Logical structure design surface

• US 8,397,207 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Leonard, Arthur C., Karimov, Pavel R., Getsch, Timothy E., McCormack, Michael J., Tucker, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAYIM, SAMUEL E
• Application Number:
  US11/944,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,933 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for displaying components for visually designing logical structures or macros. In one embodiment, a logical surface component is displayed which may include a design surface. The design surface may be utilized to display data which make up one or more macros. The design surface may be selected for receiving macro data. The received data, which represents a macro design, may then be displayed in the design surface on a display device. In another embodiment, controls for navigating within logical surface components utilized for designing macros may be displayed on a display device. A logical surface component which includes a hierarchical grouping of macro actions may be displayed. One more actions may be selected and an instruction may be received in a visual interface to move selected actions among the hierarchical grouping. In response to receiving the move instruction, the selected actions which were moved may be displayed.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for displaying on a display device a plurality of logical surface components for designing one or more logical structures, comprising:

displaying, by the computer system, a first logical surface component, the first logical surface component comprising a design surface, the design surface being utilized to display logical structure data;

receiving, by the computer system, a selection of the design surface;

receiving, by the computer system, the logical structure data in the design surface;

displaying, by the computer system, the received logical structure data in the design surface, the displayed logical structure data representing a design of the one or more logical structures;

displaying a second logical surface component in proximity to the design surface, the second logical surface component comprising a catalog, the catalog comprising the one or more logical structures, the catalog further comprising one or more available actions and one or more logical structure templates;

receiving a selection of at least one of the one or more logical structures, the one or more available actions, and the one or more logical structure templates from the catalog;

in response to receiving the selection of the at least one of the one or more logical structures, the one or more available actions, and the one or more logical structure templates from the catalog, inserting the selected at least one of the one or more logical structures, the one or more available actions, and the one or more logical structure templates into the design surface for display, the one or more available actions comprising executable program statements for causing the occurrence of an event programmatically; and

displaying the one or more available actions in the design surface, the one or more available actions displaying arguments and a hyperlink, the hyperlink being utilized to hide one or more of redundant, unsafe, obfuscated and legacy logical structure arguments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a first logical surface component comprises:

displaying a logic flow element in the design surface;

displaying a control subcomponent in the design surface, the control subcomponent being utilized for;

receiving a selection in a dropdown menu comprising a set of menu entries for editing the one or more logical structures;

displaying the set of menu entries in response to receiving the menu selection; and

receiving a user selection of a menu entry from the set of menu entries, and, in response to the user selection, performing an editing command associated with the selected entry; and

displaying an event subcomponent, the event subcomponent being utilized for receiving a selection in a dropdown menu comprising a set of menu entries, the set of menu entries comprising a set of logical structure names and events associated with the set of logical structure names.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a logical structure object tab in the design surface, the logical structure object tab being utilized for:

displaying the name of a currently open logical structure in the design surface;

determining when a scope of the of the currently open logical structure has changed; and

updating the display of the currently open logical structure name based on the change in scope.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a title bar above the displayed one or more available actions in the design surface, the title bar comprising each of the following:

a step number identifying a step within a named logical structure, at least one icon representing at least one of the one or more logical structures, at least one move button for moving at least the title bar in one or more directions, a delete button for deleting one or more actions, and a collapse/expand button for collapsing and expanding the logic flow element.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising displaying the one or more actions within the displayed logic flow element, the one or more actions comprising executable program statements.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the catalog comprises a drag and drop interface and wherein inserting the selected at least one of the one or more logical structures, the one or more available actions, and the one or more logical structure templates into the first logical surface component for display comprises receiving a drag instruction to drag the selected at least one of the one or more logical structures, the one or more available actions, and the one or more logical structure templates onto the design surface.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the display of the one or more available actions comprises displaying at least one argument, wherein the at least one argument is edited and managed directly within the one or more available actions.

7. A system for navigating within logical surface components utilized for designing one or more logical structures, comprising:

a memory for storing executable program code; and

a processor, functionally coupled to the memory, the processor being responsive to computer-executable instructions contained in the program code and operative;

to receive a selection of at least one action in a first logical surface component comprising a hierarchical grouping of actions, the at least one action comprising executable program statements for causing the occurrence of an event programmatically;

to receive an instruction to move the selected at least one action from a first location among the hierarchical grouping of actions to a second location among the hierarchical grouping of actions;

in response to receiving the move instruction, displaying the selected at least one action at the second location among the hierarchical group of actions, the display of the selected at least one action comprising the display of at least one argument, wherein the at least one argument is edited and managed directly within the at least one action; and

display the at least one actions in a design surface, wherein the at least one action displays arguments and a hyperlink, the hyperlink being utilized to hide one or more of redundant, unsafe, obfuscated and legacy logical structure arguments; and

further operative;

to display a second logical surface component in proximity to the first logical surface component, the second logical surface component comprising a catalog; and

to navigate from at least one selected logical surface element displayed in the first logical surface component to at least one logical surface sub-element displayed in the first logical component to the catalog displayed in the second logical surface component to a control subcomponent displayed in the first logical surface component to an event subcomponent displayed in the first logical surface component to the at least selected logical surface element.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor in receiving an instruction to move the selected at least one action from a first location among the hierarchical grouping of actions to a second location among the hierarchical grouping of actions comprises receiving an instruction to move a plurality of selected actions in at least one of a first direction, wherein the plurality of selected actions are tied to a top most selected action in the hierarchical grouping, and a second direction, wherein the plurality of selected actions are tied to a bottom most selected action in the hierarchical grouping.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further operative to order each of the plurality of selected actions next to each other.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor in navigating from at least one selected logical surface element, is operative to navigate from at least one logical surface argument.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor in navigating to at least one logical surface sub-element, is operative to navigate to at least one action in the hierarchical grouping of actions.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor in receiving a selection of at least one action in the hierarchical grouping of actions is operative to receive a selection of at least one of a message text box and a stop macro text box.

13. A computer-readable storage device containing computer executable instructions which, when executed on a computer, will cause the computer to perform a method for displaying on a display device a plurality of logical surface components for designing one or more logical structures, comprising:

displaying a first logical surface component, the first logical surface component comprising a design surface, the design surface being utilized to display logical structure data, the logical structure data comprising the one or more logical structures;

receiving a selection of the design surface;

receiving the logical structure data in the design surface;

displaying the received logical structure data in the design surface, the displayed logical structure data representing a design of the one or more logical structures;

displaying a second logical surface component in proximity to the design surface, the second logical surface component comprising a catalog, the catalog comprising the one or more logical structures, the catalog further comprising one or more available actions and one or more logical structure templates;

receiving a selection of at least one of the one or more logical structures, the one or more available actions, and the one or more logical structure templates from the catalog;

in response to receiving the selection of the at least one of the one or more logical structures, the one or more available actions, and the one or more logical structure templates from the catalog, inserting the selected at least one of the one or more logical structures, the one or more available actions, and the one or more logical structure templates into the design surface for display, the one or more available actions comprising executable program statements for causing the occurrence of an event programmatically, the display of the one or more available actions comprising the display of at least one argument, wherein the at least one argument is edited and managed directly within the one or more available actions;

receiving a selection of at least one of the displayed plurality of selectable functionality controls;

in response to receiving a selection of the at least one of the displayed plurality of selectable functionality controls, inserting the logical structure elements into the first logical surface component for display;

displaying the one or more available actions in the design surface, the one or more available actions displaying arguments and a hyperlink, the hyperlink being utilized to hide one or more of redundant, unsafe, obfuscated and legacy logical structure arguments.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein displaying a first logical surface component comprises:

displaying a logic flow element in the design surface; and

displaying a control subcomponent in the design surface, the control subcomponent being utilized for;

receiving a selection in a dropdown menu comprising a set of menu entries for editing the one or more logical structures;

displaying the set of menu entries in response to receiving the menu selection; and

receiving a user selection of a menu entry from the set of menu entries, and, in response to the user selection, performing an editing command associated with the selected entry.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein displaying a first logical surface component further comprises:

displaying an event subcomponent, the event subcomponent being utilized for receiving a selection in a dropdown menu comprising a set of menu entries, the set of menu entries comprising a set of logical structure names and events associated with the set of logical structure names; and

displaying a logical structure object tab, the logical structure object tab being utilized for;

displaying the name of a currently open logical structure in the design surface;

determining when a scope of the of the currently open logical structure has changed; and

updating the display of the currently open logical structure name based on the change in scope.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13 further comprising displaying a title bar above the one or more available actions in the design surface, the title bar comprising each of the following:

a step number identifying a step within a named logical structure, at least one icon representing at least one of the one or more logical structures, at least one move button for moving at least the title bar in one or more directions, a delete button for deleting one or more actions, and a collapse/expand button for collapsing and expanding the logic flow element.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 16 further comprising displaying the one or more actions within the displayed logic flow element, the one or more actions comprising executable program statements.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein displaying a first logical surface component comprises displaying an area utilized to display database macro data.