U.S. patent application number 11/109484 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-08 for data editing and verification user interface.
Invention is credited to Brookler, David E., Hazi, Ariel, Sullivan, Dave L., Tinari, Philip A., Weinberg, Paul N..
Application Number | 20050273697 11/109484 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34437140 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050273697 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Weinberg, Paul N. ; et
al. |
December 8, 2005 |
Data editing and verification user interface
Abstract
The present invention provides for simultaneous display of a
tabular and a form view of the records, (b) displaying multiple
disparate values in a single control, and (c) formatting the values
based on characteristics of the records.
Inventors: |
Weinberg, Paul N.; (Los
Angeles, CA) ; Sullivan, Dave L.; (North Hollywood,
CA) ; Tinari, Philip A.; (Beverly Hills, CA) ;
Brookler, David E.; (Los Angeles, CA) ; Hazi,
Ariel; (Los Angeles, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DALINA LAW GROUP, P.C.
7910 IVANHOE AVE. #325
LA JOLLA
CA
92037
US
|
Family ID: |
34437140 |
Appl. No.: |
11/109484 |
Filed: |
April 18, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11109484 |
Apr 18, 2005 |
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09643207 |
Aug 21, 2000 |
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6883136 |
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60149855 |
Aug 19, 1999 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/275 ;
707/999.001; 715/764 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/177
20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/508 ;
715/764; 715/509; 707/001 |
International
Class: |
G06F 017/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of displaying record data in a user interface
comprising: displaying a tabular portion of the user interface
comprising plural data records; displaying a form portion of the
user interface comprising a display field that corresponds to a
field of the plural data records; determining whether to place a
value in the display field; and formatting a value in the display
field to reflect characteristics of the data contained in the
plural data records.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein formatting a value in the
display field further comprises: formatting a value for display
using a first format when it is determined that the plural records
share the same value; formatting a value for display using a second
format when it is determined that a portion of the plural records
include a common value and a remaining portion of the plural
records have no value; formatting multiple values using a third
format when it is determined that the plural records include
multiple values; and displaying a blank value when it is determined
that none of the plural records include a value.
3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the first format is a
color of black.
4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the second format is a
color of blue.
5. A method according to claim 2, wherein the third format is a
color of red.
6. A method according to claim 2, wherein "n" of the multiple
values are displayed in the display field.
7. A method according to claim 6, wherein "n" is the total number
of multiple values.
8. A method according to claim 6, wherein "n" is less than the
total number of multiple values.
9. A computer-readable memory medium in which computer-executable
process steps are stored, the process steps for displaying record
data in a user interface, wherein the process steps comprise: a
displaying step to display a tabular portion of the user interface
comprising plural data records; a displaying step to display a form
portion of the user interface comprising a display field that
corresponds to a field of the plural data records; a determining
step to determine whether to place a value in the display field;
and a formatting step to format a value in the display field to
reflect characteristics of the data contained in the plural data
records.
10. A computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein
formatting step to format a value in the display field further
comprises: a formatting step to format a value for display using a
first format when it is determined that the plural records share
the same value; a formatting step to format a value for display
using a second format when it is determined that a portion of the
plural records include a common value and a remaining portion of
the plural records have no value; a formatting step to format
multiple values using a third format when it is determined that the
plural records include multiple values; and a displaying step to
display a blank value when it is determined that none of the plural
records include a value.
11. A computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the
first format is a color of black.
12. A computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the
second format is a color of blue.
13. A computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the
third format is a color of red.
14. A computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein "n"
of the multiple values are displayed in the display field.
15. A computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein "n"
is the total number of multiple values.
16. A computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein "n"
is less than the total number of multiple values.
17. Computer-executable process steps stored on a computer-readable
medium, the process steps for displaying record data in a user
interface, wherein the process steps comprise: code to display a
tabular portion of the user interface comprising plural data
records; code to display a form portion of the user interface
comprising a display field that corresponds to a field of the
plural data records; code to determine whether to place a value in
the display field; and code to format a value in the display field
to reflect characteristics of the data contained in the plural data
records.
18. Computer-executable process steps according to claim 17,
wherein the code to format a value in the display field further
comprises: code to format a value for display using a first format
when it is determined that the plural records share the same value;
code to format a value for display using a second format when it is
determined that a portion of the plural records include a common
value and a remaining portion of the plural records have no value;
code to format multiple values using a third format when it is
determined that the plural records include multiple values; and
code to display a blank value when it is determined that none of
the plural records include a value.
19. Computer-executable process steps according to claim 18,
wherein the first format is a color of black.
20. Computer-executable process steps according to claim 18,
wherein the second format is a color of blue.
21. Computer-executable process steps according to claim 18,
wherein the third format is a color of red.
22. Computer-executable process steps according to claim 18,
wherein "n" of the multiple values are displayed in the display
field.
23. Computer-executable process steps according to claim 22,
wherein "n" is the total number of multiple values.
24. Computer-executable process steps according to claim 22,
wherein "n" is less than the total number of multiple values.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/, filed Aug. 19, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a user interface for use in
editing and verification of data, and, more particularly, to a user
interface for use in editing and verifying data values wherein a
format encoding is used for the values in the user interface to
reflect characteristics of the underlying data used to populate the
user interface.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A DBMS (Database Management System) is used to manage data
and is comprised of computer-executable code that may be used to
define the structure of data and to access data within the defined
structure. One example of a DBMS is a relational DBMS, or RDBMS. An
RDBMS manages tables that make up a relational database as well as
the data contained in the tables. In an RDBMS, data is organized in
rows (or records) and columns (or fields) of the tables, and two or
more tables may be related based on like data values. The
intersection of a row and column in a table is referred to as a
cell and contains the data value for a particular field of a
particular record.
[0006] A DML (data manipulation language) such as SQL (Structured
Query Language) is typically used to store, retrieve and modify
data in a table. A schema defines the structure of a database,
i.e., each table and the fields within a record of a table. A
schema is itself considered data that is stored in one or more
tables. Therefore, like other data in a database, a DML may be used
to store, retrieve and modify the data in the database as well as
the structure of a database.
[0007] Most database management systems use convenient data entry
forms to allow a user to add or modify a single database record at
a time. A problem arises when attempting either to edit multiple
records simultaneously or to verify that a particular field has the
same data value in a large number of records.
[0008] The traditional method of adding or modifying records in an
RDBMS is to use a data entry form to view and edit a single record
at a time, where each field in the database corresponds to a single
field in the form. When adding a new record, the fields in the form
are empty, to be filled in from scratch by the user. When modifying
an existing record, the RDBMS places the existing values of the
record into each of the fields of the form, and any or all of them
can be modified by the user.
[0009] Some systems extend this scheme to allow the user to
indicate that a change to the value in a particular field be
further applied to all of the records in a previously selected set
of records. A problem is that the single control for each field in
the data entry form can display only a single value at a time,
which makes it impossible for the user to easily determine before
applying the change whether or not the existing data values for the
field are all the same across the entire set of records.
[0010] Many systems allow the user to view and edit multiple
records simultaneously by offering a row/column tabular view of the
records in a table. The advantage of this approach is that multiple
values for each field can be displayed simultaneously, and the user
can quickly eyeball all the values for a field across the entire
set of records by examining the contents of a particular
column.
[0011] An advantage of this approach is that multiple values for
each field can be displayed simultaneously, and the user can
quickly view all the values for a field across the entire set of
records by examining the contents of a particular column.
[0012] This approach works well when the number of records is
small. When the number is larger than what can be displayed on a
computer monitor at the same time, the user must browse through the
entire record set. When the number of records is very large (for
example, hundreds or even thousands of records), browsing through
the record set is impractical and, for all intents and purposes,
may be impossible.
[0013] Thus, it would be beneficial to have a mechanism to edit
and/or verify any size or amount of data that may or may not
include diverse data values while minimizing the need to browse
through an entire record set to identify data values.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The present invention addresses the foregoing problems and
provides a user interface for simultaneous display of a tabular and
form view of data records and setting appearance characteristics of
a value displayed in the user interface to reflect characteristics
of the underlying data (i.e., the data records). For example, the
present invention provides for displaying multiple disparate values
in a single control (e.g., a display field of the user interface),
and using different formatting codes (e.g., color coding) for the
values based on the characteristics of the underlying data (e.g.,
whether there are empty values or multiple values in the data
records).
[0015] In an aspect of the present invention, a method of
displaying record data in a user interface is provided that
comprises displaying a tabular portion of the user interface
comprising plural data records, displaying a form portion of the
user interface comprising a display field that corresponds to a
field of the plural data records, determining whether to place a
value in the display field, and formatting a value in the display
field to reflect characteristics of the data contained in the
plural data records.
[0016] Thus, the user can select some or all of a large set of
records and determine from the representation of a value in the
data entry form whether or not conflicts exist in the underlying
data (i.e., the data from the set of selected data records) and in
so doing, quickly verify that the values have been properly
set.
[0017] The present invention contemplates using any type of
formatting and/or encoding including, but not limited to, color,
font type and/or size, bold, italic, underline, etc. For example, a
value may be represented in a particular color to highlight a
difference or sameness of the values for a field across the entire
record set without concern for the values themselves.
[0018] This brief summary has been provided so that the nature of
the invention may be understood quickly. A more complete
understanding of the invention can be obtained by reference to the
following detailed description of the preferred embodiment(s)
thereof in connection with the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is an outward view of a hardware environment
embodying the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the internal architecture of a
typical computer for use in conjunction with the present
invention.
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface according to the present
invention.
[0022] FIG. 4 provides a diagram of process steps for generating
user interface 300 and responding to a selection of records of
tabular display according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] FIG. 1 is an outward view of representative computing
hardware embodying the present invention. Shown in FIG. 1 are
computer 10 executing an operating system, display monitor 11 for
displaying text and images to a user, keyboard 14 for entering text
and commands into computer 10, and mouse 12 for manipulating and
for selecting objects displayed on display monitor 11, or for
output to an output device such as printer 16. Also included with
computer 10 are fixed disk drive 6, in which are stored application
programs, such as a DBMS and other applications, data files, and
device drivers for controlling peripheral devices attached to
computer 10, floppy disk drive 15 for use in reading data from and
writing data to floppy disks inserted therein. Data and/or
applications may also be accessed from a CD-ROM via a CD-ROM drive
(not shown) or over a network to which computer 10 may be connected
(network connection not shown).
[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the internal architecture of
computer 10. Shown in FIG. 2 are CPU 20, which may be any
microprocessor including, but not limited to, a Pentium-type
microprocessor, interfaced to computer bus 21. Also interfaced to
computer bus 21 are printer interface 25, to allow computer 10 to
communicate with printer 16, modem interface 29 to enable
communications between computer 10 and a modem, display interface
27 for interfacing with display monitor 11, keyboard interface 28
for interfacing with keyboard 14, mouse interface 23 for
interfacing with mouse 12, and network interface 26 for connecting
to a network (e.g., Internet, intranet, local area network,
etc.).
[0025] Read only memory (ROM) 24 stores invariant
computer-executable process steps for basic system functions such
as basic I/O, start up, or reception of keystrokes from keyboard
14.
[0026] Main random access memory (RAM) 30 provides CPU 20 with
memory storage which can be accessed quickly. In this regard,
computer-executable process steps of a DBMS or other application
are transferred from disk 6 over computer bus 21 to RAM 32 and
executed therefrom by CPU 20.
[0027] Also shown in FIG. 2 is disk 6 which, as described above,
includes a windowing operating system, a DBMS which includes data
stored therein as well as schema and data stored in one or more
tables defined in the schema. Further, disk 6 may be used to store
executable-code (e.g., stored procedures) comprising steps
described herein for simultaneous display of a tabular and form
view of data records and color encoding values. Disk 6 further
includes data files and device drivers as shown.
[0028] The present invention provides a user interface for
displaying record data wherein a tabular display portion displays
plural data records. A form portion of the user interface comprises
a display field corresponding to one of the plural data records. A
value placed in the display field is encoded using a formatting or
encoding scheme to reflect, or identify, characteristics of the
data contained in the plural data records.
[0029] Thus, it is possible to achieve the benefits of both a
tabular display and a form display as well as a status of some or
all of the data in the tabular display within fields of the form
display.
[0030] The present invention is described herein with reference to
a color encoding scheme for use in a user interface. However, it
should be apparent that any type of formatting and/or encoding may
be used to visually identify characteristics of data used to
populate fields of the user interface. For example, color, font
size, font type, bold, italic, underline, etc. formatting may be
used in any combination to uniquely identify a characteristic of
the underlying data.
[0031] When the user selects multiple records from the tabular
view, each field in the data entry form is populated with one or
more colored data values to reflect characteristics of the values
that exist in the selected records.
[0032] In a preferred aspect of the present invention, if none of
the selected records have a value set for the field, the field is
left blank. If all the records have the same value set, the common
value is placed into the field in black, which indicates that the
corresponding value in the selected records are set to the same
value. If all the records have either the same value or no value
set, that value is placed into the field in blue, which indicates
that all records are set to the same value or not set at all. If
multiple values are set for the field, "n" number of the values are
placed into the field in red, which indicates that the records are
set to different values, where "n" may be all or some number of the
different values.
[0033] Color thus highlights difference and sameness of the values
for a field across the entire record set without concern for the
values themselves. In this way, the user can select some or all of
a large set of records and determine from the color coding in the
data entry form whether or not conflicts exist in the data and in
so doing, quickly verify that the values have been properly
set.
[0034] A user interface example is provided that includes a form
display and a tabular display. Preferably, the form and tabular
displays are displayed simultaneously. However, it is possible to
display them at different times as well.
[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface according to the present
invention. User interface 300 includes a form display 301 and a
tabular display 302. User interface 300 is depicted using an
exemplary layout. However, it should be apparent that any layout
may be used for user interface 300. Further, while not depicted in
user interface 300, tabular display 302 may be modified to provide
a scrolling capability to display additional records or fields of
the records.
[0036] Tabular display 302 includes entries 320 through 324 that
display data from plural records (e.g., records from a relational
database). However, the data displayed in user interface 300 may be
obtained from any source (e.g., a file system, etc.) Fields 310
through 315 of tabular display 302 contain values retrieved from
the plural data records.
[0037] Form display 301 includes fields 331 through 336 for
displaying values from records 320 through 324 (i.e., fields 310
through 315, respectively). Fields 331 through 336 may display
values from one or more of data records 320 through 324, or be
blank. Further, fields 331 through 336 may be display-only or
update fields.
[0038] Upon selection of one or more of records 320 through 324,
the present invention populates fields 331 through 336 depending on
the data contained in the selected records. Further, the values
displayed in fields 331 through 336 are color encoded to further
highlight the characteristics of the data of the selected
records.
[0039] FIG. 4 provides a diagram of process steps for generating
user interface 300 and responding to a selection of records of
tabular display according to the present invention.
[0040] At step S401, the record data used to populate tabular
display 302 are retrieved based on a selection criteria (e.g.,
selection criteria specified by the user of the user interface). At
step S402, tabular display 302 is populated with the retrieved
data.
[0041] Forms display 301 is populated with data from records
selected from tabular display 302.
[0042] Thus, upon selection of one or more records from tabular
display 302, steps S403 through S413 are performed to generate
forms display 301.
[0043] Forms display 301 displays one or more fields that are
populated with data from the selected records. Each one of the
fields in display 301 is processed to determine a format for the
value, or values, to be displayed in the field. Therefore, at step
S403, a determination is made whether all of the fields in forms
display 301 have been processed. If so, processing ends at step
S405.
[0044] If not, processing continues at step S406 to process the
next field. At step S407, a determination is made whether any
values have been set in the selected record fields (i.e., the
fields from each of the selected records that correspond to the
current display field) that corresponds to the current field of
form display 301. If not, processing continues at step S403 to
leave the display field blank. Processing continues at step S403 to
process any remaining fields.
[0045] If it is determined, at step S407, that there is at least
one value set in the selected record fields corresponding to the
display field, processing continues at step S409. At step S409, a
determination is made whether the values set in the selected record
field(s) are the same. If so, processing continues to output the
common value in the display field in black at step S410, and
processing continues at step S403 to process any remaining display
fields.
[0046] If it is determined, at step S409, that the selected records
do not have a common value, processing continues at step S411. At
step S411, a determination is made whether some of the selected
record fields do not contain a value and those that do share the
same value. If so, processing continues at step S412 to output the
shared value in blue in the display form, and processing continues
at step S403 to process any remaining display fields.
[0047] If it is determined that none of the criteria of steps S408,
S409 and S411 are satisfied by the selected record fields,
processing continues at step S413. That is, it is assumed that the
selected record fields contain multiple, disparate values. In such
a case, at step S413, "n" number of the values of the selected
records field are displayed in the display field in red.
[0048] The number "n" (i.e., some or all of the values) values
displayed in the display field may be determined by the size of the
display field, the number of disparate values, etc. The size of the
display field may be increased by providing a scrolling capability
for scrolling through the values displayed in the display field.
The selection of the values that are displayed may be determined by
a preset criteria, or based on the values contained in the selected
record fields. For example, the values selected may be based on the
number of times a value appears in the record fields.
[0049] Assuming that all of records 320 through 324 are selected,
display fields 331 through 336 are populated with blank, red, blue
and black values as follows.
[0050] Since there are multiple values in fields 311 and 312, some
number "n" of the values are displayed in display fields 332 and
331 (respectively) in red. The common value from field 313 is
displayed in display field 334 in black. The value of records 322
and 324 is displayed in display field 335 in blue. Display field
336 is left blank.
[0051] Thus, it is possible for the user to quickly and easily
ascertain the characteristics of the data contained in the selected
records without the need to browse the data and examine each the
records and the fields within the records to determine whether none
or more values are set for a given field and/or some or all of the
multiple values used in the fields. Such information may be used to
easily assess whether or not to apply a change made in a display
field of display form 301 to each of the data records, for example.
Using the present invention, for example, it is easy for a user to
determine, before applying the change to each of the data records,
whether or not the existing data values for the field are all the
same across the entire set of records.
[0052] In this regard, the invention has been described with
respect to particular illustrative embodiments. However, it is to
be understood that the invention is not limited to the
above-described embodiments and that various changes and
modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art
without departing from the spirit and the scope of the
invention.
* * * * *