread across multiple windows. Switching between completely different contexts is then as easy as selecting a tab. The AppBrowser may have different logic for any given context that is global across the three panes; the logic is provided by implementing a standard browser context interface.

Claims

1. In a development system for creating computer programs, a method for assisting a user with development of a program, said program being developed from a project comprising at least a plurality of files employed for developing the program, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface window having a navigation pane, said navigation pane for displaying a hierarchical view of said project comprising a tree having a plurality of nodes of files employed for developing said program of said project, said nodes being displayed in collapsible outline format, so that the user can navigate to a particular file of the project by selecting one of the nodes;

simultaneously displaying in said graphical user interface window a content pane, said content pane for displaying contents of the particular file selected at the navigation pane; and

simultaneously displaying in said graphical user interface window a structure pane, said structure pane for displaying a hierarchical view of said particular file comprising a tree having a plurality of nodes, so that the user can navigate to a particular object of the particular file by selecting one of the nodes;

wherein all said panes remain automatically synchronized by the system during system operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a history list for tracking which nodes the user has selected in the navigation pane.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing navigation buttons allowing the user to navigate forward and backward through the history list, for re-selecting nodes of the navigation pane.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said content pane provides at least one viewer for viewing contents of a particular selected file within said content pane.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the particular selected file is a source code file and wherein said at least one viewer comprises a source code viewer.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the particular selected file is a hypertext markup language (HTML) file and wherein said at least one viewer comprises an HTML viewer and an HTML code editor.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein each at least one viewer is associated with a particular tab which can be selected by the user for displaying the viewer as the current viewer in the content pane.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of files includes source code files.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein interdependencies exist between various files of the project.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a file which is dependent on another file is represented as a child of that other file in the navigation pane.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon user selection of a particular node in the navigation pane, synchronizing the content pane and the structure pane for the selected node.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said structure pane displays designable objects for said particular file, said structure pane indicating how the objects are interrelated to one another.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said particular file comprises a Java file and wherein the structure pane displays structural information about Java code in the particular file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said structural information about Java code comprises information about Java classes and class relationships.

15. In a development system, a method for assisting a user with development of a program, said program being developed from a project comprising at least a plurality of files, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface window having a navigation pane, said navigation pane for displaying a hierarchical view of said project comprising a tree having a plurality of nodes, so that the user can navigate to a particular file of the project by selecting one of the nodes;

displaying in said graphical user interface window a content pane, said content pane for displaying contents of the particular file selected at the navigation pane;

displaying in said graphical user interface window a structure pane, said structure pane for displaying a hierarchical view of said particular file comprising a tree having a plurality of nodes, so that the user can navigate to a particular object of the particular file by selecting one of the nodes;

upon user selection of a particular node in the navigation pane, synchronizing the content pane and the structure pane for the selected node;

wherein said structure pane displays designable objects for said particular file, said structure pane indicating how the objects are interrelated to one another;

wherein said particular file comprises a Java file and wherein the structure pane displays structural information about Java code in the particular file;

wherein said structural information about Java code comprises information about Java classes and class relationships; and

further comprising;

receiving a request for drilling down into an ancestor class; and

in response to said request, displaying information for the ancestor class.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said displaying information for the ancestor class comprises displaying Java code for the ancestor class in the content pane.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said displaying information for the ancestor class further comprises displaying structural information about the Java code for the ancestor class in the structure pane.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said request comprises user selection of a node in the structure pane which is an ancestor of a node currently selected in the structure pane.

19. In a development system, a method for assisting a user with development of a program, said program being developed from a project comprising at least a plurality of files, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface window having a navigation pane, said navigation pane for displaying a hierarchical view of said project comprising a tree having a plurality of nodes, so that the user can navigate to a particular file of the project by selecting one of the nodes;

displaying in said graphical user interface window a content pane, said content pane for displaying contents of the particular file selected at the navigation pane; and

displaying in said graphical user interface window a structure pane, said structure pane for displaying a hierarchical view of said particular file comprising a tree having a plurality of nodes, so that the user can navigate to a particular object of the particular file by selecting one of the nodes, wherein said particular object comprises a user interface object;

wherein the graphical user interface maintains synchronization among all panes of the graphical user interface.

20. A development system for developing software programs comprising:

a compiler for compiling files into a program; and

an integrated development environment providing a user interface comprising;

a first display region for representing said files as a hierarchical tree comprising a plurality of nodes, wherein each node corresponds to a particular file, and wherein said nodes are arranged in the tree to represent interdependencies among said files;

a second display region for viewing contents of a particular file whose node is selected in the first display region; and

a third display region for representing the particular file as a hierarchical tree comprising a plurality of nodes, wherein each node corresponds to a distinguishable element of the file, and wherein said nodes are arranged in the tree to represent interdependencies among said elements;

wherein said first, second, and third display regions are simultaneously displayed in the user interface of said integrated development environment, and wherein the user interface maintains synchronization among all display regions of the user interface.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising navigation buttons allowing a user to navigate among nodes in the first display region.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein said second display region includes at least one viewer for viewing contents of a particular file whose node is selected in the first display region.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said particular file comprises a source code file and wherein said at least one viewer comprises a source code editor allowing a user to modify source code contained therein.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the particular selected file is a hypertext markup language (HTML) file and wherein said at least one viewer comprises an HTML viewer and an HTML code editor.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein a file which is dependent on another file is represented as a child of that other file in the tree of the first display region.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein said synchronization includes synchronizing the second and third panes upon user selection of a particular node in the first pane.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein said synchronization includes synchronizing the second pane to be positioned at a particular line of source code upon user selection of a particular node in the third pane representing an object which is declared in the source code at said particular line.

28. The system of claim 20, wherein the distinguishable elements in the file include user interface elements.

29. In a development system, a method for assisting a user with management of a development project comprising at least a plurality of files, at least some of the files including a plurality of objects, the method comprising:

displaying an integrated user interface having a first region for displaying a hierarchical view of said project, the hierarchical view comprising a tree having a plurality of nodes, so that the user can navigate to a particular file of the project by selecting one of the nodes;

displaying in said integrated user interface a second region for viewing contents of the particular file selected at the first region; and

displaying in said integrated user interface a third region for displaying a hierarchical view of said particular file, the hierarchical view comprising a tree having a plurality of nodes, so that the user can navigate to a particular object of the particular file by selecting one of the nodes;

wherein said first, second, and third display regions are simultaneously displayed in the integrated user interface of said development system, and wherein the integrated user interface maintains synchronization among all display regions of the integrated user interface.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said particular file comprises a Java file and wherein the third region displays structural information about Java code in the particular file.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said structural information about Java code comprises information about Java classes and class relationships.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein said second region displays source code for an ancestor class in response to selection of a node which is an ancestor of a node previously selected in the third region.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein said third region displays children nodes for representing methods for a particular object whose node has been selected.