Apparatus and method for dynamically updating a computer-implemented table and associated objects

• US 6,411,959 B1
• Filed: 09/29/1999
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kelsey, Todd Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/408,404
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 707/203, 707/101, 707/100, 707/102, 707/103, 707/10, 707/3, 711/170
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

An apparatus and method allow a user to define a dynamically extendible table in a software application, such as a spreadsheet. In one embodiment of the invention, when a new row or column is added next to a dynamically extendible table, the new row or column is automatically added to the definition of the dynamically extendible table. In a second embodiment of the invention, when a new row or column is added to a dynamically extendible table, the user is queried to determine whether the row or column should be added to the dynamically extendible table. In yet another embodiment, a user adds a row or column, then invokes a command to add the row or column to a dynamically extendible table. In one embodiment, once a dynamically extendible table has been updated to include a new row or column, any objects that use the dynamically extendible table as a data source are updated to include the new data. Because the name of the object doesn'"'"'t change, all documents that reference the old object will automatically reference the new object without changing any of the references in the documents. In another embodiment, once a dynamically extendible table has been updated to include a new row or column, all of the documents that reference an object that uses the table as a data source are then updated as required so that they reference either the old object or the new object, whichever is appropriate. As a result, all documents that reference the object and that require updating will refer to the new object automatically without requiring that the user manually create a new object to include the new row or column and manually change references to the old object to now refer to the new object. The present invention thus allows a user to add a row or column to a table, and the new data is then represented in objects that require updating.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor;

a software application residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the software application including at least one dynamically extendible table portion and at least one object that references data in a selected dynamically extendible table portion; and

a dynamic update mechanism residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the dynamic update mechanism detecting when a row or column is added to or deleted from the selected dynamically extendible table portion, and updating the object to reflect the addition to or deletion from the selected dynamically extendible table portion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for defining the selected dynamically extendible table portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the software application comprises a spreadsheet application.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dynamic update mechanism further updates at least one document that references the object to reflect the addition to or deletion from the selected dynamically extendible table portion.

5. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor;

a software application residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the software application including at least one dynamically extendible table portion;

a document residing in the memory, the document including at least one reference to a first object, the first object referencing data in the dynamically extendible table portion; and

a dynamic update mechanism residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the dynamic update mechanism detecting when a row or column is added to or deleted from the dynamically extendible table portion, creating a second object that reflects the addition to or deletion from the dynamically extendible table portion, and changing at least one reference to the first object in the document to refer to the second object.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising means for defining the selected dynamically extendible table portion.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the software application comprises a spreadsheet application.

8. A method for reflecting a change to a computer-implemented table in an object that references data in the table, the method comprising the steps of:

1) defining at least one dynamically extendible table portion, wherein the object references data in the dynamically extendible table portion;

2) detecting when a row or column is added to or deleted from the selected dynamically extendible table portion; and

3) updating the object to reflect the addition to or deletion from the selected dynamically extendible table portion.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the computer-implemented table is implemented within a spreadsheet application.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of updating at least one document that references the object to reflect the addition to or deletion from the selected dynamically extendible table portion.

11. A method for updating at least one reference in at least one document to a first object that references data in a computer-implemented table, the method comprising the steps of:

1) defining at least one dynamically extendible table portion, wherein the first object references data in the dynamically extendible table portion;

2) detecting when a row or column is added to or deleted from the dynamically extendible table portion;

3) creating a second object that reflects the addition to or deletion from the dynamically extendible table portion; and

4) changing at least one reference to the first object in the at least one document to refer to the second object.

12. A program product comprising:

a dynamic update mechanism that detects when a row or column is added to or deleted from a dynamically extendible table portion, and that automatically updates an object that references data in the dynamically extendible table portion to reflect the addition to or deletion from the selected dynamically extendible table portion; and

signal bearing media bearing the dynamic update mechanism.

13. The program product of claim 12 wherein the signal bearing media comprises recordable media.

14. The program product of claim 12 wherein the signal bearing media comprises transmission media.

15. The program product of claim 12 wherein the dynamic update mechanism is implemented in a spreadsheet application.

16. The program product of claim 12 wherein the dynamic update mechanism further updates at least one document that references the object to reflect the addition to or deletion from the selected dynamically extendible table portion.

17. A program product comprising:

(A) a dynamic update mechanism that;

1) detects when a row or column is added to or deleted from a dynamically extendible table portion that is referenced by a first object;

2) automatically creates a second object that reflects the addition to or deletion from the dynamically extendible table portion;

3) changes at least one reference to the first object in a document to refer to the second object; and

(B) signal bearing media bearing the dynamic update mechanism.

18. The program product of claim 17 wherein the signal bearing media comprises recordable media.

19. The program product of claim 17 wherein the signal bearing media comprises transmission media.

20. The program product of claim 17 wherein the dynamic update mechanism is implemented in a spreadsheet application.