US 8,015,485 B2Granted

Multidimensional web page ruler

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsYingxin Xing, Angela Richards Jones, Henri Fouotsop Meli, Stephanie Lee Walter, Tong Yu

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Abstract

A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for managing the spatial coordinates and visual attributes of objects within a user interface (UI). A Web UI ruler is executed within a UI comprising a plurality of objects. A first object and second object are selected. The Web UI Ruler then collects the spatial coordinate and visual attribute values for the first and second object and their relationship values are determined. The spatial coordinate and visual attribute values for the first and second objects, along with their corresponding relationship values, are modified and the modifications are applied to the target objects. The values are then stored in the Web UI ruler. These values can then be subsequently applied to one or more target objects. Alternatively, the stored values are exported as a cascading style sheet (CSS) class, which can then likewise be subsequently applied to one or more target objects.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A computer-implementable method for managing objects in a user interface (UI), comprising:

enabling selection of a first and second object in a UI, the first and second objects comprising a first and second set of spatial coordinate values, respectively, and a first and second set of visual attribute values, respectively;
quantifying a spatial and visual relationship between the first and second objects;
generating quantified spatial and visual relationship values for the first and second objects, respectively, by performing comparison operations between the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values;
and
displaying the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values and respectively quantified spatial coordinate and visual attribute relationship values in a first UI ruler, the first UI ruler being operable to store the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values and their respectively quantified spatial coordinate and visual attribute relationship values and wherein
the first UI ruler is operable to generate a cascading style sheet (CSS) class from the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values, and their respectively quantified spatial coordinate and visual attribute relationship values, stored therein.

3 more elements

A system comprising:

a processor;
a data bus coupled to the processor;
and
a computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer-usable medium being coupled to the data bus, the computer program code for managing objects in a user interface (UI) and comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for:
enabling selection of a first and second object in a UI, the first and second objects comprising a first and second set of spatial coordinate values, respectively, and a first and second set of visual attribute values, respectively;
quantifying a spatial and visual relationship between the first and second objects;
generating quantified spatial and visual relationship values for the first and second objects, respectively, by performing comparison operations between the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values;
and
displaying the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values and respectively quantified spatial coordinate and visual attribute relationship values in a first UI ruler, the first UI ruler being operable to store the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values and their respectively quantified spatial coordinate and visual attribute relationship values;
and wherein
the first UI ruler is operable to generate a cascading style sheet (CSS) class from the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values, and their respectively quantified spatial coordinate and visual attribute relationship values, stored therein.

8 more elements

A tangible computer-usable storage medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured for:

enabling selection of a first and second object in a user interface (UI), the first and second objects comprising a first and second set of spatial coordinate values, respectively, and a first and second set of visual attribute values, respectively;
quantifying a spatial and visual relationship between the first and second objects;
generating quantified spatial and visual relationship values for the first and second objects, respectively, by performing comparison operations between the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values;
and
displaying the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values and respectively quantified spatial coordinate and visual attribute relationship values in a first UI ruler, the first UI ruler being operable to store the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values and their respectively quantified spatial coordinate and visual attribute relationship values;
and wherein
the first UI ruler is operable to generate a cascading style sheet (CSS) class from the first and second sets of spatial coordinate and visual attribute values, and their respectively quantified spatial coordinate and visual attribute relationship values, stored therein.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.