Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Timothy Garry Dwyer

Bongshin Lee

Fabian Omar Winternitz

Kael R Rowan

Nathalie Henry Riche

Lev Boris Nachmanson

Sheelagh Carpendale

Stuart Kent

Gur Kimchi

Matthew Jay Kotler

George G Robertson

Roland Lucas Fernandez

Danyel Aharon Fisher

Murali R Krishnan

Jason Joseph Weber

Brian L Welcker

B Scott Ruble

Christian Olaf Abeln

Lev Borisovich Nachmanson

Andrew Byrne

Stella Yick Chan

Jens K Jacobsen

Benjamin L Chronister

Stuart John Harding Kent

Edward Hart

Durham Montgomery Goode

Morten Holm-Peterson

Olga Kulyk

Kipper V Jewsbury

Mikkel Ronne Jakobsen

Yanlin Hou

Andrew Jude Byrne

A link curvature processing module enables a user with the ability to control the curvature of links in a node-link diagram. As a node-link diagram is displayed to a user, the user may interact with the diagram and adjust the curvature of one or more links in the diagram to improve the readability of the diagram. The user's modification to the curvature of a link alters the shape of the link so that the position of the nodes connected to the link does not change. By providing the user with such control, the user is able to tailor the visual display of the links to the user's preference.

Interactive control of the curvature of links

Systems and methods are described herein for enabling a user of a diagramming system to select elements of a diagram and apply a layout constraint thereto. In accordance with certain embodiments described herein, the systems and methods provide the user with a means to perform these tasks in a manner that is faster, easier and more intuitive than interfaces provided by conventional diagramming systems. For example, in accordance with at least one embodiment described herein, a single user gesture is obtained and the steps of selecting elements of a diagram to which a layout constraint is to be applied and selecting the layout constraint are both performed based on the single user gesture.

Layout constraint manipulation via user gesture recognition

A system and method for creating or editing a graph diagram. A system provides a mechanism to specify constraints on edge way points. Constraints may specify alignment with other way points, distribution of way points, spacing from other way points or nodes, or other types of constraints. A system may automatically determine edge way point constraints based on edge direction, edge type, target nodes or regions of nodes, or other characteristics of edges. The system enables a combination of constraints specified by a user and automatically determined by the system. Way points are positioned based on associated constraints, and edges are routed based on their associated way points.

Controlling edge routing using layout constraints

An edge routing system is described herein that uses a spatial decomposition to achieve faster routing, and more quickly generates a sparse visibility graph using a cone spanner. The system provides two approaches that can be used separately or in combination to achieve faster&#x2014;and hence more scalable and more interactive&#x2014;edge routing using approximate shortest paths. The first approach uses a spatial decomposition of the nodes in a graph, moving them slightly to obtain strictly disjoint convex hulls around groups of nodes, and then computing visibility graphs over these composite hulls rather than individual nodes. The second approach generates a sparse visibility-graph spanner to accelerate the process of producing the visibility graph. The system allows high quality obstacle avoiding edge routing for large diagrams in interactive diagramming applications where very fast refreshes of routing are used with many nodes moving at the same time.

Fast edge routing for interactive diagramming

A computer system identifies a source node that is to be connected to a target node, where the target node is connected to the source node using an edge that links a connection region associated with the source node to a candidate connection region of the target node. The computer system identifies candidate connection region constraints that place restrictions on where the candidate connection regions can be positioned on the target node and determines, based on the identified candidate connection region constraints, the position of each candidate connection region relative to the target node. At least two of the candidate connection regions are disconnected so that an edge's connection to the target node can change between the disconnected connection regions. The computer system also visually represents the position of each of the candidate connection regions of the target node.

Edge routing using connection regions

Embodiments are directed to determining an appropriate neighborhood region for updating a node layout of an interactive diagramming system. A computer system receives an input indicating at least one change to various selected nodes displayed in the interactive diagramming system, where the changes to the selected nodes affect the positions of the other nodes on the node layout. The computer system traverses adjacent node edges to determine s minimal node neighborhood to which the node changes are to be applied. The computer system accesses diagram parameters that identify diagram and node characteristics and determines the minimal neighborhood region based on both the determined number of adjacent nodes and the accessed parameters. The computer system also updates the position of the selected node and the updated positions of those nodes and corresponding edges that are determined to be within the neighborhood region.

Localized layout and routing in an interactive diagramming system

Various types of data can be collected into a data set and related content and/or related concepts across the data in the data set and/or across search histories can be displayed as a visual representation. The related content/concepts can be presented as a function of incremental revealing of relationships. After reviewing the visual representation, a user can customize the data set and relationships by specifically excluding a related data segment. The visual representation can be applied across multiple searches or other obtained data. Through interaction with the visual representation, a user can drill down into common linkages of the data to more narrowly focus on a subset of the data and/or to refocus a search result and/or to provide annotations.

Using visual techniques to manipulate data

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Kirkland, WA, United States of America

Timothy Garry Dwyer