Method of connecting objects on different notebook pages

An apparatus supporting a graphical aid for linking objects on different pages of a visual program builder, said visual program builder running on a computer and having a selection mode and a link mode, comprising:

• a display device connected to said computer, said display device displaying an application program builder window generated by said visual program builder running on said computer, multiple pages in said window being used for building an application program, said window displaying a single page on which a portion of an application program is built using the visual program builder;
• an input device for receiving user inputs during building of an application program by placing objects which comprise portions of the application program being built on respective pages of the application program builder window as each page is displayed in the window, said input device further receiving a user command to link objects on different pages in the window by switching said visual program builder to mid link mode of operation;
• a pointing cursor controlled by a user to select a source object on a first page in said window by generating a link line extending from the source object to said pointing cursor;
• and
• page selection means responsive to a user tab to a second page in said window for displaying said second page with a target object;
• said pointing cursor further being controlled by a user to select the target object by extending the link line to the target object, completing the logical link of the source object to the target object in the visual program builder, said logical link forming a part of the application program being built using said visual program builder.

In a visual program builder having a display device and a pointing device, said display device displaying a plurality of windows, including a toolbox window and an application window, said visual program builder having building tools and application elements represented by object icons arranged in said toolbox window and said application window, respectively, each said window having multiple pages displayed one page at a time in said toolbox window and application window, respectively, said visual program builder having a selection mode and a linking mode invocable by a user operating said pointing device, said pointing device also being operable to move a cursor to any location on any of said windows displayed on said display device, said pointing device also having at least one control switch, a graphical aid method of visually linking objects on different application window pages comprising the steps of:

• invoking said selection mode;
• selecting a first object icon, said first object icon being on a first application window page;
• navigating within said application window to a second object icon, said second object icon being on a second application window page different from said first application window page, said invoking, selecting and navigating being done by said user through operation of said pointing device;
• highlighting said selected first object icon, such that said selected first object icon is visible simultaneously with said second object icon in said application window;
• invoking said linking mode;
• dragging a linking line between said first and second object icons, thereby completing a logical link between said first and second objects, said invoking and dragging being done by said user through operation of said pointing device.