Web page editor with element selection mechanism
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsRobert M. Howard, Andrei Chtcherbatchenko
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A web page editor displays a web page including at least two elements that are at least partially overlapping. The web page editor includes an element selection mechanism displaying a list of overlapping elements of the web page at a selected point on the web page. The element selection mechanism allows a user to unambiguously select between the elements of the web page at the selected location from the displayed list.
Claims12
A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to:
- display a user interface of a web page editor with the computer, the user interface including a web page having two or more at least partially overlapping elements;
- identify a point on the web page where at least two of the elements are overlapping;
- display an element selection menu in the user interface, the element selection menu including a text-based list of the overlapping elements that are at the identified point of the web page;
- receive an input choosing one of the overlapping elements from the list in the element selection menu;
- and
- highlight the element chosen from the list.
A method of selecting an element of a web page using a web page editor, the method comprising:
- generating a graphical user interface of a web page editor, the graphical user interface including a design window;
- displaying the web page in the design window to permit editing of the web page, wherein the web page includes at least two elements graphically depicted within the design window, and wherein a first of the elements is graphically depicted as being positioned in front of a second of the elements;
- initiating an element selection operation;
- receiving an input from a user through a pointer device identifying a point on the web page in the web page editor where the first of the elements overlaps the second of the elements;
- displaying an element selection menu, the menu including a text-based list of the elements of the web page that are at the point, the text-based list including at least the first and second of the elements;
- upon movement of a pointer over one of the elements listed in the element selection menu, highlighting a corresponding one of the elements in the design window to permit the user to visually identify the corresponding one of the elements;
- and
- upon receipt of a click input onto the one of the elements listed in the element selection menu, selecting the corresponding one of the elements to permit editing of the element, wherein the selection concludes the element selection operation.
A computing system comprising:
- an input device for receiving input from a user;
- a display device for generating a user interface;
- a processor communicatively connected to the input device and the display device;
- and
- memory storing program instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the computing system to:
- display a preview of a web page in a web page editor with the display device, the web page including at least two at least partially overlapping elements of the web page;
- receive an input with the input device identifying a point of the web page that is located in a region of the web page where the at least two at least partially overlapping elements of the web page are overlapping;
- generate and display with the display device a text-based list of the at least two at least partially overlapping elements of the web page that are at the point with the display device;
- and
- highlight one of the overlapping elements after a pointer hovers over the list.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.