Animation for Expanding/Collapsing Content and for Sorting Content in an Electronic Document

Abstract

Animation for the expansion and collapse of content in a user interface may be provided. The user interface may be displayed by a computer and may contain a content surface for editing content. The content may include a top data row and data items in rows below the top data row on the content surface. The computer may then receive an input to expand/collapse the data items into the top data row. The computer may then animate a display of the data items expanding/collapsing into the top data row. Animation for the sorting of content in a user interface may also be provided. The user interface may be displayed by a computer and may contain a content surface for editing a plurality of rows containing content. The computer may then receive a request to sort the content. The computer may then animate a sort of the content.

1 . A computer-implemented method for animating the expansion and collapse of content in an electronic document, comprising:
 displaying, by a computer, a user interface comprising a content surface for editing content, the content comprising a top data row and at least one data item in a row below the top data row on the content surface;   receiving, by the computer, a user interface input for initiating at least one of the following: expanding the at least one data item out of the top data row on the content surface and collapsing the at least one data item into the top data row on the content surface; and   animating, by the computer, a display of at least one of the following: expanding the at least one data item out of the top data row on the content surface and collapsing the at least one data item into the top data row on the content surface.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein animating, by the computer, a display of at least one of the following: expanding the at least one data item out of the top data row on the content surface and collapsing the at least one data item into the top data row on the content surface comprises displaying a gradual downward migration of the at least one data item out of the top data row until the at least one data item is visible on the content surface. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein animating, by the computer, a display of at least one of the following: expanding the at least one data item out of the top data row on the content surface and collapsing the at least one data item into the top data row on the content surface comprises displaying a gradual upward migration of the at least one data item into the top data row until the at least one data item is hidden from view on the content surface. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 rotating the user interface control adjacent to the top data row in a first direction upon expanding the at least one data item out of the top data row on the content surface; and   rotating a user interface control adjacent to the top data row in a second direction upon collapsing the at least one data item into the top data row on the content surface.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving, by the computer, a user interface input for initiating at least one of the following: expanding the at least one data item out of the top data row on the content surface and collapsing the at least one data item into the top data row on the content surface comprises receiving a user interface input to expand a plurality of hidden data items out of the top data row on the content surface, the plurality of data items comprising at least one of a plurality of adjacent rows and a plurality of adjacent columns. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , animating, by the computer, a display of at least one of the following: expanding the at least one data item out of the top data row on the content surface and collapsing the at least one data item into the top data row on the content surface comprises displaying the at least one of the plurality of adjacent rows and the plurality of adjacent columns expanding together out of the top data row on the content surface. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving, by the computer, a user interface input for initiating at least one of the following: expanding the at least one data item out of the top data row on the content surface and collapsing the at least one data item into the top data row on the content surface comprises receiving a user interface input to collapse a plurality of data items into the top data row on the content surface, wherein the plurality of data items are displayed as at least one of a plurality of adjacent rows and a plurality of adjacent columns below the top data row on the content surface. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein animating, by the computer, a display of at least one of the following: expanding the at least one data item out of the top data row on the content surface and collapsing the at least one data item into the top data row on the content surface comprises displaying the at least one of the plurality of adjacent rows and the plurality of adjacent columns collapsing together into the top data row on the content surface. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein displaying, by a computer, a user interface comprising a content surface for editing content, the content comprising a top data row and at least one data item in a row below the top data row on the content surface, comprises displaying a user interface for a project application project sheet for editing summary task data and at least one task data item. 
     
     
         10 . A computer system for animating the expansion and collapse of content in an electronic document, comprising:
 a memory for storing executable program code; and   a processor, functionally coupled to the memory, the processor being responsive to computer-executable instructions contained in the program code and operative to:
 display a user interface comprising a content surface for editing content, the content comprising a top data row and at least one data item in a row below the top data row on the content surface; 
 receive a user interface input to at collapse the at least one data item into the top data row on the content surface; 
 animate a display of the at least one data item collapsing into the top data row on the content surface, wherein animating the display of the at least one data item collapsing into the top data row on the content surface comprises displaying a gradual upward migration of the at least one data item into the top data row until the at least one data item is hidden from view on the content surface; 
 receive a user interface input to expand the at least one data item out of the top data row on the content surface; and 
 animate a display of the at least one data item expanding out of the top data row on the content surface, wherein animating the display of the at least one data item expanding out of the top data row on the content surface comprises displaying a gradual downward migration of the at least one data item out of the top data row until the at least one data item is visible on the content surface. 
   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is further operative to rotate a user interface control adjacent to the top data row in a first direction upon animating the display of the at least one data item collapsing into the top data row; and
 rotate the user interface control adjacent to the top data row in a second direction upon animating the display of the at least one data item expanding out of the top data row on the content surface.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the content surface comprises a project application project sheet. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the top data row comprises summary task data for a project. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one data item comprises at least one item of task data for a project. 
     
     
         15 . A computer-implemented method for animating the sorting of content in an electronic document, comprising:
 displaying, by a computer, a user interface comprising a content surface for editing content;   receiving, by the computer, a request in the user interface to sort the content on the content surface; and   animating, by the computer, a sort of the content on the content surface.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein receiving, by the computer, a request in the user interface to sort the content on the content surface comprises receiving a request to sort a plurality of data values in at least one of a descending order and an ascending order. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein animating, by the computer, a sort of the content on the content surface comprises displaying a staggered transition of the plurality of data values to a plurality of sorted data values. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein animating, by the computer, a sort of the content on the content surface comprises animating the sort of the content in a fixed time period without regard to a number of a plurality of columns containing the content on the content surface. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein animating, by the computer, a sort of the content on the content surface comprises displaying at plurality of sort guides, wherein, during the animation, the plurality of sort guides move along a right edge and a left edge of a column containing the content being sorted and in a direction corresponding to a direction of the sort. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein animating, by the computer, a sort of the content on the content surface comprises animating a multi-level sort of the content, wherein the animation is dependent on a first level of the multi-level sort.