Extended data grid components with multi-level navigation

#The disclosed technology is in the area of computer graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It can be used in applications that display tabular data in a scrollable grid, allowing user interaction to update the tabular data. Implementations include methods to display and interact with tabular data, tangible non-transitory media including such methods, and computer systems executing such methods.

#GUI developer uses software components (software components are also called controls or widgets) to build a GUI for a software application. One of the most basic software components is a window, a rectangular area that has a width and a height, a position on the computer screen, and one or more rendering properties, such as a color. A window can contain other software components, but it can also be used as the basis for a more complex software component, such as a button, a text field, a dropdown box, a menu, a scrollbar, etc.

#Data grids are software components used to display tabular data, often in a text form. The tabular data may be presented in an X-direction (a row), in a Y-direction (a column), and a Z-direction—usually in the form of multiple tabs, each containing a field containing rows and columns. Typically, rows are preceded by a row header identifying the row location and columns are preceded by a column header identifying the column location. For example, Microsoft Excel displays worksheets (data grids) in which row headers show row numbers (1 . . . 1,048,576), and column headers show column letter combinations (A . . . XFD).

#The technology will be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional basic data grid example;

#FIG. 2 illustrates another conventional data grid example;

#Implementations include methods to display and interact with tabular data in a scrollable grid and to create software capable thereof, tangible non-transitory media including such methods, and computer systems executing such methods. The simplest way to present and interact with the tabular data is in the form of text. The tabular data may be presented in at least a first direction, but is most often arranged in an X-direction (a row) and a Y-direction (a column). A computer graphical user interface (GUI) developer uses software components (software components are also called controls or widgets) to build a GUI for a software application. Data grids are software components to display and interact with tabular data on a computer screen.

#Implementations provide greater utility to both GUI developers and end users by addressing issues including rendering performance, navigation, cell style, and providing header innovation.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional basic data grid example 100. Data grid 100 includes window 102, which acts as overall container of the software component, and which may act as a background canvas. Window 102 includes data cells 101.1.1 through 101.6.4, here arranged in 6 rows and five columns. A first row includes data cells 101.1.1 . . . 101.1.5, etc., and a first column includes data cells 101.1.1 . . . 101.6.1. Data cells in the fifth column (101.1.5 . . . 101.5.5) are only partially displayed. Horizontal scrollbar 104 allows a user to scroll horizontally. Conventional data grids may offer a predetermined number of data cells, arranged in a fixed order of rows and columns, or a GUI developer or the application in which a data grid is used may determine the number of data cells, rows, and columns. Example data grid 100 includes 29 data cells, showing that not all rows or columns need to have the same number of data cells. Data cells typically span one row and one column. However, many conventional data grids allow data cells to span multiple adjacent rows and/or columns. Therefore, a data grid that includes six rows and five columns may have any number of data cells from 0 to 30. Each data cell (a data structure) typically includes a rectangular window (the data cell window). The data structure represents cell data and may contain aspects of the cell data itself as well as contextual information of its visual presentation and the types of user interaction that are permitted. The data cell window may display parts or all of the cell data, for example in the form of a text or a number. To display cell data or interact with the cell data, a cell window may also include another software component. For example, when a user wants to change cell data that is limited to specific values in a list, the cell window may include a dropdown box software component to show permitted list values. When the user picks a new value, the cell data is changed to the new value.