Method and system for generating and displaying an interactive dynamic selective view of multiply connected objects

• US 8,711,148 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Breeds, Robert J., Taunton, Philip R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery A
• Application Number:
  US12/243,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20100079460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,036 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A method and system for generating a graph view on a user interface in a computing environment, is provided. One implementation involves: at a server, generating coordinate data for a graph representing multiply connected objects; transmitting the coordinate data to a client as lightweight object data; and at the client, based on the lightweight object data, rendering an interactive dynamic graph view on a user interface; wherein the rendered graph view includes representations of a plurality of the multiply connected objects selected according to control information.

Claims

1. A method for generating a graph view on a user interface in a computing environment, comprising:

at a server;

generating, by a first hardware processor of the server, graph objects with coordinate data for a graph representing multiply connected objects, wherein the multiply connected objects comprise graphical representations based on object type, and the connections comprise graphical representations for graphically representing a directional relationship between connected objects, wherein the graph view includes visual elements connected by edges, such that the visual elements represent the objects and the edges represent relationships between the objects, and the control information includes object relationship type information, wherein previous graph views are stored for returning to a previous displayed graph, wherein the connections between objects representing the directional relationship between objects are minimized and connection crossings are reduced for reducing graph density and complexity wherein the connections are minimized and connection crossings are reduced for reducing graph density and complexity, wherein if particular relationships exist that cause a cycle in the graph, reversing the particular relationships, and reversing direction of a pointing element;

transforming the graph objects into lightweight objects; and

transmitting, by the first hardware processor, the lightweight objects to a client by the server; and

at the client;

rendering, by a second hardware processor of the client, an interactive dynamic graph view on a user interface based on the lightweight objects, wherein the pointing element is displayed with a reversed direction in the interactive dynamic graph view on the user interface, wherein the rendered graph view includes graphical representations of a plurality of the multiply connected objects and graphical representations of relationships between the multiply connected objects selected according to control information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising scaling, by the second hardware processor of the client, coordinates of graph objects to match a display area, and the graphical representations based on object type comprise different representations displayed based on type of object content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing environment comprises a service-oriented architecture including the server and the client, and the data source comprises a service registry, the client comprises a web browser on a thin client computing module, the server comprises a server application on a server computing module, wherein the thin client computing module and the server computing module may be connected via a communication link.

4. A computer program product for generating a graph view on a user interface in a computing environment, comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium including a computer readable program including program instructions, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer system causes the computer system to:

at a server;

generate graph objects with coordinate data for a graph representing multiply connected objects by a server, wherein the multiply connected objects comprise graphical representations based on object type, and the connections comprise graphical representations for graphically representing a directional relationship between connected objects, wherein the graph view includes visual elements connected by edges, such that the visual elements represent the objects and the edges represent relationships between the objects, and the control information includes object relationship type information, wherein previous graph views are stored for returning to a previous displayed graph, wherein the connections are minimized and connection crossings are reduced for reducing graph density and complexity, wherein if particular relationships exist that cause a cycle in the graph, reversing the particular relationships, and reversing direction of a pointing element;

transform the graph objects into lightweight objects; and

transmit the lightweight objects to a client from the server; and

at the client;

rendering an interactive dynamic graph view on a user interface based on the lightweight objects, wherein the pointing element is displayed with a reversed direction in the interactive dynamic graph view on the user interface;

wherein the rendered graph view includes graphical representations of a plurality of the multiply connected objects and graphical representations of relationships between the multiply connected objects selected according to control information.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the computing environment comprises a service-oriented architecture and the data source comprises a service registry, and the client is located in the computing environment and comprises a web browser on a thin client computing module, the server is located in the computing environment and comprises a server application on a server computing module, wherein the client module and the server module may be connected via a communication link.

6. A system for generating a graph view on a user interface in a computing environment, comprising:

at a first device;

generating graph objects with coordinate data for a graph representing multiply connected objects, wherein the multiply connected objects comprise graphical representations based on object type, and the connections comprise graphical representations for graphically representing a directional relationship between connected objects, wherein the graph view content includes visual elements connected by edges, such that the visual elements represent the objects and the edges represent relationships between the objects, graph view includes visual elements connected by edges, such that the visual elements represent the objects and the edges represent relationships between the objects, the control information includes one or more of;

object type information and object relationship type information, wherein the object relationship type comprises external relationships, derived relationships and user defined relationships, wherein if particular relationships between objects exist that cause a cycle in the graph, reversing the particular relationships and reversing direction of a pointing element;

transforming the graph objects into lightweight objects; and

transmitting the lightweight objects to a second device; and

at the second device;

an interactive dynamic graph view of the multiply connected objects on a user interface based on the lightweight objects, wherein the pointing element is displayed with a reversed direction in the interactive dynamic graph view on the user interface;

wherein the rendered graph view includes graphical representations of a plurality of the multiply connected objects and graphical representations of relationships between the multiply connected objects selected according to control information.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computing environment comprises a service-oriented architecture and the data source comprises a service registry, the first device comprises a web browser on a thin client computing module, the second device comprises a server application on a server computing module, wherein the thin client computing module and the server module may be connected via a communication link.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

the first device retrieving data units and data unit relationships from a data source, then generating graph objects with coordinate data for a graph including data objects representing the data units, and connections between the objects representing the corresponding data unit relationships;

wherein the interactive graph view includes visual elements connected by edges, such that the visual elements represent the objects and the edges represent relationships between the objects, wherein the rendered interactive graph view includes representations of a plurality of the multiply connected objects selected according to control information.