Methods, systems and computer program products for controlling tree diagram graphical user interfaces and/or for partially collapsing tree diagrams

• US 7,242,413 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2003
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Haynes, Thomas Richard, Chu, Heng
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harrison; Chante
• Application Number:
  US10/446,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20040239683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 345/619, 345/853, 345/854, 345/855, 345/74.1, 345/77, 345/89, 345/101, 345/207, 345/690, 345589-590, 345/440, 715/764, 715/851, 715/853, 715/854, 715/855
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Methods for selectively displaying portions of a hierarchical data set on an electronic display comprise the steps of displaying at least a portion of the hierarchical data set on an electronic display in a tree diagram format. Input may then be obtained from a user to identify one or more displayed nodes in the tree diagram that are to be hidden and/or one or more hidden nodes in the tree diagram that are to be displayed. Based on this input, at least one node in the tree diagram is partially collapsed and/or at least one node in the tree diagram may be partially expanded so as to display the hidden nodes identified by the user and so as to hide the displayed nodes identified by the user.

Claims

1. A method for selectively displaying portions of a hierarchical data set on an electronic display, the method comprising:

displaying at least a portion of the hierarchical data set on the electronic display in a tree diagram format;

obtaining user input to identify one or more nodes in the tree diagram that are to be hidden; and

partially collapsing at least one node in the tree diagram to hide the one or more identified nodes, wherein the partial collapse comprises collapsing the at least one node to hide some, but not all, of the children nodes of the at least one node;

wherein a dialog box is associated with the at least one node in the tree diagram, and wherein the dialog box displays at least some of the at least one node'"'"'s descendant nodes to facilitate obtaining the user input identifying the one or more nodes that are to be hidden.

2. A method for selectively displaying portions of a hierarchical data set on an electronic display, the method comprising:

displaying at least a portion of the hierarchical data set on the electronic display in a tree diagram format;

obtaining user input to identify one or more nodes in the tree diagram that are to be hidden; and

partially collapsing at least one node in the tree diagram to hide the one or more identified nodes, wherein the partial collapse comprises collapsing the at least one node to hide some, but not all, of the children nodes of the at least one node;

wherein a dialog box is associated with a first node in the tree diagram that displays at least some of the nodes in the tree diagram between the first node and a corresponding root node to facilitate obtaining the user input identifying the one or more nodes that are to be hidden.

3. A method for selectively displaying portions of a hierarchical data set on an electronic display, the method comprising;

displaying at least a portion of the hierarchical data set on the electronic display in a tree diagram format;

obtaining user input to identify one or more nodes in the tree diagram that are to be hidden; and

partially collapsing at least one node in the tree diagram to hide the one or more identified nodes, wherein the partial collapse comprises collapsing the at least one node to hide some, but not all, of the children nodes of the at least one node;

wherein obtaining user input identifying one or more nodes in the tree diagram that are to be hidden comprises having a user identify nodes that will remain displayed when an ancestor node is partially collapsed.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing an indicia on the electronic display associated with each partially collapsed node that identifies the node as being a partially collapsed node.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the indicia comprises an ellipsis.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the ellipsis is located between the partially collapsed node and a first descendant node of the partially collapsed node that is displayed on the electronic display.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting the indicia.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selection of the indicia causes the node associated with the indicia to collapse.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the electronic display is part of a handheld computing device.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein partially collapsing at least one node comprises collapsing at least one immediate descendant node of the at least one node into the at least one node without collapsing all the descendant nodes of the at least one node into the at least one node.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising saving to a memory storage device the current configuration of nodes displayed on the electronic display.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein saving to a memory storage device the current configuration of nodes displayed on the electronic display comprises having a user associate a name with the current configuration and saving the current configuration and the associated name to the memory storage device.

13. A method for selectively displaying portions of a hierarchical data set on an electronic display, the method comprising:

displaying at least a portion of the hierarchical data set on the electronic display in a tree diagram format;

obtaining user input to identify one or more nodes in the tree diagram that are to be hidden;

partially collapsing at least one node in the tree diagram to hide the one or more identified nodes, wherein the partial collapse comprises collapsing the at least one node to hide some, but not all, of the children nodes of the at least one node;

providing an indicia on the electronic display associated with each partially collapsed node that identifies the node as being a partially collapsed node; and

selecting the indicia;

wherein the selection of the indicia causes a dialog box to appear that displays at least two options for further collapsing or expanding the node associated with the indicia.