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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. A user interface method for use in a computer system transferring data
between a source program and a target program, comprising the steps of:
selecting a source program by a user;
selecting a target program by the user;
selecting a portion of data in the source program for transfer to the
target program by the user;
requesting transfer of the data to the target program by the user; and
transferring the portion of data to the target program as at least one
input message by a processor, wherein each input message corresponds to a
keystroke of a keyboard.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the source program
comprises the step of the user selecting an active window that corresponds
to the source program.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the source program
comprises the steps of:
generating a dialog box including a list of at least one program that is
capable of being the source program by the processor;
displaying the dialog box on a display device by the processor; and
selecting the source program from the list by the user.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the target program
comprises the steps of:
generating a dialog box including a list of at least one program that is
capable of being the target program by the processor;
displaying the dialog box on a display device by the processor; and
selecting the target program from the list by the user.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor generates and displays a
sensitive area in a window of the source program, the step of requesting
transfer of the data comprising the step of dragging and dropping the data
in the sensitive area by the user.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor generates and displays a
sensitive area on a desktop, the step of requesting transfer of the data
comprising the step of dragging and dropping the data in the sensitive
area by the user.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor generates and displays an
icon for each program that may be the target program, the step of
requesting transfer of the data comprising the step of dragging and
dropping the data on a selected icon by the user.
8. In a computer system having a display device that provides for the entry
of ink data, a user interface method for entering data into a target
program, the method comprising the steps of:
generating a dialog box by a processor, wherein the dialog box accepts
entry of ink data;
displaying the dialog box by the processor on the display device for data
entry by a user;
selecting the target program by the user;
entering ink data in the dialog box by the user;
translating the ink data into translated data by the processor, wherein the
translated data is in a format used by the target program;
requesting transfer of the translated data to the target program by the
user by dragging and dropping the translated data on a selected icon; and
transferring the translated data to the target program by the processor as
at least one input message, wherein each input message corresponds to a
keystroke of a keyboard.
9. In a computer system having a display device, a method for transferring
data from a source program to a target program, the method comprising the
steps of:
generating a first window for the source program;
displaying the first window;
generating a task list that specifies a plurality of programs as being
executed by the computer system;
displaying the task list;
selecting the target program from the task list in response to a first
selection of the user;
displaying an indicator for indicating a selected program of the task list
as being the target program;
selecting data displayed in the first window for transfer to the target
program in response to a second selection of the user, wherein said second
selection comprises dragging and dropping said data into a sensitive area
in said first window;
transferring data selected by the user to the target program in response to
a third selection of the user, wherein the first window remains active
when the data is transferred.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the source program accepts entry of ink
data, the method further including the step of translating ink data
structures in the first window to ASCII characters in response to a third
selection by the user before the step of transferring data occurs.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the source program accepts data
structures according to a first format and the target program cannot
operate on data structures having the first format, the method further
comprising the step of translating data structures having the first format
to data structures having a format that the target program can operate on
in response to a third selection of the user before the step of
transferring data occurs.
12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of displaying the
data sent to the target program in a window for the target program.
13. The method of claim 9, the step of sending data entered into the dialog
box to the target program comprising the step of sending at least one
input message to the target program, wherein each input message
corresponds to a keystroke of a keyboard.
14. In a computer system having a display device, a method for transferring
data from a source program to a target program, the method comprising the
steps of:
generating a first window for the source program;
displaying the first window;
displaying an icon indicating a transfer operation of data selected from
the first window to the target program;
generating a task list that specifies a plurality of application programs
as being executed by the computer system;
displaying the task list;
selecting the target program from the task list in response to a first
selection of the user;
displaying an indicator for indicating a selected application program of
the task list as being the target application;
selecting a portion of said data displayed in the first window for transfer
to the target program in response to a second selection of the user;
transferring data selected by the user to the target program in response to
the user selecting the icon, wherein the first window remains active when
the data is transferred.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the source program accepts entry of ink
data, the method further including the step of translating ink data
structures in the first window to ASCII characters in response to a third
selection by the user before the step of transferring data occurs.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the source program accepts data
structures according to a first format and the target program cannot
operate on data structures having the first format, the method further
comprising the step of translating data structures having the first format
to data structures having a format that the target program can operate on
in response to a third selection of the user before the step of
transferring data occurs.
17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of displaying the
data sent to the target program in a window for the target program.
18. The method of claim 14, the step of sending data entered into the
dialog box to the target program comprising the step of sending at least
one input message to the target program, wherein each input message
corresponds to a keystroke of a keyboard.
19. In a computer system having a display device, a method for transferring
data from a source program to a target program, the method comprising the
steps of:
generating a first window for the source program;
displaying the first window;
generating a sensitive area in the first window;
displaying an indication of a location of the sensitive area;
generating a task list that specifies a plurality of application programs
as being executed by the computer system;
displaying the task list;
selecting the target program from the task list in response to a first
selection of the user;
displaying an indicator for indicating a selected application program of
the task list as being the target application;
selecting data displayed in the first window for transfer to the target
program in response to a second selection of the user;
dragging selected data to the sensitive area by the user;
transferring the selected data to the target program in response to the
user dropping the selected data in the sensitive area, wherein the first
window remains active when the data is transferred.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the source program accepts entry of ink
data, the method further including the step of translating ink data
structures in the first window to ASCII characters in response to a third
selection by the user before the step of transferring data occurs.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the source program accepts data
structures according to a first format and the target program cannot
operate on data structures having the first format, the method further
comprising the step of translating data structures having the first format
to data structures having a format that the target program can operate on
in response to a third selection of the user before the step of
transferring data occurs.
22. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of displaying the
data sent to the target program in a window for the target program.
23. The method of claim 19, the step of sending data entered into the
dialog box to the target program comprising the step of sending at least
one input message to the target program, wherein each input message
corresponds to a keystroke of a keyboard. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the field of graphical user interfaces
and more specifically to graphical user interfaces that allow a user to
enter data in a computer application that does not support the mode or
metaphor of data entry.
ART BACKGROUND
Pen-based computer systems operate according to a simple "pen metaphor"
that allows a user to enter data by using a pen to "write" directly on the
display device of the pen-based computer. The pen may be a light pen or a
device shaped like a pen that facilitates data entry on a
position-sensitive display device. The process of entering data for
pen-based computers is often called "inking," and the data entered by
inking is typically known as "ink data."
Pen-based computers provide the user with a simple mechanism for entering
data quickly without the requirement that the user be a proficient typist.
The ink data may be transcribed at a later time using "recognition"
software that "recognizes" handwritten characters and translates them into
a desired font or ASCII characters. Unrecognized ink data are typically
treated as graphical objects rather than as text. Because much of the
pen-based application software supports inking, a keyboard is not required
for data entry. Thus, the total size of a pen-based computer can be
greatly reduced when compared to a computer system having a keyboard for
an input device.
Not all software that is executed by a pen-based computer system
necessarily supports inking. For example, the operating system of the
pen-based computer may not support inking. One solution to this problem is
the On-Screen Typewriter sold by Microsoft.RTM. Corporation as part of the
Pen Windows.RTM. software package. The On-Screen Typewriter provides the
user with a graphical representation of a typewriter that allows the user
to "type" data into the currently selected application or "active" window.
The user types in data by selecting the desired characters using the light
pen. This process is slow and cumbersome and destroys many of the
advantages of the pen metaphor.
An additional problem that may be encountered by the user of a pen-based
computer is that some application programs use higher quality recognition
programs than other application programs. For example, some application
programs allow "deferred" recognition, while other applications perform
recognition immediately. The recognition process can interrupt the process
of inking, forcing the user to wait for recognition to occur before
continuing to "write" the next word. Deferred recognition is therefore
preferable because it allows the user to "write" without interruption and
to recognize the ink data when convenient. Further, some recognition
programs are "destructive" in that the ink data objects cannot be
recovered once they have been recognized, wherein other recognition
programs are "non-destructive" and allow the recovery of the ink data
objects after they have been recognized. Non-destructive recognition
programs are typically preferable.
A further difficulty encountered by the user of pen-based computers is that
ink data is often difficult to export to another application program. When
inking, a pause in the movement of the light pen or the lifting of the
light pen from the display device can cause a separate ink data structure
to be created. Thus, a single sentence or a single word may consist of
several data structures. For some application programs such as Microsoft
Notebook, only one data structure may be exported at a time using a
"cut-and-paste" export method. For example, a user inks the word "notes"
in a document using an application program that supports deferred
recognition of the ink data. At a later time, the user desires to export
the contents of the inked document to a word processor program that does
not support inking. To export the word "notes," the user first selects the
word "notes" for transcription into text. When the user attempts to select
the entire word "notes," he discovers that the application program has
divided the word "notes" into two distinct objects, one including the
letters "no," and the other including the letters "tes." Each letter
grouping typically must undergo the recognition process separately. After
recognition, the letter groupings remain separate objects, and typically
there is no mechanism for grouping several transcribed text objects into a
single object. Thus, the user must select one letter grouping, perform a
"copy" operation, leave the application program, select the word
processor, and "paste" the object into the target document. The
"copy-and-paste" process is repeated for each object, which can be a
time-consuming process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Wherein it is desirable to provide a user of a pen-based computer with a
mechanism for entering data into computer programs that do not support ink
data, a method for entering data into a target program is described. A
dialog box that supports ink data entry is generated and displayed on the
display of the computer system. A task list is generated and displayed so
that the user may select the target program. The user may then enter ink
data in the dialog box. When ink data entry is complete, the user may
cause the ink data to be translated into ASCII characters. Once
recognition occurs, the user may cause the translated ink data to be sent
to the target program, wherein the translated ink data arrives at a
current cursor position for the target program. The mechanism for sending
data to the target program may be input messages, which are commonly used
to indicate input by input devices such as keyboards. The method may be
adapted to allow portability of data structures according to a particular
metaphor to target programs that do not support that particular metaphor.
For example, the present method may be adapted to allow voice data entry,
wherein the target program does not support voice recognition.
Wherein it is desirable to provide a convenient mechanism for transferring
data between application programs, a method for transferring data from a
source program to a target program is described. The source and target
programs are selected by the user. The source program may automatically
selected to be that of the currently active window. Alternatively, the
source program may be selected with the target program from a task list
displayed by the computer. To transfer data from the source program, the
user selects the window of the source program so that the data of the
source program may be selected. If the selected data is ink data, the user
causes the ink data to be translated to ASCII characters before transfer
to the target program. Data transfer may be performed in a number of
different ways. According to one embodiment, a sensitive area is displayed
in the window of the source program, and the user drags and drops the
selected data into the sensitive area, whereby the selected data is
transferred to the current cursor position of the target program.
Alternatively, the selected data may be sent to the target program by
selecting an appropriate icon or push-button control. The process of
selecting the selected data indicates that only the selected data is to be
sent to the target program, and data transfer may take place once the
appropriate control is enabled. Again, the mechanism for transferring data
from the source program to the target program may be the input message.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects, features, and advantages of the method and apparatus of the
present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description
of the invention in which:
FIG. 1 shows a computer system that provides for the entry of ink data.
FIG. 2 shows the operation of the computer system in block diagram
FIG. 3 shows the windows of a display as corresponding to different
application programs.
FIG. 4 shows a task list of the computer system
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a GUI method that allows ink data entry to
programs that do not support inking.
FIGS. 6A-6E illustrate the operation of the GUI method shown in FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a GUI method for transferring data between
programs.
FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a GUI method for transferring data between
programs wherein a sensitive area is defined in the window of the source
program.
FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing a GUI method for transferring data between
programs wherein a sensitive area is defined on the desktop.
FIGS. 10A-10E illustrates operation of the GUI method shown in FIG. 7
according to one embodiment.
FIGS. 11A-11E illustrate the operation of the GUI method shown in FIG. 8.
FIGS. 12A-12E illustrate the operation of the GUI method shown in FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A graphical user interface (GUI) method is described wherein a user may
transfer data to a target application program or operating system. The
described GUI may be adapted to provide the direct transfer of data
between two concurrently running applications programs, or the GUI may be
adapted to provide a front-end data entry mechanism whereby the user
enters data into the front-end for transfer to the target program. The GUI
method uses a redirector program that transfers selected data to the
target program as a series of input messages, wherein each input message
corresponds to the keystroke of a keyboard. Thus, the output of the
redirector program emulates a keyboard. The described GUI may be of
particular use wherein the target program does not support or recognize
the mode of data entry, which may occur, for example, when a user of a
pen-based computer desires to enter ink data to a target program that does
not support the pen metaphor. The described GUI thus provides for the
transfer of data between programs that support different metaphors.
FIG. 1 shows a computer system 100 that provides for the entry of ink data.
The computer system 100 includes a display device 105 having a display
region that is sensitive to pen 110. By placing the pen 110 on the display
region of the display device 105, the user may enter data into the
computer 100 as if writing on a sheet of paper. The pen 110 may be a light
pen. If the display device 105 is position-sensitive, the pen 110 may
simply be a pen-shaped device that facilitates data entry.
The computer system 100 also includes a detachable keyboard 115 and a
detachable mouse 120. When the detachable keyboard 115 and the detachable
mouse 120 are attached to the computer system 100, the computer system 100
acts as a standard desktop or portable computer system. When the keyboard
115 and the mouse 120 are removed, the primary mechanism for entering data
is the pen 110, and the computer system 100 functions metaphorically as a
notepad or a clipboard. Included, but not shown in the computer system
100, are a central processing unit (CPU), a mass storage device, and
system memory. The computer system also may include one or more slots 125
each accepting a PCMCIA card 130. PCMCIA cards may act as memory storage
devices or as functional devices such as fax/modems.
The computer system 100 is capable of executing multiple application
programs simultaneously. FIG. 2 shows the operation of the computer system
100 in block diagram form. As shown, application program A, application
program B, and application program C each interface with the operating
system 205 via an application programming interface (API) 205. Wherein the
CPU of the computer system 100 is an Intel microarchitecture processor
such as the Intel Pentium.RTM. processor, the API 210 itself may be an
application program such as Microsoft.RTM. Pen Windows.RTM..
Alternatively, the functions of the API 210 may be performed by the
operating system software. For the purposes of simplifying discussion, the
use of the term "API" contemplates the API 210 being either a separate
application program or part of the operating system software 205.
The API 210 allows application programs that are running simultaneously in
the computer system to share hardware resources. The API 210 may include
several different interfaces, such as a window manager interface 211, a
graphics device interface 212, and a system services interface 213.
The window manager interface 211 contains the functions that create, move,
and alter a window that is displayed on the display device 105. A window
is a rectangular region associated with an application program or the
operating system that contains graphical representations of user input,
input options, and system output. For a menu-driven environment, the
window manager interface 211 is responsible for creating menus, altering
the contents of menus, and obtaining the status of menu items.
The graphics device interface 212 contains the functions that perform
device-independent graphics operations within an application program.
These functions create a wide variety of line, text, and bitmap output on
a number of different output devices. The graphics device interface 212
allows an application to create pens, brushes, fonts, and bitmaps for
specific output operations.
The system services interface 213 contains the functions that access code
and data in modules, allocate and manage memory, manage tasks, load
program resources, and translate strings from one character set to
another. Further, the system services interface 213 is responsible for
carrying out communications through the computer systems I/O ports,
creating and opening files and creating sounds using the system sound
generator.
As shown in FIG. 3, each of the application programs A-C may correspond to
one or more windows that are displayed on the display device 105. For
example, application program A is displayed in window 305, application
program B is displayed in window 310, and application program C is
displayed in window 315. Wherein the computer system 100 is shown as
displaying multiple windows simultaneously, the computer system 100 may
alternatively display only one window at a time.
For each application program that is concurrently executed by the computer
system 100, the API 210 maintains a process identification (process ID)
and a task list that identifies the concurrently executing application
programs. Referring to FIG. 4, the task list may be displayed as a menu
405 on the display device 105. A graphical indication such as a check mark
may be used to indicate which of the currently executing application
programs is in use by the user. The check mark in shows FIG. 4, that
application program A is currently in use or "open". Returning to FIG. 3,
application program A is also shown as having the "active" window 305.
According to a desktop metaphor, the top window in a display is typically
the active window such that a user's manipulation of input devices causes
data entry in the active window. Alternatively, it is possible that no
window is currently displayed for the open application program.
According to different GUI standards, it is typically possible to minimize
a window for an application program to an icon. The window manager
interface 211 of the API210 typically provides for the opening of a window
in response to a control sequence such as double clicking on the icon
using the mouse 120 or the pen 110.
GUIs described herein utilize a "redirector" program to transfer data to a
target program. A first type of redirector program is a "one-terminal"
redirector program that provides a front-end data entry mechanism wherein
the user enters data into the front-end and causes the redirector program
to send the entered data to the target program. The one-terminal
redirector program has "one" terminal in the sense that it is linked to
only one other program. A second type of redirector program is a "two
terminal" redirector program wherein data from a source program may be
directly sent to the target program.
Each type of redirector program outputs input messages to the target
programs to simulate the keystrokes of a keyboard. Input messages are
messages sent by input devices such as keyboards, mice, and pens to the
operating system. The operating system typically forwards received input
messages to the application program that is associated with the active
window, or "on top." The described GUI allows the user to select any
program as a target program for the output of the redirector program,
whether or not that selected target program is on top.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a GUI method that allows the entry of data
according to a metaphor and the subsequent translation and transfer of the
entered data to a target program that does not support the metaphor. The
GUI method of FIG. 5 is useful when a user of a pen-based computer wishes
to use a program that does not support the entry of ink data, but the user
wishes or is required to enter data by using an electronic pen. At process
block 501, the user selects the one-terminal redirector program. This may
be done, for example, by selecting an icon that indicates the redirector
application program using the pen 110.
As described above, the one-terminal redirector program provides a
front-end data entry mechanism that allows the user to enter data using a
device or metaphor that is not recognized or supported by the program that
the user wants to use. Therefore, at process block 505, the CPU of the
computer system 100 generates a dialog box for data entry by the user in
response to the user's selection of the one-terminal redirector program at
process block 501. The data field of the dialog box may allow for the
entry of ink data. At process block 510, the CPU of the computer system
causes the dialog box generated at process block 505 to be displayed in
the display area of the display device 105. As shown in FIGS. 6B-6E, the
dialog box may be a box-edit dialog box.
The user selects a target program at process block 515. According to one
embodiment, the CPU generates and provides the user with a task list that
specifies at least one application program as being currently executed by
the computer system 100 to that the user may select the target program.
The task list may be displayed as a pull-down menu at the command of the
user. The task list preferably does not identify the ink redirector
program as a possible target program. Alternatively, the user may select
the desired target program simply by providing another dialog box for
inking the name of the target program. Further, the target program may be
indicated through using graphical indicators such as icons, rather than
using text. A task list need not be separately generated; instead, the
task list for the system may be used, and a separate indicator to indicate
the target of the ink redirector program may be used in addition to the
check mark which indicates the active application program.
At process block 520, the user enters ink data in the data entry field of
the dialog box using the pen 110. The CPU displays the ink data in the
dialog box at process block 525. At process block 530, the ink data is
automatically translated into ASCII characters in response to the passage
of a predetermined amount of time after ink data input has ceased, or in
response to the user "lifting" the pen 110 from the display device 105.
Alternatively, the CPU may translate the ink data at the command of the
user. At process block 535, the CPU displays the translated ink data on
the display device 105. At process block 540, if the ink data is
misrecognized, the user may repeat process blocks 520-535. At process
block 545, once the data has been correctly translated into ASCII
characters, the user selects the translated data to be sent to the target
program, and the CPU sends the translated data to the target program in
response to the user's selection at process block 550. The translated data
of the redirector program is treated by the target program as if they were
entered by an input device such as a keyboard. In this manner, the pen
metaphor of pen-based computers may be maintained even when entering data
in application programs that do not support ink data entry. Process block
545 may be omitted if the redirector program is adapted to automatically
send translated data once the data have been translated.
FIGS. 6A-6E illustrate the method for entering ink data into a target
program as shown in FIG. 5. As described above, the fact that the computer
system 100 supports the entry of ink data does not necessarily mean that
every application program or the operating system provides for the entry
of ink data. The method illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6D allows the user to
enter ink data, to translate the ink data, and to transfer the translated
ink data to a target program in a convenient manner.
FIG. 6A shows a window 601 displayed on the display device 105, wherein the
window is associated with the disk operating system ("DOS") of the
computer system 100. The DOS window 601 does not provide for inking. If
the detachable keyboard 115 is attached to the computer system 100, data
entry into the DOS window 501 may be done using the detachable keyboard
115; however, if the detachable keyboard 115 or some other equivalent
device is not attached to the computer system 100, a mechanism should be
provided to allow the user to enter data using the pen 110. Further, the
provided mechanism should allow the user to maintain the "pen metaphor."
FIG. 6B shows a redirector window 605 that corresponds to a redirector
application program. According to one method, an ink redirector
application program is provided to allow the user to ink his input data,
to translate the inked data into ASCII characters, and to send the ASCII
characters as keystrokes of a keyboard to any other window. Thus, the ink
redirector window 605 allows the entering of ink data into application
programs that do not support or accept ink data by simulating keystrokes.
This redirector window and associated redirector application program may
find particular use when the application program of the target window does
not support inking.
The ink redirector window 605 is shown as a "box-edit" dialog box wherein a
"box" is provided for each ink character that is to be entered. Entering
ink data into box-edit dialog boxes typically provides the best results
for recognition of the ink data because the each "box" of the dialog box
delimits the beginning and the end of a single ink character, which
increases the likelihood that the recognition program will correctly
recognize the ink data. Ink data entered into the box-edit dialog box may
be recognized automatically if a predetermined amount of time has expired
without further ink data entry.
As shown, the redirector window 605 may also include a number of
"push-button" controls that may be activated by "pressing" on the
graphical representation of the push-button control using the pen 110. The
push-button controls are primarily provided as a convenience to allow the
user more options when redirecting data that has been entered into the
dialog box, and the push-button controls may be omitted. For example, SEND
TEXT push-button 610 is used for sending recognized text from the data
field 606 to the target program. The ink redirector application program
may be configured to automatically send text to the target program as soon
as it is recognized, but the inclusion of the SEND TEXT push-button 610
allows the user to verify the correct entry of ink data. Activation of
CR/LF push-button 615 causes a carriage return to be entered in the window
of the target program when activated. Again, the ink director application
program may be configured to automatically enter a carriage return, but
the CR/LF push-button 615 provides the user greater control. Activation of
the TAB push-button 620 causes a tab to be inserted in the target program
window when activated. Activation of the BS push-button 625 results in a
back-space in the target program when activated. Activation of the "FOCUS"
push-button control 635 causes the target application program to be
brought to the top as the active window, and activation of "UNDO"
push-button control 630 causes the removal of redirected ink data from the
target application window. Additional push-button controls may optionally
be provided.
The ink redirector window 605 also includes a target program indicator
field 640 wherein the name of the target program is displayed. To select
the target program, a user selects a menu button 641 using the pen 110
which causes a pull-down menu 645 to appear on the display area of the
display device 105. This is shown in FIG. 6C. The pull-down menu 645 is
the task list for the computer system 100. The user selects the target
program by highlighting the desired application program. For this case, an
application program that does not support ink data is selected as the
target by selecting DOS Window 601. With the exception of the ink
redirector window 605, the user is allowed to select any target that is
identified in the task list, regardless of whether the window for the
target is active or minimized.
FIG. 6D shows ink data as entered in the data entry field 606. The target
program indicator field 640 displays the DOS window as being the target
program. Ink data 650 corresponding to a DOS "dir" directory command has
been entered in the data entry field 606. One ink character is provided in
each box. The ink data is automatically translated to ASCII data a
predetermined time after the user ceases ink data input.
FIG. 6E shows the recognized ink data in ASCII form. Once the ink data has
been translated to ASCII characters, the user causes the translated data
650 to be sent to the window of the target program (DOS window 601) by
using the SEND TEXT push-button control 510. This causes the directory
command "dir" 655 to appear in the DOS window 601 at the current cursor
position. To execute the directory command "dir," the user selects the
CR/LF push-button control 615 which acts as an "enter" key on a keyboard.
As described above, the operations of sending the text to the target
program and the subsequent entry of a carriage return may be performed
automatically by the redirector program.
As described above, the two-terminal redirector program provides the
transfer of data between two different application programs. The
two-terminal redirector program may be used to accelerate the transfer of
data between applications when compared to "copy and paste" GUI methods of
the prior art. According to one embodiment, the two-terminal redirector
program allows the user to select data in a source program, to "drag" the
selected data to a sensitive area, and to "drop" the selected data in the
sensitive area where it is transferred to the file of a target program.
The sensitive area may be located in the window of the source program or
on the desktop as a window. Alternatively, the redirector program may be
adapted to recognize the dragging and dropping of selected text on an icon
as indicating a request to transfer the selected data to the target
program indicated by the icon, and no additional sensitive area need be
generated and displayed. An alternative embodiment allows the user to
select data by highlighting the data and to send the data using a
push-button control. The two-terminal redirector program may be
implemented as a separate program or as a part of a larger program such as
a word processor or note-taker.
FIGS. 7-9 are flow charts illustrating different embodiments of a GUI
method that uses a two-terminal redirector program to transfer data
between source and target programs. FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a
basic GUI method. At process block 701, the user selects the two-terminal
redirector program. This may be done, for example, by using the pen 110 to
select an icon that indicates the two-terminal redirector program. At
process block 705, the user selects the source program. Depending on the
specific implementation of the two-terminal redirector program, the source
program may be automatically selected as the program in the active window,
or the user may be prompted to select the source program. When the source
program is automatically selected, changing the active window results in
changing the source program. Wherein the user is prompted to select the
source program, the two-terminal redirector program may provide a dialog
box including a task list from which the user may select the source
program. At process block 710, the user selects the target program. This
may be done in a manner similar to that described with respect to the
one-terminal redirector program.
At process block 715, the user selects data in the source program for
transfer to the target program. Selection may be made by using the pen 110
to highlight the desired data. When the user wants to transfer data that
is not in a format suitable for transfer as input messages, the user must
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