Patent Application
20090288040
The disclosed subject matter relates primarily to systems and methods for entering commands via an embedded command line interface embedded within a graphical user interface.
The vast majority of programs and software currently in existence, and under development, contain a graphical user interface (“GUI”). For non-technical users this type of interface provides a user friendly way for a user to interact with a program. Generally, the GUI is made up of icons (small pictures) that relate in some manner to the command that is issued when the icon is clicked with the mouse. It allows non-technical users to operate programs without the need to memorize strings of characters and commands. However, technical users find switching from a keyboard to a mouse highly cumbersome and inefficient.
Further, the current GUIs make support tasks difficult. When a user is having a technical problem, support personnel must explain to the user how to fix a particular problem. In doing this through a traditional GUI, the support personnel must spend considerable time instructing the user on where to click. If the user accidentally clicks on the wrong icon, it may take a substantial amount of time for the support personnel to determine what the user clicked and how to get the user back to the proper area.
Traditionally, GUIs do not provide a simple way of entering multiple commands. Some GUIs do allow a programming language in order to enter multiple commands, commonly referred to as macros; however, entering, changing, and correcting these macros are relatively complex. This limitation also inhibits the transfer of these multiple commands to other users.
Many users run certain queries over and over. For example, the same report every month. These queries routinely require customization; however, with current GUIs, users are forced to repeatedly click several icons to recreate the queries such that the queries output is the same each time.
Additionally, very complex click sequences are difficult to remember and even harder to replicate efficiently.
Finally, it is difficult to instruct other users on how to recreate a certain click sequence such that multiple users can receive the same output.
There is a need for a method, system, and/or storage device that allows technically advanced users to quickly and efficiently enter commands through an embedded command line interface that is embedded within a program.
One aspect of the disclosed subject matter is to provide an embedded command line interface from within a program's GUI.
Another aspect of the disclosed subject matter is to provide a utility that allows for easier and more efficient command scripting.
An additional aspect of the disclosed subject matter is to provide a utility that allows for quicker command input over existing GUIs.
Yet another aspect of the disclosed subject matter is to provide a utility for support personnel to more easily provide users with commands to diagnose and/or address their issues.
An additional aspect of the disclosed subject matter is to allow repetitive tasks to be more easily automated.
An additional aspect of the disclosed subject matter is to allow easier access to commands that would otherwise require multiple clicks.
Yet another aspect of the disclosed subject matter is to provide an input utility that does not require the use of the mouse.
An additional aspect of the disclosed subject matter is to allow users to more easily and efficiently share and distribute command routines.
These and other aspects of the disclosed subject matter, as well as additional novel features, will be apparent from the description provided herein. The intent of this summary is not to be a comprehensive description of the claimed subject matter, but rather to provide a short overview of some of the subject matter's functionality. Other systems, methods, features and advantages here provided will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following FIGUREs and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages that are included within this description, be within the scope of the claims to be filed with any regular utility patent application claiming priority based on this provisional filing.
The features, nature, and advantages of the disclosed subject matter will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Although described with reference to specific embodiments, one skilled in the art could apply the principles discussed herein to other areas and/or embodiments.
With reference to
Computing system 200 typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by the computing system 200 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, and removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may 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.
Computer memory includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk 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 be accessed by the computing system 200.
The system memory 206 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 210 and random access memory (RAM) 212. A basic input/output system 214 (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computing system 200, such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM 210. RAM 212 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 204. By way of example, and not limitation, an operating system 216, application programs 220, other program modules 220 and program data 222 are shown.
Computing system 200 may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only, a hard disk drive 224 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 226 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 228, and an optical disk drive 230 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk 232 such as a CD ROM or other optical media could be employed to store the invention of the present embodiment. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 224 is typically connected to the system bus 236 through a non-removable memory interface such as interface 234, and magnetic disk drive 226 and optical disk drive 230 are typically connected to the system bus 236 by a removable memory interface, such as interface 238.
The drives and their associated computer storage media, discussed above, provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computing system 200. For example, hard disk drive 224 is illustrated as storing operating system 268, application programs 270, other program modules 272 and program data 274. Note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system 216, application programs 220, other program modules 220, and program data 222. Operating system 268, application programs 270, other program modules 272, and program data 274 are given different numbers hereto illustrates that, at a minimum, they are different copies.
A user may enter commands and information into the computing system 200 through input devices such as a tablet, or electronic digitizer, 240, a microphone 242, a keyboard 244, and pointing device 246, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball, or touch pad. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 204 through a user input interface 248 that is coupled to the system bus 208, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB).
A monitor 250 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 208 via an interface, such as a video interface 252. The monitor 250 may also be integrated with a touch-screen panel or the like. Note that the monitor and/or touch screen panel can be physically coupled to a housing in which the computing system 200 is incorporated, such as in a tablet-type personal computer. In addition, computers such as the computing system 200 may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers 254 and printer 256, which may be connected through an output peripheral interface 258 or the like.
Computing system 200 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computing system 260. The remote computing system 260 may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computing system 200, although only a memory storage device 262 has been illustrated. The logical connections depicted include a local area network (LAN) 264 connecting through network interface 276 and a wide area network (WAN) 266 connecting via modem 278, but may also include other networks. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet.
The central processor operating pursuant to operating system software such as IBM OS/2®, Linux®, UNIX®, Microsoft Windows®, Apple Mac OSX® and other commercially available operating systems provides functionality for the services provided by the present invention. The operating system or systems may reside at a central location or distributed locations (i.e., mirrored or standalone).
Software programs or modules instruct the operating systems to perform tasks such as, but not limited to, facilitating client requests, system maintenance, security, data storage, data backup, data mining, document/report generation and algorithms. The provided functionality may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor or in any combination of the two.
Furthermore, software operations may be executed, in part or wholly, by one or more servers or a client's system, via hardware, software module or any combination of the two. A software module (program or executable) may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, DVD, optical disk or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may also reside in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The bus may be an optical or conventional bus operating pursuant to various protocols that are well known in the art.
Many technical users find the transition to GUIs to be slow, cumbersome, and frustrating; however, this is clearly the direction the industry is moving. The described subject matter intends to provide these technical users with an alternative interface to the stock GUI provided with most software packages. The disclosed subject matter is intended to be embedded within a GUI and allow technical users the ability to use an embedded command line interface where the technical users can enter commands via a keyboard thereby entering commands faster than using only the mouse or a hybrid of the keyboard and mouse. The described subject matter will be best understood by reference to how it may work from within a particular program's GUI.
Therefore, generally, the below descriptions reference the SuperAgent™ program.
The following table gives descriptions of the broad categories of commands available to the disclosed subject matter:
The tables below show some of the commands that could be implemented through the embedded command line interface of the present embodiment with specific reference to the SuperAgent™ program.
To better show the functionality and desirability of the disclosed subject matter, it is easiest to reference a particular example. For example, if the user entered the following command:
Given the example above, a user can quickly navigate directly to the data they need, and format and filter the data in a fraction of the time that would otherwise be needed. Moreover they can save and/or share/distribute the command sequence for reuse in the future to pull up the same table. Furthermore, the order of command sequences is more flexible. For example, the above command sequence could also be entered as follows to accomplish the same result:
The above examples also show the functionality of using the disclosed subject matter as a support tool. It is far easier for support personnel to tell a user what to type (or even transmit) the exact command a user is to type than to attempt to guide a user through multiple clicks. Further, the support personnel could use pre-prepared command sequences to help the support personnel identify problems.
In addition to the above disclosed embodiments, the embedded command line interface could also be used to act as a “pipe” to accept and then transmit commands for other command-driven products or devices such as Cisco™ routers.
In addition to providing the same functionality of a programs GUI, the embedded command line interface could also provide capabilities not available in the GUI.
Although many of the commands above reference a specific program, this disclosure is intended to cover any program or application. Further, the above command tables are only examples of some of the functionality of the disclosed subject matter and are not all inclusive. In fact, any command, or sequence of commands, that could be performed by a program could be included.
Those with skill in the arts will recognize that the disclosed embodiments have relevance to a wide variety of areas in addition to those specific examples described below.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/045,853 entitled “METHOD, SYSTEM AND STORAGE DEVICE FOR AN EMBEDDED COMMAND DRIVEN INTERFACE WITHIN A GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE,” by Russell Wilson filed on Mar. 17, 2008, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61045853 | Apr 2008 | US |
