Representation of data records
DCFirst Claim
1. A computerized method for representing data on a display, the method comprising:
- querying a data source to obtain data comprising a first data record;
presenting the first data record on the display as a data field; and
presenting on the display a record handle for manipulation of the first data record;
wherein the data field has any data field type in the group consisting ofa single data element,a list of data elements, anda reference to a second data record;
wherein the record handle is a visual element that represents the first data record and that is operative to control and continuously track the state of the first data record on the display and in the data source; and
wherein the record handle is operative to visually indicate to a user a current default action that will be activated when the user clicks on the record handle.
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Abstract
A computerized method for representing a data record comprising: querying a data source to obtain data selected from the group consisting of a data element in a record, and metadata concerning the record; presenting in a display a record handle for manipulation of the record; presenting in the display a data item wherein the data item is a list of data items or a reference to another record; and, optionally, presenting on the display the metadata above the data item. In some embodiments, the method includes the step of retrieving one or more heterogeneous records from a plurality of databases for display and manipulation. The invention is also a grid control programmed to implement a disclosed method and is a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a disclosed method. The invention links the grid control of the invention with automatic query generation using hierarchical data schema trees. Both the trees and the grid records represent relational foreign keys as extra reference columns. In the grid control, these reference columns are additional embedded record handles.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A computerized method for representing data on a display, the method comprising:
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querying a data source to obtain data comprising a first data record; presenting the first data record on the display as a data field; and presenting on the display a record handle for manipulation of the first data record; wherein the data field has any data field type in the group consisting of a single data element, a list of data elements, and a reference to a second data record; wherein the record handle is a visual element that represents the first data record and that is operative to control and continuously track the state of the first data record on the display and in the data source; and wherein the record handle is operative to visually indicate to a user a current default action that will be activated when the user clicks on the record handle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. In a computer system having a memory and a graphical user interface including a display and an input device for use by a user, a method of displaying and manipulating data in a first data record stored in a database residing in said memory, the method comprising:
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retrieving said first data record from said database, said first data record having at least one data element; displaying a record handle having a state on the display wherein said state may be is any one data record status selected from the group consisting of a save state that is displayed after the at least one data element has been entered or changed by the user and in which state said record handle is operative to save to the database all the data elements in the displayed first data record, a close state that is displayed after the at least one data element has been saved by the user and in which state said record handle is operative to remove all the data elements in the first data record from the display, and a get state that is displayed after the data element is removed from the display and in which state said record handle is operative to refresh all the data elements in the first data record on the display; and displaying the first data record on the display as one or more data fields; wherein said record handle is a visual element that represents the first data record and that is operative to control and continuously track said state; and wherein said record handle is operative to visually change and indicate to a user a current default action that will be activated when the user clicks on the record handle. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 24)
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14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:
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retrieving a data record from a database, said record having a plurality of data fields; displaying a record handle on a display wherein said record handle changes visually to become a save handle that is displayed after one of the data fields has been input or edited by a user and that is operative when selected by a user to save all the data fields in the data record to the database, a close handle that is displayed after the data fields have been saved by the user and that is operative when selected by the user to remove all the data fields from the display, and a get handle that is displayed after the data fields are removed from the display and that is operative when selected by the user to refresh all the data fields on the display; and displaying the data fields on the display wherein each one of said data fields is selected from the group consisting of a null data element, a character or numerical data element, a list or array of data elements, and a reference to another data record; wherein said record handle is a visual element that represents said data record and that is operative to track and control the state of said data record. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. In a computer system having a memory and a graphical user interface including a display and an input device for use by a user, an apparatus for displaying and manipulating data in a first data record stored in a database residing in said memory, the apparatus comprising:
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means for retrieving said first data record from said database, said first data record having at least one data element; means for displaying a record handle having a state on the display wherein said state is any one data record status selected from the group consisting of a save state that is displayed after the at least one data element has been entered or changed by the user and in which state said record handle is operative to save to the database all the data elements in the displayed first data record, a close state that is displayed after the at least one data element has been saved by the user and in which state said record handle is operative to remove all the data elements in the first data record from the display, and a get state that is displayed after the data element is removed from the display and in which state said record handle is operative to refresh all the data elements in the first data record on the display; and means for displaying the first data record on the display as one or more data fields; wherein said record handle is a visual element that represents the first data record and that is operative to perform tracking of said state and allow the user to control said state; and wherein, based on the results of said tracking, said record handle is operative to visually indicate to the user a current default action that will be activated when the user clicks on the record handle. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26)
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27. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:
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displaying at least one data field at a first location on a screen, said at least one data field containing a first data element of a first data record in a first data source; and displaying a record handle at a second location on the screen, said second location being horizontally in-line with said first location and said record handle being operative by a user to save the first data element to a memory after it has been changed by the user; wherein the record handle is a visual element that represents the first data record and that is operative to control and continuously track the state of the first data record on the screen and in the first data source; and wherein the record handle is operative to indicate to a user a current default action that will be activated when the user clicks on the record handle. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. An apparatus for representing data on a display, the apparatus comprising, in combination:
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a processing unit and a memory; means for querying a data source to obtain data comprising a first data record; means for presenting the first data record on the display as a data field; and means for presenting on the display a record handle for manipulation by a user of the first data record, said record handle being operative to track the state of said first data record and to change visually to reflect the state of said first data record, and being capable of performing actions on said first data record; wherein the data field is selected from the group consisting of a single data element, a list of data elements, and a reference to a second data record; wherein the record handle is a visual element that represents the first data record and that is operative to control and continuously track the state of the first data record on the display and in the data source; and wherein the record handle is operative to indicate to a user a current default action that will be activated when the user clicks on the record handle. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. The apparatus of 40 further comprising:
means for displaying a plurality of representations of foreign keys relating a first table to a second table in a relational database in a plurality of second data fields in a column in a grid displaying data from the first table, each of the plurality of second data fields comprising a display item selected from the group consisting of a record handle and a list handle, and each of said display items being operative to fetch data from the second table when the display item is selected by the user.
Specification