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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a system and method for creating, manipulating,
and displaying visual markers (referred to as Link Markers) which indicate
the presence of a hypermedia link.
RELATED ART
The present disclosure is directed to a system which is used with personal
computers (PC hereinafter). A typical PC includes its CPU with an
appropriate memory which will be described hereinafter as the hardware.
Without being overly specific, one typical implementation can be found in
systems which use the Intel 80386 CPU family, or perhaps similar
processors found in the Motorola 68000 series. Such a hardware system is
normally operated with an operating system which provides various
functions such as communications to a printer, retrieval of information
from memory, transfer to memory and the like. Several operating systems
will suffice for this and include systems such as UNIX, DOS, OS/2 and the
like. In that context, a feature of an application framework is proposed
by the present disclosure which incorporates a link pane class mechanism
common to each and every specific software application. An application
framework may be described briefly as a set of software services which
make themselves available to applications running on a particular computer
system. A brief example might be a communications service, which in a
framework would offer its functionality for communicating with other
computers to all participating applications, whereas were it not offered,
each application would be required to perform its own communications
function, leading to massive duplication among all the applications that
require the communications capability. The massive duplication may be
total, or partial, in that different applications deal with the common
need (communication services in this example) in different measure. One
application may need a complete communication service while another needs
only partial aspects of that.
Software programs or applications may be typified by word processors,
spreadsheets, accounting packages, or educational multimedia
presentations. (For purposes of this disclosure, the terms "program" and
"application" will be used interchangeably.) What is important in the
present disclosure is the ability, in an application framework, of an
optional feature to be inserted so that the common feature and advantages
are inherently available to all applications which 1) execute on the
computer system which also executes the application framework, and 2)
which present a visual interface to the user by means of a graphical user
interface. A graphical user interface will be described subsequently.
OBJECT ORIENTED ENVIRONMENT
In recent years, there has been a move toward creating and using computer
programs in an "object oriented" environment. Object oriented technology
is centered around two fundamental ideas namely, "class" and "object".
Objects generally represent manipulatable items having specified
attributes or characteristics, and the binding of these attributes or
characteristics into an object is known as "encapsulation." A class is a
template from which objects are made. It is like a cookie cutter but, in
programming systems, it provides the added ability to define how that
object, or cookie in this case, should behave.
The development of code for a class of objects defines the class properties
(typically called its instance variables) which may include things such as
its size, color and other attributes of the object, and the actions that
the object can perform (called its methods); which may include, for
example, a method to create new instance of itself, a method to draw
itself on a computer screen and other methods which perform functions
unique to the particular class itself.
The benefit of defining software units such as classes for a grouping of
program functions is that if the code is written with sufficiently generic
interfaces (the methods which can be called by other objects or code
units), then the class will be easily reusable in a variety of different
programs without having to customize it each time to fit the particular
environment. The items which can be represented by objects include
computer peripherals, computer programs, and documents. An example of such
an object is one representative of a word processing document.
Characteristics which might be encapsulated within this object include the
ability to execute a word processing program and to read itself into that
word processing program upon receiving a specific message from an I/O
device (such as depressing the left button on a mouse).
DIRECT MANIPULATION
Visual objects are typically represented to a user via "icons", which are
displayed on a visual display device. An icon for a word processing
document might, for example, look like a small grey rectangle with the
letters WP in it. Typically, an I/O device such as a mouse allows a user
to point to an icon by generating a pointer marker representative of the
I/O device "position" on the visual display device. The user can then use
the I/O device to move that pointer marker to the icon on the visual
display device.
The ability to move the pointer marker to the various icons on the visual
display device permits a user to selectively utilize the characteristics
of the objects. This is typically done by moving the icons to various
locations on the visual display device, or by using an I/O device to send
messages to the object pointed to directly. In this way, the icons allow a
user to visually relate to the manipulation and interaction of objects
within the object oriented environment.
An example of manipulating the objects using icons can be exemplified
regarding a pointing device with reference to the word processing document
example mentioned above. In that example, a user can manipulate the
pointing device such that the pointer marker pointed to the icon
represents the word processing document object. The user can then send the
object a message (e.g., by depressing the appropriate button on a mouse),
indicating that the object is to execute certain of its characteristics.
In this example, those characteristics include executing the word
processing program, and causing that program to read in the word
processing document.
The above example is only one possible way that the objects can be
manipulated in an object oriented environment to utilize the encapsulated
characteristics of the objects. As indicated above, icons can typically be
moved to other positions of the visual display device using the I/O
device. For example, by using a cursor to point to an icon and depressing
one of the buttons (e.g., the right button) on a mouse, a user can move or
drag the icon around the screen by moving the mouse. Thus, if the user
pushes the mouse to the right, the icon will move toward the right on the
visual display device. Using again the present word processing example,
this would allow a user to move one of the icons (either the word
processing program or word processing document icon) on top of the other.
In conventional object oriented environments, this interaction results in
the execution of the word processing program, and causes that program to
read in the word processing document. In general, the nature of the
interaction of icons will depend upon the objects that the icons
represent.
GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE
A graphical user interface (GUI hereinafter) may be described as a facility
provided by the application framework or by the operating system of the
computer which presents the icons to the user via the display device, and,
in addition, provides a graphical window on the display device for
presentation to the user of the visual aspects of a program. Where icons
are utilized, the program will be that which is represented by the icon as
described above. Typically, multiple windows may be presented by a GUI,
each displaying a running program. In addition, a GUI provides for user
I/O via standardized methods such as menus, buttons, and the direct
manipulation of objects described above.
MODEL/VIEW/CONTROLLER
One common organization of objects is exemplified in the context of a
model/view/controller scheme, an example thereof being published in the
SmallTalk 80 system of ParkPlace Systems. For definitional purposes, the
model objects primarily include the data portion and the behavior of the
data. By contrast, the view objects are window related objects which are
provided to the user. This typically occurs in the context of a GUI which
controls the display of the data from the model. The controllers are
objects which control the interaction with the user through the GUI,
typically by use of input/output devices such as a mouse. A modified
scheme exists in which the controller functions are assumed by the view
object, in which case the approach is typically termed by the name
Model/View. An important feature of the present disclosure is the fact
that the link pane class can be implemented in a model/view fashion, and
is, strictly speaking, a view type object.
HYPERTEXT/HYPERMEDIA
In the generic and simplest sense, these terms mean touch and get. They
embody the possibility of permitting an end user to touch (e.g., using
some pointing device) an object (e.g., a word, phrase, graphical object,
etc.) and thereby cause one or more associated information entities to be
recalled from memory. A survey of hypertext systems is provided in
"Hypertext: An Introduction Survey" by Jeff Conklin, IEEE Computer,
September 1987, pp. 17-41, and "An Overview of Hypertext and Hypermedia",
Concepts & Issues, McGraw-Hill, November 1989.
Hypertext is a term given to special text within a document which is
generally highlighted and has special properties. One of these properties
is that the word, phrase, or position (hereinafter called object) is
linked to a particular object in a document, potentially even in a
different document. Hypertext is generally used to allow the user to go
directly to related information when the user activates the particular
highlighted object in some way such as clicking the mouse over it. If the
link map was represented in a graphical form, the highlighted object would
be a node in the graph and the link would be an edge connecting it to
another node, namely, the object to which it is linked.
Hypermedia is an extension of the idea of hypertext in that the objects
being linked are not restricted to text-related objects but can also be
video, audio, animations, bitmaps, and other types of data, enabling a
wide range of related information to be potentially accessible from one
point or node in the link map.
An object which associates a point in one object with a point in another
object (or different point in the same object) is called a link. The
typical visual aspect of a link is termed in this disclosure, and
distinguished from the prior art, as a link pane. A link pane is an
indication to the user that there may be one or more links present at this
point (the link pane's location). If there are links emanating from a link
pane and the link pane is triggered (e.g., by the user with a mouse), the
link pane's links may be navigated. Link panes may be implemented to have
several different appearance styles, for example push-buttons, icons or
black frames, or may even be purposefully invisible on the display.
Consider as an example of hypermedia a text which is a treatise on some
medical topic, and reference is made to the head of a patient. That
connective link provided by the icon pane which is not otherwise viewable
when viewing the text might show at the time of use to the icon an image
of the human head contained within a window of the GUI, with perhaps two
or three different sectional cuts through the head and labels identifying
the various structural features of the head. Indeed, selection of any of
these may well trigger inquiry into many aspects of the head at two or
three levels in an organized hierarchy of data. The hierarchy can be
organized in any suitable fashion as, for instance, external anatomical
features can be collected in one hierarchy, and internal anatomical
features can be collected and organized in another hierarchical fashion.
Accordingly, that link pane symbolized by the simple word on the monitor
may well provide a very substantial and large set of entries which are
organized in the fashion mentioned. The interesting thing about that
possibility is that several link panes can be used which enter the
hierarchy at the highest level (e.g. at the head in this example) which
image may itself contain an associated subset of data concerned with the
anatomical aspects of the auditory system. Quite obviously, the same
example could be extended to the eye and subsets relating to eyes and the
optic nerves, etc.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
This invention describes a generic unit, a class, as described above, for
visually representing hypermedia links in a computer system having a
graphic user interface. This invention alters or modifies the prior art
definition of a link described above to allow the presence of link panes
at locations on the panes which may be defined ahead of time and kept in a
docket for use where needed, in arbitrary orders and positions defined by
the user, and in any GUI window, irrespective of the program assigned to
the window or display. In addition, link objects are extended by means of
the link pane class to allow direct manipulation of those link objects.
The link pane class was developed as part of a hierarchy of classes where
the so called model view scheme was used. The essence of this approach was
in separating the model (or data) portion of an object from the view or
displayable portion of the object. The link pane class provides the
display and direct manipulation capability of hypermedia links for any
program with a graphical user interface. The invention described herein
was constructed using an object oriented programming language but there is
no limitation which requires this to be the case. A procedural programming
interface could be similarly constructed to perform the same actions. This
invention extends the object based interface made popular by systems such
as IBM OfficeVision, OS/2 2.0 WorkPlace Shell and the Apple Macintosh to
hypertext and hypermedia. In other words, the visual indicator of a
hypermedia link, called a link pane, may be manipulated by the user just
as any other object in the system. It may be created from a class
template, copied, or discarded. It may be moved to different locations
within a window or to a different window in which a totally different
program is running.
The present apparatus and method offer a different approach to that set
forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,344 which is directed to a link creation
protocol. In that approach, a data card is created which carries with it
all the data and requirements on the card; this inevitably enables the
creation of multilevel data cards but that in turn creates a multi-link
linked system which can become unwieldy when it reaches beyond a single
level approach.
So that the manner in which the above recited features, advantages and
objects of the present invention are attained and can be understood in
detail, more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized
above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are
illustrated in the appended drawings.
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only
typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be
considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other
equally effective embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematic showing a relationship between models,
view and database;
FIG. 2 shows aspects of the model, view and database;
FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 each show different screens where several icons are
presented which symbolize the link pane class, one or more, and further
showing how they are implemented in multiple applications depicted on the
respective screens; and
FIG. 6 is a sample set of icons on the desktop.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Considering now the present invention as shown in FIG. 1, it is a computer
programming protocol which is best placed in context so that its use and
application will be understood. It is normally used with a computer system
which includes a CPU which has an attached memory. The computer system is
normally connected with an output device which is ordinarily a terminal
including a cathode ray tube (CRT) which provides the user with a visual
output mechanism. That in turn normally presents symbols which are prompts
to the user, and the symbols are usually shown as icons. The present
invention features a model and view scheme which particularly incorporates
the link pane which will be described in the GUI for ease of use.
Referring to the previous discussion of model view relationships, the link
pane object corresponds to the view of such a relationship. There exists
another supporting class called the link marker which functions as the
model in this relationship. Program ownership, screen position, linking
behavior and other properties of link panes are automatically and
dynamically recorded in a link marker object, which in turn has methods
which allow it to access database management objects which in turn store
these link marker properties in a SQL (Structured Query Language) database
of information. Being an object like any other object in an object
oriented implementation of computer software, link markers may be
instantaneous manifestations of certain unique properties, kept on the
graphical interface "workspace" or "desktop" until needed (the terms
"workspace" and "desktop" referring to that marginal area of the computer
screen not occupied by GUI windows), and are then moved to the window
running a program. When a marker is selected for execution by the user,
typically by using a mouse device, any arbitrary program or suite of
programs can be executed, defined when the link marker is initially
created by the user.
Link panes are placed on the GUI as needed, gaining flexibility in altering
the system to changing needs because the positioning of particular link
panes is not fixed statically by professional programmers, but may be
placed dynamically by any end user, and provide greater flexibility.
An additional concept embodied in this invention is that link pane
positioning and behavior are managed independently of the program
appearing in the GUI window(s) in which the link panes be placed. In fact,
a program may in some cases may be totally unaware that a link marker has
been placed within the GUI window which visually represents that program.
Link markers may be moved from program to program at will, or kept in
reserve in the workspace until needed and actually moved into place.
By resort to the link pane which is available, it is possible to provide
workplace capabilities such that the performance of the system is
completely and totally adaptive to the needs of the user. It is therefore
a feature which can be momentarily neglected or can be used with
practically every GUI window in various or typical situations. Situations
given above and representative applications include text documents wherein
links extend from particular words or other identifiers in the text,
numeric systems where icons can be emblazoned on particular numeric
entries, and the mixed type of system where text or numbers might
appropriately link to something other than text or numbers, e.g. graphics,
and any other appropriate data source such as audio files. Because of the
commonality in the link pane symbol and the commonality in the connective
link from the linked item to the hidden item, it is therefore possible to
systematically make such references by means of the easily implemented
icons. Ordinarily, the icons can be accessed by means of a cursor which is
manipulated by means of a mouse or alternately by means of a keyboard
control. When the cursor is moved to the icon, the icon can be triggered
into action so that the link is then actually implemented. In that sense,
it would require only two steps, the first being to call up the desired
icon and the second step is execution of the icon; one example would be
the display of selected icons at one side or across the top of a screen
workplace and implementation by moving a cursor to the selected icon which
is then called into action by clicking on the icon. The icon is dragged
into the application. Alternately, the icons can be placed in the midst of
the window so that they are scattered throughout the numeric entries,
through the text material or other window defined material.
Going now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it is believed that the relationship
between the hardware and operating system is readily understood. Within
the context of the present disclosure, an applications framework is
provided which utilizes or makes available link panes in accordance with
the teachings of the present disclosure. Moreover, it is available for use
in first, second and multiple specific application procedures. As will be
understood, the availability of the link pane class is for all the
applications which are mounted on the applications framework as
represented in FIG. 1 and therefore enables implementation during
execution of the first, or perhaps the second application, or any other
application that is called for.
FIG. 2 of the drawings shows the model and view scheme. Primarily, objects
and their containments or other relationships are dynamically stored in
persistent storage in a relational database so that there is a set of
classes of objects. The objects include model and view objects. The
definitions of these are believed to be well known and are further
repredented in FIG. 2 of the drawings. In particular, the link pane 16
shown in FIG. 2 is incorporated as part of a framework of link objects
which separate the view presentation and its implementation from the data.
The data is handled in the model objects separately depicted in FIG. 2.
The icon pane is associated with a link marker view handler 12 which is
specific for the particular icon which handles or which manages aspects of
the display such as its location on the screen or window, mode of
manipulation and other details of its graphic or visual representation.
The model objects are thus shown in FIG. 2 and incorporate the link marker
14 which is associate with the particular icon pane 10 and the represented
link pane 16. The link pane class provides or is part of the view function
(not the data function) and thus enables the visual presentation.
As shown in FIG. 2, there is a class hierarchy involved with the link pane
16. There can be any degree of complexity or simplicity in the link pane
16 and the associated link marker 14. The link marker can involve
priorities of link markers such as the hot link marker or the red hot link
marker. However, this relates to data handling and is not of particular
concern to the present disclosure which is more generally focused on the
view seen in the window and its mode of manipulation. Likewise, the link
marker can be an aware link marker or one which is an unaware link marker,
again as shown in FIG. 2. In either case, the link pane 16, having the
characteristics of the view objects, provides the appropriate window or
screen icon which is handled during manipulation.
FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show several different applications which are represented
as the first application, second application, etc. on the screens. The
precise nature of the first, second, and following applications is not
critical. What is shown in these three respective views are the desktop
location icons, typically being several such icons which are available. As
the first application, second application, or any other application is
being run during program execution, there will be a window(s) related to
the first application, second application, etc. This window is shown in
FIG. 3 and is identified by the numeral 20 which specifies the first
application as viewed by the user. FIG. 4 shows another screen 22 which
can be the same or which can be different from the screen 20 in FIG. 3.
The windows are resultant of the normal and conventional use of a selected
application. The significant point is that the first application at two
separate locations may provide a convenient point, one or more, where a
particular icon is desired or needed. Accordingly, the user need only move
a cursor to the icon 24. The icon 24 is one of several shown on the
desktop, each providing different virtues or features. The icon 24 is
located by moving a cursor to it, typically through mouse manipulation,
clicking the mouse on the icon 24 and then dragging the icon 24 to the
respective locations in the first application. FIG. 3 shows that it is
moved to a location 26 while its moved to another location 28 in FIG. 4.
Contrast FIGS. 3 and 4 with FIG. 5; FIG. 5 shows a different set of icons
which include the icons 30 and 32; in the same fashion, they are dragged
to the locations 34 and 36 in a second application having a screen 38
which is visible to the user. FIG. 6 jointly shows a variety of icons for
a desktop, next to first and second windows 40 and 42; the link marker 44
is shown on the window 42 after dragging from the desktop 46 above the two
windows.
Considering the windows which are represented in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5
together, it will be understood how a particular icon is presented and
available to the user. The user may be executing a first application, or
any of several applications. The particular icon 24 may not be needed
except in one application, while by contrast, the icon 30 may be needed
several times in several applications. These icons are simply available
and can be used on a routine basis by the user simply by clicking and
dragging to locate the icons at the particular desired locations in the
applications. On the surface, this is carried out as depicted in FIGS. 3,
4, and 5. This is one of the benefits of the interchangeability of the
link pane class so that it can be manipulated from the GUI by the user
without difficulty in interconnection or coordination to various programs.
The view transport is accomplished in the easiest possible fashion as
exemplified by dragging with the cursor from the desktop into one or more
windows. This enables the view to be easily controlled without concern for
or involvement in the data handling, i.e. is there a different mode of
data input, manipulation, and output determination from the first to the
second to the last application. Each application can be quite different
from other applications; even so, the icon movement and insertion into a
window of an application is overtly simple, and done via GUI window
manipulation. In summary, simple view manipulation enables the view
objects to be moved from application to application as required.
While the foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment, the scope
thereof is determined by the claims which follow:
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