Automatic relevance filtering

• US 8,255,389 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Peyton, Eric S., Bumgarner, Tim W., Fernandez, Todd R., Soghoian, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): MORRISON, JAY A
• Application Number:
  US12/206,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20090007122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and an apparatus for use in a computing apparatus are disclosed. The method includes determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and filtering the candidate actions for relevance in light of the context and the data requirement. The apparatus, in a first aspect, includes a program storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, performs the method. In a second aspect, the apparatus includes a computing apparatus programmed to perform the method.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for use in a computing apparatus, the method comprising:

automatically determining a context and an input data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow, wherein determining the context and the input data requirement comprises identifying a previously selected action;

automatically filtering, for user selection of one or more of the candidate actions, the candidate actions for relevance with respect to the context and the input data requirement, wherein automatically filtering comprises at least one of providing to all candidate actions the same relevance, or providing the highest relevance to candidate actions that accept as input any data and providing all other candidate actions the lowest relevance; and

wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance further comprises assigning a relevance to the respective candidate actions as a function of data compatibility between the previously selected action and the respective candidate action, and further comprises at least one of;

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the filtered candidates to the user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising presenting the filtered candidates through a graphical user interface.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the context and the data requirement comprises determining that no candidate action has previously been selected.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the determining the data requirement comprises determining that the data requirement is a null.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance comprises providing relevance by the range of data types that the candidate actions will accept as input.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the data-type comprises determining the data-type of the output of the identified, previously selected action.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance further comprises assigning a relevance as a function of the number of previously selected actions to which the candidate action is relevant.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising graphically presenting a workflow into which the candidate actions may be scripted.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further comprising automatically converting data types between selected actions in the scripted workflow.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further comprising automatically determining an execution flow through the workflow at runtime.

13. A program storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, perform a method for use in a computing apparatus, the method comprising:

automatically determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow, wherein determining the context and the input data requirement comprises identifying a previously selected action;

automatically filtering, for user selection of one or more of the candidate actions, the candidate actions for relevance with respect to the context and the data requirement, wherein automatically filtering comprises at least one of providing to all candidate actions the same relevance, or providing the highest relevance to candidate actions that accept as input any data and providing all other candidate actions the lowest relevance; and

wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance further comprises assigning a relevance to the respective candidate actions as a function of data compatibility between the previously selected action and the respective candidate action, and also further comprises at least one of;

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

14. The program storage medium of claim 13, wherein the encoded method further comprises presenting the filtered candidates to the user.

15. The program storage medium of claim 13, wherein the encoded method further comprises ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance.

16. The program storage medium of claim 13, wherein determining the context and the data requirement in the encoded method comprises determining that no candidate action has previously been selected.

17. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a computing device;

a storage communicating with the computing device; and

an application residing in the storage that, when invoked, automatically;

determines a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow, wherein determining the context and the input data requirement comprises identifying a previously selected action;

filters the candidate actions, for user selection of one or more of the candidate actions, for relevance with respect to the context and the data requirement, wherein the filtering comprises at least one of providing to all candidate actions the same relevance or providing the highest relevance to candidate actions that accept any data as an input and all others the lowest relevance; and

wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance further comprises assigning a relevance to the respective candidate actions as a function of data compatibility between the previously selected action and the respective candidate action, and also further comprises at least one of;

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

18. The computing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the programmed method further comprises presenting the filtered candidates to the user.

19. The computing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the programmed method further comprises ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance.

20. The computing apparatus of claim 17, wherein determining the context and the data requirement comprises determining that no candidate action has previously been selected.

21. The computer implemented method of claim 17, wherein the application is further capable of graphically presenting a workflow into which the candidate actions may be scripted.

22. A computer-implemented method for scripting a workflow, comprising:

generating a user interface having one or more panes;

displaying in a first one of said panes a user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions;

displaying a graphical depiction of a workflow in progress, including at least one action previously selected from said list of scriptable candidate actions;

automatically filtering the user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions and ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance, wherein filtering comprises at least one of providing to all candidate actions the same relevance, or providing the highest relevance to candidate actions that accept as input any data and providing all other candidate actions the lowest relevance; and

wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance further comprises assigning a relevance to the respective candidate actions as a function of data compatibility between the previously selected action and the respective candidate action, and also further comprises at least one of;

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein:

generating the user interface comprises generating a graphical user interface presenting a plurality of panes;

displaying the user selectable candidate actions comprises displaying the candidate actions in a first one of the panes; and

displaying the graphical depiction comprises displaying the graphical depiction in a second one of the panes.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein generating the user interface comprises generating an extensible user interface.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein filtering the user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions comprises:

determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and

filtering the candidate actions for relevance with respect to the context and the data requirement.

26. A program storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, performs a method for scripting a workflow, the method comprising:

generating a user interface having one or more panes;

displaying in a first one of said panes a user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions;

displaying a graphical depiction of a workflow in progress, including at least one action previously selected from said list of scriptable candidate actions;

filtering the user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions and ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance, wherein filtering comprises at least one of providing to all candidate actions the same relevance, or providing the highest relevance to candidate actions that accept as input any data and providing all other candidate actions the lowest relevance; and

wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance further comprises assigning a relevance to the respective candidate actions as a function of data compatibility between the previously selected action and the respective candidate action, and also further comprises at least one of;

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

27. The program storage medium of claim 26, wherein, in the encoded method:

generating the user interface comprises generating a graphical user interface presenting a plurality of panes;

displaying the user selectable candidate actions comprises displaying the candidate actions in a first one of the panes; and

displaying the graphical depiction comprises displaying the graphical depiction in a second one of the panes.

28. The program storage medium of claim 26, wherein generating the user interface in the encoded method comprises generating an extensible user interface.

29. The program storage medium of claim 26, wherein filtering the user selectable list of scriptable candidate actions in the encoded method comprises:

determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and

filtering the candidate actions for relevance with respect to the context and the data requirement.

30. A computer-implemented method for scripting a workflow, comprising:

receiving a plurality of user selections of actions to be comprises within a scriptable workflow;

filtering a list of candidate actions for selection of one or more of the actions by a user into the scriptable workflow and ordering the filtered candidate actions by their relevance, wherein filtering comprises at least one of providing to all candidate actions the same relevance, or providing the highest relevance to candidate actions that accept as input any data and providing all other candidate actions the lowest relevance;

presenting the filtered list to a user; and

wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance further comprises assigning a relevance to the respective candidate actions as a function of data compatibility between the previously selected action and the respective candidate action, and also further comprises at least one of;

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 30, wherein filtering the list of candidate actions comprises:

determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and

filtering the candidate actions for relevance with respect to the context and the data requirement.

32. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a computing device;

a storage communicating with the computing device; and

an application residing in the storage that, when invoked, automatically;

receives a plurality of user selections of actions to be included within a scriptable workflow;

filters a list of candidate actions for selection into the scriptable workflow and orders the filtered candidate actions by their relevance, wherein filtering comprises at least one of providing to all candidate actions the same relevance, or providing the highest relevance to candidate actions that accept as input any data and providing all other candidate actions the lowest relevance;

presents the filtered list to a user; and

wherein filtering the candidate actions for relevance further comprises assigning a relevance to the respective candidate actions as a function of data compatibility between the previously selected action and the respective candidate action, and also further comprises at least one of;

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions relative to the degree to which data type conversion will be required between the selected action and the respective candidate action; and

assigning a relevance to each of the candidate actions that require no data conversion to accept the output of the previously selected action as input.

33. The computing apparatus of claim 32, wherein filtering the list of candidate actions comprises:

determining a context and a data requirement for a candidate action to be selected, the selection specifying an action in a workflow; and

filtering the candidate actions for relevance with respect to the context and the data requirement.