Snap to element analytical tool

• US 7,705,861 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mielke, Markus W.
• Primary Examiner(s): GOOD JOHNSON, MOTILEWA
• Application Number:
  US11/275,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20070165034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 345/619, 345/629, 345/642, 345/440, 715/700, 715/866, 715/801
• US Class Current: 345/642
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

An analytical tool for measuring spacing between elements in a web page is provided. In one implementation, the analytical tool identifies locations indicated on a web page and automatically determines one or more elements in proximity to those indicated locations. The analytical tool automatically identifies points on the determined elements associated with the indicated locations and calculates the distance between those points. The calculated distance is displayed on the web page. The automatically identified points and a graphical representation of a measuring ruler between the points may also be displayed to enhance usability.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media encoded with device-executable instructions that, when executed, initiates:

activating a zoom display area to display a section of a web page at a greater magnification level than a remainder of the web page;

zooming a magnification level of one or more elements displayed in the zoom display area to the greater magnification level which displays the one or more elements in the zoom display area at a different scale than elements displayed on the remainder of the web page;

receiving an indication of a first location on the web page selected from within the zoom display area;

automatically determining a first point on a first element of the web page that is proximate the first location, the first point being a non-zero distance from the first location;

receiving an indication of a second location on the web page selected from within the zoom display area;

automatically determining a second point on a second element of the web page that is proximate the second location, the second point being a non-zero distance from the second location; and

calculating a distance between the first point and the second point, the distance being displayable on the web page.

2. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining the first element based, at least in part, on whether the first element is positioned on the web page within a predetermined distance from the first location; and

determining the first point on the first element based, at least in part, on whether the first point is positioned on the first element within a predetermined distance from the first location.

3. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 2, wherein the first point on the first element is an end point of a feature of the first element.

4. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the first element and the second element are the same element, and wherein the first point and the second point are on the same element.

5. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the first element and the second element are the same element, and wherein the first point and the second point are on different features of the same element.

6. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, further comprising a graphical ruler displayable on the web page to connect the first point and the second point.

7. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 6, wherein the graphical ruler includes tick marks.

8. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 6, wherein the graphical ruler is displayable in a user-selected color.

9. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 6, wherein the graphical ruler includes graphical points that represent the first point and the second point.

10. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving an indication of the first location includes receiving a selection input while a pointer is displayed at the first location.

11. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 10, wherein the selection input is a mouse click input.

12. One or more computer storage media encoded with device-executable components, comprising:

an application configured to display a web page; and

a ruler utility configured to;

initiate activation of a zoom display area to display a section of the web page at a greater magnification level than a remainder of the web page;

zoom a magnification level of one or more elements displayed in the zoom display area to the greater magnification level which displays the one or more elements in the zoom display area at a different scale than elements displayed on the remainder of the web page;

enable indications of two locations on the web page, the zoom display area further configured to enable an accurate indication of at least one of the two locations when selected from within the zoom display area;

determine, for each of the two locations, a point on an element of the web page proximate a respective one of the two locations; and

calculate a distance between the two locations, the distance being displayable on the web page.

13. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, wherein the ruler utility is further configured to determine the point on the element based, at least in part, on whether the element is within a predetermined distance from the respective one of the two locations.

14. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 13, wherein the predetermined distance is ranged from one to ten pixels.

15. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, wherein each point that is proximate a respective one of the two locations is on different elements.

16. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 12, wherein the application is a web browser.

17. The one or more computer storage media as recited in claim 16, wherein the ruler utility is incorporated as a component of the web browser.

18. An apparatus comprising:

means for initiating a display of a web page;

means for activating a zoom display area to display a section of the web page at a greater magnification level than a remainder of the web page;

means for zooming a magnification level of one or more elements displayed in the zoom display area to the greater magnification level which displays the one or more elements in the zoom display area at a different magnification level than elements displayed on the remainder of the web page;

means for receiving selections of locations on the web page, the locations being selectable from within the zoom display area;

means for determining one or more elements on the web page that are proximate the locations;

means for snapping to points on an element proximate at least two of the locations, each point being a non-zero distance from a respective one of the at least two locations;

means for calculating a distance between the points that correlate to the at least two locations;

means for initiating a display of the distance on the web page.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 18, further comprising means for snapping each of the points that correlate to the at least two locations to a feature on different elements.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 18, further comprising means for displaying a graphical ruler connecting the points on the web page.

21. One or more computer storage media encoded with device-executable instructions that, when executed, initiates:

activating a zoom display area to display a section of a web page at a greater magnification level than a remainder of the web page;

zooming a magnification level of one or more elements displayed in the zoom display area to the greater magnification level which displays the one or more elements in the zoom display area at a different scale than elements displayed on the remainder of the web page;

receiving an indication of a first location on the web page;

automatically determining a first point on a first element of the web page associated with the first location;

receiving an indication of a second location on the web page, at least one of the first location or the second location being selectable from within the zoom display area;

automatically determining a second point on a second element of the web page associated with the second location; and

calculating a distance between the first point and the second point, the distance being displayable on the web page.