Maintaining graphical presentations based on user customizations

• US 9,619,910 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2012
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Wong, Karen K., Sherman, Scott A., Wright, Dawn, Kotler, Matthew J., Berker, Ilan, Gilbert, Brent, Shelly, Cynthia C., Pritting, Gary A., St. Amant, Kim Tapia, Wolf, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US13/621,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/20 Linear translation of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting

Abstract

A method and system for rendering graphics based on user customizations in a computer graphics application are disclosed. The customizations relate to various properties of one or more graphical elements in the graphic. Such properties include positioning, size, formatting and other visual attributes associated with the graphical elements. These properties may be defined as either semantic properties or presentation properties. Semantic properties are persistent across all graphic definitions. Presentation properties are specific to the graphic definition to which each particular graphic belongs. Thus, a customization to a semantic property of a displayed graphic is preserved in memory for application not only to the currently displayed graphic, but also to all other graphic definitions that may be displayed in the future. In contrast, a customization to a presentation property is only preserved for the currently displayed graphic, and thus not preserved for all other graphic definitions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for creating graphical content, comprising:

receiving a first line of text and a second line of text in a content entry area;

receiving one or more formats in addition to the first line of text and the second line of text;

in response to receiving the one or more formats, determining a hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text based on the one or more formats;

receiving a selection of a graphical layout definition, wherein the graphical layout definition defines a graphical layout for the graphical content;

creating the graphical content in a drawing canvas that is separate from the content entry area, wherein the creating comprises;

combining the first line of text with the graphical layout definition to generate a first shape, the first shape at least substantially encapsulating the first line of text;

combining the second line of text with the graphical layout definition to generate a second shape, the second shape at least substantially encapsulating the second line of text;

displaying a transition between the first shape and the second shape, the transition representing the hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text;

displaying the first line of text and the second line of text in the content entry area; and

displaying the graphical content having the first shape and the second shape in the drawing canvas area.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein one or more changes are displayed in the graphical content as the one or more formats are received.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the first line of text and the second line of text are a hierarchical list.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the graphical content is based on the first line of text, the second line of text, and a default graphical layout definition.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising a style gallery area for selecting one or more of a plurality of graphical style definitions to be combined with the first line of text and the second line of text, wherein each of the plurality of graphical style definitions defines a graphical style for the graphical content.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the graphical layout definition is selected from the group consisting of a hierarchical diagram, a process diagram, a cycle diagram, a relationship diagram, and a pyramid diagram.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the first line of text and the second line of text are linked to information in another application.

8. A system for editing graphical content, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and containing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method comprising;

receiving content in a content entry area, wherein the content includes a plurality of portions of the content;

receiving one or more formats to the content, wherein the one or more formats comprise at least one of;

a carriage return, an indent, a tab, a bullet, a text formatting, and a line spacing;

in response to receiving the one or more formats, determining relationships between the plurality of portions of the content based on the one or more formats;

displaying the graphical content in a drawing canvas area, the displaying comprising;

combining a first portion of content with a first graphical definition selected from a gallery area to display a first shape, the first shape at least substantially encapsulating the first portion of content;

combining a second portion of content with the first graphical definition to display a second shape, the second shape at least substantially encapsulating the second portion of content;

displaying a graphical line between the first shape and the second shape, the graphical line representing a relationship between the first portion of content and the second portion of content;

receiving one or more changes to the graphical content in the drawing canvas area, wherein the one or more changes comprise modifying at least one of;

the first shape and the second shape;

creating corresponding modifications to at least one of;

the first portion of content and the second portion of content in the content entry area; and

displaying the at least one modified first shape or second shape of the graphical content in the drawing canvas area and the at least one correspondingly modified first portion of content or second portion of content in the content entry area.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the one or more changes are to the first portion of content or the second portion of content in the content entry area.

10. The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second graphical definition; and

displaying modified graphical content in the drawing canvas area, comprising;

combining the first portion of content with the second graphical definition to display a third shape, the third shape at least substantially encapsulating the first portion of content;

combining the second portion of content with the second graphical definition to display a fourth shape, the fourth shape at least substantially encapsulating the second portion of content; and

displaying the graphical line between the third shape and the fourth shape, the graphical line representing the relationship between the first portion of content and the second portion of content.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the one or more changes are made directly to the graphical line in the drawing canvas area and the corresponding modifications are to the one or more formats in the content entry area.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first graphical definition comprises one of a hierarchical diagram, process diagram, cycle diagram, relationship diagram, and pyramid diagram.

13. A computing device comprising at least one memory and at least one processing unit operable to execute instructions for performing a method of creating a first graphical diagram, the method comprising:

receiving a first line of text and a second line of text in a content entry area;

receiving one or more formats in addition to the first line of text and the second line of text;

in response to receiving the one or more formats, determining a hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text based on the one or more formats;

receiving a selection of a first graphical layout from a layout gallery displaying a plurality of graphical layouts for creating the first graphical diagram; and

creating the first graphical diagram in a drawing canvas that is separate from the content entry area and the layout gallery, wherein the creating comprising;

combining the first line of text with the first graphical layout to generate a first shape, the first shape at least substantially encapsulating the first line of text;

combining the second line of text with the first graphical layout to generate a second shape, the second shape at least substantially encapsulating the second line of text;

displaying a transition between the first shape and the second shape, the transition representing the hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text;

displaying the first line of text and the second line of text in the content entry area; and

displaying the first graphical diagram having the first shape and the second shape in the drawing canvas area.

14. The computing device according to claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a first customization to a presentation property of the first shape; and

updating the presentation property of the first shape with the first customization.

15. The computing device according to claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a second customization to a semantic property of the first shape; and

updating the semantic property of the first shape with the second customization.

16. The computing device according to claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second graphical layout; and

in response to the selection of the second graphical layout, rendering a second graphical diagram comprising a first shape that includes the first line of text and the updated semantic property but not the updated presentation property.

17. The computing device according to claim 13, further comprising a style gallery area for selecting one or more of a plurality of graphical styles to be combined with the first line of text and the second line of text to create the first graphical diagram.

18. The computing device according to claim 13, wherein the first graphical diagram comprises one of a hierarchical diagram, a process diagram, a cycle diagram, a relationship diagram, and a pyramid diagram.

19. The computing device according to claim 13, wherein the first line of text and the second line of text are linked to information in another application.

20. The computing device according to claim 13, wherein one or more changes are made to the graphical line in the drawing canvas area and the corresponding modifications are to the one or more formats in the content entry area.