Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Kent Rogers Lowry

Justin Michael Maguire

Mark S Igra

Chaitanya Dev Sareen

Sean Erik McAteer

Jennifer Amy Sadler

Erin Megan Riley

Ravishankar Shanmugam

Clara Graham

Louisa Chi Yan Lee

Tuan Huynh

Eric W Patterson

Matthew John Androski

Robert Wayne Coffen

Eric Lawrence Matteson

Marcella Rader

Mariya Tikunova

Brian Frank

Jeanell D Sullivan

Margaret G Hudson

Tjeerd Hoek

Richard M Banks

Scott M Stiles

Terri L Sorge

Willard Bruce Jones

Russell S Johnson

May May Quan

John L Dauphiny

Howard Wesley Cherry

John A Tholen

Terrence T Huang

Slide presentation files may be separated into one or more individual slide files, and the one or more individual slide files may be stored in a remote or local slide library. Stored individual slide files are populated with metadata for allowing subsequent search and location of individual slide files. A synchronization relationship may be established between a stored slide file and a copy of the stored slide file used in a slide presentation document. As updates are made to the stored slide file, a user of a copy of the stored slide file may be informed of and provided changes made to the original slide file via the synchronization relationship.

Storage and utilization of slide presentation slides

An interactive tooltip provides access to help information and enhanced editing capabilities. The interactive tooltip may be useful for a user editing a function within a spreadsheet formula. The present invention may integrate HTML-like interactivity with a conventional tooltip to provide a new interface for working with the associated data. The interactivity of the tooltip may provide additional levels of help or documentation when requested and may provides additional editing navigation functionality within the associated data. Embodiments of the present invention may provide a tooltip in close proximity to the associated data, while the associated data is being edited. In the case of a spreadsheet, a tooltip may be provided when the user begins editing a function within a spreadsheet cell. The help facility may recognize that the user has begun entering a function.

Interactive tooltip

slide presentation files may be separated into one or more individual slide files, and the one or more individual slide files may be stored in a remote or local slide library. Stored individual slide files are populated with metadata for allowing subsequent search and location of individual slide files. A synchronization relationship may be established between a stored slide file and a copy of the stored slide file used in a slide presentation document. As updates are made to the stored slide file, a user of a copy of the stored slide file may be informed of and provided changes made to the original slide file via the synchronization relationship.

A user can click on a spreadsheet cell to enter edit mode and alter the contents of the cell. Edit mode can be exited through a click and drag maneuver. The click and drag maneuver not only exits edit mode, but also selects a range of cells. The click and drag is performed by depressing a mouse button while the mouse indicator is positioned Over the edit cell, moving the mouse while holding the mouse button depressed, and releasing the mouse button when the end of the desired range of cells is reached. The range of selected cells starts with the edit cell and continues to the cell over which the mouse indicator was positioned when the mouse button was released.

Exiting a spreadsheet edit mode during a mouse drag operation

Formats are extended automatically to cells in an electronic spreadsheet. Previously blank, newly edited cell(s) are determined to be an extension or within a list of cells based on having a consistent data type, and the like. Next, formatting of the list of cells is examined for consistency. If consistent formatting exists, it is applied to the previously blank, newly edited cell(s). List of cells may include rows, columns, and the like.

Extension of formulas and formatting in an electronic spreadsheet

An interactive tooltip provides access to help information and enhanced editing capabilities. The interactive tooltip is especially useful for a user editing a function within a spreadsheet formula. The present invention integrates HTML-like interactivity with a conventional tooltip to provide a new interface for working with the associated data. The interactivity of the tooltip provides additional levels of help or documentation when requested and provides additional editing navigation functionality within the associated data. The present invention provides a tooltip in close proximity to the associated data, while the associated data is being edited. In the case of a spreadsheet, a tooltip will be provided when the user begins editing a function within a spreadsheet cell. The help facility of the present invention recognizes that the user has begun entering a function, when the user has entered an equals sign (identifying a formula), a known function name, and a parenthesis (indicating the beginning of an argument set). The help facility then references a function database and determines the required argument set. The help facility renders the function name and argument set in an HTML-like text, and provides an alternate method for selecting any argument. Finally, the help facility displays the HTML-like text to the user next to the point at which the user is editing the spreadsheet function.

A spreadsheet program directly publishes a data table or chart into an HTML document. The table or chart is published to a predefined location within the HTML document and a user is enabled to readily update the published table or chart to include changes made in the spreadsheet program by republishing the data table or chart. Furthermore, the published or republished data can be imported back into the parent spreadsheet program from the HTML document without loss of functionality or formatting that it had in the parent spreadsheet program. In addition, the data may be published in a form that can be used by ActiveX web components in order to provide spreadsheet functionality from within the browser application. A unique marker tag or identification tag within the HTML document indicates where the data table or chart has been inserted.

Publishing/republishing data tables in HTML documents while maintaining formatting and functionality for restoring back the data tables

Methods for automatically, without user instruction, extending a format and/or a formula to include a cell in an electronic spreadsheet. A previously blank newly edited cell may be determined to be an extension to or within a list of cells. A list of cells may be defined as a number of previous cells having a consistent data type. If a list of cells exists and the previously blank newly edited cell also includes the consistent data type, the previously blank newly edited cell is considered to be an extension of or within a list. The cells in the list are then examined for consistent formatting. If consistent formatting exists in the list, the consistent formatting is applied to the previously blank newly edited cell. Also, the cells in the list are examined for consistent formulas. The rows containing the cells in the list are each examined for a consistent formula having all supporting cells populated. If such a consistent formula is detected, it is applied to the row containing the previously blank newly edited cell. Also, the spreadsheet is scanned for aggregating formulas that reference the cells within the list. If an aggregating formula is discovered, it is updated to include the value of the data stored in the previously blank newly edited cell.

A method for using an indicator, known as &ldquo;See Through View,&rdquo; that allows a user to select a region on the display device and still see the visual attributes of the contents as they will appear when the region is deselected. When the user selects a region on the display device, the invention &ldquo;shades&rdquo; the background of the selected region. The contents within the selected region are left unchanged. Shading is accomplished by combining each original background base color with a selection shading color to produce a corresponding blended color, or colors. If the corresponding blended color is similar to the background base color, the blended color is either lightened or darkened, as needed to produce an adjusted blended color. Each blended color, or the adjusted blended color (as required) replaces the corresponding base background color within the selected region. The effect is that the selected region and background items appear &ldquo;shaded.&rdquo; This allows the user to see the visual attributes of the contents of the selected region, as they would actually appear.

Method for indicating a selected region on a computer display while allowing the user to see the formatting of the background and content items within the selected region

Editing cells within a spreadsheet to change the contents of a spreadsheet. To enter edit mode and alter the contents of a cell, the user first selects a cell by single clicking a mouse button while the mouse indicator is positioned above the cell. The user then initiates another single click when the mouse indicator is positioned above the selected cell. Once edit mode is active, the user may change the contents of the cell from within the web browser window as desired. Edit mode can be exited through one of three methods: an &ldquo;exit and save&rdquo; signal, an &ldquo;exit and discard&rdquo; signal, or a click and drag maneuver. The exit and save signal prompts the invention to save all changes to the cell that the user has made. The exit and discard signal prompts the invention to discard any changes made to the cell by the user, revert to the pre-edit mode contents of the edit cell, and exit edit mode. Finally, a click and drag maneuver not only exits edit mode, but selects a range of cells. The click and drag is performed by depressing a mouse button while the mouse indicator is positioned over the edit cell, moving the mouse while holding the mouse button depressed, and releasing the mouse button when the end of the desired range of cells is reached. The range of cells selected will then start with the edit cell and continue to the cell over which the mouse indicator was positioned when the mouse button was released.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Kent Rogers Lowry