Results-oriented help displays for computer software programs

• US 6,297,822 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1998
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Feldman, Sabra M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/223,204
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 345/329, 345/333, 345/334, 345/338, 345/339, 345/336, 345/346, 345/347
• US Class Current: 715/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Special bit-mapped images, or buttons, are programmed to display in a primary topic window of an on-line help system when a result or warning may be helpful to the user. The user can choose whether or not to click a pointing device, such as a mouse on the bit-mapped image. Clicking the pointing device on the bit-mapped image will pull up the expected result or warning in either a secondary topic window or pop-up, either of-which can be closed when the information has been reviewed. Such an organization of help information in multiple windows provides users with access to information that may be useful and even essential, without cluttering the primary topic window and decreasing user productivity.

Claims

1. A method encoded in the form of binary program instructions for making available to a user, in a graphical user interface environment, information related to an expected result of a procedural step prior to executing the step on a computing system, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a first help window having an activation entity displayed thereon;

(b) displaying a second help window which appears and at least partially displaces the first help window in response to the user clicking on said activation entity with a pointing device, said second help window containing information regarding the expected result, wherein the information regarding the expected result is provided as a screen capture of a window display as it would appear following execution of the procedural step rather than as a textual description of the expected result of the procedural step; and

(c) clearing the second help window and restoring the first help window in response to user provided input through said pointing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the expected result is provided as a textual description.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said activation entity is a bit-mapped image.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said bit-mapped image includes a label titled “

RESULT”

.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the expected result is a warning.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein both said first and second help windows are topic windows.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first help window is a topic window and said second help window is a pop-up window.

8. A computer implemented process for making available to a user, in a graphical user interface environment, information related to an expected result of a procedural step prior to executing the step on a computer system, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a first help window having an activation entity displayed thereon;

(b) displaying a second help window which appears and at least partially displaces the first help window in response to the user clicking on said activation entity with a pointing device, said second help window containing information regarding the expected result, said information regarding the expected result being a screen capture of a window display as it would appear following execution of the procedural step rather than as a textual description of the expected result of the procedural step; and

(c) clearing the second help window and restoring the first help window in response to user provided input through said pointing device.

9. The process of claim 8, wherein the information regarding to the expected result is provided as a textual description.

10. The process of claim 8, wherein said activation entity is a bit-mapped image.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein said bit-mapped image includes a label titled “

RESULT”

.

12. The process of claim 8, wherein the information regarding to the expected result is a warning.

13. The process of claim 8, wherein both the first and second help windows are topic windows.

14. The process of claim 8, wherein said first window is a topic window and said second window is a pop-up window.

15. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for making available to a user in a graphical user interface environment information related to an expected result of a procedural step prior to executing the step on a computer system, the computer program product further comprising;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect displaying a first help window having an activation entity displayed thereon;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect displaying a second help window which appears and at least partially displaces the first help screen in response to the user clicking on said activation entity with a pointing device, said second help screen containing information regarding the expected result;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect providing the information regarding the expected result as a graphic representation of an actual screen as such screen would appear following execution of the procedural step rather than as a textual description of the expected result of the procedural step;

and computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect clearing the second help window and restoring the first help window in response to user provided input through said pointing device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said computer program product further comprises computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect providing the information regarding to the expected result as a textual description.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said computer program product further comprises computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect representation of the activation entity as a bit-mapped image.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said computer program product further comprises computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect a warning as the information regarding the expected result.

19. A graphic user interface providing help to a computer user during the running of an application program on a computer, the graphic user interface comprising a plurality of computer readable code devices that operate to make available to the computer user, result information relative to a result that would be accomplished by a given user-initiated application program step, the result information being provided to the computer user prior to the computer user actually executing the given application program step:

first computer readable code devices configured to cause the computer to display a help screen relating to the given application program step, the help screen having a result icon displayed thereon for selection by the computer user;

second computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer to display a result screen which at least partially displaces the help screen;

the result screen being displayed in response to the computer user using a pointing device to select the result icon that is displayed on the help screen;

the result screen containing the information relative to the result that would be accomplished by the given application program step;

third computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer to provide the information relative to the result that would be accomplished by the given application program step as a graphic representation of a application program screen as it would appear following execution of the given application program step rather than as a textual description of the expected result of the procedural step; and

fourth computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer to clear the result screen and to restore the help screen in response to the compute user using the pointing device to provide an input to the computer.