Automatic relevance filtering

• US 7,428,535 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Peyton, Eric S., Bumgarner, Tim W., Fernandez, Todd R., Soghoian, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US10/877,306
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206, 707/5, 707/6, 707/101, 707/102, 705/26, 705/28, 715/501.1, 715/530, 715/115, 715/239, 715/728, 717/105
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• 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

A technique for use in a computer is disclosed. The method includes determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and filtering the candidate actions for relevance in light of the context and the data requirement. The filtering includes one of according a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and according a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input. The apparatus, in a first aspect, includes a program storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, performs the method. In a second aspect, the apparatus includes a computing apparatus programmed to perform the method.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for use in a computing apparatus, the method comprising:

automatically determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and

automatically filtering the candidate actions for relevance in light of the context and the data requirement, including one of;

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the filtered candidates to the user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising presenting the filtered candidates through a graphical user interface.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the context and the data requirement includes determining that no candidate action has previously been selected.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the determining the data requirement includes determining that the data requirement is a null.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance includes one of:

according all candidate actions the same relevance;

according candidate actions that accept any data input the highest relevance and all others the lowest relevance; and

according by the range of data types that the candidate actions will accept as input.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the context and the data requirement includes identifying a previously selected action.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein determining the data-type includes determining the data-type of the output of the identified, previously selected action.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance includes according a relevance to the respective candidate actions as a function of data compatibility between the previously selected action and the respective candidate action.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance includes according a relevance as a function of the number of previously selected actions to which the candidate action is relevant.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising graphically presenting a workflow into which the candidate actions may be scripted.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12, further comprising automatically converting data types between selected actions in the scripted workflow.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 12, further comprising automatically determining an execution flow through the workflow at runtime.

15. A computer-readable memory encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method for use in a computing apparatus, the method comprising:

automatically determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and

automatically filtering the candidate actions for relevance in light of the context and the data requirement, including one of;

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

16. The computer-readable memory of claim 15, wherein the encoded method further comprises presenting the filtered candidates to the user.

17. The computer-readable memory of claim 15, wherein the encoded method further comprises ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance.

18. The computer-readable memory of claim 15, wherein determining the context and the data requirement in the encoded method includes determining that no candidate action has previously been selected.

19. The computer-readable memory of claim 15, wherein determining the context and the data requirement in the encoded method includes identifying a previously selected action.

20. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a computing device;

a computer-readable memory communicating with the computing device; and

an application residing in the computer-readable memory that, when invoked, automatically;

determines a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and

filters the candidate actions for relevance in light of the context and the data requirement, including one of;

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

21. The computing apparatus of claim 20, wherein the programmed method further comprises presenting the filtered candidates to the user.

22. The computing apparatus of claim 20, wherein the programmed method further comprises ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance.

23. The computing apparatus of claim 20, wherein determining the context and the data requirement includes determining that no candidate action has previously been selected.

24. The computer implemented method of claim 20, wherein the application is further capable of graphically presenting a workflow into which the candidate actions may be scripted.

25. A computer-implemented method for scripting a workflow, comprising:

generating a user interface having one or more panes;

displaying in a first one of said panes a user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions;

displaying a graphical depiction of a workflow in progress, including at least one action previously selected from said list of scriptable candidate actions; and

automatically filtering the user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions including one of;

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein:

generating the user interface includes generating a graphical user interface presenting a plurality of panes;

displaying the user selectable candidate actions includes displaying the candidate actions in a first one of the panes; and

displaying the graphical depiction includes displaying the graphical depiction in a second one of the panes.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein generating the user interface includes generating an extensible user interface.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein filtering the user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions includes:

determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and

filtering the candidate actions for relevance in light of the context and the data requirement.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, further comprising ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance.

30. A computer-readable memory encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, performs a method for scripting a workflow, the method comprising:

generating a user interface having one or more panes;

displaying in a first one of said panes a user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions;

displaying a graphical depiction of a workflow in progress, including at least one action previously selected from said list of scriptable candidate actions; and

filtering the user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions, including one of;

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

31. The computer-readable memory of claim 30, wherein, in the encoded method:

generating the user interface includes generating a graphical user interface presenting a plurality of panes;

displaying the user selectable candidate actions includes displaying the candidate actions in a first one of the panes; and

displaying the graphical depiction includes displaying the graphical depiction in a second one of the panes.

32. The computer-readable memory of claim 30, wherein generating the user interface in the encoded method includes generating an extensible user interface.

33. The computer-readable memory of claim 30, wherein filtering the user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions in the encoded method includes:

determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and

filtering the candidate actions for relevance in light of the context and the data requirement.

34. The computer-readable memory of claim 30, wherein the encoded method further comprises ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance.

35. A computer-implemented method for scripting a workflow, comprising:

receiving a plurality of user selections of actions to be included within a scriptable workflow;

filtering a list of candidate actions for selection into the scriptable workflow, including one of;

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the decree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input; and

presenting the filtered list to a user.

36. The computer-implemented method of claim 35, wherein filtering the list of candidate actions includes:

determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and

filtering the candidate actions for relevance in light of the context and the data requirement.

37. The computer-implemented method of claim 35, further comprising ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance.

38. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a computing device;

a computer-readable memory communicating with the computing device; and

an application residing in the computer-readable memory that, when invoked, automatically;

receives a plurality of user selections of actions to be included within a scriptable workflow;

filters a list of candidate actions for selection into the scriptable workflow, including one of;

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

according a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input; and

presents the filtered list to a user.

39. The computing apparatus of claim 38, wherein filtering the list of candidate actions includes:

determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and

filtering the candidate actions for relevance in light of the context and the data requirement.

40. The computing apparatus of claim 38, wherein the application is further capable of ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance.