International Business Machines Corporation

Rex A McCaskill

Paul D Waldo

John W McInroy

Barbara A Barker

Irene H Hernandez

John S Wang

James T Repass

William C Cason, Jr

Kenneth O Shipp, Jr

Beverly H Machart

Khoa D Nguyen

Francisco A Karner

Roy E Karnes, Jr

Harry E O'Steen

Victor Cuan

A mechanism allows for programming the order of cells for an operator to enter data in a spreadsheet. Each cell of the spreadsheet may be provided with a 'next cell' attribute, and these attributes as well as other attributes for the cells are stored in a table. The 'next cell' attribute may be a constant, such as the name of the next cell, or it may be a logic expression so that the next cell to be edited can be different depending on some condition. When the operator presses the NEXT CELL key, the 'next cell' attribute is searched by accessing the attribute table, and if a 'next cell' attribute is found, it is evaluated to determine the next cell to be edited.

Method for controlling the order of editing cells in a spreadsheet by

A method for tailoring a master document to obtain a special document. The master document is made up of data objects and portions of the data objects. Included in the portions are pointers to corresponding data objects. The portions are windowed and displayed. Selection of a window will result in a view port being opened through the window into a corresponding data object. The data object can then be scrolled to obtain a desired portion to be included in the special document. As each desired portion is obtained, it is stored and becomes part of the special document.

Method for generating a document utilizing a plurality of windows

An easy-to-use technique for specifying measurements of a document to be printed uses a pointing method, such as a cursor which is moved around a display screen by means of a pointing device having a select button. The pointing cursor is moved to each desired location in a predetermined sequence, and the select button is pressed. The values of the measurements so selected are calculated based on the relative position of the pointing cursor at the time the select button is pressed.

Specifying measurements on a page by pointing

Improvements in an application composite eidtor for compound documents containing not only text but also graphics and tables facilitate the manipulation of object sets in the formatting algorithm. The editor works with a page layout philosophy wherein data objects reside on the page and data resides in the data objects. All pages reside within a document object, and some data objects may have additional objects within them. Objects are data-specific entities that the user can manipulate on the page. All objects exist within a specified boundary on the page, and this boundary is defined as an object set boundary. Object sets may be moved into positions on the page such that more than one object set is occupying a single displayable are on the page. Such an arrangement of objects creates a structure called a superblock. A superblock is any displayable area containing two or more object sets positioned so that the object sets overlap one another, reside side-by-side or extend above or below one another. A text object set may not be overlapped by any other object set. Although the superblock is itself a complex structure, the creation of this structure by the editor greatly simplifies integration of different data types on the page for the user and allows the user to manipulate a group of object sets within a single displayable area on the page with relative ease. Moreover, formatting of the document is facilitated by the editor since the superblock is treated as an object set without taking into consideration the complexity inside the superblock structure except when a page end decision must be made.

Editing of a superblock data structure

Improvements in an application composite editor for compound documents containing not only text but also graphics and tables facilitate the manipulation of object sets in the formatting algorithm. The editor works with a page layout philosophy wherein data objects reside on the page and data resides in the data objects. All pages reside within a document object, and some data objects may have additional objects within them. Objects are data-specific entities that the user can manipulate on the page. All objects exist within a specified boundary on the page, and this boundary is defined as an object set boundary. Object sets may be moved into positions on the page such that more than one object set is occupying a single displayable area on the page. Such an arrangement of objects creates a structure called a superblock. A superblock is any displayable area containing two or more object sets positioned so that the object sets overlap one another, reside side-by-side or extend above or below one another. A text object set may not be overlapped by any other object set. Although the superblock is itself a complex structure, the creation of this structure by the editor greatly simplifies integration of different data types on the page for the user and allows the user to manipulate a group of object sets within a single displayable area on the page with relative ease. Moreover, formatting of the document is facilitated by the editor since the superblock is treated as an object set without taking into consideration the complexity inside the superblock structure except when a page end decision must be made.

Superblock structure in a multiple in a data editor

A computer based word processor or text editor is provided with a technique for defining line unit spacing which is particularly useful in a multi-font environment. A pop-down panel showing a miniature vertical scale line is displayed for the user. Adjacent the scale line is a handle which the user can select with a cursor. When the handle is selected, it may be moved up or down the scale line to the desired line unit spacing, at which time the handle is deselected. A numeric display of line unit spacing is also provided, and this display is continuously updated as the handle is moved. If the handle is moved to the top or bottom of the scale line, the scale line is moved up or down.

Definition of line unit size

A technique is disclosed which facilitates the selection by a user of a graphic object on a display screen. Selection is by means of a pointing cursor which is moved about the display screen by means of a pointing device having a select button. When the pointing cursor is brought within a predetermined distance of a graphic object, the point on the graphic object closest to the pointing cursor is highlighted to show the user that that graphic object would be selected if the select button were pressed. If the user presses the select button when a point on a graphic object is highlighted, the entire graphic object is highlighted to indicate that it has been selected.

Graphic highlight adjacent a pointing cursor

A method of, and system for, merging a portion of one document into another and providing for current viewing and on line editing. During preparation of a document, a paragraph from another document can be included in the document being prepared by referencing the other document and paragraph. The result of referencing is inclusion of the paragraph, a view of the document being prepared, and a document including the included paragraph which is dynamically editable. If the paragraph is edited, an operator decision is to be made as to whether the other document is to be updated according to the editing.

Merging of documents

A method of, and system for, creating a document on a real time basis and providing a view of adjoining portions of the document. A data object is specified for creating a window on a display screen and data is input into the window. When the window has been filled with data, input of additional data will result in scrolling of the data, and the data will become larger than the window. Upon completion of the data object, the input data is stored, but a windows' worth of data continues to be displayed. When another data object is specified, another window is created on the screen for input of data. The operations are the same as with the first described window. As additional windows are created, the screen will become full. When this occurs, there will be a scrolling of the windows. As each data object is built, it is linked to the preceding data object. Upon completion of input to a window, the window is linked to a preceding window and to the data input into the window.

Document creation

A word processing system is provided with printing means for printing on a character by character basis a data stream including merged graphic and alphanumeric data. The word processing system is provided with an interactive display for displaying by character generation a data stream representative of alphanumeric characters to be printed together with means for printing the characters on a document on a character by character basis. Operator interactive apparatus is provided whereby the operator can form a graphics data stream which is displayable on said display by character generation. This graphics data stream may then be integrated into the existing alphanumeric data stream, and the data in this integrated data stream may then be applied to the printing means whereby the alphanumeric characters and the graphic characters represented by this data stream are printed character by character to provide a document having the integrated alphanumeric and graphic information.

Printing with a data stream including merged graphic and alphanumeric

The specification discloses a method for using stored information about previous file setups to permit portions of the previous file setup to be reconstructed and selectively used for different tasks or for the stored setup to be used for multiple, compatible files. A specified task to be performed on a file is selected by the operator from a task menu. The current frame for the task specified is displayed to the operator. From the displayed frame, the operator requests stored information about a previous file setup from a diskette. Stored information about the previous file setup is interrogated to determine whether the setup contained a current frame and/or frames lower in the hierarchy of the current frame. If the result of the interrogation is positive, the stored information is further interrogated to determine whether the fields in the previous file setup are compatible with the current file. If the result of the second interrogation is positive, the stored information is copied into the current frame and/or frames lower in the hierarchy of the current frame to produce an updated setup containing restored frames.

Selective use of restored file setups

An improved method is disclosed for entering record selection criteria into an interactive text processing system which also processes spatially related data that is stored in vector formatted record. A qualifying frame is displayed consisting of a header row and, for example, three qualifying rows. The header row includes the field names and the qualifying rows are blank, except for the vertical lines depicting field boundaries. Selection criteria are entered into the system by positioning the cursor to the appropriate row/column intersection and entering the selection data for that field. Criterium entered in different fields in one row represent a 'logical AND' selection, while criterium in different rows represent a 'logical OR' situation. The improvement involves the automatic expansion of the left and right field boundaries of the selected field in both the header row and qualifying rows when more space is required to enter lengthy qualifiers, a number of qualifiers which are ORed together, or different spellings of the same qualifier. The expansion results automatically in accordance with the relationship of the end of data position to the right field boundary marker position to move repetitively the marker towards the right edge of the display, and, when additional space is required, to shift repetitively the field name and entered data to the left providing additional character positions at the right edge of the field.

Method for automatic field width expansion in a text processing system

A method of, and system for, managing assembly and formatting of footnotes and body text. Following preparation and separate storage of both body and footnote text, assembly of the footnote text with the body text can be accomplished in one pass for a review of the appearance of the document in its to-be-printed format. Two techniques are available for assembly of the document. The technique selected will be the one which will provide optimum performance and will be determined by the amount of footnote text being assembled and/or the body and footnote text edited. If any editing is performed, the new and/or edited footnote text can be re-assembled in one pass.

Footnote assembly management

An information processing system (10) has a terminal (12) which functions with a diskette storage (14). The terminal (12) includes a display screen (16) and keyboard (18) wherein an operator enters alphanumeric characters and predefined commands. A file of information is stored on the diskette storage (14). The file is made up of a plurality of records. Each of the records comprises a plurality of fields. The fields include character fields, arithmetic fields and text fields. The text fields include alphanumeric, punctuation and control characters, the character fields include alphanumeric and punctuation characters and exclude control characters and the arithmetic fields include numeric characters and exclude control characters. By inputting commands to the keyboard (18) the operator reads a record from storage (14) and displays it on the screen (16). The content of the fields in the record are displayed on the screen (16) except for the text fields. For each text field there is displayed an asterisk (60). The operator selects a text field by positioning a cursor (62) beneath the corresponding asterisk and then inputting a down cursor command. In response to the down cursor command the terminal (12) opens a text window on the screen (16) and displays the corresponding text field on the lower portion (16b) of the screen (16). The operator is then free to edit the text field. After completion of the editing the operator enters a command to incorporate the edited text field with the selected record. The record with the edited text field can then be returned to the file in the storage (14).

File processing method using expanding display windows for selected

An information processing system is disclosed which includes a display, a memory, a keyboard and a control unit. The system may store and display data in a table format by record and field. The system may be employed in an entry edit mode whereby data is entered or edited by an operator through the keyboard into the system. The system may also operate in a record selection mode whereby data in a field having a predetermined relation to a field value may be selected by the system. The system permits the entry of comparison operators and field values below the field heading in the display for the field to be searched. The keys representing the comparison operators and the keys representing data are at separate locations on the keyboard to prevent operator error in input. This feature is particularly advantageous when one symbol may be employed both as a comparison operator and data. Such a symbol would then be represented by two keys on the keyboard. The system also includes a syntax check routine which acts to detect syntax errors in data entered. The system rejects the improper data and informs the operator through the display. The syntax check routine also may be programmed for the type of data to be entered into each field. The routine will then check each data to be entered in a given field to determined if the data is of the proper type.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Rex A McCaskill