Data processing: presentation processing of document – operator i – Presentation processing of document – Layout
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-16
2003-05-20
Hong, Stephen S. (Department: 2178)
Data processing: presentation processing of document, operator i
Presentation processing of document
Layout
Reexamination Certificate
active
06565608
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention generally relates to generating advisory reports in response to detecting certain conditions arising within a computing environment, and more specifically relates to generating a message with customizable content in response to detecting a particular condition arising during operation of a software program.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Modern computer application programs, such as word processors, frequently include alert messaging systems that display dialog boxes, or windows, containing alert messages. These alert messages, or alerts, are utilized to inform the user that an error condition has been detected within the software program. Alerts are designed to assist users in resolving error conditions by conveying relevant information to the user. For example, in a typical word processor, a user trying to print a document to an unavailable printer will receive an alert in the form of an error message, such as “Cannot Print Due to a Problem with the Current Printer Setup”.
Prior alert messaging systems generate alert messages containing a limited set of information intended to be useful for a user. The alert messages are typically linked to a set of predetermined events or conditions. However, the information displayed by a particular alert is not always directly linked to the underlying condition. Alert messages that are obscure, generic, or non-applicable to the particular event or condition that caused a display of the message can confuse users. Rather than presenting the user with helpful advice, these generic alerts can be counterproductive because users are often misguided by the obscure information presented by the advisory notice.
In addition, the generic alert message is statically linked into the software program. In other words, the content of the alert is defined by the software development team prior to a release of the software program, and this content can not be edited or updated without a subsequent re-release of the software product. Thus, the alert message cannot be customized to meet the developing needs of the users. For instance, an error condition giving rise to the generic alert, “Contact Your Administrator”, can not be modified by the software owner to include a phone number or e-mail address of the local administrator.
Prior alert messaging systems also fail to support the tracking of incidences of advisory-related conditions or events. Nevertheless, this incident tracking information is useful to both the local system administrator and the computer application developer because this data supports a historical analysis of the conditions resulting in the generation of alerts. Only a user viewing the alert knows that an event, such as an error condition, has arisen during a program session. Thus, the local administrator and software developer cannot take steps to remedy an obvious error condition without first being notified by the user. However, notification by the user can be a time consuming and unfruitful process. For example, since a call to the local or software developer helpdesk can be costly and/or prolonged by extensive wait times, the user may not report the incident. Even where the user notifies the helpdesk, there is no guarantee the user will remember the exact alert message or the condition that resulted in the generation of the alert.
This is especially inefficient for administered computing environments, such as a large corporate organization, where multiple users utilize the same network and network devices. For instance, if thirty users on the same floor see a “Printer Not Responding” message, it is likely that the printer on that floor is down. However, the system administrator remains unaware of the situation until he is informed of the problem by one of the users. Moreover, the system administrator may receive redundant calls concerning the same error, such as multiple calls or electronic mail messages concerning an unresponsive network printer. Valuable time and resources may be wasted tracing and handling multiple incidences of the identical problem.
Similarly, the software development team for the software program remains unaware of recurrent conditions, such as inadvertent errors resulting in generation of an error message. Prior to a release of the software program, the software development may believe that an error condition rarely occurs, while, subsequent widescale use of the software program proves that the error condition may in fact occur with great frequency. Thus, certain “bugs” or defects within the software program may go uncorrected by the software developer in the absence of feedback or historical usage data from users.
One prior alert messaging system by REAL AUDIO attempts to resolve these problems by providing the user with access to supplemental information about the error condition. The system displays a standard dialog box that includes an additional button. The additional button can be selected by the user to open a Web page hosted by a central Internet site containing a generic list of all errors. Each error is accompanied by supplemental fixed information, which the user can access by searching for their specific error. A third party, such as a system administrator responsible for multiple local users of the “REAL AUDIO” software, does not control or have access to the generic information maintained at this Internet site. In other words, a local user can not control the link or the content maintained at this central information source.
While the “REAL AUDIO” alert messaging system provides additional alert information to the user, the system remains too inflexible to satisfy the other problems with existing alert systems. For example, alerts in the “REAL AUDIO” system remain statically linked to the software program, making customization impossible without the re-release of the software product. In addition, while the “REAL AUDIO” system provides some general tracking information (i. e., overall number of errors), it does not provide tracking of specific errors. Thus, system administrators remain unable to remedy a problem for a particular error condition without user notification.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a customizable alert messaging system that provides specific and current information about conditions or events. This customizable alert messaging system should enable a local system administrator to efficiently track alert incidences while providing the flexibility of varying the supplemental information available to multiple users within the computing environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally directed to customizing the content of messages that are conveyed to a user within a computing environment. The present invention provides a mechanism for generating a customizable message, also referred to as an alert, in response to detecting a predetermined condition, such as an error condition or a user prompt condition, arising during operation of a software program module. For example, an alert message is typically generated as a modal dialog by an application program as a result of the occurrence of a predetermined condition. This alert serves to advise the user of the software program about the occurrence of a condition, such as an error condition, associated with an operational aspect of the computing environment.
Prior advisory message systems have generated standard alert messages, typically error condition messages within a dialog, which were statically linked to the application. These fixed messages were composed during the development of the software program and could not be modified by the user to meet particular needs. For example, a large organization that utilizes shared spreadsheet workbooks that do not handle certain features could not customize a standard error message to refer to their particular business processes. In contrast, the present invention provides an alert message having customizable content to support the presentation of information that can be directly related to the condition that caus
Fein Ronald
Giesen Ronald Stephen
Hatakeda Darrin Nobuharu
Hong Stephen S.
Merchant & Gould
Microsoft Corporation
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