Contextual Display and Scrolling of Search Results in Graphical Environment

A tangible, computer-usable storage medium on which is stored program code for displaying information that relates to a plurality of items in an engineering design, each item in the plurality of items being associated with a visual representation that shows both the item and at least one other item in the plurality of items, the program code comprising:

• program code for receiving a selection of properties that relate to the engineering design;
• program code for retrieving records from a set of databases having data records, each record in each database having information associated with an item in the plurality of items, the retrieved records relating to one or more items that have at least one property in the received selection of properties;
• and
• program code for causing display, on a graphical display device, of selectable indicia that correspond to at least one of the retrieved records, wherein selection of an indicium causes to be simultaneously displayed:
• (i) the visual representation associated with the item of the record that corresponds to the selected indicia, and
• (ii) a cropped image that shows a cropped portion of the visual representation associated with said item.

A system for displaying information that relates to a plurality of items in an engineering design, the system comprising:

• a graphical display device;
• a set of databases having data records, each record in each database having information associated with an item in the plurality of items;
• and
• a design system coupled to the graphical display device, the visual representations, and the set of databases, the design system comprising:
• a display adapter configured to transmit images to the graphical display device;
• an imaging adapter configured to generate, and read image files containing, visual representations of the items in the engineering design;
• for each database in the set of databases, a database adapter configured to read data from the database;
• and
• a design application configured to (i) receive a selection of properties that relate to the engineering design;
• (ii) retrieving records from the set of databases, the retrieved records relating to one or more items that have at least one property in the received selection of properties;
• and (iii) cause display, on the graphical display device, of selectable indicia that correspond to at least one of the retrieved records, wherein selection of an indicium causes to be simultaneously displayed the visual representation associated with the item of the record that corresponds to the selected indicia, and a cropped image that shows a cropped portion of the visual representation associated with said item.