Generating user help information for customized user interface

• US 8,943,406 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Batey, Christopher M., Bhasin, Saurabh, Haragan, Christy, Horsman, Steven J., Lawson, Keir, Shepherd, Katie, Webster, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdul-Ali, Omar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jiang, Haimei
• Application Number:
  US13/107,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20110289409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 715/705
• US Class Current: 715/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A method for generating user help information for a customized user interface, the customized user interface including one or more user interface components from a library of user interface components, the method comprising the steps of: associating library component help information with each user interface component in the library of user interface components; identifying component help information from the library component help information for each component in the customized user interface; aggregating the identified component help information into user help information for presentation to a user of the customized user interface.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a data processor and a memory device for generating user help information for a customized user interface, the customized user interface including at least one user interface component from a library of user interface components, the apparatus being configured to perform, responsive to the data processor executing program code stored in the memory device, steps of:

associating library component help information with each user interface component in the library of user interface components;

identifying component help information from the library component help information for each component in the customized user interface; and

aggregating the identified component help information into user help information for presentation to a user of the customized user interface, wherein the component help information includes an indication of a type of user interface control and a priority that are both used when aggregating to order the component help information in the user help information based on the type of user interface control and the priority.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each user interface component in the library of user interface components includes a definition of at least one user interface control.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the component help information includes a reference to an associated user interface component for identifying the user interface component.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

an input/output subsystem; and

a bus subsystem interconnecting the data processor and the input/output subsystem.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the library of user interface components comprises a plurality of the user interface components that are presentable to a user of the customized user interface.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the customized user interface to the user.

5. A computer program product comprising program code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the program code is executable by a data processor to perform a method for generating user help information for a customized user interface, the customized user interface including at least one user interface component from a library of user interface components, the method comprising steps of:

associating library component help information with each user interface component in the library of user interface components;

identifying component help information from the library component help information for each component in the customized user interface; and

aggregating the identified component help information into user help information for presentation to a user of the customized user interface, including ordering the component help information in the user help information based on a type of user interface control and a priority, wherein the component help information includes an indication of the type of user interface control and the priority.

6. The computer program product of claim 5 further comprising providing a definition of at least one user interface control for each user interface component in the library of user interface components.

7. The computer program product of claim 5 further comprising selecting, from the library of user interface components based on at least one user task to be performed by a user, particular user interface components to be included in the customized user interface.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 further comprising defining, for a user role, the at least one user task.

9. The computer program product of claim 5 further comprising including a reference to an associated user interface component for identifying the user interface component.

10. The computer program product of claim 5 further comprising storing the component help information with the user interface components in the library of user interface components.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

presenting the customized user interface to the user.