Means for specifying direct manipulation relationships on hierarchically structured visuals

• US 6,489,970 B1
• Filed: 11/16/1999
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pazel, Donald P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/440,653
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 345/763, 345/769, 345/853, 345/841, 345/835, 345/762, 345/764, 345/770, 345/855, 345/846, 345/856, 717/110, 717/113, 717/100, 717/162, 717/165, 709/315, 709/316, 709/318
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

A method and apparatus for defining direct manipulation relationships amongst graphical elements of hierarchically structured visuals. The method provides a means for specifiying direct manipulation relations in a manner identical to the way they would be utilized in applications. The method captures the direct manipulation specifications as data, which applications may readily utilize to implement those direct manipulation relationships. The direct manipulation relationships are specified at design time, for example, using graphical objects similar to those of the applications, and using graphical gestures identical to the ones to be used in the application. This is a form of direct manipulation by example. Data capturing direct manipulation specifications made in this manner could then be easily used directly in applications.

Claims

1. A method for defining direct manipulation relationships between graphical elements in hierarchically structured visuals, said method comprising the steps of:

inputting a host graphical element of a first visual object definition, and a guest graphical element of a second visual object definition;

defining a gesture corresponding to manipulation of the two visual object definitions that were input in the inputting step;

associating an action with the gesture; and

storing information in memory that defines the gesture of graphical elements in memory, and its associated action, said information used to augment the two visual object definitions to indicate direct manipulation relationships between the host and guest graphical elements

wherein said object and gesture definitions are in a form specifiable to an application dynamically without being coded within said application.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of defining a gesture further comprises the steps of:

displaying a plurality of visual objects on a display device, each visual object being a visual depiction of its definition comprised of surrogate visual graphical elements representing graphical elements of the definition;

selecting a guest surrogate visual graphical element in a visual object; and

dragging and dropping the selected guest surrogate visual graphical element onto a host surrogate graphical element.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information indicating direct manipulation relationships includes the identities of the host and guest graphical elements, and optionally, keyboard key depression information and information pertaining to actions to be performed when these relationships are realized or acted out in an actual application using these definitions;

and

the stored information comprises the direct manipulation relationship information, wherein hierarchically structured visual definitions are represented as graphical elements having a corresponding set of graphical element definitions, the graphical definitions structured in a tree and each graphical element definition having a corresponding set of action items having information regarding direct manipulation relationships.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the host graphical element has a definition for information pertaining to actions to be performed and guest information for a guest element has references to a hierarchically structured visual definition and one of the set of corresponding graphical element definitions.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein surrogate graphical elements correspond to displayed graphical elements.

6. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the direct manipulation relationship information is utilized to enforce the relationships within an application.

7. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein a graphical element is restricted from engaging as a guest in a direct manipulation relationship.

8. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein a graphical element is restricted from engaging as a host in a direct manipulation relationship.

9. An apparatus for defining direct manipulation relationships between graphical elements in hierarchically structured visuals, comprising:

a data processing system comprising a display device, an interactive device, as in a keyboard, a pointing device, a storage device, and a data processor;

memory coupled to the data processor via a bidirectional bus, wherein the memory includes a first memory section for at least one program and a second memory section for data;

computer code comprising a relationship defining process, wherein the computer code is stored in the first memory section, and the computer code defines direct manipulation relationships between graphical elements in hierarchically structured visuals;

hierarchically structured visual relationship definitions stored in the second memory section, having definitions for nested guest and host visual objects, and definitions indicating direct manipulation relationships between host and guest graphical elements; and

a graphical system capable of initiating direct manipulation of a nested graphical element,

wherein said visual relationship definitions are in a form specifiable to an application dynamically without being coded within said application.

10. A computer readable medium containing code for defining direct manipulation relationships between graphical elements in hierarchically structured visuals, the code implementing the steps of:

inputting two visual object definitions, the first visual object definition being for a host graphical element and the second visual object definition being for a guest graphical element;

displaying a plurality of visual objects on a display device;

defining a gesture corresponding to manipulation of the two visual object definitions;

associating an action with the gesture; and

storing information in memory that defines the gesture of graphical elements in memory, and its associated action, said information used to augment the two visual object definitions to indicate direct manipulation relationships between the host and guest graphical elements,

wherein said object and gesture definitions are in a form specifiable to an application dynamically without being coded within said application.

11. A method for executing direct manipulations between graphical elements in hierarchically structured visuals based on relationship information data derived from a relationship definition process, said method comprising the steps of:

initiating a direct manipulation on an identified graphical element, the identified graphical element being a member of a set of graphical elements wherein each graphical element in the set has relationship information about other graphical elements in the set with which the graphical element has a direct manipulation relationship, and the relationship information comprises a visual object definition comprising a set of graphical elements, and a identification of actions to take place when a selected direct manipulation is executed;

assigning a drag image for the direct manipulation initiated in the initiating step;

determining if a direct manipulation relationship exists between a dragging graphical element and a dragged-over graphical element by referring to the relationship information associated with the graphical elements to be manipulated, if the direct manipulation initiated in the initiating step is a drag-over operation, and if the direct manipulation relationship exists allowing the operation, but if the direct manipulation relationship does not exist, then disallowing the operation; and

determining if a direct manipulation relationship exists between a dropped-onto graphical element and a dropping graphical element by referring to the relationship information associated with the graphical elements to be manipulated, if the direct manipulation initiated in the initiating step is a drop-onto operation, and if the direct manipulation relationship exists allowing the operation, but if the direct manipulation relationship does not exist, then disallowing the operation,

wherein said relationship information is in a form specifiable to an application dynamically without being coded within said application.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the identified graphical element functions as a dropped-onto graphical element.

13. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the identified graphical element functions as a dragged-over graphical element.

14. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the relationship definition is defined by performing the steps of:

inputting a host graphical element of a first visual object definition, and a guest graphical element of a second visual object definition;

defining a gesture corresponding to manipulation of the two visual object definitions that were input in the inputting step;

associating an action with the gesture; and

storing information in memory that defines the gesture of graphical elements in memory, and its associated action, said information used to augment the two visual object definitions to indicate direct manipulation relationships between the host and guest graphical elements.