Persistently self-replicating cells

• US 9,922,019 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bauchot, Frederic
• Primary Examiner(s): Zuberi, Mohammed-Ibrahim
• Application Number:
  US14/840,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20150370775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

The present invention includes a method and system for persistently self-replicating multiple ranges of cells through a copy-paste operation, in a multi-dimensional spreadsheet. A set of ranges of cells is defined, wherein each range of cells has the same size. Each time the content of a range of cells belonging to this set is changed, a self-replication operation is performed automatically. The self-replication operation includes the steps of copying the changed range of cells onto a buffer; determining the set of ranges of cells to which the changed range of cells belongs; identifying the ranges of cells belonging to the set; and pasting the content of the buffer in each of the identified range of cells belonging to the set.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for self-replicating ranges of cells in a spreadsheet, the method comprising executing on a central processor the steps of:

presenting, within a graphical user interface, a plurality of unique set names that are each assigned to one each of a plurality of different sets of ranges of cells of a spreadsheet, wherein each of the unique set names are assigned to at least one of the ranges, and each of the ranges of cells comprise a plurality of different cells of the spreadsheet;

in response to a selection of one of the presented unique set names via an input to the graphical user interface, listing at least one range of the plurality of the ranges that is assigned to the selected unique set name; and

in response to an update of one of the cells of the listed at least one range of the plurality of the ranges that is assigned to the selected unique set name via the graphical user interface, automatically entering the update into all other ones of the cells of the ranges that are assigned to the set of the selected unique set name by;

establishing a top record within a self replication table containing an address field of the unique set name, a pattern of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name, and set and range indices of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name;

setting the top record of the self replication table as the current record; and

updating the all other ones of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name set by retrieving the address field of the unique set name from the top record of the self replication table set as the current record and pasting the update entered by the user into the one of the cells into the all other ones of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name that are pointed to by the retrieved address field.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

integrating computer-readable program code into a computer system comprising the processor, a computer readable memory in circuit communication with the processor, and a computer readable storage medium in circuit communication with the processor; and

wherein the processor executes program code instructions stored on the computer-readable storage medium via the computer readable memory and thereby performs the steps of presenting within the graphical user interface the plurality of unique set names that are each assigned to one each of a plurality of different sets of ranges of cells of a spreadsheet, listing the at least one range of the plurality of the ranges that is assigned to the selected unique set name in response to the selection of one of the presented unique set names via an input to the graphical user interface, and, in response to the update of one of the cells of the listed at least one range of the plurality of the ranges that is assigned to the selected unique set name via the graphical user interface, automatically entering the update into all other ones of the cells of the ranges that are assigned to the set of the selected unique set name.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to selection of a suppress button that is displayed within the graphical user interface, deleting one of the ranges that is assigned to the selected set of ranges from the list of ranges.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to selection of an add button that is displayed within the graphical user interface, assigning another range that is identified in a range field to the selected set of ranges.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to selection of a rename button that is displayed within the graphical user interface, renaming the unique name of the selected set of ranges of cells with another unique name entered into a rename text box.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected set have a same size.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a display attribute for a first variable;

associating the first variable with each of the cells of the ranges that are assigned to the selected set of ranges; and

displaying the cells of the selected set of ranges associated with the first variable with the defined display attribute.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable memory in circuit communication with the processor; and

a computer-readable storage device in circuit communication with the processor;

wherein the processor executes program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory and thereby;

presents, within a graphical user interface, a plurality of unique set names that are each assigned to one each of a plurality of different sets of ranges of cells of a spreadsheet, wherein each of the unique set names are assigned to at least one of the ranges, and each of the ranges of cells comprise a plurality of different cells of the spreadsheet;

in response to a selection of one of the presented unique set names via an input to the graphical user interface, lists at least one range of the plurality of the ranges that is assigned to the selected unique set name; and

in response to an update of one of the cells of the listed at least one range of the plurality of the ranges that is assigned to the selected unique set name via the graphical user interface, automatically enters the update into all other ones of the cells of the ranges that are assigned to the set of the selected unique set name by;

establishing a top record within a self replication table containing an address field of the unique set name, a pattern of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name, and set and range indices of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name;

setting the top record of the self replication table as the current record; and

updating the all other ones of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name set by retrieving the address field of the unique set name from the top record of the self replication table set as the current record and pasting the update entered by the user into the one of the cells into the all other ones of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name that are pointed to by the retrieved address field.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the central processor executes the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory, and thereby:

in response to selection of a suppress button that is displayed within the graphical user interface, deletes one of the ranges that is assigned to the selected set of ranges from the list of ranges.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the central processor executes the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory, and thereby:

in response to selection of an add button that is displayed within the graphical user interface, assigns another range that is identified in a range field to the selected set of ranges.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the central processor executes the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory, and thereby:

in response to selection of a rename button that is displayed within the graphical user interface, renames the unique name of the selected set of ranges of cells with another unique name entered into a rename text box.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected set have a same size.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the central processor executes the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory, and thereby:

defines a display attribute for a first variable;

associates the first variable with each of the cells of the ranges that are assigned to the selected set of ranges; and

displays the cells of the selected set of ranges associated with the first variable with the defined display attribute.

14. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer readable hardware storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising instructions for execution by a computer central processor that cause the computer central processor to;

present, within a graphical user interface, a plurality of unique set names that are each assigned to one each of a plurality of different sets of ranges of cells of a spreadsheet, wherein each of the unique set names are assigned to at least one of the ranges, and each of the ranges of cells comprise a plurality of different cells of the spreadsheet;

in response to a selection of one of the presented unique set names via an input to the graphical user interface, list at least one range of the plurality of the ranges that is assigned to the selected unique set name; and

in response to an update of one of the cells of the listed at least one range of the plurality of the ranges that is assigned to the selected unique set name via the graphical user interface, automatically enter the update into all other ones of the cells of the ranges that are assigned to the set of the selected unique set name by;

establishing a top record within a self replication table containing an address field of the unique set name, a pattern of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name, and set and range indices of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name;

setting the top record of the self replication table as the current record; and

updating the all other ones of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name set by retrieving the address field of the unique set name from the top record of the self replication table set as the current record and pasting the update entered by the user into the one of the cells into the all other ones of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected unique set name that are pointed to by the retrieved address field.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program code instructions for execution by the computer central processor, further cause the computer central processor to:

in response to selection of a suppress button that is displayed within the graphical user interface, deletes one of the ranges that is assigned to the selected set of ranges from the list of ranges.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program code instructions for execution by the computer central processor, further cause the computer central processor to:

in response to selection of an add button that is displayed within the graphical user interface, assign another range that is identified in a range field to the selected set of ranges.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program code instructions for execution by the computer central processor, further cause the computer central processor to:

in response to selection of a rename button that is displayed within the graphical user interface, rename the unique name of the selected set of ranges of cells with another unique name entered into a rename text box.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein each of the cells of the ranges assigned to the selected set have a same size.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program code instructions for execution by the computer central processor, further cause the computer central processor to:

define a display attribute for a first variable;

associate the first variable with each of the cells of the ranges that are assigned to the selected set of ranges; and

display the cells of the selected set of ranges associated with the first variable with the defined display attribute.