COOPERATING WIDGETS

• US 20080141153A1
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Samson, Frederic, Beringer, Joerg, Wood, Eric R.B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,117,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• 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

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses enable interaction with an end-user application to perform functional operations with selected elements of the end-user application or an operating environment of the end-user application. An application runtime receives an indication of a selection of an item of the end-user application, and a command to have the selected item interact with a target. The interaction of the item with the target initiates an action that is based on functionality associated with the selected item and a type of the target. The target type may be a widget, a folder, the desktop, etc. The interaction may result in creation of a standalone widget, execution of the functionality, creation of a relationship, etc. An item from the desktop may also be selected and caused to interact with the end-user application to provide additional functionality to the end-user application.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection of an item of an end-user application executing on a desktop, the selected item associated with a functionality of the end-user application;

identifying a target selected on the desktop;

receiving a command to have the selected item interact with the identified target; and

initiating an action in response to receiving the command, the action based on the functionality associated with the selected item, and a type of the target.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of selection of the item of the end-user application comprises:

receiving an indication that a data object of the end-user application is selected, the data object associated with a function that the end-user application provides.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of selection of the item of the end-user application comprises:

receiving an indication that a data field of the end-user application is selected, the data field associated with a function that the end-user application provides.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of the selection of the item of the end-user application comprises:

receiving the indication of the selection of an item of a widget.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the command to have the selected item interact with the target comprises:

receiving an indication of a drag and drop of the selected item onto the target.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the command to have the selected item interact with the target comprises:

receiving an indication of a copy and paste of the selected item onto the target.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the command to have the selected item interact with the target comprises:

receiving a command to have a selected item from the end-user application interact with the desktop; and

wherein initiating the action comprises;

creating a widget that exists independently of the end-user application, the widget having the selected item, which is associated with the functionality in the widget.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the command to have the selected item from the end-user application interact with the desktop comprises:

receiving a command to have the selected item from a parent widget interact with the desktop; and

wherein initiating the action comprises;

creating a child widget that exists independently of the parent widget, the child widget having the selected item, which is associated with the functionality in the child widget.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein creating the widget that exists independently of the end-user application, the widget having the selected item associated with the functionality in the widget further comprises:

removing the item and the associated functionality from the end-user application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the command to have the selected item interact with the target comprises:

receiving a command to have a selected item from the end-user application interact with a widget; and

wherein initiating the action comprises;

creating a relationship between the end-user application and the widget, the relationship based on the functionality of the selected item.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the command to have the selected item interact with the target comprises:

receiving a command to have a selected item interact with a project folder on the desktop; and

wherein initiating the action comprises;

creating a relationship between the selected item and a project associated with the project folder.

12. An article of manufacture comprising a machine readable medium having content stored thereon to provide instructions to cause a computing device to perform operations including:

receiving an indication of a selection of an item of widget executing on a desktop, the selected item associated with a functionality of the widget;

identifying a target selected on the desktop;

receiving a command to have the selected item interact with the identified target; and

initiating an action in response to receiving the command, the action based on the functionality associated with the selected item, and a type of the target.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the content to provide instructions for receiving the command to have the selected item interact with the target comprises content to provide instructions for

receiving a command to have a selected item from a parent widget interact with the desktop;

and

wherein the content to provide instructions for initiating the action comprises content to provide instructions for

creating a child widget that exists independently of the parent widget, the child widget having the selected item, which is associated with the functionality in the child widget.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the content to provide instructions for receiving the command to have the selected item interact with the target comprises content to provide instructions for

receiving a command to have a selected item from a first widget interact with a second widget;

and

wherein the content to provide instructions for initiating the action comprises content to provide instructions for

creating a relationship between the first widget and the second widget, the relationship based on the functionality of the selected item.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the content to provide instructions for receiving the command to have the selected item interact with the target comprises content to provide instructions for

receiving a command to have a selected item interact with a project folder on the desktop;

and

wherein the content to provide instructions for initiating the action comprises content to provide instructions for

creating a relationship between the selected item and a project associated with the project folder.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the content to provide instructions for initiating the action further comprises content to provide instructions for

looking up an action to perform responsive to the command to have the selected item interact with the identified target, with the selected item and identified target as keys to determine the action to perform.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the content to provide instructions for looking up the action further comprises content to provide instructions for

looking up the action with a work context as a key to determine the action to perform.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection of an item on a desktop;

identifying an end-user application selected on the desktop;

receiving a command to have the selected item interact with the end-user application;

incorporating the selected item into the end-user application; and

generating a functionality in the end-user application, the functionality associated with the incorporated item.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein receiving the indication of the selection of the item comprises:

receiving an indication of the selection of one of a functional item of another end-user application, an object, a link to an object or service, or a desktop icon.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the indication of the selection of the item comprises:

receiving an indication of selection of a link; and

further comprising;

accessing a target of the link to obtain functionality to incorporate into the end-user application.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein identifying the end-user application selected on the desktop comprises:

identifying a widget of the desktop.

22. An article of manufacture comprising a machine readable medium having content stored thereon to provide instructions to cause a machine to perform operations including:

receiving an indication of a selection of an item on a desktop;

identifying a widget selected on the desktop;

receiving a command to have the selected item interact with the widget;

incorporating the selected item into the widget; and

generating a functionality in the widget, the functionality associated with the incorporated item.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein the content to provide instructions for receiving the indication of the selection of the item comprises content to provide instructions for

receiving an indication of the selection of one of a functional item of another end-user application, an object, a link to an object or service, or a desktop icon.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the content to provide instructions for receiving the indication of the selection of the item comprises content to provide instructions for

receiving an indication of selection of a link;

and

further comprising content to provide instructions for accessing a target of the link to obtain functionality to incorporate into the widget.

25. A system comprising:

a memory to store code associated with an end-user application;

a processor coupled to the memory to execute the end-user application;

a runtime interaction module coupled to the memory to receive an indication of a selection of an item of on a desktop executed by the processor, receive a command to have the selected item interact with the end-user application, and dynamically modify the end-user application by the interaction, wherein modifying the end-user application includes dynamically modifying the functionality of the end-user application based on the interaction.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a lookup table coupled to the runtime interaction module to provide relationship metadata to enable the runtime interaction module to determine how to modify the functionality of the end-user application based on the interaction.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a service mediator coupled to the memory and the runtime interaction module, the service mediator to access a service from a backend enterprise server, wherein modifying the functionality of the end-user application includes enabling the end-user application to provide the accessed backend service.

28. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection of an item of on a desktop;

receiving a command to have the selected item interact with another component of the desktop; and

dynamically modifying an end-user application by the interaction, wherein modifying the end-user application includes dynamically modifying the functionality of the end-user application based on the interaction.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein receiving the indication of the selection of the item comprises:

receiving an indication of the selection of one of a functional item of another end-user application, an object, a link to an object or service, or a desktop icon.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein dynamically modifying the functionality of the end-user application based on the interaction comprises:

modifying existing functionality of the end-user application.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein dynamically modifying the functionality of the end-user application based on the interaction comprises:

adding functionality to the end-user application.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein dynamically modifying the functionality of the end-user application based on the interaction comprises:

removing functionality from the end-user application.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

persisting the modification of the functionality of the end-user application.