Workflow development system with ease-of-use features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10409558-B2
Application number	US-201615232575-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2016
Priority date	Nov 23, 2015
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

A workflow development system is described herein that includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that is configured to selectively and dynamically allocate relatively more of a display area to a particular one of a plurality of different, simultaneously-displayed workflow step representations than is allocated to the other workflow step representation(s) to facilitate user interaction the particular workflow step representation. Such allocation may be carried out in response to user interaction with the particular workflow step representation or in response to a determination that a user is otherwise focused on the particular workflow step representation. In embodiments, the workflow step representations represent different workflow steps in a series of workflow steps. In further embodiments, the workflow step representations represent different workflow steps that may be performed depending upon the evaluation of a condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method in a computing device, comprising:
presenting a workflow designer graphical user interface (GUI) within a display area;
concurrently presenting within the workflow designer GUI a first representation of a first workflow step of a workflow under development and a first representation of a second workflow step of the workflow under development, each of the first representations comprising a graphical and user-interactive representation, the first representation of the first workflow step occupying more of the display area than the first representation of the second workflow step;
determining that a user has interacted with the first representation of the second workflow step; and
in response to determining that the user has interacted with the first representation of the second workflow step, replacing the first representation of the first workflow step with a second representation of the first workflow step and replacing the first representation of the second workflow step with a second representation of the second workflow step, each of the second representations comprising a graphical and user-interactive representation, the second representation of the second workflow step occupying more of the display area than the second representation of the first workflow step.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display area comprises all or a portion of a viewable area of a display of a computing device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first representation of the first workflow step includes one or more first data entry elements, each of the one or more first data entry elements being operable to receive a corresponding input parameter associated with the first workflow step;
the second representation of the first workflow step does not include the one or more first data entry elements;
the second representation of the second workflow step includes one or more second data entry elements, each of the one or more second data entry elements being operable to receive a corresponding input parameter associated with the second workflow step; and
the first representation of the second workflow step does not include the one or more second data entry elements.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first representation of the first workflow step includes a first interactive control element that a user can interact with to change a connection associated with the first workflow step;
the second representation of the first workflow step does not include the first interactive control element;
the second representation of the second workflow step includes a second interactive control element that a user can interact with to change a connection associated with the second workflow step; and
the first representation of the second workflow step does not include the second interactive control element.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first representation of the first workflow step comprises an expanded representation of the first workflow step;
the second representation of the first workflow step comprises a collapsed representation of the first workflow step;
the first representation of the second workflow step comprises a collapsed representation of the second workflow step; and
the second representation of the second workflow step comprises an expanded representation of the second workflow step.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising;
presenting within each of the expanded and collapsed representations of the first workflow step a first interactive control element that a user can interact with to switch between the expanded and collapsed representations of the first workflow step; and
presenting within each of the expanded and collapsed representations of the second workflow step a second interactive control element that the user can interact with to switch between the expanded and collapsed representations of the second workflow step.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first workflow step comprises a workflow step to be performed if a condition is met and the second workflow step comprises a workflow step to be performed if the condition is not met; and
the first and second representations of the first and second workflow steps are presented in a side-by-side fashion within the predefined display area.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising;
presenting a first data entry element within the workflow designer GUI via which a user can identify an object for which the condition is to be established;
presenting a second data entry element within the workflow designer GUI via which the user can specify a relationship; and
presenting a third data entry element within the workflow designer GUI via which the user can input a value;
wherein the condition is deemed met if the object has the relationship to the value and the condition is not met if the object does not have the relationship to the value.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first representation of the first workflow step and the first representation of the second workflow step are presented in response to determining that the user has identified the object via the first data entry element, specified the relationship via the second data entry element, and input the value via the third data entry element.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
presenting a first interactive control element within each of the first and second representations of the first workflow step;
in response to user interaction with the first interactive control element, enabling the user to selectively edit, rename or delete the first workflow step;
presenting a second interactive control element within each of the first and second representations of the second workflow step; and
in response to user interaction with the second interactive control element, enabling the user to selectively edit, rename or delete the first workflow step.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable memory having computer program logic recorded thereon that when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
receiving an indication that a user has interacted with a first representation of a first workflow step of a workflow under development, the first representation of the first workflow step being presented within a display area of a workflow designer graphical user interface (GUI) concurrently and in a side-by-side manner with a first representation of a second workflow step of the workflow under development, each of the first representations comprising a graphical and user-interactive representation, the first representation of the first workflow step occupying less of the display area than the first representation of the second workflow step, the first workflow step comprising a workflow step to be performed if a condition is not met and the second workflow step comprising a workflow step to be performed if the condition is met; and
in response to at least receiving the indication that the user has interacted with the first representation of the first workflow step, replacing the first representation of the first workflow step with a second representation of the first workflow step and replacing the first representation of the second workflow step with a second representation of the second workflow step, each of the second representations comprising a graphical and user-interactive representation, the second representation of the first workflow step occupying more of the display area than the second representation of the second workflow step.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherei

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Kumar Prashant
• Twist Jonjo
• Siciliano Stephen C
• Agrawal Himanshu
• Shrestha Prabir K
• Shyamsundar Balasubramanian

Classifications

• G06F3/011 Primary

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06Q10/0633

  Workflow analysis · CPC title

• G06F8/10

  Requirements analysis; Specification techniques · CPC title

• G06Q10/06

  Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling · CPC title

• G06F8/36

  Software reuse · CPC title