Graphical editor for program files

• US 7,987,427 B1
• Filed: 10/04/1999
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Gough, Michael Lane, Nygord, Richard Victor, Koester, Stephanie Eva, Saxena, Samir Ranjan Tiongson, Miyake, James Ieyasu, McGhie, Brian Burnell
• Primary Examiner(s): Roswell; Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/260,036
• Time in Patent Office: 4,313 Days
• Field of Search: 715/762, 715/763, 715/769, 715/761, 715/835, 715/853, 717/140, 717/144, 717/145
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/427 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing

Abstract

An editor for creating and editing user-guidance information employs multiple interrelated interfaces. One such interface allows the user to create a user-guidance sequence from a series of component script file module objects and panel display objects. Each object is assigned a graphical icon. The user constructs the sequence by stringing together the icons to implement the desired sequence. The user may maintain a customized file of frequently used component script files objects and panel display objects. The user may add an object from the customized file to a sequence currently being edited by “dragging” its associated icon from the file to the sequence. The user may perform editing on individual display objects within the above described sequence of display objects by “clicking” on one of the display objects. This invokes a separate editor which displays the contents of the display object. The editor operates on information in parse tree format.

Claims

1. A method for generating computer program files using a computer, including the steps of:

forming a parse tree representation of a computer program file as a sequence of interconnected components, each of the components being respectively associated with at least one component editor among a plurality of component editors based on an attribute of the corresponding component, the plurality of component editors each being configured to perform a corresponding one of a plurality of editing functions based on a component attribute with which the corresponding component editor is respectively associated;

modifying a portion of said program file in said parse tree format by a user graphical interaction using a graphical editor to manipulate placement of at least one of the components and create a modified program portion in which the sequence of interconnected components are re-sequenced and relinked based on the user-manipulated placement of the at least one of the components;

displaying the at least one component editor corresponding to the at least one of the components in the modified program portion to enable the user to edit the at least one of the components with the corresponding component editor;

determining a remainder of said parse tree program file containing each component among the interconnected components not dependent on said modified program portion;

compiling only said modified program portion into said parse tree format, while maintaining said determined remainder of said parse tree program file in an unmodified state; and

re-forming the parse tree representation of said computer program file by integrating said modified and compiled program portion into said determined remainder of said parse tree program file that is maintained in the unmodified state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said modifying comprises the step of:

selecting a sequence editor interface for displaying a graphical representation of a sequence of interconnected components included within said program file.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said components are represented by graphical icons that are placed in the sequence of interconnected components through the user graphical interaction.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said components include at least one panel component, said panel component defining at least one graphical window display.

5. The method of claim 4, further including the step of:

selecting said at least one panel component to invoke a panel component editor interface for editing said least one said panel component; and

editing said at least one panel component using said panel component editor interface.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said components include at least one computer code component, said computer code component including at least one program statement.

7. The method of claim 6, further including the steps of:

selecting at least one said computer code component to display said at least one program statement within said computer code component; and

editing said computer code component.

8. The method of claim 2, further including modifying said graphical representation of said sequence by performing the following steps:

accessing a component file containing a plurality of components;

selecting at least one component from among the plurality of components contained in the accessed component file;

instructing said computer to add said at least one component to said representation of said sequence.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said selecting and instructing steps include:

dragging a graphical representation of said at least one component from said component file to said graphical representation of said sequence; and

dropping said graphical representation of said at least one component onto said graphical representation of said sequence, to incorporate said graphical representation of said at least one component into said graphical representation of said sequence.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

selecting a panel editor interface;

selecting a panel window contained within said computer program file;

displaying a representation of said panel window; and

editing said panel window.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said editing of said panel window comprises the step of:

changing at least one display object associated with said panel window.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

selecting an index editor interface for displaying index terms included within said program file; and

editing at least one of said index terms.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of compiling said modified program portion comprises the steps of:

storing sections of said program portion which the compiler failed to compile due to error;

informing a user of the presence of said sections which failed to compile;

said user correcting said sections which failed to compile; and

said user recompiling said corrected sections.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said sections which failed to compile are associated with a graphical icon, and said user initiates said correcting of said sections by activating said graphical icon.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein changes made to a portion of said program file in said parse tree format using the graphical editor are substantially simultaneously depicted in corresponding portions of said computer program file presented in a text interface.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a text of said modified program portion which fails to compile is associated with an error-indicating graphical icon for activation by a user to display said text associated with said error-indicating graphical icon for editing and correction by the user for recompilation.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the manipulation of placement of the at least one of the components includes dragging and dropping the at least one of the components via the graphical editor.

18. A computer editor for generating computer program files using a computer, comprising:

an input device for inputting a program file in a parse tree format into said computer editor, said program file including at least one sequence, said at least one sequence including at least one component;

a graphical interface for graphically displaying said at least one sequence and its constituent at least one component;

an editing interface for accessing a database including a stored library of components;

a selection and moving means for selecting and moving by dragging and dropping at least one of said stored library of components to said at least one graphical sequence for placement by a user graphical interaction, each of said components being respectively associated with at least one component editor among a plurality of component editors based on an attribute of the corresponding component, the plurality of component editors each being configured to perform a corresponding one of a plurality of editing functions based on a component attribute with which the corresponding component editor is respectively associated;

adding means for integrating said selected at least one of said stored library of components with said at least one sequence to form a modified sequence of interconnected components reconfigured and relinked based on the user placement;

component editor displaying means for displaying the at least one component editor corresponding to said selected at least one of said stored library of components in said modified sequence to enable a user to edit said selected at least one of said stored library of components with the corresponding component editor;

determining means for determining a remainder of said program file containing each component among the interconnected components not dependent on said modified sequence;

compiling means for compiling only said modified sequence, while maintaining said determined remainder of said program file in an unmodified state;

integrating means for integrating said modified sequence into said determined remainder of said program file, to re-form the parse tree format of said program file based on said modified sequence integrated into said determined remainder of said program file that is maintained in the unmodified state; and

a text interface for displaying a textual representation of at least a portion of said integrated program file;

wherein said text interface is invoked simultaneously with said graphical interface to textually and graphically represent changes based on the user graphical interaction, and wherein changes made to said at least one sequence in said graphical interface by dragging and dropping are substantially simultaneously depicted in corresponding portions of said program file presented in said text interface.

19. The computer editor of claim 18, wherein said components are associated with a graphical icon, and wherein said selection and moving means drags an icon associated with said at least one stored library component to said graphical sequence.

20. The computer editor of claim 19, wherein said adding means drops said icon associated with at least one stored library component onto said graphical sequence, to integrate said at least one stored library component into said graphical sequence.

21. The computer editor of claim 18, comprising associating means for associating a text of said modified sequence of interconnected components which fails to compile with an error-indicating graphical icon for activation by a user to display said text associated with said error-indicating graphical icon for editing and correction by the user for recompilation.

22. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium for use in association with a computing device with a graphical display, comprising:

an input module for inputting a program file in a parse tree format into said computing device, said program file including at least one sequence, said at least one sequence including at least one component;

a graphical module for graphically displaying said at least one sequence and its constituent at least one component;

an editing interface module for accessing a database including a stored library of components;

a selection and moving module for selecting and moving by dragging and dropping at least one of said stored library of components to said at least one graphical sequence for placement by a user graphical interaction, each of said components being respectively associated with at least one component editor among a plurality of component editors based on an attribute of the corresponding component, the plurality of component editors each being configured to perform a corresponding one of a plurality of editing functions based on a component attribute with which the corresponding component editor is respectively associated;

an adding module for integrating said selected at least one of said stored library of components with said at least one sequence to form a modified sequence of interconnected components reconfigured and relinked based on the user placement;

a component editor displaying module for displaying the at least one component editor corresponding to said selected at least one of said stored library of components in said modified sequence to enable a user to edit said selected at least one of said stored library of components with the corresponding component editor;

a determining module for determining a remainder of said program file containing each component among the interconnected components not dependent on said modified sequence;

a compiling module for compiling only said modified sequence, while maintaining said determined remainder of said program file in an unmodified state;

an integrating module for integrating said modified sequence into said determined remainder of said program file, to re-form the parse tree format of said program file based on said modified sequence integrated into said determined remainder of said program file that is maintained in the unmodified state; and

a text module for displaying a textual representation of at least a portion of said integrated program file;

wherein said text module is invoked simultaneously with said graphical module to textually and graphically represent changes based on the user graphical interaction, and wherein changes made to said at least one sequence in said graphical module by dragging and dropping are substantially simultaneously depicted in corresponding portions of said program file presented in said text module.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein said components are associated with a graphical icon, and wherein said selection and moving module drags an icon associated with said at least one stored library component to said graphical sequence.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein said adding module drops said icon associated with at least one stored library component onto said graphical sequence, to integrate said at least one stored library component into said graphical sequence.

25. The computer program product of claim 22, comprising an associating module for associating a text of said modified sequence of interconnected components which fails to compile with an error-indicating graphical icon for activation by a user to display said text associated with said error-indicating graphical icon for editing and correction by the user for recompilation.

26. A computer-readable recording medium containing programming code recorded thereon that causes a computer to generate computer program files, the computer, when executing the programming code, being configured to implement procedures comprising:

forming a parse tree representation of a computer program file as a sequence of interconnected components, each of the components being respectively associated with at least one component editor among a plurality of component editors based on an attribute of the corresponding component, the plurality of component editors each being configured to perform a corresponding one of a plurality of editing functions based on a component attribute with which the corresponding component editor is respectively associated;

modifying a portion of said program file in said parse tree format by a user graphical interaction using a graphical editor to manipulate placement of at least one of the components and create a modified program portion in which the sequence of interconnected components is re-sequenced and relinked based on the user-manipulated placement of the at least one of the components;

displaying the at least one component editor corresponding to the at least one of the components in the modified program portion to enable the user to edit the at least one of the components with the corresponding component editor;

determining a remainder of said parse tree program file containing each component among the interconnected components not dependent on said modified program portion;

compiling only said modified program portion into said parse tree format, while maintaining said determined remainder of said parse tree format program file in an unmodified state; and

re-forming the parse tree representation of said computer program file by integrating said modified and compiled program portion into said determined remainder of said parse tree program file that is maintained in the unmodified state.

27. The medium of claim 26, wherein said procedure of modifying comprises:

selecting a sequence editor interface for displaying a graphical representation of a sequence of interconnected components included within said program file.

28. The medium of claim 27, wherein said components are represented by graphical icons that are placed in the sequence of interconnected components through the user graphical interaction.

29. The medium of claim 27, wherein said components include at least one panel component, said panel component defining at least one graphical window display.

30. The medium of claim 29, further including the procedures of:

selecting at least one said panel component to invoke a panel editor interface for editing said least one said panel component; and

editing said at least one panel component using said panel component editor interface.

31. The medium of claim 27, wherein said components include at least one computer code component, said computer code component including at least one program statement.

32. The medium of claim 31, further including the procedures of:

selecting at least one said computer code component to display said at least one program statement within said computer code component; and

editing said computer code component.

33. The medium of claim 27, further including modifying said graphical representation of said sequence by performing the following procedures:

accessing a component file containing a plurality of components;

selecting at least one component; and

instructing said computer to add said at least one component to said representation of said sequence.

34. The medium of claim 33, wherein said selecting and instructing procedures include:

dragging a graphical representation of said at least one component from said component file to said graphical representation of said sequence; and

dropping said graphical representation of said at least one component onto said graphical representation of said sequence, to incorporate said graphical representation of said at least one component into said graphical representation of said sequence.

35. The medium of claim 26, further comprising the procedures of:

selecting a panel editor interface;

selecting a panel window contained within said computer program file;

displaying a representation of said panel window; and

editing said panel window.

36. The medium of claim 35, wherein said procedure of editing of said panel window comprises the procedure of:

changing at least one display object associated with said panel window.

37. The medium of claim 26, further comprising the procedures of:

selecting an index editor interface for displaying index terms included within said program file; and

editing at least one of said index terms.

38. The medium of claim 26, wherein said procedure of compiling said modified program portion comprises the procedures of:

storing sections of said program portion which the compiler failed to compile due to error;

informing a user of the presence of said sections which failed to compile;

said user correcting said sections which failed to compile; and

said user recompiling said corrected sections.

39. The medium of claim 38, wherein said sections which failed to compile are associated with a graphical icon, and said user initiates said correcting of said sections by activating said graphical icon.

40. The medium of claim 26, wherein changes made to a portion of said program file in said parse tree format using the graphical editor are substantially simultaneously depicted in corresponding portions of said computer program file presented in a text interface.

41. The medium of claim 26, wherein the programming code causes the computer to associate a text of said modified program portion which fails to compile with an error-indicating graphical icon for activation by a user to display said text associated with said error-indicating graphical icon for editing and correction by the user for recompilation.

42. The medium of claim 26, wherein the manipulation of placement of the at least one of the components includes dragging and dropping the at least one of the components via the graphical editor.