Providing enhanced functionality in an interactive electronic technical manual

An apparatus for generating a list of parts for technical documentation for an item to be used in an interactive electronic technical manual system (IETM) configured to provide electronic and credentialed access to the technical documentation for the item via an IETM viewer, the apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

• import a publication of at least a portion of the technical documentation for the item into the IETM, the publication comprising an illustrated parts breakdown;
• identify parts found in the illustrated parts breakdown for the publication;
• generate the list of parts for the item based at least in part on the parts identified in the illustrated parts breakdown, wherein the list of parts is configurable to be displayed via one or more windows of the IETM;
• provide a window for display via the IETM viewer executing on a user computing entity being used by a user signed into the IETM, the window comprising a first view pane displaying the list of parts in which each part in the list of parts is selectable by the user;
• receive input of a selection of a particular part in the lists of parts, wherein the selection of the particular part is performed by the user via the IETM viewer from the list of parts displayed on the first pane of the window;
• and
• responsive to receiving the input, provide one or more illustrations for the particular part for display via a second view pane of the window;
• receive input identifying a parts level of functional and/or physical structure, wherein the parts level of functional and/or physical structure is identified by the user via the IETM viewer;
• and
• responsive to receiving the input identifying the parts level of functional and/or physical structure, provide only those parts in the list of parts associated with the parts level of functional and/or physical structure for display via the window, wherein (a) the parts level of functional and/or physical structure is one of a plurality of parts levels of functional and/or physical structure found in a hierarchical structure, and (b) each part in the list of parts is associated with one of the plurality of parts levels of functional and/or physical structure.

A non-transitory computer storage medium comprising instructions for generating a list of parts for technical documentation for an item to be used in an interactive electronic technical manual system (IETM) configured to provide electronic and credentialed access to the technical documentation for the item via an IETM viewer, the instructions being configured to cause one or more processors to at least perform operations configured to:

• import a publication of at least a portion of the technical documentation for the item into the IETM, the publication comprising an illustrated parts breakdown;
• identify parts found in the illustrated parts breakdown for the publication;
• generate the list of parts for the item based at least in part on the parts identified in the illustrated parts breakdown, wherein the list of parts is configurable to be displayed via one or more windows of the IETM;
• provide a window for display via the IETM viewer executing on a user computing entity being used by a user signed into the IETM, the window comprising a first view pane displaying the list of parts in which each part in the list of parts is selectable by the user;
• receive input of a selection of a particular part in the lists of parts, wherein the selection of the particular part is performed by the user via the IETM viewer from the list of parts displayed on the first pane of the window;
• and
• responsive to receiving the input, provide one or more illustrations for the particular part for display via a second view pane of the window;
• receive input identifying a parts level of functional and/or physical structure, wherein the parts level of functional and/or physical structure is identified by the user via the IETM viewer;
• and
• responsive to receiving the input identifying the parts level of functional and/or physical structure, provide only those parts in the list of parts associated with the parts level of functional and/or physical structure for display via the window, wherein (a) the parts level of functional and/or physical structure is one of a plurality of parts levels of functional and/or physical structure found in a hierarchical structure, and (b) each part in the list of parts is associated with one of the plurality of parts levels of functional and/or physical structure.