Multi-contextual delta navigation in a compare view

• US 20070143680A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Plante, Frederic, Letkeman, Kim, Mostafa, Mohammed, Cowan, Scott, Ramaswamy, Vishwanath
• Granted Patent: US 8,775,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/713
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/219 Managing data history or versioning querying versioned data G06F16/2474; querying temporal data G06F16/2477
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/971 Cooperative decision support systems for group of users

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to comparing artifacts and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for multi-contextual navigation of deltas in a hierarchy. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for multi-contextual navigation can include rendering objects for an artifact utilizing a default contextual view of the objects, selecting an object in the default contextual view and directing an inward navigation to a different object in the default contextual view. Notably, responsive to the directing of the inward navigation to the different object, a different contextual view can be provided for at least a portion of the objects defined by the different object.

Claims

1. A method for multi-contextual navigation, the method comprising:

rendering a plurality of objects for an artifact utilizing a default contextual view of the objects;

selecting an object in the default contextual view and directing an inward navigation to a different object in the default contextual view; and

,

providing a different contextual view for at least a portion of the objects defined by the different object responsive to the directing of the inward navigation to the different object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are nodes in a hierarchical representation of the artifact.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the default contextual view is one of a hierarchical view of the objects, a diagrammatic view, a textual view and a properties view.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein rendering a plurality of objects for an artifact utilizing a default contextual view of the objects, comprises rendering a plurality of objects for an artifact in a version control system utilizing a default contextual view of the objects.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein rendering a plurality of objects for an artifact utilizing a default contextual view of the objects, comprises rendering a plurality of objects for each of an ancestor artifact in an ancestor artifact view and at least one contributor artifact in a contributor artifact view, each within a single compare view.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein rendering a plurality of objects for an artifact utilizing a default contextual view of the objects, further comprises providing an icon adjacent to deltas among the objects indicating at least one of an added object, a removed object, a relocated object and a conflicted object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting an object in the default contextual view and directing an inward navigation to a different object in the default contextual view, comprises:

receiving a keystroke associated with the directing of the inward navigation of a selected node; and

,

responsive to receiving the keystroke, directing the inward navigation to a different object in the default contextual view.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein providing a different contextual view for at least a portion of the objects defined by the different object responsive to the directing of the inward navigation to the different object, comprises providing a different contextual view for at least a portion of the objects for each of the ancestor artifact in the ancestor artifact view and each contributor artifact in a corresponding contributor artifact view.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein providing a different contextual view for at least a portion of the objects defined by the different object responsive to the directing of the inward navigation to the different object, comprises providing a different contextual view for at least a portion of the objects for only one of the ancestor artifact in the ancestor artifact view and each contributor artifact in a corresponding contributor artifact view.

10. A development platform data processing system configured for processing deltas for an ancestor artifact and a contributor artifact for the ancestor artifact, the data processing system comprising:

a compare view for the development platform;

a view table coupled to the compare view, and configured to store different default contexts for different nodes in a hierarchical representation of an artifact; and

,

delta navigation logic coupled to the compare view and comprising program code enabled to respond to inward navigation directives for a node in a hierarchical contextual view of the artifact by rendering at least a portion of the artifact utilizing a different contextual view specified in the view table, the different contextual view comprising a contextual view selected from the group consisting of diagrammatic contextual view, a properties contextual view and a textual contextual view.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for multi-contextual navigation, the computer program product including:

computer usable program code for rendering a plurality of objects for an artifact utilizing a default contextual view of the objects;

computer usable program code for selecting an object in the default contextual view and directing an inward navigation to a different object in the default contextual view; and

,

computer usable program code for providing a different contextual view for at least a portion of the objects defined by the different object responsive to the directing of the inward navigation to the different object.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the objects are nodes in a hierarchical representation of the artifact.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the default contextual view is one of a hierarchical view of the objects, a diagrammatic view, a textual view and a properties view.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code for rendering a plurality of objects for an artifact utilizing a default contextual view of the objects, comprises computer usable program code for rendering a plurality of objects for an artifact in a version control system utilizing a default contextual view of the objects.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code for rendering a plurality of objects for an artifact utilizing a default contextual view of the objects, comprises computer usable program code for rendering a plurality of objects for each of an ancestor artifact in an ancestor artifact view and at least one contributor artifact in a contributor artifact view, each within a single compare view.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code for rendering a plurality of objects for an artifact utilizing a default contextual view of the objects, further comprises computer usable program code for providing an icon adjacent to deltas among the objects indicating at least one of an added object, a removed object, a relocated object and a conflicted object.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code for selecting an object in the default contextual view and directing an inward navigation to a different object in the default contextual view, comprises:

computer usable program code for receiving a keystroke associated with the directing of the inward navigation of a selected node; and

,

computer usable program code for responsive to receiving the keystroke, directing the inward navigation to a different object in the default contextual view.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer usable program code for providing a different contextual view for at least a portion of the objects defined by the different object responsive to the directing of the inward navigation to the different object, comprises computer usable program code for providing a different contextual view for at least a portion of the objects for each of the ancestor artifact in the ancestor artifact view and each contributor artifact in a corresponding contributor artifact view.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer usable program code for providing a different contextual view for at least a portion of the objects defined by the different object responsive to the directing of the inward navigation to the different object, comprises computer usable program code for providing a different contextual view for at least a portion of the objects for only one of the ancestor artifact in the ancestor artifact view and each contributor artifact in a corresponding contributor artifact view.