Side tab navigation and page views personalization systems and methods

• US 8,751,939 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Law, Margaret, Channarayapattna, Rashmi, Ellis, Jason, Agarwal, Anshu, Wang, Xuefeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kujundzic, Dino
• Application Number:
  US13/094,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20110296336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 715/777, 715/744, 715/747, 715/776, 715810-823, 715/841, 715/853
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

Systems and methods for displaying tab elements representing viewable page elements. A set of one or more main tabs are displayed on a first portion of a display, each main tab defining a link to a database object stored in a database. A user selection of a first one of the main tabs is received (e.g., to determine which tab provides default display), and two or more side tabs are displayed in a first, default order on a second portion of the display, each said side tab defining a link to an element or portion of a first object. In certain aspects, a user selection of a new order for the two or more side tabs is received, and thereafter the two or more side tabs are displayed in the new order, and the new order is stored to the database, wherein upon later access of the first object by the user, the two or more side tabs are automatically displayed in the new order.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying tab elements representing viewable page elements, the method comprising:

causing a set of one or more main tabs to be displayed on a first portion of a display, each main tab defining a link to a database object stored in a database;

receiving a user selection of a selected one of the main tabs, the selected main tab defining a link to a selected database object;

causing two or more side tabs to be displayed in a first, default order on a second portion of the display, each of the side tabs defining a link to an element or portion of the selected database object and at least one of the side tabs including two or more sub-tabs, each sub-tab defining a link to one or more child records of the element or the portion of the selected database object linked to by the side tab including the two or more sub-tabs;

receiving a user selection of a new order for the two or more side tabs based on manipulation of at least one of the displayed side tabs responsive to user input and thereafter displaying the two or more side tabs in the new order;

storing the new order to the database in association with information identifying the user, wherein upon later access of the selected database object by the user, the two or more side tabs are automatically displayed in the new order;

causing the two or more sub-tabs to be displayed in a first, default order on the second portion of the display;

causing a hide container to be displayed on the display responsive to receipt of data indicating drag-and-drop manipulation of at least one sub-tab of the two or more sub-tabs responsive to user input;

receiving a user hide selection of the least one of the two or more sub-tabs based on an association of the at least one sub-tab with the hide container in association with the drag-and-drop manipulation of the at least one sub-tab responsive to user input;

storing, in association with the information identifying the user, an indication that the at least one sub-tab should not be displayed;

responsive to receiving the user hide selection, causing the at least one sub-tab to be removed from the display; and

causing the hide container to be removed from the display in association with receiving the user hide selection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein data for the linked element or portion of the selected database object is displayed on a third portion of the display responsive to selection of the side tab defining the link to the element or portion of the selected database object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein data for the element or portion of the selected database object linked to by the first side tab in the first, default order is displayed on a third portion of the display.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a new order for the two or more sub-tabs;

causing the two or more sub-tabs to be displayed in the new order responsive to receiving the user selection of the new order for the two or more sub-tabs; and

storing the new sub-tab order to the database in association with information identifying the user, wherein upon later access of the side tab that includes the two or more sub-tabs by the user, the two or more sub-tabs are automatically displayed in the new order.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

displaying a number representing a number of removed sub-tabs represented by the hide container.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein upon selection of the hide container or upon selection of a representation of the hide container, one or more of the removed sub-tabs are displayed in the hide container and are user-selectable.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for each displayed sub-tab, displaying a number representing a number of child records linked to by the corresponding sub-tab.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the hide container is displayed when the drag and drop selection is performed as well as when operations are performed to allow one or more removed sub-tabs in the hide container to be retrieved from the hide container, and wherein the hide container is otherwise not displayed at all or is not displayed and is instead represented by a control or link that, when selected by the user, causes the hide container to be displayed to allow the one or more removed sub-tabs in the hide container to be retrieved.

9. A non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium that stores code, which when executed by one or more processors causes the processor(s) to:

cause a set of one or more main tabs to be displayed on a first portion of a display, each main tab defining a link to a database object stored in a database;

receive a user selection of a selected one of the main tabs, the selected main tab defining a link to a selected database object;

cause two or more side tabs to be displayed in a first, default order on a second portion of the display, each of the side tabs defining a link to an element or portion of the selected database object and at least one of the side tabs including two or more sub-tabs, each sub-tab defining a link to one or more child records of the element or the portion of the selected database object linked to by the side tab including the two or more sub-tabs;

receive a user selection of a new order for the two or more side tabs based on manipulation of at least one of the displayed side tabs responsive to user input and thereafter display the two or more side tabs in the new order;

store the new order to the database in association with information identifying the user, wherein upon later access of the selected database object by the user, the two or more side tabs are automatically displayed in the new order;

cause the two or more sub-tabs to be displayed in a first, default order on the second portion of the display;

cause a hide container to be displayed on the display responsive to receipt of data indicating drag-and-drop manipulation of at least one sub-tab of the two or more sub-tabs responsive to user input;

receive a user hide selection of the least one of the two or more sub-tabs based on an association of the at least one sub-tab with the hide container in association with the drag-and-drop manipulation of the at least one sub-tab responsive to user input;

store, in association with the information identifying the user, an indication that the at least one sub-tab should not be displayed;

responsive to receiving the user hide selection, cause the at least one sub-tab to be removed from the display; and

cause the hide container to be removed from the display in association with receiving the user hide selection.

10. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the code to store the new order includes code to communicate with a remote database to store the new order.

11. The non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium of claim 9, further including code that causes the processor to:

receive a user selection of a new order for the two or more sub-tabs;

display the two or more sub-tabs in the new order responsive to the user selection of the new order for the two or more sub-tabs; and

store the new sub-tab order to the database in association with information identifying the user, wherein upon later access of the side tab that includes the two or more sub-tabs first object by the user, the two or more sub-tabs are automatically displayed in the new order.

12. A database system, comprising:

a database that stores database objects; and

a computer system communicably coupled to the database, the computer system including a memory that stores code, which when executed by a processor of the computer system, causes the processor to;

cause a set of one or more main tabs to be displayed on a first portion of a display, each main tab defining a link to a database object stored in the database;

receive a user selection of a selected one of the main tabs, the selected main tab defining a link to a selected database object;

cause two or more side tabs to be displayed in a first, default order on a second portion of the display, each of the side tabs defining a link to an element or portion of the selected database object and at least one of the side tabs including two or more sub-tabs, each sub-tab defining a link to one or more child records of the element or the portion of the selected database object linked to by the side tab including the two or more sub-tabs;

receive a user selection of a new order for the two or more side tabs based on manipulation of at least one of the displayed side tabs responsive to user input and thereafter display the two or more side tabs in the new order;

store the new order to the database in association with information identifying the user, wherein upon later access of the selected database object by the user, the two or more side tabs are automatically displayed in the new order;

cause the two or more sub-tabs to be displayed in a first, default order on the second portion of the display;

cause a hide container to be displayed on the display responsive to receipt of data indicating drag-and-drop manipulation of at least one sub-tab of the two or more sub-tabs responsive to user input;

receive a user hide selection of the least one of the two or more sub-tabs based on an association of the at least one sub-tab with the hide container in association with the drag-and-drop manipulation of the at least one sub-tab responsive to user input;

store, in association with the information identifying the user, an indication that the at least one sub-tab should not be displayed;

responsive to receiving the user hide selection, cause the at least one sub-tab to be removed from the display; and

cause the hide container to be removed from the display in association with receiving the user hide selection.

13. The database system of claim 12, further including code that causes the processor to:

receive a user selection of a new order for the two or more sub-tabs; and

thereafter

cause the two or more sub-tabs to be displayed in the new order responsive to receipt of the user selection of the new order for the two or more sub-tabs; and

store the new sub-tab order to the database in association with information identifying the user, wherein upon later access of the side tab that includes the two or more sub-tabs by the user, the two or more sub-tabs are automatically displayed in the new order.