Enhanced find and replace for electronic documents

• US 8,205,149 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2001
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chan, Marise, Huynh, Tuan, Maguire, Justin M. III, Rader, Marcella C. S., Yu, Christopher C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn, Gregory J
• Application Number:
  US09/755,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20020129053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,183 Days
• Field of Search: 715/503, 715/504, 715/511, 715/516, 715/521, 715/523, 715/526, 715/528, 715/529, 715/530, 715/540, 715/210, 715/212, 715/217, 715/229, 715/247, 715/249, 715/255, 715/271, 715/273, 715/275
• US Class Current: 715/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

An enhanced find and replace feature for a spreadsheet program module is disclosed. The enhanced find and replace feature allows users to search for terms and attributes across multiple sheets of a workbook. The find and replace feature also allows searches to be performed based on the formatting attributes of a cell as well as the textual or numerical contents of a cell. The enhanced find and replace feature also allows users to perform bulk formatting of cells (even cells without text) in a spreadsheet. In another aspect, the enhanced find and replace feature lists all the results of the find operation in a results list so that the user may choose which result(s) to view and edit. In another aspect, the find and replace feature is modeless so that a user can search for terms or attributes, view a results list, exit the find and replace feature, perform editing functions in the document and then return to the find and replace feature. With modelessness, when the user clicks into a worksheet and clicks back into the find and replace dialog, the search resumes on the current selection in the worksheet.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for populating a plurality of fields in a find dialog of a spreadsheet program module, the method comprising the steps of:

choosing a plurality of formatting characteristics of a cell in the spreadsheet;

editing the plurality of fields in the find dialog to correspond to the plurality of formatting characteristics of the cell; and

wherein the step of choosing the plurality of formatting characteristics of the cell in the spreadsheet is performed in response to moving a cursor over the cell containing said plurality of formatting characteristics and clicking a mouse button to select the cell, whereby in response to selecting the cell the formatting characteristics of the selected cell are determined and applied to the plurality of fields of the find dialog.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of choosing the plurality of formatting characteristics of the cell in the spreadsheet further comprises selecting an option of choosing the formatting characteristics from a formatted cell in the spreadsheet; and

in response to selecting the option, changing the shape of the cursor from a first shape to a second shape distinct from the first shape,

whereby the distinct second shape denotes to a user that moving the cursor over a cell and clicking the mouse button will determine the formatting characterizes of that cell and apply the formatting characteristics of that cell to the fields of the find dialog.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second shape of the cursor is shaped like an eyedropper.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the plurality of fields in the find dialog comprise a plurality of number fields, a plurality of alignment fields, a plurality of font fields, a plurality of border fields, a plurality of pattern fields and a plurality of protection fields.

5. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 4.

6. A computer-implemented method for populating a plurality of fields defining certain formatting characteristics in a find dialog of a spreadsheet program module, the method comprising:

choosing a plurality of formatting characteristics of a formatted cell in the spreadsheet by moving a cursor over the cell and clicking a mouse button to select the cell; and

in response to selecting the cell, determining the formatting characteristics of the selected cell and populating the determined formatting characteristics to the fields in the find dialog.