System and method for automatically completing spreadsheet formulas

• US 7,451,397 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2004
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Weber, Brandon G., Ellis, Charles David
• Primary Examiner(s): DESAI, RACHNA SINGH
• Application Number:
  US11/012,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20060129929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 715/503, 715/504, 715/508, 715/538, 715/212, 715/217, 715/218, 715/219, 715/220, 715/255, 715/267
• US Class Current: 715/267
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A system and method for automatically completing a formula of a spreadsheet application, calculator application, accounting application, business application or banking application. One aspect of the present invention is a computer-implemented method for automatically completing formulaic cell data. The computer-implemented method includes a step for substantiating an autocomplete process in response to a user input of formulaic cell data and aggregating autocomplete options based on the user input. Another aspect of the present invention includes displaying a dynamic list of autocomplete options when the user input is a trigger.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automatically completing formulaic cell data, comprising:

substantiating an autocomplete process in response to receiving a character associated with formulaic cell data;

determining whether the character is a trigger;

displaying a list of autocomplete options associated with a component implicated by the trigger when the character is a trigger, wherein the displayed list of autocomplete options associated with the component includes;

displaying, in the first scrollable window a plurality of possible options for automatically completing the formulaic cell data in association with the component,

determining at least one component category for each of the plurality of possible options,

displaying, adjacent to each of the plurality of possible options, an icon, wherein the icon displayed adjacent to each of the plurality of possible options indicates the at least one component category for each of the plurality of possible options, the at least one component category comprising at least one of;

spreadsheet function dependencies, defined name dependencies, a list, pivot dependencies, user-defined function dependencies, enumerated argument dependencies, sheet data object dependencies, and date object dependencies, and

filtering the plurality of possible options dynamically as additional characters are received; and

displaying a list of autocomplete options associated with the character when the character is not a trigger, wherein the displayed list of autocomplete options associated with the character includes displaying a plurality of possible options for automatically completing the formulaic cell data in association with the character, wherein the displayed plurality of options are dynamically filtered as additional characters are received.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising actuating the autocomplete process before substantiating the autocomplete process.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein actuating the autocomplete process further comprises actuating the autocomplete process by inputting an actuator into the formulaic cell.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the formulaic cell data includes spreadsheet data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying a list of autocomplete options associated with a component implicated by the trigger includes aggregating a plurality of components and displaying a list of autocomplete options associated with the aggregated components implicated by the trigger.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising displaying tips associated with a selected autocomplete option.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a trigger is not a member of a group comprising:

a cell reference, a number, a space, an arithmetic operator and a character operator.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising hiding the displayed list of autocomplete options when the user input is not a trigger.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising displaying a scrollable window associated with the list of autocomplete options when a second user input is a trigger.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying a list of autocomplete options further comprises displaying a sorted list of autocomplete options when the trigger implicates a component.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising sorting the sorted list of autocomplete options for a second time when a second character implicates a component.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for automatically completing formulaic cell data of a formulaic cell, the instructions comprising:

receiving an actuator input to prompt an autocomplete process for formulaic cell data;

receiving a character input, wherein the character input causes a first scrollable window to be displayed;

determining whether the character input is a trigger;

populating the first scrollable window with autocomplete options for a component when the character input is a trigger, wherein the autocomplete options associated with the component includes;

displaying, in the first scrollable window a plurality of possible options for automatically completing the formulaic cell data in association with the component,

determining at least one component category for each of the plurality of possible options,

displaying, adjacent to each of the plurality of possible options, an icon, wherein the icon displayed adjacent to each of the plurality of possible options indicates the at least one component category for each of the plurality of possible options, the at least one component category comprising at least one of;

spreadsheet function dependencies, defined name dependencies, a list, pivot dependencies, user-defined function dependencies, enumerated argument dependencies, sheet data object dependencies, and date object dependencies, and

filtering the plurality of possible options dynamically as additional characters are received;

populating the first scrollable window with autocomplete options associated with the character when the character is not a trigger, wherein the autocomplete options associated with the character includes displaying, in the first scrollable window, a plurality of possible options for automatically completing the formulaic cell data in association with the character, wherein the displayed plurality of possible options are dynamically filtered as additional characters are received;

receiving a selection of at least one of the autocomplete options displayed in the first scrollable window; and

in response to receiving the selection, displaying adjacent to the selected autocomplete option, a second window having a hint tip dialogue associated with the selected autocomplete option.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the formulaic cell is a spreadsheet cell.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the component includes at least one member of a group comprising:

spreadsheet functions, defined names, lists, pivots, user-defined functions, enumerated arguments, sheet data objects and date objects.

15. In a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a user interface selection device, a method of providing and selecting from a dynamic list on the display, comprising the steps of:

substantiating an autocomplete process in response to receiving a character in a formulaic cell;

aggregating autocomplete options based on the character;

displaying a dynamic list of autocomplete options associated with a component when the character is associated with the autocomplete options and implicates the components, wherein the displayed dynamic list of autocomplete options associated with the component includes;

displaying a plurality of possible options for automatically completing the formulaic cell data in association with the component,

determining at least one component category for each of the plurality of possible options,

displaying, adjacent to each of the plurality of possible options, an icon, wherein the icon displayed adjacent to each of the plurality of possible options indicates the at least one component category for each of the plurality of possible options, the at least one component category comprising at least one of;

spreadsheet function dependencies, defined name dependencies, a list, pivot dependencies, user-defined function dependencies, enumerated argument dependencies, sheet data object dependencies, and date object dependencies, and

filtering the plurality of possible options dynamically as additional characters are received,

displaying a dynamic list of autocomplete options associated with the character when the character is associated with the autocomplete options and does not implicate a component, wherein the dynamic displayed list of autocomplete options associated with the character includes displaying a plurality of possible options for automatically completing the formulaic cell data in association with the character, wherein the displayed plurality of possible options are dynamically filtered as additional characters are received; and

hiding the autocomplete process when the character is not associated with the autocomplete options.