Expression builder

• US 8,301,668 B1
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Open Text Holdings, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Actuate Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Wenfeng, He, Wenbin, Zhai, Jun, Ivmark, Petter, Tikekar, Gauri
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US12/105,936
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/600, 707/802, 707/763, 707/736, 707755-756, 707/791, 707/793, 707/803, 707/804, 715/234, 715/709, 715/710, 717/117, 717/105
• US Class Current: 707/804
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, methods and apparatus for providing information for use in generating or modifying an expression are disclosed. Input from a user is received within an expression. A list of one or more suggestions is provided in response to the input. A selection of one of the suggestions in the list is received. The expression is then built to include the selection.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving by a processor input from a user within a context of an expression;

providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input, wherein the list of one or more suggestions indicates one or more operators that can be selected for inclusion in the expression;

receiving a selection of one of the suggestions in the list;

providing a second list of one or more suggestions in response to a selection of one of the operators, wherein the second list of suggestions is based, at least in part, on the selected operator,

wherein the second list of one or more suggestions indicates one or more parameters that can be selected or entered for inclusion in the expression;

wherein the one or more parameters include one or more data items corresponding to one or more data fields of a database; and

building the expression to include the selection such that the expression is constructed or modified.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the expression is associated with a column in a report.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the data fields include only data fields that are pertinent to the report.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

adding a column to the report such that the expression is associated with a column label of the column.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

executing the expression to generate a value in the column, wherein the data fields include only data fields that are present in the report.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input comprises:

providing a menu including the list of one or more suggestions.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input comprises:

providing a list of one or more suggestions within the expression.

8. The computer-implemented method-as recited in claim 1, wherein providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input comprises:

providing a list of one or more suggestions external to the expression.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving input from a user within a context of an expression comprises:

receiving one or more characters in an input field in which the expression is typed.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the input field is a field of the report.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for;

receiving input from a user within a context of an expression;

providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input, wherein the list of one or more suggestions indicates one or more parameters that can be selected or entered for inclusion in the expression as parameters of the expression, wherein the list of one or more suggestions identifies one or more data items that can be selected for inclusion in the expression, the data items corresponding to one or more data fields of a database;

receiving a selection of one of the suggestions in the list; and

building the expression to include the selection such that the expression is constructed or modified.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the data fields consist of data fields implemented in a report.

13. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving by a processor input from a user within a context of an expression;

providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input, wherein the list of one or more suggestions indicates one or more data items that can be selected for inclusion in the expression, wherein the data items include one or more data fields of a database;

receiving a selection of one of the suggestions in the list; and

building the expression to include the selection such that the expression is constructed or modified.

14. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13, wherein the data fields consist of data fields that are already present in a report.

15. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

executing the expression to generate the report.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving by a processor input from a user within a context of an expression, wherein receiving input from a user within a context of the expression comprises receiving one or more characters in an input field in which the expression is typed;

providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input;

receiving a selection of one of the suggestions in the list;

building the expression to include the selection such that the expression is constructed or modified; and

adding the expression to a report, wherein the list of one or more suggestions is dependent upon a data context of the report.

17. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

executing the expression to modify the report.

18. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16, wherein the report is a spreadsheet report.

19. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving by a processor input from a user within a context of an expression, wherein receiving input from a user within a context of the expression comprises receiving one or more characters in an input field in which the expression is typed;

providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input, wherein the list of one or more suggestions indicates one or more data items that can be selected for inclusion in the expression;

receiving a selection of one of the suggestions in the list; and

building the expression to include the selection such that the expression is constructed or modified;

wherein the list of one or more suggestions is dependent upon a data context of a report.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the data items include one or more data fields, wherein the input comprises a predefined symbol that indicates a request for suggestions for data fields.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the list of suggestions comprises data fields that are pertinent to the report.

22. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the list of suggestions consists of data fields that are implemented in the report.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for;

receiving input from a user within a context of the expression, wherein receiving input from a user within a context of the expression comprises receiving one or more characters in an input field in which the expression is typed;

providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input, wherein the list of one or more suggestions indicates one or more data items that can be selected or entered with respect to the other items in the expression;

receiving a selection of one of the suggestions in the list; and

building the expression to include the selection such that the expression is constructed or modified

wherein the list of one or more suggestions is dependent upon a data context of the expression, and wherein the list of one or more suggestions or other items within the expression include one or more operators.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 23, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for perform steps further comprising:

automatically validating the expression.

25. The apparatus as recited in claim 24 wherein validating is performed in response to a user selection of a validate option.

26. The apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein validating the expression comprises

checking that one or more data items or parameters of the expression are of the correct data type.

27. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for;

receiving input from a user within a context of an expression;

automatically providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input,

wherein the list of one or more suggestions identifies one or more data items that can be selected or entered within the expression, the data items representing data fields of a database;

receiving a selection of one of the suggestions in the list; and

building the expression to include the selection such that the expression is constructed or modified;

wherein the list of one or more suggestions is dependent upon other items within the expression, and wherein the other items within the expression include one or more operators.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing thereon computer-readable instructions, comprising:

instructions for receiving input from a user within a context of an expression;

instructions for providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input,

wherein the list of one or more suggestions indicates one or more operators that can be selected for inclusion in the expression;

instructions for receiving a selection of one of the suggestions in the list; and

instructions for providing a second list of one or more suggestions in response to a selection of one of the operators;

wherein the second list of one or more suggestions identifies one or more data items that can be selected or entered for inclusion in the expression.

29. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving input from a user within an expression;

means for providing a list of one or more suggestions by a processor in response to the input, wherein the list of one or more suggestions indicates one or more operators that can be selected for inclusion in the expression;

means for receiving a selection of one of the suggestions in the list;

means for constructing or modifying the expression such that the expression that is presented includes the selection; and

means for providing a second list of one or more suggestions in response to a selection of one of the operators, wherein the second list of suggestions is based, at least in part, on the selected operator, wherein the second list of one or more suggestions indicates data items that can be selected or entered with respect to the other items in the expression.

30. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for;

receiving input from a user within an expression;

providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input, wherein the list of one or more suggestions indicates one or more operators that can be selected or entered for inclusion in the expression;

receiving a selection of one of the suggestions in the list;

building the expression to include the selection such that the expression is generated or modified; and

providing a second list of one or more suggestions in response to a selection of one of the operators, wherein the second list of suggestions is based, at least in part, on the selected operator, wherein the second list of one or more suggestions indicates one or more data items that can be selected or entered with respect to the other items in the expression, wherein the data items correspond to data fields of a database.

31. A computer-readable medium storing thereon computer-readable instructions, comprising:

instructions for receiving input from a user within an expression, wherein receiving input from a user within a context of the expression comprises receiving one or more characters in an input field in which the expression is typed;

instructions for automatically providing a list of one or more suggestions in response to the input, wherein the list of one or more suggestions is dependent upon other items within the expression, and wherein the list of one or more suggestions or the other items within the expression include one or more operators;

instructions for receiving a selection of one of the suggestions in the list; and

instructions for building the expression to include the selection such that the expression is generated or modified.