Dual context interaction with a content object for facilitating content creation and software development

• US 9,778,919 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc., Atomz Corporation
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Kusmer, Steven R., Rhoton, King, Schectman, Hal R., Schultz, Dietrich W., Thompson, Michael P., Wallace, Kevin G., Herring, Brian D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Doon
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LE V
• Application Number:
  US10/877,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20140245257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,848 Days
• Field of Search: 715760, 715744, 715762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A software module is presented that enables a user to efficiently switch between interacting with a content object in a first context and a second context. Information from the first context is used when switching to the second context and vice versa, thereby decreasing the overhead associated with switching contexts. In one embodiment, the content object is an HTML file, the first context is the file as it appears in a web browser, and the second context is the file in editable format. In one embodiment, when the web browser is directed to a “context-switch URL,” a modified web server extracts information from the context-switch URL and switches the context from the first context to the second. In one embodiment, a person initiates a context-switch by pushing a button on the web browser. This causes a context-switch URL to be generated and directs the web browser to the context-switch URL.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying, on a display device, a user interface comprising an interface element for switching an application from a user mode to a developer mode of operation, wherein the application operating in the developer mode provides editing functionality not available when the application is operating in the user mode;

in response to activation of the interface element while the application displays a file in the user mode;

determining a target file corresponding to and comprising an editable version of the file currently displayed in the user mode, and

switching the application from the user mode to the developer mode,

generating a request for the target file, and

in response to receiving the target file, displaying at least a portion of the target file in the user interface while the application is operating in the developer mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the file is a webpage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying the file further comprises determining a URL of said file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating the request further comprises:

generating the request to indicate a portion of the file displayed when the interface element was activated.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least a portion of the target file corresponds to the portion of the file displayed when the interface element was activated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the file is a database record, and wherein said displaying the file is in response to a database query.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon one or more sequences of instructions for causing one or more microprocessors to perform:

displaying, on a display device, a user interface comprising an interface element for switching an application from a user mode to a developer mode of operation, wherein the application operating in the developer mode provides editing functionality not available when the application is operating in the user mode;

in response to activation of the interface element while the application displays a file in the user mode;

determining a target file corresponding to and comprising an editable version of the file currently displayed in the user mode, switching the application from the user mode to the developer mode, generating a request for the target file, and in response to receiving the target file, displaying, at least a portion of the target file in the user interface while the application is operating in the developer mode.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the file comprises a webpage.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein said generating the request further comprises:

generating the request to indicate user authentication information, wherein the editing functionality in the developer mode is provided in response to a determination, based on the user authentication information, of editing access to the target file.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein said displaying the file further comprises determining a URL of said file.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein said generating the request further comprises:

generating the request to indicate a portion of the file displayed when the interface element was activated.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the at least a portion of the target file corresponds to the portion of the file displayed when the interface element was activated.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein prior to said displaying the at least a portion of the target file, determining the at least a portion of the target file based on the request indication of the portion of the file displayed when the interface element was activated.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the file is a database record, and wherein said displaying the file is in response to a database query.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the user mode is a query mode providing a user with a database query interface.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein said displaying the target file comprises displaying at least a field of the database record displayed when the interface element was activated.

17. A computing device comprising:

a memory for storing an application, wherein the application comprises computer-implemented instructions for performing operations including displaying a user interface comprising an interface element for switching the application from a user mode to a developer mode of operation, wherein the application operating in the developer mode provides editing functionality not available when the application is operating in the user mode;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory for executing the computer-implemented instructions of the application and thereby causing the application to display the user interface on a display device and, in response to activation of the interface element while the application displays a file in the user mode;

determine a target file corresponding to and comprising an editable version of the file displayed in the user mode,

switch the application from the user mode to the developer mode,

generate a request for the target file, and

in response to receiving the target file, display at least a portion of the target file in the user interface while the application is operating in the developer mode.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the at least a portion of the target file corresponds to a portion of the file displayed when the interface element was activated.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein prior to said displaying the at least a portion of the target file, determining the at least the portion of the target file based on the request, the request comprising an indication of the portion of the file displayed when the interface element was activated.

20. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the computing device further comprises a network interface for communicating on a network accessible to the computing device, the file and the target file being obtained, via the network, from one or more remote servers.

21. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the interface element comprises a button and activating the interface element comprises a press of the button with an input device.

22. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the file is a database record, and wherein said displaying the file is in response to a database query.