Organization mode support mechanisms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018373397-A1
Application number	US-201816117351-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 30, 2018
Priority date	Apr 2, 2014
Publication date	Dec 27, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An organization mode in a user interface that displays multiple user interface elements. The multiple user interface elements fit over a grid positions that are at least conceptually imposed over a canvas. In organization mode, the grid positions are displayed, allowing the user to more easily see where user interface elements may be placed. As the user moves and/or resizes a user interface element, one or more corresponding grid positions are highlighted to show where the user interface element would be placed if the move or resize operation were to conclude at that moment. The organization mode may also provide a contextual actions menu with respect to a particular user interface element. The contextual actions menu includes multiple organization mode commands, including one or more that may be directed selected from the contextual actions menu to invoke the command.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A computer system comprising;
one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the computer system to support an organization mode in which a plurality of user interface elements are organized within a user interface by causing the computer system to: display a canvas on the user interface, the canvas being subdivided into at least an extendable start board portion and a constituent element portion, the extendable start board portion being displayed simultaneously with the constituent element portion on the canvas, wherein: upon selection of any one user interface element in the extendable start board portion, the constituent element portion is updated to include a group of user interface elements that each corresponds to the selected any one user interface element, a size of the constituent element portion is dependent on a size of the extendable start board portion such that as the size of the extendable start board portion increases, the size of the constituent element portion decreases in response, and when the size of the constituent element portion decreases, an appearance of at least some elements in the group of user interface elements included in the constituent element portion is progressively cutoff to coincide with the decreasing size of the constituent element portion; display a plurality of user interface elements on the extendable start board portion of the canvas so as to conform to a grid pattern having a plurality of grid positions on the extendable start board portion, each of the plurality of user interface elements occupying one or more of the grid positions of the plurality of grid positions and having boundaries corresponding to boundaries between grid positions; detect a user instruction representing an intent to organize one or more of the plurality of user interface elements on the canvas, the user interface entering the organization mode after the user instruction is received; cause an appearance of at least some remaining user interface elements in the plurality to change such that the appearances are deemphasized, the at least some remaining user interface elements being elements that were not associated with the user instruction; cause at least some of the plurality of grid positions to be displayed in response to the act of detecting the user instruction; and while in the organization mode and in response to selecting a particular user interface element, cause a contextual actions menu to appear for the particular user interface element, the contextual actions menu displaying a subset of available commands that are usable to perform operations in connection with the particular user interface element.

2 . The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the subset of available commands includes a clone command that, when selected, copies an instance of the particular user interface element.

3 . The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the subset of available commands includes a hero wide command that, when selected, resizes the particular user interface element to a predetermined size.

4 . The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the subset of available commands includes a done customizing command that, when selected, causes the particular user interface element to be selected.

5 . The computer system of claim 1 , wherein causing the at least some of the plurality of grid positions to be displayed is delayed until an organization action is performed on any one or more of the user interface elements included in the plurality of user interface elements.

6 . The computer system of claim 1 , wherein causing the at least some of the plurality of grid positions to be displayed in response to the act of detecting the user instruction is performed by displaying a dashed-line along an outer peripheral border of each grid position that is not currently occupied by any one user interface element included in the plurality of user interface elements.

7 . The computer system of claim 1 , wherein causing the at least some of the plurality of grid positions to be displayed in response to the act of detecting the user instruction is performed by displaying a solid line along an outer peripheral border of each grid position that is not currently occupied by any one user interface element included in the plurality of user interface elements.

8 . The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the contextual actions menu is displayed simultaneously with the particular user interface element.

9 . The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the displayed subset of available commands are commands that have been previously identified as being commonly used by a user while the user interacts with the user interface in the organization mode.

10 . The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the displayed subset of available commands includes a pin and unpin command.

11 . A method for supporting an organization mode in which a plurality of user interface elements are organized within a user interface, the method comprising:
displaying a canvas on the user interface, the canvas being subdivided into at least an extendable start board portion and a constituent element portion, the extendable start board portion being displayed simultaneously with the constituent element portion on the canvas, wherein: upon selection of any one user interface element in the extendable start board portion, the constituent element portion is updated to include a group of user interface elements that each corresponds to the selected any one user interface element, a size of the constituent element portion is dependent on a size of the extendable start board portion such that as the size of the extendable start board portion increases, the size of the constituent element portion decreases in response, and when the size of the constituent element portion decreases, an appearance of at least some elements in the group of user interface elements included in the constituent element portion is progressively cutoff to coincide with the decreasing size of the constituent element portion; displaying a plurality of user interface elements on the extendable start board portion of the canvas so as to conform to a grid pattern having a plurality of grid positions on the extendable start board portion, each of the plurality of user interface elements occupying one or more of the grid positions of the plurality of grid positions and having boundaries corresponding to boundaries between grid positions; detecting a user instruction representing an intent to organize one or more of the plurality of user interface elements on the canvas, the user interface entering the organization mode after the user instruction is received; causing an appearance of at least some remaining user interface elements in the plurality to change such that the appearances are deemphasized, the at least some remaining user interface elements being elements that were not associated with the user instruction; causing at least some of the plurality of grid positions to be displayed in response to the act of detecting the user instruction; and while in the organization mode and in response to selecting a particular user interface element, causing a contextual actions menu to appear for the particular user interface element, the contextual actions menu displaying a subset of available commands that are usable to perform operations in connection with the particular user interface element.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the displayed subset of available comma

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Welicki Leon Ezequiel
• Wang Mo
• Scrosati Christopher
• Owens Kristofer John
• Harris Jon
• Sterling Jonah Bush
• Supino Dina-Marie Ledonna
• Joshi Vishal R
• Francisco Jesse David
• Danton Stephen Michael

Classifications

• G06F3/0486

  Drag-and-drop · CPC title

• G06F3/04812 Primary

  Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects · CPC title

• G06F3/0481 Primary

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title

• G06F3/04847

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title