Property independent in-place editing

• US 7,802,186 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2004
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chrisope, Jeffrey T, Burke, Shawn P
• Primary Examiner(s): Theriault; Steven B
• Application Number:
  US10/959,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20060075352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,176 Days
• Field of Search: 715/763, 715705-715, 715/764, 715/768
• US Class Current: 715/709
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

“In-situ editing” of a control property within a design surface is provided. “In-situ editing” refers to a feature that can allow a user (e.g., developer) to easily perform multi-pass configuration operations on their user interface (UI) components. This can be achieved by introducing the concept of a new editing mode or view to the integrated development environment (IDE)—(e.g., a Property Editing View (PEV)). The PEV mode can be active. In other words, the user will be presented with a mechanism of viewing and editing all properties without having to move off of the design surface. For example, editing can be performed in-place eliminating the conventional need to enter a property grid.

Claims

1. A program storage medium readable by a computer having a memory and a processor, the medium tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to implement a system that facilitates in-situ editing of a property in a form displayed in a visual designer, the system comprising:

a property selection component that presents one or more properties associated with those controls that are part of the form, facilitating selection of the property;

a control selection component that receives a property selection from a visual designer user and, based on the property selection, determines which of the controls on the form has the selected property;

an overlay component that simultaneously and selectively displays a separate graphical overlay on top of each control on the form that has the selected property such that multiple separate graphical overlays are displayed on the form at the same time, each corresponding to an individual control that has the selected property, the graphical overlays comprising a current value for each control having the selected property such that each separate graphical overlay is configured to display a different, individually determined value at each separate control, wherein upon selection of a second, different property, the multiple separate graphical overlays corresponding to each control having the newly selected different property are updated with the current property values for each corresponding control and the previously displayed graphical overlays that do not have the newly selected different property are removed from display; and

a property edit component that facilitates the in-situ editing of the property corresponding to the one or more controls, where in-situ editing of the property is performed on the design surface of the visual designer, such that the user can toggle between the various graphical overlays and edit property values for each control via the graphical overlay, thereby eliminating any need for the user to leave the design surface to enter a property grid.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a list component that represents a union of a plurality of property names on a design surface;

the property selection component facilitates identifying the property from the list.

3. The system of claim 2, the list component is a drop down list.

4. The system of claim 1, the property edit component includes a navigation component that facilitates choosing the control.

5. The system of claim 1, the property is a default property.

6. The system of claim 1, the property is name.

7. The system of claim 1, the property is text.

8. A computer that employs the system of claim 1.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an artificial intelligence (AI) module that predicts a user action.

10. The system of claim 9, the AI component includes an inference component that infers the user action as a function of historical user criteria.

11. The system of claim 10, the inference component employs utility-based analyses in performing the inference.

12. The system of claim 9, the AI component employs a statistical-based analysis to infer an action that the user desires to be automatically performed.

13. The system of claim 1, at least two of the property selection component, the control selection component, and the in-situ edit component are incorporated into a common component.

14. A method of in-situ editing of a property of a form on a design surface of a visual designer, the method comprising:

identifying the property that associated with one or more controls that are part of the form;

receives a property selection from a user;

based on the property selection, determining which of the one or more controls on the form has the property;

simultaneously and selectively displaying a separate graphical overlay on top of each control on the form that has the selected property such that multiple separate graphical overlays are displayed on the form at the same time, each corresponding to an individual control that has the selected property, the graphical overlays comprising a current value for each control having the selected property such that each separate graphical overlay is configured to display a different, individually determined value at each separate control, wherein upon selection of a second, different property, the multiple separate graphical overlays corresponding to each control having the newly selected different property are updated with the current property values for each corresponding control and the previously displayed graphical overlays that do not have the newly selected different property are removed from display; and

editing the property corresponding to the one or more controls, editing of the property occurs in-situ on the design surface, such that the user can toggle between the various graphical overlays and edit property values for each control via the graphical overlay, thereby eliminating any need for the user to leave the design surface to enter a property grid.

15. The method of claim 14, that the act of displaying the current value includes displaying an overlay corresponding to each control.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising compiling a list that represents a union of a plurality of property names on the design surface.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting the property from the list.

18. The method of claim 14, the act of determining the control includes navigating to the control.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising inferring a user action.

20. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 14.

21. A program storage medium readable by a computer having a memory and a processor, the medium tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to implement a system that facilitates in-place editing of a property in a form displayed on a design surface of a visual editor, the system comprising:

means for selecting the property from a list that represents a union of all properties in the form on the design surface;

means for receiving a property selection from a user;

means for identifying at least one control on the form having the property, based on the property selection;

means for simultaneously and selectively displaying a separate graphical overlay on top of each control on the form that has the selected property such that multiple separate graphical overlays are displayed on the form at the same time, each corresponding to an individual control that has the selected property, the graphical overlays comprising a current value for each control having the selected property such that each separate graphical overlay is configured to display a different, individually determined value at each separate control, wherein upon selection of a second, different property, the multiple separate graphical overlays corresponding to each control having the newly selected different property are updated with the current property values for each corresponding control and the previously displayed graphical overlays that do not have the newly selected different property are removed from display; and

means for editing the property in-place in a form on the design surface, such that the user can toggle between the various graphical overlays and edit property values for each control via the graphical overlay, thereby eliminating any need for the user to leave the design surface to enter a property grid.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for compiling the list.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for navigating to the control.

24. A program storage medium readable by a computer having a memory and a processor, the medium tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to implement a system that facilitates in-place editing of a property within a form on a design surface, the system comprising:

a property selection component that queries available controls on a design surface to determine properties associated with the controls and presents a list representing all of the determined properties that are part of the form;

a control selection component that facilitates selecting a property from the list and identifies which of the controls on the form on the design surface have the selected property;

a property edit component simultaneously and selectively displays a separate graphical overlay on top of each control on the form that has the selected property such that multiple separate graphical overlays are displayed on the form at the same time, each corresponding to an individual control that has the selected property, the graphical overlays comprising a current value for each control having the selected property such that each separate graphical overlay is configured to display a different, individually determined value at each separate control, wherein upon selection of a second, different property, the multiple separate graphical overlays corresponding to each control having the newly selected different property are updated with the current property values for each corresponding control and the previously displayed graphical overlays that do not have the newly selected different property are removed from display, wherein each current value overlay facilitates in-situ editing of the property associated with the selected current value overlay; and

a navigation component that facilitates navigating from one current value overlay to the next current value overlay, such that the user can toggle between the various graphical overlays and edit property values for each control via the graphical overlay, thereby eliminating any need for the user to leave the design surface to enter a property grid.

25. A program storage medium readable by a computer having a memory and a processor, the medium tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to implement a system that facilitates in-situ editing of a property in a visual designer, the system comprising:

a control selection component that receives a property selection from a visual designer user and, based on the property selection, facilitates determination of which controls on the form have a given property;

a display component that simultaneously and selectively displays on a design surface of the visual designer a separate graphical overlay on top of each control on the form that has the selected property such that multiple separate graphical overlays are displayed on the form at the same time, each corresponding to an individual control that has the selected property, the graphical overlays comprising a current value for each control having the selected property such that each separate graphical overlay is configured to display a different, individually determined value at each separate control, wherein upon selection of a second, different property, the multiple separate graphical overlays corresponding to each control having the newly selected different property are updated with the current property values for each corresponding control and the previously displayed graphical overlays that do not have the newly selected different property are removed from display; and

a property edit component that facilitates the in-situ editing of the property corresponding to the control, in-situ editing of the property is performed via the display component on the design surface of the visual designer, such that the user can toggle between the various graphical overlays and edit property values for each control via the graphical overlay, thereby eliminating any need for the user to leave the design surface to enter a property grid.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising a property selection component that facilitates selecting the property from a list;

the list represents a union of a plurality of property names on a design surface.

27. The system of claim 25, the property edit component includes an automatic navigation component that facilitates automatically navigating to a next control.

28. A computer that employs the system of claim 25.

29. The system of claim 25, further comprising an artificial intelligence (AI) module that predicts a user action.