Systems and methods for creating and displaying a user interface for displaying hierarchical data

• US 6,868,528 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Roberts, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Cuong T.
• Application Number:
  US09/883,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20020191033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 345853-854, 345/780, 345/809, 345/841, 345/760, 705/26, 715513-515, 715/835, 715/503, 707 1- 5, 707/7, 707/100, 707/102
• US Class Current: 715/853
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A graphical user interface for displaying hierarchical data, such as extensible markup language (XML) data, in hypertext markup language (HTML) format in a convenient and efficient manner. For data having subordinate data, an actuatable subordinate data indicator is displayed on the user interface. When actuated, the subordinate data is displayed in a similar format as the parent data. Two methods are described for building the tables. A first method initially parses all the data and builds the necessary tables for display. A second method initially parses only the top level of data and then builds subordinate tables as they are requested by a user.

Claims

1. A user interface for displaying hierarchical data, comprising:

a first-level display for displaying one or more first-level data items in the hierarchical data, the hierarchical data being expressed by a markup language;

at least one field associated with each first-level data item, each field configured to display a first-level data sub-item or a subordinate data indicator, the first-level data sub-item being associated with the first level data item in the at least one field; and

wherein the presence of the subordinate data indicator in a field indicates that the field has subordinate data associated with the field, the subordinate data being subordinate to the first-level data items in the hierarchical data.

2. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the subordinate data further comprises one or more second-level data items in the hierarchical data.

3. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the subordinate data indicator is an actuatable icon that, when actuated, displays the subordinate data.

4. The user interface as recited in claim 3, wherein the subordinate data, when displayed, is displayed in a format similar to a format in which the first-level data is displayed.

5. The user interface as recited in claim 3, wherein the subordinate data, when displayed, is displayed so that the first-level data associated with the subordinate data indicator is still visible on the display.

6. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the hierarchical data further comprises extensible markup language (XML) data.

7. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the first-level display is in a table format having rows and columns;

each row represents a first-level data item; and

each column represents a field.

8. A graphical user interface, comprising:

a first table that displays first-level data items in hierarchical data being expressed by a markup language, the first table having a row for each first-level data item and one or more columns, each column representing a first-level data sub-item associated with the first-level data item of a corresponding row;

a second table that displays second-level data items in the hierarchical data, the second table having a row for each second-level data item and one or more columns, each column representing a second-level data sub-item associated with the second-level data item of a corresponding row; and

an actuatable first-level subordinate data indicator displayable in a column of a row in the first table that, when actuated, causes at least a portion of the second table to be displayed.

9. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 8, wherein the first-level subordinate data indicator is only displayed when there is subordinate data associated with the first-level data sub-item associated with the row and column in which the first-level subordinate data indicator is displayed.

10. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 8, wherein the row of the first table that contains the actuated subordinate data indicator is visible on the interface when the second table is displayed.

11. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

a third table that displays third-level data items in the hierarchical data, the third table having a row for each third-level data item and one or more columns, each column representing a third-level data sub-item associated with the third-level data item of a corresponding row; and

an actuatable second-level subordinate data indicator displayable in a column of a row in the second table that, when actuated, causes at least a portion of the third table to be displayed.

12. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 11, wherein the row of the second table that contains the second-level subordinate data indicator is visible when the third table is displayed.

13. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 8, wherein the hierarchical data is extensible markup language (XML) data.

14. One or more computer-readable media containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following steps:

displaying one or more first-level data items included in a hierarchical data set, the hierarchical data set being expressed by a markup language;

displaying at least one field associated with each first-level data item, each field configured to display a first-level data sub-item associated with the first-level data item;

displaying a subordinate data indicator in a field if the field in which the subordinate data indicator has subordinate data associated with the field that is subordinate to the first-level data items in the hierarchical data.

15. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the hierarchical data set is an extensible markup language (XML) data set.

16. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the subordinate data indicator is actuatable and computer-executable instructions further display the subordinate data when the subordinate data indicator is actuated.

17. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 16, wherein the data item associated with the subordinate data indicator and the fields associated with the data item are visible when the subordinate data is displayed.

18. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

displaying a table having rows and columns;

wherein the first-level data items are each displayed in a row of the table; and

wherein the first-level sub-items are each displayed in a column of the table, the column in which a first-level sub-item is displayed being associated with a row that is associated with a first-level data item that corresponds to the first-level sub-item.

19. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the subordinate data further comprises one or more second-level data items in the hierarchical data.

20. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 19, wherein:

the first-level data items, the first-level data sub-items and the data indicator are displayed in a first format; and

the subordinate data is displayed in the first format.

21. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 19, wherein:

the first-level data items, the first-level data sub-items and the data indicator are displayed in a first format; and

the subordinate data is displayed in a second format.

22. One or more computer-readable media containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following steps:

displaying a first table that shows one or more first-level data items included in a hierarchical data set, the hierarchical data set being expressed by a markup language, the first table having a row corresponding to each first-level data item and one or more columns that each correspond to a first-level data sub-item associated with the first-level data item of a corresponding row;

displaying at least a portion of a second table that shows one or more second-level data items in the hierarchical data set, the second table having a row corresponding to each second-level data item and one or more columns that each correspond to a second-level data sub-item associated with the second-level data item of a corresponding row;

displaying one or more actuatable subordinate data icons, each in a column of a row in the first table that, when actuated, causes at least a portion of the second table to be displayed; and

wherein the actuatable subordinate data icon is only displayed if there is second-level data that corresponds with the first-level data sub-item associated with the column in which the actuatable subordinate data icon is displayed.

23. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 22, wherein a row in the first table that contains the actuated subordinate data icon remains visible after the second table is displayed.

24. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 22, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following steps:

displaying at least a portion of a third table that shows one or more third-level data items in the hierarchical data set, the third table having a row corresponding to each third-level data item and one or more columns that each correspond to a third-level data sub-item associated with the third-level data item of a corresponding row;

displaying one or more actuatable subordinate data icons in the second table, each in a column of a row in the second table that, when actuated, causes at least a portion of the third table to be displayed; and

wherein the actuatable subordinate data icon is only displayed in the second table if there is third-level data that corresponds with the second-level data sub-item associated with the column in which the actuatable subordinate data icon is displayed.

25. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 24, wherein a row in the second table that contains the actuated subordinate data icon remains visible after the third table is displayed.

26. A method for displaying hierarchical data in hypertext markup language (HTML), comprising:

traversing the hierarchical data, the hierarchical data being expressed by a markup language;

building a visual representation for each level of the hierarchical data in HTML;

storing the visual representations;

displaying the visual representation for at least a first level of the hierarchical data; and

displaying an actuatable subordinate data indicator that, when actuated, displays a second level of the hierarchical data, the second level of the hierarchical data being subordinate to the first level of the hierarchical data.

27. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the at least a first level of the hierarchical data further comprises a top level of the hierarchical data.

28. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the traversing the hierarchical data further comprises traversing the hierarchical data in a depth-first manner.

29. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the visual displays are built for all of the hierarchical data before any of the displays are displayed.

30. The method as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

displaying the visual representation for at least a second level of the hierarchical data; and

displaying a second-level actuatable subordinate data indicator that, when actuated, displays a third level of the hierarchical data, the third level of the hierarchical data being subordinate to the second level of the hierarchical data.

31. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the hierarchical data is extensible markup language (XML) data.

32. A method for displaying hierarchical data in hypertext markup language (HTML) comprising:

building a first-level display for a first level of data in the hierarchical data the hierarchical data being expressed by a markup language, the first-level display having one or more actuatable subordinate data indicators that are displayed for each data item that has second-level data associated with it;

displaying the first-level display;

when a subordinate data indicator is actuated, building a second-level display for the second level of data in the hierarchical data that is associated with the data item corresponding to the subordinate data indicator that has been actuated; and

displaying the second-level display.

33. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein the hierarchical data is extensible markup language (XML) data.

34. The method as recited in claim 32, further comprising:

including a second-level subordinate data indicator in the second-level display for each data item that has third-level data associated with it;

when a second-level subordinate data indicator is actuated, building a third-level display for the third level of data in the hierarchical data that is associated with the data item corresponding to the second-level subordinate data indicator that has been actuated; and

displaying the third-level display.

35. The method as recited in claim 32, further comprising:

determining if the second-level display has been previously created; and

creating the second-level display only if the second-level display has not previously been created.

36. The method as recited in claim 35, wherein the determining if the second-level display has been previously created further comprises referencing a data path that indicates whether the second-level display has been previously created.

37. The method as recited in claim 35, wherein the determining if the second-level display has been previously created further comprises referencing a data path that indicates whether the second-level display has previously been created, and wherein the method further comprises appending information to the data path when the second-level display is created if the second-level display has not previously been created, the information indicating that the second-level display has been created.