Configuring a GUI element to subscribe to data

• US 7,287,230 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2000
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Austin, Paul F., Dye, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadesse
• Assistant Examiner(s): BASOM, BLAINE T
• Application Number:
  US09/737,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20020070968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,505 Days
• Field of Search: 345/763, 345/734, 345/771, 345/970, 345/738, 345/748, 845/967, 717/113, 717/109, 717/105, 717/125, 717/107, 709/219, 709/218, 709/217, 700/18, 715/762, 715/763, 715/734, 715/733, 715/771, 715/967, 715/970, 715/738, 715/748, 702/68, 702/189
• US Class Current: 715/763
• 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

Abstract

System and method for configuring a graphical user interface (GUI) element to publish data to a data target and/or subscribe to data from a data source. During program development, a developer associates a GUI element with a program, e.g., for receiving user input data and/or indicating data to the user. The developer configures the GUI element to publish data associated with the GUI element to a data target and/or to subscribe to data from a data source, and specifies a data source or target for the data connection. The program is executed, during which the program automatically determines and uses an appropriate protocol for interfacing with the data source/target to connect to or open the data source and/or target, and receive data from the data source, which is provided to and displayed by the GUI element, and/or send or write data associated with the GUI element to the data target.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a graphical user interface (GUI) element to subscribe to a data source, the method comprising:

during creation of a graphical program,

displaying a first GUI element in the graphical program on a display of a first computer system, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes which visually indicate functionality of the graphical program;

receiving user input specifying a data source with which to associate the first GUI element;

in response to said receiving user input, automatically configuring the first GUI element to receive data from the specified data source;

executing the graphical program, wherein said executing comprises;

receiving data from the specified data source, wherein the data includes information specifying a first data type of the data;

automatically determining that the first GUI element cannot display data of the first data type;

automatically displaying a second GUI element in the graphical program in place of the first GUI element in response to said determining that the first GUI element cannot display data of the first data type, wherein the second GUI element can display data of the first data type, wherein the first GUI element is no longer displayed; and

displaying the received data from the specified data source on the second GUI element.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the data source is located remotely from the first computer system and is coupled to the first computer system over a network, wherein the data source is specified using a URL;

and

wherein said automatically configuring the first GUI element to receive data from the specified data source comprises;

automatically configuring the first GUI element to connect to the data source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first GUI element is automatically configured without user programming.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first GUI element is automatically configured without user input specifying source code.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein said receiving user input specifying the data source comprises receiving user input via a user interface dialog box.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the data source is comprised in a second computer system remotely located from the first computer system, wherein the first computer system is operable to connect to the second computer system over a network;

and

wherein said automatically configuring the first GUI element to receive data from the specified data source comprises automatically configuring the first GUI element to connect to the second computer.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein said displaying the first GUI element in the graphical program comprises displaying the first GUI element in a user interface of the graphical program;

and

wherein said user input specifying the data source is received during development of the graphical program.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, during execution of the graphical program, the first GUI element is operable to perform said receiving data from the specified data source.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data source is one from the group consisting of:

an HTTP server;

an FTP server;

an OPC server;

an SNMP server;

a DataSocket server; and

a file.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein the data source is a remote data source associated with a remote computer;

and

wherein said automatically configuring the first GUI element comprises automatically configuring the first GUI element to connect to the remote data source and receive data from the remote data source during execution of the graphical program.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing a computer program operable to publish live data to the remote data source;

wherein said first GUI element receiving data from the remote data source comprises the first GUI element receiving the live data.

12. The method of claim 1,

wherein the data is live data.

13. The method of claim 12,

wherein the live data comprises live measurement data.

14. The method of claim 1,

wherein the graphical program includes a user interface portion and a block diagram portion;

wherein the block diagram portion includes the plurality of interconnected nodes;

wherein said displaying the first GUI element in the graphical program comprises displaying the first GUI element in the user interface portion of the graphical program.

15. A computer-readable memory medium that stores program instructions for configuring a graphical user interface (GUI) element to subscribe to a data source, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement:

during creation of a graphical program,

displaying a first GUI element in the graphical program on a display of a first computer system, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes which visually indicate functionality of the graphical program;

receiving user input specifying a data source with which to associate the first GUI element;

in response to said receiving user input, automatically configuring the first GUI element to receive data from the specified data source;

executing the graphical program, wherein said executing comprises;

receiving data from the specified data source, wherein the data includes information specifying a first data type of the data;

automatically determining that the first GUI element cannot display data of the first data type;

automatically displaying a second GUI element in the graphical program in place of the first GUI element in response to said determining that the first GUI element cannot display data of the first data type, wherein the second GUI element can display data of the first data type, wherein the first GUI element is no longer displayed; and

displaying the received data from the specified data source on the second GUI element.

16. A method for configuring a graphical user interface (GUI) element to subscribe to a data source, the method comprising:

displaying a first GUI element in a graphical program on a display of a first computer system, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes which visually indicate functionality of the graphical program;

receiving user input specifying a data source with which to associate the first GUI element;

in response to said receiving user input, automatically configuring the first GUI element to receive data from the specified data source;

receiving data from the specified data source, wherein the data includes information specifying a first data type of the data;

automatically determining that the first GUI element cannot display data of the first data type;

automatically displaying a second GUI element in the graphical program in place of the first GUI element in response to said determining that the first GUI element cannot display data of the first data type, wherein the second GUI element can display data of the first data type, wherein the first GUI element is no longer displayed; and

wherein the method is performed during creation of the graphical program and prior to execution of the graphical program.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying the received data from the specified data source on the second GUI element.