Method for reallocating table formats in real-time

• US 7,930,323 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Brookler, David, Weinberg, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): COLAN, GIOVANNA B
• Application Number:
  US11/027,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20060150078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,301 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/509, 715/711, 715/792, 715/788, 715/705, 715/220, 715/209, 715/762, 715/212, 707/100, 707/102, 707/517, 707/804, 707/805, 386/69, 386/94
• US Class Current: 707/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention improve upon existing auto formatting functions for tables presented in a graphical user interface by providing an improved mechanism for changing table columns in real-time. One embodiment of the invention incorporates a callback or module in a program implementing the mechanism for changing table columns in real-time that intercepts a table column resize event and automatically resizes the other columns in the table. In resizing the table columns the module can employ various approaches. The system may utilize the various resizing approaches to arrive at a desired result.

Claims

1. A method for auto formatting a table in real-time in a graphical page layout program in a graphical user interface (GUI) on a computer display, said method performed by a computer coupled to said GUI and said computer display, said computer programmed to perform said method in response to user input, said method comprising:

displaying a plurality of data elements of a database in a table format on a GUI on a computer display by a graphical page layout program representing a layout of a graphical page, said graphical page layout program performed by a computer couple to said computer display;

accepting a table column event generated in response to a user action of altering a size of a column of said table format on said GUI;

presenting a strategy menu comprising a plurality of white space formatting strategies, wherein each of said plurality of white space formatting strategies comprises at least one formula for calculating the amount of white space around objects in each column and calculating a plurality of new column widths of said table based on column content;

accepting a user-selected white space formatting strategy related to said plurality of data elements of said database, wherein said user-selected white space formatting strategy is selected from said plurality of white space formatting strategies; and

intercepting said table column event and applying said user-selected white space formatting strategy to at least one column of said table format of said layout of said graphical page after and in response to said user action whereby a plurality of columns of said layout of said graphical page are automatically reformatted according to said user-selected white space formatting strategy,

wherein said user-selected white space formatting strategy may be switched during operation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said white space formatting strategy comprises accessing a family strategy pattern of a parent family.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a first column of said table format is designated as frozen in said white space formatting strategy.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a first column selected from said table format is designated as unfrozen by said user and thereafter takes part in said automatic reformatting.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said white space formatting strategy comprises equal white space on each side of each cell of each column of said table format.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said white space between said data element and each side of each cell of said each column of said table format is determined by a minimum starting amount of white space around said data element as said white space formatting strategy.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said white space formatting strategy comprises determining ratios between said each column.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically reformatting all tables in a graphical page layout comprising a particular element in at least one cell of said all tables.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said altering comprises updating said table column from a database field.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said altering comprises typing in said table column.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said altering comprises deleting text from said table column.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said altering comprises dragging said table column.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said altering comprises pasting an object into said table column.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said altering comprises deleting an object from said table column.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said user-selected white space formatting strategy comprises a ratio strategy, wherein column dimension ratios are set to remain the same without regard for any resulting white space.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said user-selected white space formatting strategy comprises an item strategy, wherein dimensions of whitespace surrounding elements contained within each column are set to change based on a fraction of an element dimension of said elements.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said user-selected white space formatting strategy comprises an average strategy comprising calculating based on an average of two or more other white-space formatting strategies.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said user-selected white space formatting strategy comprises adjusting all columns of all tables comprising a given element.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said given element corresponds to a database field of said database comprising modified data.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising setting at least one designated column as frozen, wherein said user-selected white space formatting strategy is not applied to said at least one designated column.