Data processing: presentation processing of document – operator i – Presentation processing of document – Layout
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-30
2003-06-17
Feild, Joseph H. (Department: 2176)
Data processing: presentation processing of document, operator i
Presentation processing of document
Layout
C345S592000, C345S629000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06579324
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to the selection of a region on a graphical user interface and, more particularly, relates to an improved method of showing a selection on a graphical user interface without interfering with the user's view of the visual attributes of the contents within the selection.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Most modern computer software uses a graphical user interface (GUI) to display information to and receive commands from users. The GUI allows a user to view the contents of their documents on the computer display just as it would appear when printed out. This is technology is known as WYSIWYG, an acronym for “What You See Is What You Get.” A user typically interacts with the GUI through a pointing device (e.g., a mouse) to position a pointer or cursor over an object and “clicking” on the object. The user can also click and drag the pointing device to highlight, or select, sections of the display. Examples of operating systems that provide graphical user interfaces and WYSISYG technologies are WINDOWS 95 and WINDOWS 98, which are manufactured by the Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.
In a computer system using a GUI, the user who uses a mouse to make a selection can highlight a selection by positioning the cursor at the beginning of the section, pressing and holding down the mouse button, and dragging the cursor to the end of the selection. This selection technique is known as “click and drag.” It should be noted that alternative methods, such as using the keyboard, selecting a command function, executing a macro routine or executing a Visual Basic routine, may also be used to highlight a selection. Once a region is selected in this manner, the user can change the visible attributes of the background and content items within the region using the menu items and other control features of the GUI. Click and drag techniques allow users to quickly select a block of text, an object, etc. and change the visual attributes associated with the selected region. The GUI highlights the selected region by changing the background base color with a background selection color. Typically, the GUI shows the background selection color in reverse video. Reverse video sets the background selection color to the complement of the background base color. Also, reverse video replaces the cell content colors with their complementary colors. For example, black text on a white background appears as white text on a black background.
A useful computer program module that implements the GUI and WYSIWYG technologies is Microsoft's EXCEL 97 spreadsheet program. The display area associated with this program is divided into a plurality of cells defining rows and columns. Each cell may contain attributes unique from every other cell. Thus, each cell may have a unique fill or background base color and contain cell contents formatted differently from the contents of every other cell. To simultaneously change the attributes of multiple cells, the user typically selects a range of cells using the click and drag (or equivalent) technique. The selected range has two components: an active cell that is the current focus of the activity (typically, the cell containing the cursor) and non-active cells (typically the remaining cells in the selected range).
When users select two or more cells in a spreadsheet, the current convention displays the non-active cells in reverse video and leaves the active cell unchanged. Reverse video sets the background selection color to the complement of the background base color and replaces the cell content color with its complementary color. For example, if a cell contains a red text on a yellow background, reverse video results in turquoise (complement of red) text displayed on a blue background selection color (complement of yellow). As a result, the user cannot see the visual attributes of the cells in the selected region as they actually appear. Referring to the previous example, the font appears turquoise rather than red. This confuses users as to how the spreadsheet formatting actually appears. In particular, users may become confused when they attempt to manipulate the visual attributes of the content items in the selected range. Returning to the example, a user changing the red font to a green font would see magenta (complement of green) content items within the selected region. Only upon completion of the font change and deselection of the region would the content items appear green.
Thus, applying reverse video to a selected region confuses users as to the actual formatting of the selected region. In many instances, this leads to users deselecting and reselecting the same region repeatedly to confirm that their formatting tasks are successful. The confusion and constant selecting and deselecting of the same region leads to an inefficient use of time, user frustration and may cause errors associated with the user forgetting to reselect the region to make further changes.
Some computer program modules have attempted to solve these problems. For example, one selection technique applies reverse video only to the background and not to the cell contents. In this manner, the format of the cell contents is left unchanged, while the background is displayed in its complementary color. Another selection technique allows the user to select the background selection color for the non-active cells. For example, if the user chooses blue as the background selection color, red text initially displayed on a yellow background will appear as red text on a blue background after the user selects the region.
However, both of these methods have shortcomings. Specifically, if the cell contents are the same color as the background selection color, the user cannot see the content items in the selected region. This is because in both methods, the GUI paints the background selection color (either the reverse video color or the selected color) over the background base color.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a more efficient method for indicating a selected region of a computer display using a graphical user interface. There is a further need in the art for a method for indicating a selected region on a computer display without interfering with the user's view of the visual attributes within the selection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention meets the above-described needs by providing a utility for indicating a selected region on a computer GUI while allowing the user to see the formatting through the selection indicator. This utility, which is referred to as “See Through View,” blends the background base color with a selection shading color to create the background selection color. In addition, the content items are not blended. This allows the user to select a region on the display device and still see the formatting of the background and the content items similar to the way they will appear when the region is deselected.
In other words, when the user selects a region on the display device, the invention “shades” the background of the non-active cells of the selected region and leaves the cell content items unchanged. The shading is accomplished by combining the background base color with a selection shading color to produce a blended color. For example, the selection shading color may be a Windows system color used as a standard selection color to indicate selection in all Windows programs.
When a user selects a region, the blended color becomes the background selection color, which replaces the original background base color. The effect is that the background of the non-active cells appears shaded or darkened. For example, if the selection shading color is set to blue and a user selects a region of the display screen with a red background base color, the background selection color will appear red with blue shading, as opposed to turquoise (i.e., in reverse video), but still appears selected due to the blue shading. Because the cell contents remain unchanged, the user can see the visual attributes of the cell contents, as they would actually ap
Banks Richard M.
Cherry Howard Wesley
Hoek Tjeerd
Huang Terrence T.
Jones Willard Bruce
Feild Joseph H.
Merchant & Gould
Microsoft Corporation
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