Maintaining graphical presentations based on user customizations

• US 10,297,061 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2017
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• 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 J
• Application Number:
  US15/467,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20170193683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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;

determining a hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text;

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

creating the graphical content based on the determined hierarchical relationship, comprising;

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; and

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.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one or more formats associated with at least the first line of text and the second line of text; and

determining the hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text based at least in part on the one or more formats.

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

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

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the graphical layout definition is an automatically selected default graphical layout definition, and wherein the graphical content is based on the first line of text, the second line of text and the default graphical layout definition.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

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

7. The computer-implemented method of 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.

8. The computer-implemented method of 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.

9. 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 a first line of text and a second line of text in a first pane;

determining a hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text;

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

creating the graphical content in a second pane, comprising;

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; and

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.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving one or more formats associated with at least the first line of text and the second line of text; and

determining the hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text based at least in part on the one or more formats.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein one or more changes are displayed in the graphical content as the one or more formats are received.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first line of text and the second line of text are a hierarchical list.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the graphical layout definition is an automatically selected default graphical layout definition, and wherein the graphical content is based on the first line of text, the second line of text and the default graphical layout definition.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

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

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

15. The system of claim 9, 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.

16. 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;

receiving one or more formats associated with at least the first line of text and the second line of text;

based at least in part on the one or more formats, determining a hierarchical relationship between the first line of text and the second line of text;

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

creating the graphical content based on the determined hierarchical relationship, comprising;

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; and

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.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein one or more changes are displayed in the graphical content as the one or more formats are received.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the first line of text and the second line of text are a hierarchical list.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the graphical layout definition is an automatically selected default graphical layout definition, and wherein the graphical content is based on the first line of text, the second line of text and the default graphical layout definition.

20. The computing device of claim 16, 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.