US 8,020,093 B2 · Aligning content in an electric document

Abstract

Aligning the contents of document objects on an electronic document page. Organizing a page of document objects so textual content is aligned to natural eye scanning patterns promotes readership and usability. When a user creates a new island of text, the new text can be snapped into alignment with an existing island of text. Invisible guidelines that emanate from textual features in a document object can provide a relative alignment reference that floats with the position of the object on the page. In response to placing a content insertion point (“IP”) on an electronic page with an existing document object, the IP can be automatically aligned to the content of the existing document object. A page with several arbitrarily positioned document objects can be automatically rearranged so that the contents of the document objects are each aligned to one another.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method for arranging content in an electronic page, the method comprising:

identifying a first object on the electronic page, wherein the first object comprises a first line of text and at least one first guideline aligned to at least one first feature of the first object;
identifying a second object on the electronic page, wherein the second object comprises a second line of text and at least one second guideline aligned to at least one second feature of the second object;
determining a dominant object from the first object and the second object, wherein determining the dominant object from the first object and the second object is a function of a first position of the at least one first guideline and a second position of the at least one second guideline;
moving content of the second object into alignment with content of the first object if the first object is determined to be the dominant object;
and
moving the content of the first object into alignment with the content of the second object if the second object is determined to be the dominant object.

3 more elements

A computer readable medium having a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for arranging content in an electronic page, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

identifying a first object on the electronic page, wherein the first object comprises a first line of text;
generating at least one first guideline aligned to at least one first feature of the first object;
identifying a second object on the electronic page, wherein the second object comprises a second line of text;
generating at least one second guideline aligned to at least one second feature of the second object;
determining a dominant object from the first object and the second object, wherein determining the dominant object from the first object and the second object is based on a function of a first position of the at least one first guideline and a second position of the at least one second guideline;
moving the second line of text into alignment with the first line of text if the first object is determined to be the dominant object;
and
moving the first line of text into alignment with the second line of text if the second object is determined to be the dominant object.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Aligning content in an electric document

Life of this patent

Aligning content in an electric document

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20