Facilitated source to target object editing functions

• US 8,042,057 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2007
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fitzpatrick, Gregory P., Cossey, Brent W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chaudhuri; Anita D
• Application Number:
  US11/781,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20070266333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 715/762, 715/770, 715/769, 715/724, 715/763, 715/764, 715/744, 715/513, 715/501.1
• US Class Current: 715/770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

A method for editing software objects can include identifying at least one user selection of at least a portion of an electronic document displayed within an application and prompting a user for a target destination to which the user selection is to be posted. A user input specifying the target destination to which the user selection is to be posted can be received and the user selection can be duplicated to the target destination.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for editing software documents, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying at least one user selection of at least a portion of a first document displayed within a first application;

prompting the user to specify a target destination and a target insertion point in the target destination, wherein the target destination is a second document to which said user selection is to be posted, wherein the second document is displayable within a second application;

receiving a user input specifying the target destination;

opening the second application and instantiating the second document within the second application; and

duplicating said user selection to said target destination, wherein the duplicating visibly inserts the portion of the first document within the second document at the target insertion point and updates the second document to include the portion of the first document at the corresponding target insertion point.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a target destination type of the specified target destination; and

preparing the target destination depending on the target destination type.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

prompting for a target destination format;

receiving a user input specifying the target destination format; and

,

within said duplicating step, formatting said user selection to conform to said target destination format.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said prompting step further comprises the step of presenting a selection of one or more predefined target destinations.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein said presenting step further comprises the step of providing a mechanism with which the user can specify a target destination which is other than one of said predefined target destinations.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

prompting the user to select a number of displayed predefined target destinations; and

,

displaying said number of predefined target destinations within said presenting step.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising the step of specifying said predefined target destinations from a list, said list selected from the group consisting of a hot list, a group based list, an application based list, a most recently used list, and a most frequently used list.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

prompting a user to reset stored data upon which said lists are based; and

,

responsive to receiving a user reset request, resetting the stored data upon which said lists are based.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said target destination of said receiving step is selected from the group consisting of a file, a directory, and an application.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, said duplicating step further comprising the step of:

receiving a user input specifying the target insertion point, wherein said duplicating step inserts said user selection into said target destination location at said target insertion point.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the target destination is specified by a descriptor.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein said descriptor specifies the target insertion point within said target destination to which the user selection is to be posted.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein one or more descriptors available for selection is based upon a descriptor list, said descriptor list selected from the group consisting of a hot list, a group based list, an application based list, a most recently used list, and a most frequently used list.

14. A machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, said code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

identifying at least one user selection of at least a portion of a first document displayed within a first application;

prompting the user to specify a target destination and a target insertion point in the target destination, wherein the target destination is a second document to which said user selection is to be posted, wherein the second document is displayable within a second application;

receiving a user input specifying the target destination;

opening the second application and instantiating the second document within the second application; and

duplicating said user selection to said target destination, wherein the duplicating visibly inserts the portion of the first document within the second document at the target insertion point and updates the second document to include the portion of the first document at the corresponding target insertion point.

15. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a target destination type of the specified target destination; and

preparing the target destination depending on the target destination type.

16. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

prompting for a target destination format;

receiving a user input specifying the target destination format; and

,

within said duplicating step, formatting said user selection to conform to said target destination format.

17. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein said prompting step further comprises the step of presenting a selection of one or more predefined target destinations.

18. The machine-readable storage of claim 17, wherein said presenting step further comprises the step of providing a mechanism with which the user can specify a target destination which is other than one of said predefined target destinations.

19. The machine-readable storage of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

prompting the user to select a number of displayed predefined target destinations; and

,

displaying said number of predefined target destinations within said presenting step.

20. The machine-readable storage of claim 17, further comprising the step of specifying said predefined target destinations from a list, said list selected from the group consisting of a hot list, a group based list, an application based list, a most recently used list, and a most frequently used list.

21. The machine-readable storage of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

prompting a user to reset stored data upon which said lists are based,

responsive to receiving a user reset request, resetting the stored data upon which said lists are based.

22. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein said target destination of said receiving step is selected from the group consisting of a file, a directory, and an application.

23. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, said duplicating step further comprising the step of:

receiving a user input specifying the target insertion point, wherein said duplicating step inserts said user selection into said target destination location at said target insertion point.

24. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein the target destination is specified by a descriptor.

25. The machine-readable storage of claim 24, wherein said descriptor specifies a target insertion point within said target destination to which the user selection is to be posted.

26. The machine-readable storage of claim 24, wherein one or more descriptors available for selection is based upon a descriptor list, said descriptor list selected from the group consisting of a hot list, a group based list, an application based list, a most recently used list, and a most frequently used list.