Cutting and copying discontiguous selections of cells

• US 7,954,047 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Su, Peter, Rosner, Roger Rock, Gur, Yaniv, Berger, Peter Glen, Weeldreyer, Christopher Douglas, Capela, Jay Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hillery; Nathan
• Application Number:
  US11/890,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20090044093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 715/220, 715/212, 715/273, 715/205
• US Class Current: 715/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Cutting and copying discontiguous selections of cells is disclosed. In some embodiments, in response to receiving an indication of a selection of a set of cells that does not include only a continuous grid of selected cells and receiving an indication of a selection of a paste destination in which the set of cells is desired to be pasted, the set of cells is pasted in the paste destination in a manner that preserves a respective relative position of each cell in the set. In some embodiments, if a paste destination is not large enough to accommodate a paste operation, the paste destination is automatically expanding so that it is large enough to accommodate the paste operation.

Claims

1. A method for pasting a selection of cells, comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection of a discontiguous set of cells;

saving to a clipboard a grid of continuous cells that circumscribes the set of cells wherein values of the cells in the set are used to populate corresponding cells of the grid and wherein null values are used to populate other cells of the grid; and

using a processor to paste the set of cells in a paste destination in a manner that preserves a respective relative position of each cell in the set, wherein pasting comprises pasting the grid of continuous cells saved to the clipboard such that grid cells with null values are ignored during pasting so that corresponding cells in the paste destination are not overwritten.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of a selection of an option to cut or copy the set of cells.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of a selection of the paste destination in which the set of cells is desired to be pasted.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of a selection of an option to paste a current content of the clipboard relative to the paste destination.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of a selection of the paste destination including receiving a selection of an anchor cell location.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein pasting comprises pasting the set of cells each in a corresponding position to the anchor cell location.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the grid is just large enough to circumscribe all cells in the set.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the dimensions of the grid are based on the dimensions encompassed by the set of cells.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a top left cell of the grid is determined by a top-most row and a left-most column associated with cells in the set and a bottom right cell of the grid is determined by a bottom-most row and a right-most column associated with cells in the set.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein pasting comprises pasting the grid in the paste destination.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a top left cell of the grid is pasted to an anchor cell location of the paste destination during pasting.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein pasting comprises writing grid cell values that are not null to corresponding cells in the paste destination.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein writing comprises overwriting the existing values of the corresponding cells in the paste destination.

14. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising automatically expanding the paste destination to accommodate pasting.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the paste destination comprises a table and automatically expanding the table comprises adding one or more rows, columns, or both to the table.

16. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the paste destination comprises a table.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the set of cells comprises cells of one or more tables.

18. A system for pasting a selection of cells, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive an indication of a selection of a discontiguous set of cells;

save to a clipboard a grid of continuous cells that circumscribes the set of cells wherein values of the cells in the set are used to populate corresponding cells of the grid and wherein null values are used to populate other cells of the grid; and

paste the set of cells in a paste destination in a manner that preserves a respective relative position of each cell in the set, wherein to paste comprises pasting the grid of continuous cells saved to the clipboard such that grid cells with null values are ignored during pasting so that corresponding cells in the paste destination are not overwritten; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide instructions to the processor.

19. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein to paste comprises to paste the set of cells each in a corresponding position relative to an anchor cell location of the paste destination.

20. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically expand the paste destination to accommodate pasting.

21. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the grid is just large enough to circumscribe all cells in the set.

22. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the dimensions of the grid are based on the dimensions encompassed by the set of cells.

23. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein a top left cell of the grid is determined by a top-most row and a left-most column associated with cells in the set and a bottom right cell of the grid is determined by a bottom-most row and a right-most column associated with cells in the set.

24. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein a top left cell of the grid is pasted to an anchor cell location of the paste destination during pasting.

25. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein to paste comprises writing grid cell values that are not null to corresponding cells in the paste destination.

26. A system as recited in claim 25, wherein writing comprises overwriting the existing values of the corresponding cells in the paste destination.

27. A computer program product for pasting a selection of cells, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving an indication of a selection of a discontiguous set of cells;

saving to a clipboard a grid of continuous cells that circumscribes the set of cells wherein values of the cells in the set are used to populate corresponding cells of the grid and wherein null values are used to populate other cells of the grid; and

pasting the set of cells in a paste destination in a manner that preserves a respective relative position of each cell in the set, wherein pasting comprises pasting the grid of continuous cells saved to the clipboard such that grid cells with null values are ignored during astin so that corresponding cells in the paste destination are not overwritten.

28. A computer program product as recited in claim 27, wherein pasting comprises pasting the set of cells each in a corresponding position relative to an anchor cell location of the paste destination.

29. A computer program product as recited in claim 27, further comprising computer instructions for automatically expanding the paste destination to accommodate pasting.

30. A computer program product as recited in claim 27, wherein the grid is just large enough to circumscribe all cells in the set.

31. A computer program product as recited in claim 27, wherein the dimensions of the grid are based on the dimensions encompassed by the set of cells.

32. A computer program product as recited in claim 27, wherein a top left cell of the grid is determined by a top-most row and a left-most column associated with cells in the set and a bottom right cell of the grid is determined by a bottom-most row and a right-most column associated with cells in the set.

33. A computer program product as recited in claim 27, wherein a top left cell of the grid is pasted to an anchor cell location of the paste destination during pasting.

34. A computer program product as recited in claim 27, wherein pasting comprises writing grid cell values that are not null to corresponding cells in the paste destination.

35. A computer program product as recited in claim 34, wherein writing comprises overwriting the existing values of the corresponding cells in the paste destination.