Enhanced timelines in application development environments

• US 8,949,782 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamlin, Matt, Bednarz, Thomas E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr., Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): APONTE, FRANCISCO JAVIER
• Application Number:
  US12/959,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20140289701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 717101-178
• US Class Current: 717/113
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/447 Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

A computerized device can comprise a display adapter and a data processing hardware element, such as a processor. The data processing hardware element implements a timeline view module to provide output via the display adapter to display a timeline of an application under development. The timeline can comprise a plurality of tracks, including a track providing a temporal view of each of a plurality of media components of the application and a scripting track providing a temporal view of scripting components of the application. The scripting track can be rendered and populated by default by the timeline view module, and can be kept in view even when other tracks are scrolled out of view. The timeline view module can respond to input events directed to the scripting track to define scripting actions such as labels and actions used to control the application.

Claims

1. A computerized device, comprising:

a display adapter; and

a data processing hardware element,

wherein the data processing hardware element implements a timeline view module to provide output via the display adapter to display a timeline of an application that includes activity that occurs over time during execution of the application, the timeline comprising a plurality of tracks and a plurality of cells, each track providing a temporal view of a respective media component of the application by populating a plurality of cells extending in a first direction in the timeline, wherein the tracks are adjacent in a second direction in the timeline so that cells adjacent in the second direction correspond to activity that occurs at the same time,

wherein the plurality of tracks comprise a track corresponding to a plurality of media components of the application, a scripting track providing a temporal view of scripting components of the application, and a label track, the scripting track comprising an action element representing a portion of scripting code defining a series of discrete operations to be performed at a particular time or keyframe by the application, the particular time or keyframe identified by a position of the action element on the timeline, the label track including a label associated with the keyframe of the timeline, the data processing hardware element configured to receive a selection of a cell of the timeline to define or edit the label to be associated with a selected keyframe of the timeline, wherein the label is used by the scripting code.

2. The computerized device of claim 1, wherein the data processing hardware comprises a processor and the timeline view module comprises a program component embodied in a memory device accessible by the processor.

3. The computerized device of claim 1, wherein the timeline view includes an interface element to scroll through the plurality of media element tracks while maintaining a view of the scripting track.

4. The computerized device of claim 1, wherein the timeline view module provides an interface in response to selection of the action element in the scripting track, the interface displaying the scripting code represented by the action element.

5. The computerized device of claim 1, wherein the timeline view module provides an editing interface in response to selection of an element in the scripting track or in response to selection of the scripting track, the editing interface configured to receive input editing a scripting component of the application.

6. The computerized device of claim 1, wherein the timeline view module indicates an error in response to input attempting to include a non-scripting element in the scripting track.

7. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

accessing code of an application stored in a memory, the code defining a plurality of media components of the application and at least one scripting action;

providing, by a processor, output to generate a design view in a graphical user interface, the design view comprising a timeline view of activity that occurs over time during execution of the application, wherein the timeline view comprises a plurality of cells and a plurality of tracks, each track providing a temporal view of a respective media component by populating a plurality of cells extending in a first direction in the timeline view, wherein the tracks are adjacent in a second direction in the timeline view so that cells adjacent in the second direction correspond to activity that occurs at the same time;

populating the timeline view with at least one additional track, the at least one additional track comprising a scripting track comprising an action element representing a portion of scripting code defining a series of discrete operations to be performed at a particular time or keyframe by the application, the particular time or keyframe identified by a position of the action element on the timeline, wherein the at least one additional track comprises a label track including a label associated with the keyframe of the timeline; and

receiving a selection of a cell of the timeline to define or edit the label to be associated with a selected keyframe of the timeline, wherein the label is used by the scripting code.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one scripting action or the label is defined independently of the media components.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the timeline view displays the at least one additional track while displaying some, but not all, of the plurality of tracks in response to a scrolling command.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

in response to an input event identifying the scripting track, displaying the portion of the scripting code.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the portion of the scripting code is displayed in a pop up window that is configured to receive an edit to the portion of the scripting code.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving input attempting to include an element other than the scripting action or the label in the at least one additional track; and

in response to the received input, executing an error routine.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein populating the timeline view with the at least one additional track comprises populating the scripting track with cells corresponding to scripted actions and populating the label track with cells corresponding to frame labels.

19. The method of claim 7 wherein the label is used by the scripting code as a reference to shift a view of the application to the selected keyframe in response to an input event.

14. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium embodying program code, the program code comprising:

program code for providing a graphical user interface of an application development environment;

program code for providing, in the graphical user interface, a timeline view that includes activity that occurs over time during execution of an application under development, wherein the timeline view comprises a plurality of cells and a plurality of tracks, each track providing a temporal view of a respective media element by populating a plurality of cells extending in a first direction in the timeline view, wherein the tracks are adjacent in a second direction in the timeline view so that cells adjacent in the second direction correspond to activity that occurs at the same time;

program code for providing, in the timeline view, a default configuration of the plurality of tracks, the default configuration comprising at least one track corresponding to a media element of the application under development, a label track, and a scripting track, the scripting track comprising a visual representation of a scripting element representing a portion of scripting code defining a series of discrete operations to be performed at a particular time or keyframe by the application, the particular time or keyframe identified by a position of the action element on the timeline, the label track including a label associated with the keyframe of the timeline; and

program code for receiving a selection of a cell of the timeline to define or edit the label to be associated with a selected keyframe of the timeline, wherein the label is used by the scripting code.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

program code for responding to an input event designating the scripting track by presenting an interface, the interface configured to display the scripting element.

16. The computer program product of claim 15,

wherein the program code for responding presents the interface to edit an existing scripting element if the visual representation is selected by the input event, and

wherein the program code for responding presents the interface to define a new scripting element if the input event selects a portion of the scripting track that does not include the visual representation.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the program code for providing the timeline view provides the timeline view in a window in which fewer than all of the plurality of tracks are displayed and in which the scripting track is fixed in location.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

program code for preventing inclusion of an element other than a scripted action or the label in the scripting track.