User interface for integrated spreadsheets and word processing tables

• US 7,412,645 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2004
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kotler, Matthew J., Gounares, Alexander G., Franklin, Christopher Matthew, Wolf, Richard J., Anantharaman, Vinod, Morgan, Matthew D., Fisher, Oliver G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC A
• Application Number:
  US10/839,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20040210822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: 715/513, 715/503, 715/504, 715/512, 715/227, 715/249, 715/257, 715/267, 707/101
• US Class Current: 715/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• 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

Abstract

An architecture integrates spreadsheet functionality into tables commonly used in word processing programs and HTML documents. The architecture presents a table user interface (UI) that resembles a table when not being edited and adds spreadsheet elements to the table when being edited. Underlying the table UI, the architecture separates data handling functions from presentation functions. The architecture includes a table appearance manager to manage how the table appears in a document including such characteristics as table resizing, selection, cut, copy, paste, split, merge, table formatting and so on. The architecture also has a spreadsheet functionality manager to manage the spreadsheet functions for the table, such as recalculation, formula handling, sorting, referencing, and the like. The bifurcated architecture supports cross-table referencing, reference editing, automatic universal recalculation throughout all tables in the document, and nested table structures in which one table is nested within a cell of another table.

Claims

1. A method implemented at least partially by a computer, comprising:

displaying a markup language document comprising text-based elements and a word processing table, wherein the text-based elements and the word processing table are not object-linked or object-embedded to respective word processing and spreadsheet applications;

displaying spreadsheet features, comprising row headers and column headers, with the word processing table when a user is editing the word processing table;

hiding the spreadsheet features when the user is editing the text-based elements; and

referencing, from a cell located in the word processing table, contents of a cell located in a second word processing table or a free floating field, such that contents in the cell of the second word processing table or free floating field are usable in a function in the cell of the first word processing table.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising constructing a formula in the second word processing table that references contents in the word processing table.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, upon modification of the contents in the word processing table, automatically recalculating the formula in the second word processing table.

4. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, perform the method as recited in claim 1.

5. A method implemented at least partially by a computer, comprising:

presenting a table user interface (UI) and text-based elements within a markup language document, wherein the table UI and the text-based elements are not object-linked or object-embedded to respective word processing and spreadsheet applications;

selectively displaying spreadsheet features comprising row headers, column headers, a row addition control and a column addition control, when the table UI is being edited;

hiding the spreadsheet features when the user is editing the text-based elements;

receiving user-entered data into the table UI;

in the table UI, referencing contents of a cell located in a second table UI or a free floating field UI separate from the table UI, such that contents in the cell of the second word processing table UI or free floating field UI are usable in a function in the cell of the first word processing table UI;

upon modification of the cell in the second table UI or the free floating field UI, automatically recalculating data affected by the modification and presenting the table UI with results from the recalculating.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein presenting the table UI comprises rendering the table UI as an HTML table.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising-receiving user entered data in the free-floating field UI.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving user entered data in the free floating field includes:

receiving a formula that references contents of the table UI.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising upon modification of the contents of the table UI, automatically recalculating the formula in the free floating field UI.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the table UI is a first table UI, and further comprising:

copying the first table UI and pasting to form the second table UI; and

automatically updating the data in the first and second table UI to make appropriate references.

11. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, perform the method as recited in claim 5.

12. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement a user interface of a markup language document comprising:

a document display portion to display the markup language document, the markup language document including text and a table having multiple cells, wherein the text and table are not object-linked and not object-embedded to respective word processing and spreadsheet applications;

spreadsheet features, comprising row and column headers, the spreadsheet features visible when a user is editing the table, and hidden when the user is editing the text; and

a free floating field containing a reference to a cell in the table, such that contents in the cell of the table are usable in a function in the free floating field, wherein the free floating field is located among the text.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the table is configured to accept formulas comprising:

formulas reevaluated when dependencies change, formulas reevaluated at every recalculation operation and formulas which are never evaluated.

15. The computer-readable media of claim 12, additionally comprising:

a formula edit box overlaid on a particular cell in the table for user entry of a formula into the particular cell;

wherein the formula edit box initially defaults to a size and shape of the particular cell in the table.

16. The computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the formula entered references the free floating field.

17. The computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the formula edit box extends horizontally and subsequently enlarges vertically as the user enters the formula.

14. The computer-readable media, wherein the multiple cells of the table are arranged in rows and columns, and the table has a row addition control for adding one or more rows to the table and a column addition control for adding one or more columns to the table.

18. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

memory; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and executable on the processor to output a user interface including;

a document, configured in a markup language, without object-linking or object-embedding to word processing or spreadsheet applications, the document comprising text and multiple tables, each table having multiple cells;

spreadsheet features, comprising row and column headers visible when a user is editing a table, and hidden when the user is editing the text;

a free floating field containing a reference to a cell in one of the multiple tables, such that contents in the cell in one of the tables are usable in a function in the free floating field, wherein the free floating field is located among the text; and

an entry tool for entry of a formula in a first table that references contents in a second table.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the entry tool comprises a formula edit box overlaid on a particular cell in the first table for user entry of the formula into the particular cell.

20. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the entry tool is configured to reference a particular cell in the second table using a pointer and to add a variable to the formula that references the particular cell.