Graphical assignment of object behaviors

• US 7,620,912 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2001
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Griffin, Dennis E., Benson, Douglas S.
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGLAND, SARA M
• Application Number:
  US10/001,212
• Time in Patent Office: 2,945 Days
• Field of Search: 345/763, 345/762, 345/810, 345/811, 345/813, 345/745, 715/763, 715835-838
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system for intuitively associating behaviors with objects. The script or code defining those behaviors may then be automatically generated. The generated script or code is downloadable to a client system. The intuitiveness may involve gestures, such as dragging and dropping, between a source object and itself or between a source object and a destination object, that preferably assigns a behavioral association with objects without the requirement of knowing any specific programming or scripting language.

Claims

1. A system for associating behaviors with objects, wherein a script for said behaviors is automatically generated and is accessible by a client from a host, said system comprising:

a source object;

a graphical behavior tool rendered as a part of said source object for establishing a behavior relationship between said source object and a target by using a pointer to perform a gesture with said graphical behavior tool; and

an automated script generator for generating computer readable script defining said behavior relationship.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said gesture comprises:

dragging said graphical behavior tool from said source object to said target.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said source object and said target are a same object.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said gesture comprises:

actuating a selector button on a pointing device pointed on said graphical behavior tool, wherein said gesture triggers a behavior menu allowing for selection of relevant behaviors between said source object and target.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said source object and said target are a same object.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said gesture comprises:

selecting a modifying button in conjunction with a second action, wherein said second action comprises one of;

dragging said pointer; and

actuating a selector button on a pointing device controlling said pointer.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

at least one link line visually joining said source object and said target, said at least one link line visibly expressing said behavior relationship between said source object and said target.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein:

deleting at least one of said at least one link line removes said behavior relationship between said source object and said target.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein:

relocating at least one of said at least one link line to a different target transfers said behavior relationship from said source object and said target to said source object and said different target.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said behavior is a default behavior assigned by said system.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said behavior is automatically chosen by said system using one of:

a preset list of behaviors;

a historical list of behaviors; and

a statistical list of most selected behaviors.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said graphical behavior tool is rendered as a part of said source object responsive to a user selecting said source object.

13. A method of assigning a behavior to a trigger object comprising the steps of:

gesturing a control handle rendered as a part of said trigger object with a pointer from said trigger object to a destination;

associating a behavior between said trigger object and said destination responsive to said gesturing step;

automatically generating said script defining said association.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said trigger object and said destination are the same.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of:

displaying a behavior menu allowing for the selection of behaviors for assignment to said trigger object.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of gesturing said control handle comprises the step of:

capturing a dragging of said control handle displayed on said trigger object from said trigger object to said destination.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of gesturing said control handle comprises the step of:

capturing a button activation of a pointing device controlling said pointer pointing to said control handle.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of gesturing said control handle comprises the step of:

capturing an actuation of a modifier key; and

one of;

capturing a dragging of said pointer; and

capturing a button activation of a pointing device controlling said pointer.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of:

visually depicting said association between said trigger object and said destination via at least one line connecting said trigger object and said destination.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of:

deleting said association by deleting said at least one line.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of:

relocating said association from said trigger object and said destination to a different destination by relocating at least one of said at least one line to said different destination.

22. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of:

automatically assigning a default behavior.

23. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of:

automatically selecting said behavior from a plurality of behaviors.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said automatically selecting step comprises one of the steps of:

following a predefined sequence of selections from said plurality of behaviors;

selecting a recently selected behavior; and

calculating a statistically most likely behavior using data from previous behavior selections.

25. The method of claim 13 wherein said control handle is rendered as a part of said trigger object responsive to a user selecting said trigger object.

26. A system for defining an associated behavior between a source object and a destination object comprising:

means for gesturing a control icon rendered as a part of said source object with a pointer from said source object to said destination object, wherein said control icon is displayed on said source object;

means for associating a behavior between said source object and said destination object responsive to said means for gesturing;

means for automatically generating a downloadable script defining said associated behavior.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein said source object and said destination object are the same.

28. The system of claim 26 further comprising:

means for visually depicting an association between said source object and said destination object by graphically rendering at least one link line connecting said source object and said destination object.

29. The system of claim 28 further comprising:

means for deleting said associated behavior by visually deleting said at least one link line.

30. The system of claim 29 further comprising:

means for relocating the behavior relationship from said source object and said destination object to a different destination object through means for relocating at least one of said at least one link line to said different destination object.

31. The system of claim 26 further comprising:

means for rendering said control icon as a part of said source object responsive to a user selecting said source object.

32. A computer program product having a computer readable medium with computer program logic recorded thereon for assigning a behavior to a selected object, said computer program product comprising:

code for graphically displaying a control icon as a part of said selected object;

code for capturing a developer dragging said control icon with a pointer from said selected object to a target object;

code for graphically rendering an association indicator referencing an association between said selected object and said target object responsive to said developer dragging;

code for assigning said behavior to said selected object; and

code for autonomously generating a computer-readable code defining said assigned behavior.

33. The computer program product of claim 32 wherein said code for assigning said behavior includes:

code for graphically displaying an interactive interface to said developer for selecting said behavior; and

code for capturing a user designating said behavior to assign to said target object.

34. The computer program product of claim 32 wherein said code for assigning includes:

code for automatically selecting said behavior responsive to a set of parameters.

35. The computer program product of claim 34 wherein said set of parameters comprises at least one of:

a preset list of behaviors;

a historical memory that stores a last behavior assigned; and

a statistical algorithm for predicting a desired behavior from a list of available behaviors.

36. The computer program product of claim 32 wherein said code for assigning includes:

code for automatically selecting a default behavior.

37. The computer program product of claim 32 wherein said code for graphically displaying is executed responsive to a user selecting said selected object.