Modal-less interface enhancements

• US 9,383,911 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Aymeloglu, Andrew, Miyake, Nicholas, Burr, Brandon, Cicerone, Derek, Simler, Kevin, Tan, Garry
• Primary Examiner(s): TAN, ALVIN H
• Application Number:
  US12/556,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,491 Days
• Field of Search: 715/780, 715/741, 715/792
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/279 Recognition of textual entities

Abstract

A modal-less save interface enables a user to provide a filename under which to save a document at any time during operation of the application, without interrupting other user tasks of the application. The user inputs a filename and performs a save operation on a document without navigating menu items or launching a modal window. The modal-less save interface may be provided in a portion of the main application window. For example, the modal-less save interface may be presented in a toolbar, taskbar, status bar, window pane, or sidebar. An application may feature a modal-less access control interface. The modal-less access control interface may be provided in a portion of the main application window. The access control interface may comprise a control, such as link, button, checkbox, text box, or pull-down menu. Upon selection of the control, the application sets one or more access control levels for the current document.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting a single application window comprising at least;

a graphical presentation of contents of a document, one or more graphical user interface controls configured to receive edits to the contents of the document, and a save interface comprising an editable text box;

wherein the save interface is configured to permit save operations on the document to different locations without creating a modal window for the save operations;

while displaying the save interface in the application window, receiving, via the one or more graphical user interface controls, one or more edit commands to modify the contents of the document;

in response to the one or more edit commands, changing the graphical presentation of the contents of the document and changing an appearance of the entire save interface to indicate that the document contains unsaved modifications;

receiving, in the save interface, input in the editable text box that indicates a location at which to save the document;

in response to termination of the input that specifies a location at which to save the document, storing the document at the location, wherein the termination of the input that specifies a location at which to save the document is a change in focus away from the editable text box;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the appearance of the entire save interface comprises rendering a glow effect around an editable text box for specifying the location in the save interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the appearance of the entire save interface comprises oscillating between two different appearances for the save interface, wherein the first appearance of the two different appearances comprises a glow effect around the editable text box for specifying the location in the save interface, wherein the second appearance of the two different appearances does not comprise the glow effect around the editable text box.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising:

receiving, in the save interface, first input specifying a first portion of a name;

subsequent to the first input, without closing the save interface, receiving, via the one or more graphical user interface controls, second input specifying one or more changes to the contents of the document;

in response to the second input, changing the graphical presentation of the contents of the document;

subsequent to the second input, receiving, in the save interface, third input specifying a second portion of the name;

wherein the name comprises the second portion added to the first portion;

subsequent to the third input, receiving fourth input indicating that the name has been fully entered;

in response to the fourth input, saving the document at a location based upon the name;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second input is received in the application window, and wherein the save interface is a modal-less interface inside the application window.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after saving the document, without closing the window, continuing to receive edit commands to the contents of the document, without closing the window.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause, after saving the document, without closing the window, receiving additional edit commands to the contents of the document, followed by second input that specifies a new location at which to save the document.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more graphical user interface controls configured to receive edits to the contents of the document are within the graphical presentation of the document.

9. A method comprising:

presenting a window comprising at least;

a graphical presentation of contents of a document, one or more graphical user interface controls configured to receive edits to the contents of the document, a save interface comprising both an editable text box and an access control interface;

wherein the editable text box and the access control interface are both visible within the save interface at the same time;

wherein the save interface is configured to permit save operations on the document to different locations without creating a modal window for the save operations;

while displaying the save interface in the application window, receiving, via the one or more graphical user interface controls, one or more edit commands to modify the contents of the document;

in response to the one or more edit commands, changing the graphical presentation of the contents of the document;

receiving, in the access control interface, input that specifies one or more access control levels for the document and receiving values of individual access controls for a plurality of users;

responsive to receiving the input that specifies the one or more access control levels for the document, instantly changing permission metadata for the document, while the document is still open in the window;

receiving, in the save interface, input in the editable text box that indicates a location at which to save the document;

in response to termination of the input that specifies a location at which to save the document, storing the document at the location, wherein the termination of the input that specifies the location at which to save the document is a change in focus away from the editable text box;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the access control interface is one of:

a pull-down box listing two or more access control levels, a set of one or more links specifying access control levels, or a set of one or more checkboxes specifying access control levels.

11. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

presenting a window comprising at least;

a graphical presentation of contents of a document, one or more graphical user interface controls configured to receive edits to the contents of the document, and a save interface comprising an editable text box;

wherein the save interface is configured to permit save operations on the document to different locations without creating a modal window for the save operations;

while displaying the save interface in the application window, receiving, via the one or more graphical user interface controls, one or more edit commands to add to or modify the contents of the document;

in response to the one or more edit commands, changing the graphical presentation of the contents of the document and changing an appearance of the entire save interface to indicate that the document contains unsaved modifications;

receiving, in the save interface, input in the editable text box that indicates a location at which to save the document;

in response to termination of the input that specifies a location at which to save the document, storing the document at the location, wherein termination of the input that specifies a location at which to save the document is a change in focus away from the editable text box.

12. The one or more storage media of claim 11, wherein changing the appearance of the entire save interface comprises rendering a glow effect around an editable text box for specifying the location in the save interface.

13. The one or more storage media of claim 11, wherein changing the appearance of the entire save interface comprises oscillating between two different appearances for the save interface, wherein the first appearance of the two different appearances comprises a glow effect around the editable text box for specifying the location in the save interface, wherein the second appearance of the two different appearances does not comprise the glow effect around the editable text box.

14. The one or more storage media of claim 11 comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

receiving, in the save interface, first input specifying a first portion of a name;

subsequent to the first input, without closing the save interface, receiving, via the one or more graphical user interface controls, second input specifying one or more changes to the contents of the document;

in response to the second input, changing the graphical presentation of the contents of the document;

subsequent to the second input, receiving, in the save interface, third input specifying a second portion of the name;

wherein the name comprises the second portion added to the first portion;

subsequent to the third input, receiving fourth input indicating that the name has been fully entered;

in response to the fourth input, saving the document at the location based upon the name.

15. The one or more storage media of claim 14, wherein the second input is received in the application window, and wherein the save interface is a modal-less interface inside the application window.

16. The one or more storage media of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause, after saving the document, without closing the window, continuing to receive edit commands to the contents of the document, without closing the window.

17. The one or more storage media of claim 11, further comprising, after saving the document, without closing the window, receiving additional edit commands to the contents of the document, followed by second input that specifies a new location at which to save the document.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more graphical user interface controls configured to receive edits to the contents of the document are within the graphical presentation of the document.

19. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

presenting a window comprising at least;

a graphical presentation of contents of a document, one or more graphical user interface controls configured to receive edits to the document, a save interface comprising both an editable text box and an access control interface;

wherein the editable text box and the access control interface are both visible within the save interface at the same time;

wherein the save interface is configured to permit save operations on the document to different locations without creating a modal window for the save operations;

while displaying the save interface in the application window, receiving, via the one or more graphical user interface controls, one or more edit commands to add to or modify the contents of the document;

in response to the one or more edit commands, changing the graphical presentation of the contents of the document;

receiving, in the access control interface, input that specifies one or more access control levels for the document and receiving values of individual access controls for a plurality of users;

responsive to receiving the input that specifies the one or more access control levels for the document, instantly changing permission metadata for the document, while the document is still open in the window;

receiving, in the save interface, input in the editable text box that indicates a location at which to save the document;

in response to termination of the input that specifies a location at which to save the document, storing the document at the location, wherein termination of the input that specifies a location at which to save the document is a change of focus away from the editable text box.

20. The one or more storage media of claim 19, wherein the access control interface is one of:

a pull-down box listing two or more access control levels, a set of one or more links specifying access control levels, or a set of one or more checkboxes specifying access control levels.