Dynamic macro creation using history of operations

• US 8,418,061 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Kintzley, Randy A., Brown, Hans-Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, KIEU D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bycer, Eric J
• Application Number:
  US12/426,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20100269041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 715/704, 715/700, 715/731, 715/764, 715/783, 715/810, 715/835, 715/845
• US Class Current: 715/704
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to perform a series of steps in a graphics drawing application. A drawing is opened and a series of two or more drawing operations is performed. Subsequent to the performing, the series of the two or more drawing operations is displayed in a history list of drawing operations. An arbitrary subset of the two or more drawing operations is selected from anywhere in the history list. The selecting provides for the recording of the arbitrary selected subset. The recorded arbitrary subset of drawing operations is dynamically performed.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for performing a series of steps in a graphics drawing application:

opening a first drawing in the graphics drawing application;

performing two or more drawing operations in the first drawing in the graphics drawing application;

subsequent to the performing, displaying the two or more performed drawing operations in a history list of drawing operations;

dynamically selecting an arbitrary subset of drawing operations from anywhere in the history list of performed drawing operations;

accepting user input, via user selection of a user interface control, to dynamically replay the selected arbitrary subset of performed drawing operations; and

in response to the user input, dynamically repeatedly reperforming the selected arbitrary subset of performed drawing operations in the first drawing without creating a macro of the selected arbitrary subset of performed drawing operations prior to the repeatedly reperforming.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the history list of performed drawing operations comprises a hierarchical tree structure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the selected arbitrary subset of dynamically repeatedly reperfomed drawing operations as a macro after the repeated reperforming is concluded.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the two or more performed drawing operations comprise geometric operations performed while editing entities within the first drawing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input comprises a user selecting an option from clicking a mouse button.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the two or more performed drawing operations comprises accepting user input that filters the two or more performed drawing operations to those performed drawing operations for a specified set of one or more drawings active in the graphics drawing application.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating, by toggling, a selection option;

based on the activating, during the dynamically repeatedly reperforming, replacing a selection set in the history list of drawing operations with an active selection in the first drawing.

8. An apparatus for performing a series of steps in a graphics drawing application in a computer system comprising:

(a) a computer having a memory and a processor;

(b) an application executed by the processor using the memory, wherein the application is configured to;

(i) open a first drawing in the graphics drawing application;

(ii) perform two or more drawing operations in the graphics drawing application;

(iii) subsequent to the performance of the two or more performed drawing operations, display the two or more performed drawing operations in a history list of drawing operations;

(iv) dynamically select an arbitrary subset of the drawing operations from anywhere in the history list of performed drawing operations;

(v) accept user input, via user selection of a user interface control, to dynamically replay the selected arbitrary subset of performed drawing operations; and

(vi) in response to the user input, dynamically repeatedly reperforming the selected arbitrary subset of performed drawing operations in the first drawing without creating a macro of the selected arbitrary subset of performed drawing operations prior to the repeatedly reperforming.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the history list of performed drawing operations comprises a hierarchical tree structure.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the application is further configured to store the selected arbitrary subset of dynamically repeatedly reperfomed drawing operations as a macro after the repeated reperforming is concluded.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the two or more performed drawing operations comprise geometric operations performed while editing entities within the first drawing.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the user input comprises a user selecting an option from clicking a mouse button.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the application is configured to display the two or more performed drawing operations by further accepting user input that filters the two or more performed drawing operations to those performed drawing operations for a specified set of one or more drawings active in the graphics drawing application.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the application is further configured to

activate, by toggling, a selection option;

based on the activating, during the dynamically repeatedly reperforming, replace a selection set in the history list of drawing operations with an active selection in the first drawing.

15. A computer readable storage medium encoded with computer program instructions which when accessed by a computer cause the computer to load the program instructions to a memory therein create a special purpose data structure causing the computer to operate as a specially programmed computer that executes a method for performing a series of steps in a graphics drawing application:

opening, using the specially programmed computer, a first drawing in the graphics drawing application;

performing, using the specially programmed computer, two or more drawing operations in the first drawing in the graphics drawing application;

subsequent to the performing, displaying, using the specially programmed computer, the two or more performed drawing operations in a history list of drawing operations;

dynamically selecting using the specially programmed computer, an arbitrary subset of drawing operations from anywhere in the history list of performed drawing operations;

accepting user input, via user selection of a user interface control, to dynamically replay the selected arbitrary subset of performed drawing operations; and

in response to the user input, dynamically repeatedly reperforming, using the specially programmed computer, the selected arbitrary subset of performed drawing operations in the first drawing without creating a macro of the selected arbitrary subset of performed drawing operations prior to the repeatedly reperforming.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the history list of performed drawing operations comprises a hierarchical tree structure.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising storing, using the specially programmed computer, the selected arbitrary subset of dynamically repeatedly reperformed drawing operations as a macro after the repeated reperforming is concluded.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein each of the two or more performed drawing operations comprise geometric operations performed while editing entities within the first drawing.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the user input comprises a user selecting an option from clicking a mouse button.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the displaying of the two or more performed drawing operations comprises accepting user input that filters the two or more performed drawing operations to those performed drawing operations for a specified set of one or more drawings active in the graphics drawing application.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

activating, by toggling, a selection option;

based on the activating, during the dynamically repeatedly reperforming, replacing a selection set in the history list of drawing operations with an active selection in the first drawing.