Dynamic highlighting of related artifacts in a UML diagram
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorJonathan J. Limburn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method displays a Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagram on a graphic user interface. The UML diagram can have, for example, nodes representing objects of an object-oriented system. Further, input is received regarding the location of a user-directed pointer on the UML diagram. The location of the pointer identifies a currently “selected node” of the UML diagram. In response to such input, the method dynamically highlights portions of the UML diagram depending on the location of the selected node. This highlighting process dynamically alters the appearances of nodes logically related to the selected node by highlighting nodes that are relatively closely related to the selected node differently (e.g., more brightly) than nodes that are not as relatively closely related to the selected node.
Claims16
A method comprising:
- displaying a Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagram on a graphic user interface, said UML diagram comprising nodes representing objects of an object-oriented system;
- receiving input regarding a location of a user-directed pointer on said UML diagram, said location of said pointer identifying a selected node of said UML diagram;
- and
- in response to said input, dynamically highlighting portions of said UML diagram depending on said location of said selected node, said highlighting comprising altering appearances of said selected node and related ones of said nodes that are logically related to said selected node to display said related ones of said nodes differently from non-related ones of said nodes that are not logically related to said selected node in said UML diagram, and
- said dynamically highlighting of said portions of said UML diagram further comprising displaying only said nodes and relationship connectors between said nodes, without splitting said UML diagram into smaller diagrams.
A method comprising:
- displaying a Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagram on a graphic user interface, said UML diagram comprising nodes representing objects of an object-oriented system;
- receiving input regarding a location of a user-directed pointer on said UML diagram, said location of said pointer identifying a selected node of said UML diagram;
- and
- in response to said input, dynamically highlighting portions of said UML diagram depending on said location of said selected node, said highlighting comprising altering appearances of said selected node and related ones of said nodes that are logically related to said selected node by highlighting closely related ones of said nodes that are relatively closely related to said selected node differently than less closely related ones of said nodes that are not as relatively closely related to said selected node in said UML diagram, and
- said dynamically highlighting of said portions of said UML diagram further comprising displaying only said nodes and relationship connectors between said nodes, without splitting said UML diagram into smaller diagrams.
A system comprising:
- a graphic user output displaying a Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagram, said UML diagram comprising nodes representing objects of an object-oriented system;
- a graphic user input operatively connected to said graphic user output, said graphic user input receiving a location of a user-directed pointer on said UML diagram, said location of said pointer identifying a selected node of said UML diagram;
- a processor operatively connected to said graphic user output and said graphic user input;
- and
- a computer storage device storing instructions executable by said processor, said computer storage device being operatively connected to said processor,
- said instructions directing said graphic user output to dynamically highlight portions of said UML diagram by altering appearances of said selected node and related ones of said nodes that are logically related to said selected node to display said related ones of said nodes differently from non-related ones of said nodes that are not logically related to said selected node in said UML diagram, depending on said location of said selected node, and
- said dynamically highlighting of said portions of said UML diagram further comprising displaying only said nodes and relationship connectors between said nodes, without splitting said UML diagram into smaller diagrams.
A non-transitory computer storage medium tangibly embodying and storing a program of instructions executable by a computer to perform a method comprising:
- displaying a Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagram on a graphic user interface, said UML diagram comprising nodes representing objects of an object-oriented system;
- receiving input regarding a location of a user-directed pointer on said UML diagram, said location of said pointer identifying a selected node of said UML diagram;
- and
- in response to said input, dynamically highlighting portions of said UML diagram depending on said location of said selected node, said highlighting comprising altering appearances of said selected node and related ones of said nodes that are logically related to said selected node to display said related ones of said nodes differently from non-related ones of said nodes that are not logically related to said selected node in said UML diagram, and
- said dynamically highlighting of said portions of said UML diagram further comprising displaying only said nodes and relationship connectors between said nodes, without splitting said UML diagram into smaller diagrams.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.