Automatically generating code for integrating context-sensitive help functions into a computer software application

• US 6,246,404 B1
• Filed: 03/18/1999
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Feigner, Randall James, Walden, Ralph Everett
• Primary Examiner(s): dela Torre, Crescelle N.
• Application Number:
  US09/272,931
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 345/338, 345/336, 345/337, 345/326, 345/333, 345/334, 345/335, 345/339, 345/346, 345/347, 345/354, 345/967, 395/701, 395/702, 709/302, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104, 434/118, 717/1, 717/2
• US Class Current: 715/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A computer software application includes multiple software components such as graphical control objects. A help editor receives context-sensitive help information associated with the graphical control objects. Using this help information as well as information about the graphical control objects, the help editor creates a header file and a map data structure. A help developer edits the header file and map data structure to produce a configuration of context-sensitive help functions for the computer software application. The help editor generates a source code header file and a source code map data structure according to the user-indicated configuration for integrating context-sensitive help functions into the computer software application.

Claims

1. A method for automatically generating source code for integrating into a computer software application context-sensitive help functions for graphical control objects of the computer software application, the method comprising:

providing a computer software application, wherein the computer software application comprises one or more dialog boxes, and wherein a dialog box comprises one or more graphical control objects;

providing context-sensitive help information for the graphical control objects of the computer software application, wherein the context-sensitive help information comprises textual help descriptions associated with the graphical control objects;

creating one or more header files about the context-sensitive help information;

creating one or more map data structures for associating graphical control objects with the context-sensitive help information;

displaying the header files and map data structures;

editing by a help developer the displayed header files and map data structures, whereby the help developer configures context-sensitive help functions for the computer software application; and

generating one or more source code files for the edited help header files and edited map data structures, whereby the source code files are usable by a programmer to integrate into the computer software application one or more context-sensitive help functions as configured by the help developer.

2. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

3. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules comprising:

a dialog box extraction module for locating one or more dialog boxes of a computer software application;

a dialog box creation and display module for preparing a dialog box for display and displaying the dialog box, wherein the dialog box encapsulates one or more control objects;

a dialog box data organization module for managing the dialog box, wherein the dialog box data organization module organizes data for the one or more control objects of the dialog box, and wherein the dialog box data organization module saves control object data to a control object map;

a help topic creation module for associating context-sensitive help information with the one or more control objects of the-dialog box as used in the dialog box; and

a dialog box code generation module for generating help development files for integrating into the computer software application context-sensitive help functions for one or more of the control objects.

4. A method for automatically generating help development files for integrating context-sensitive help functions into a computer software application, the method comprising:

providing a computer software application, wherein the computer software application comprises one or more software components;

providing context-sensitive help information for the software components; and

automatically generating a set of one or more help development files, wherein the set of help development files comprises source code information usable by a programmer during development of the computer software application to integrate context-sensitive help functions for software components into the computer software application.

5. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 4.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the set of one or more help development files comprises information usable to integrate context-sensitive help functions for all of the software components into the computer software application.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the software components are graphical controls of dialog boxes of the computer software application.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

automatically generating a set of one or more help development files for each of plural dialog boxes of the computer software application.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

automatically generating a set of one or more help development files for each dialog box of the computer software application.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein the context-sensitive help information for a software component comprises context-sensitive help information in place of default help information.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the set of help development files comprises information usable to integrate context-sensitive help functions for all non-default software components into the computer software application.

12. The method of claim 4 wherein the set of help development files comprises at least one header file and at least one map data structure.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the map data structure comprises a map of software component identifiers to help information identifiers.

14. The method of claim 4 wherein a user configures the set of help development files.

15. The method of claim 4 wherein generating comprises:

providing relation information on associations between the software components and the context sensitive help information; and

based upon the relation information, creating the set of help development files.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the software components are graphical controls of dialog boxes of the computer software application, and wherein the relation information comprises a control object map.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the control object map comprises a map of numerical graphical control identifiers to help information identifiers, and wherein creating the set of help development files comprises overwriting at least one numerical graphical control identifier with a mnemonic graphical control identifier.

18. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

displaying one or more of the help development files in the set of help development files; and

editing the displayed help development files.

19. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 18.

20. A method for automatically generating help development files for integrating context-sensitive help functions into a computer software application, the method comprising:

providing a computer software application, wherein the computer software application comprises one or more graphical controls of dialog boxes;

providing context-sensitive help information for the one or more graphical controls;

automatically generating a set of one or more help development files, wherein the set of help development files comprises information usable by a programmer during development of the computer software application to integrate context-sensitive help functions for the one or more graphical controls into the computer software application, and wherein generating comprises;

providing relation information on associations between the one or more graphical controls and the context sensitive help information, wherein the relation information comprises a control object map; and

based upon the relation information, creating the set of help development files, wherein said creating comprises filtering the control object map.

21. A method for automatically generating help development files for integrating context-sensitive help functions into a computer software application, the method comprising:

providing a computer software application, wherein the computer software application comprises one or more software components;

providing context-sensitive help information for the software components;

automatically generating a set of one or more help development files, wherein the set of help development files comprises information usable by a programmer during development of the computer software application to integrate context-sensitive help functions for software components into the computer software application;

displaying one or more of the help development files in the set of help development files; and

editing the displayed help development files, wherein during editing a user selects software components, and wherein after editing the set of help development files comprises information usable to integrate context-sensitive help functions for all but the selected software components into the computer software application.

22. A method for automatically generating help development files for integrating context-sensitive help functions into a computer software application, the method comprising:

providing a computer software application, wherein the computer software application comprises one or more software components;

providing context-sensitive help information for the software components;

automatically generating a set of one or more help development files, wherein the set of help development files comprises information usable by a programmer during development of the computer software application to integrate context-sensitive help functions for software components into the computer software application;

displaying one or more of the help development files in the set of help development files; and

editing the displayed help development files, wherein during editing a user selects software components, and wherein after editing the set of help development files comprises information usable to integrate context-sensitive help functions for the selected software components into the computer software application.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

automatically generating a second set of one or more help development files, wherein the second set of help development files comprises information usable to integrate context-sensitive help functions for the non-selected software components into the computer software application.