Common software applications such as spreadsheets use tabs to label separate “sheets” and allow the user to navigate between sheets in a set of sheets, or “workbook.” A workbook, as used herein, refers to any set of tabbed elements, while a sheet refers to a tabbed element. Indeed, many non-spreadsheet applications also use the concept of tabs to aid users in accessing and organizing data.
Typically, applications require three steps to add a new sheet: (1) selecting the sheet before which the new sheet will be added; (2) selecting an “Insert” menu (e.g., from the menu bar at the top of the application screen or from within a right-click context menu); and (3) selecting “new sheet” from the Insert menu. Once the new sheet has been created, a user may move the new sheet to a desired location, such as the end of the existing list of sheet tabs, by using a drag-and-drop technique. This sequence of steps may be inconvenient for experienced users that frequently need to add new sheets to existing workbooks, and may be difficult or non-intuitive for new users.
The present invention is generally related to allowing the user to add a new sheet to a set of sheets or “workbook” by pressing a single button. The “new sheet button” is located adjacent the other sheet tabs so that a user may easily locate and activate the button. In one embodiment, the new sheet is added to the end of the workbook so that the tab for the new sheet is positioned at one end of the sheet tabs. This is not only a commonly desired location for the new sheet (i.e., at the end of the workbook), but also leaves the new sheet tab in a location near the cursor where it can be easily accessed and/or moved. Alternatively, the new sheet may be added immediately before or after an active sheet within the workbook since a user may desire to add the sheet as close as possible to the active sheet where the user is working.
In an embodiment, a new blank sheet may be added in response to a default activation (e.g., a left mouse button click) of the new sheet button. Alternatively, a non-default activation (such as a right-click) of the button may be used to generate a pop-up menu listing a number of options for creating the new sheet. These options may include copying the contents of the active sheet into the new sheet, as well as creating a pre-formatted sheet or template for entering data.
The various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a computer process, a computing system or as an article of manufacture such as a computer program product or computer readable media. The computer program product may be a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. The computer program product may also be a propagated signal on a carrier readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process.
These and various other features as well as advantages, which characterize the present invention, will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. While this Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below, it is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
In general, the present invention relates to a graphical user interface that may be implemented on a computer system.
In addition to the memory 104, the system may include at least one or more other forms of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by the computing system 100. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media might comprise computer storage media and communication media.
Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Memory 104, removable storage 108, and non-removable storage 110 are all examples of computer storage media. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can accessed by computing system 100. Any such computer storage media may be part of system 100.
Computing system 100 may also contain communications connection(s) 112 that allow the system to communicate with other devices. The communications connection(s) 112 exemplifies use of communication media. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.
Thus, as described above, “computer readable media” may include any available media that can be accessed by processing unit 102. In particular, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media, communication media, or any combination thereof.
In accordance with an embodiment, the computing system 100 includes peripheral devices, such as input device(s) 114 and/or output device(s) 116. Exemplary input devices 114 include, without limitation, keyboards, computer mice, pens, or styluses, voice input devices, tactile input devices and the like. Exemplary output device(s) 116 include, without limitation, devices such as displays, speakers, and printers. Each of these devices is well know in the art and, therefore, are not described in detail herein.
In one embodiment, a “new sheet” button allows users of spreadsheet software to quickly add a new sheet to a set of tabbed worksheets or “workbook.”
Spreadsheet workbooks typically contain more than one worksheet for ease of organization and use. Each worksheet in a workbook may operate as an independent spreadsheet or may be linked to values in other worksheets contained in the same or other workbooks. Typically, only one “active worksheet” is displayed at a time. The user may manipulate data only in the active worksheet, as inactive worksheets are hidden from view.
To allow the user to navigate between worksheets, spreadsheet applications typically display a worksheet tab region 208 in which a separate tab corresponds to each worksheet in the workbook.
In the example shown in
In another embodiment, placement of the new worksheet tab 302 may be determined by the position of the active worksheet when the user selects the new worksheet button 220. For example, the new worksheet 300 may be added, by default, either immediately before or after the currently active worksheet. Thus, in one embodiment, if “Sheet 2” had been active in
Regardless of whether the newly added worksheet is placed at the end of the list of existing sheets, or whether it is placed immediately before (or after) the active worksheet, an embodiment prevents the tab for the new worksheet (e.g., the tab 302) from being added on the opposite side of the new worksheet button 220. This avoids confusion that may occur if the new worksheet button 220 is positioned between the worksheet tabs. Furthermore, in an embodiment, the user is not allowed to move the newly added tab to the opposite side of the button 220. Thus, in the example shown in
New worksheet 300 is preferably named according to the standard naming convention followed by the spreadsheet program 200, and a label bearing this name is included in the tab 302 for the new worksheet 300. By way of example, and not of limitation, the new worksheet may be named “Sheet n”, where “n−1” represents the number of pre-existing worksheets contained within the workbook 202. In the example shown in
In an embodiment of the present invention, the user may configure the pop-up menu 400 to provide options for adding specific worksheet templates. This may be beneficial for those users that are frequently required to add one or more standard, formatted worksheets to existing workbooks. An added benefit of the new sheet button 220 is that the pop-up menu 400 is not context sensitive. That is, certain menu items within the menu 400 do not rely or depend on an active worksheet and/or its format. Instead, the menu 400 provides an independent set of menu items defining certain sheet types or blank sheets.
Add operation 506 adds a new default sheet to the set of tabbed sheets. In an embodiment where the set of tabbed sheets comprises a spreadsheet workbook, add operation 506 adds a default worksheet to the workbook. As described above, the location of the new sheet may be at the end of the workbook, or either in front of or behind the active sheet (among other options). The addition of a “default” sheet refers to a sheet having a predetermined set of formatting rules, such as the blank worksheet 300 shown in
If determination 504 concludes that the input signal received during receive operation 502 is a non-default signal, such as a right mouse click or a double tap on a touch screen, then flow branches NO to display operation 510. Display operation 510 displays a pop-up menu with a plurality of sheet types from which the user may select to add to the set of tabbed sheets. These sheet types provide for including various contents or formatting within the new sheet, including a blank sheet having no content or formatting. By way of example, and not of limitation, these options may include inserting a default sheet type, copying the active sheet, copying the first or last sheet in the set, or inserting a sheet having the same type or format as another sheet in the set, in addition to other options that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.
In an embodiment of the present invention where the set of tabbed sheets comprises a spreadsheet workbook, the pop-up menu 400 may include options for adding different types of worksheets (i.e., worksheets having a predetermined format or containing predefined contents or data fields), as well as copying existing worksheets within the workbook (such as the active worksheet). In a further embodiment, the pop-up menu also includes an option to configure the pop-up menu, thus allowing the user to determine what sheet types may be added via the pop-up menu. In one embodiment, a “configure menu” option within the menu 400 provides access to a conventional menu configuration dialog (not shown).
Following display operation 510, flow continues to receive operation 512, which receives the user's selection of a sheet type. Next, add operation 514 adds a new sheet to the set of tabbed sheets, wherein the new sheet is of a type selected in receive operation 512. In one embodiment, the new tab-based sheet comprises a spreadsheet worksheet that is added to a workbook in accordance with the above teachings.
Following the addition of a “default” sheet in operation 506, or the addition of a selected type of sheet in operation 514, the process 500 ends at operation 520.
As described above, embodiments of the present invention preferably utilize a new worksheet button 220 that resembles a smaller version of the tabs used to delineate worksheets 210 and 212 in a spreadsheet workbook 202. However, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to spreadsheet workbooks, and that the appearance of the new sheet button may vary depending on the appearance of the tabs used with the set of tabbed sheets. In embodiments, the new sheet button is preferably sized to resemble a smaller version of the tabs used to identify the separate tabbed sheets. The smaller size is possible because the tabs associated with each sheet typically include a text label to help identify the different sheets, while the new sheet button may include a recognizable icon in lieu of a text label. Furthermore, by sizing the new sheet button smaller than the remaining tabs, the new sheet button will not crowd or take up an unnecessary amount of space within the tab region 208. That said however, the new sheet button 220 should be large enough to be recognizable and easily selectable.
In other embodiments, the tab 600 is preferably of a different color than sheet tabs 210 and 212. Additionally, icon 602 preferably comprises a representation of a tabbed sheet with a star 604 or other feature to indicate to the user that the function of the button 220 is to create a new tabbed worksheet. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment of the new sheet button 220 shown in
Although the present invention has been described in language specific to structural features, methodological acts, and computer readable media containing such acts, it is to be understood that the present invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific structure, acts, or media described. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims, and one skilled in the art will recognize other embodiments or improvements that are within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
For example, while an embodiment of the present invention present invention has been described with respect to tabbed worksheets in a spreadsheet workbook, it should be appreciated that the present invention is applicable to any collection of tabbed documents where a user may desire to add a new tabbed sheet in a quick and convenient manner. Furthermore, the precise location, size and configuration of the new worksheet button is not limited by the above description, and one skilled in the art may alter the location and format of the button, provided that the button remains associated with the very tabs used to identify the different sheets (such as being positioned within the tab region 208), as opposed to being located within a separate menu that is distinct from the identifying tabs. Additionally, the computing system 100 is only one example of a suitable operating environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Other well known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems, and the like.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20070055945 A1 | Mar 2007 | US |