Task-Sensitive Methods and Systems for Displaying Command Sets

Abstract

Methods and systems present commands to a user within a software application program by determining the user's context within the application program and automatically presenting in a user interface commands that pertain to the user's current context. When the user's context changes, the context-sensitive commands are automatically removed from the user interface. In one implementation context blocks and context panes are employed to present the commands.

1 . A computer-readable storage medium providing non-volatile storage of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processing units, cause a computer system to:
 display a user interface of a software application program, the user interface comprising:
 a document area displaying a document, and 
 a container area proximate the document area, the container area not obscuring the document area; and 
   in response to selection of a given object within the document area:   determine whether a first context block is relevant to a task that a user is able to accomplish on the document, the first context block comprising a first plurality of user-selectable commands;   in response to determining that the first context block is relevant to the task and is not displayed in the container area, display the first context block within the container area; and   in response to determining that a second context block is displayed in the container area and that the second context block is not relevant to any task in the set of tasks, hide the second context block.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the first context block is not displayed within the container area immediately prior to the selection of the given object. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the second context block, when displayed, comprises a title and a second plurality of user-selectable commands, the second plurality of user-selectable commands being different than the first plurality of user-selectable commands; and   wherein the first context block, when displayed, comprises a title and the first plurality of user-selectable commands, the title of the first context block being different than the title of the second context block.   
     
     
         4 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein in response to deselection of the given object, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computer system to hide the first context block. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein in response to the selection of the given object, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computer system to determine whether the second context block is relevant to the task. 
     
     
         6 . The computer readable storage method of  claim 1 , wherein the given object is one of the following: a portion of text, a table, and a spreadsheet. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the user selects the given object by placing a cursor inside the given object. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the first context block is modeless. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein HTML is used to define the plurality of user-selectable commands in the first context block. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the software application program is a web browser and the document is a web page. 
     
     
         11 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computer system to collapse the fiat context block when the user selects the title of the first context block. 
     
     
         12 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first context block is associated with a first visibility expression and the second context block is associated with a second visibility expression; and   wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computer system to:
 determine whether the first context block is relevant to the task by evaluating the first visibility expression; and 
 determine whether the second context block is relevant to the task by evaluating the second visibility expression. 
   
     
     
         13 . A computing system comprising:
 one or more processing units; and   one or more computer-readable media that provides nonvolatile storage of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computing system to:
 display a user interface of a software application program, the user interface comprising;
 a document area displaying a document; 
 a container area, the container area not obscuring the document area; 
 
 in response to selection of a given object within the document area:
 determine whether a first context block is relevant in a task that a user is able to accomplish on the document, the first context block comprising a plurality of user-selectable commands; 
 determine whether a second context block is relevant to the task, the second context block comprising a second plurality of user-selectable commands, the plurality of user-selectable commands in the first context block being different than the second plurality of user-selectable commands in the second context block: 
 display the first context block within the container area when the first context block is not displayed in the container area prior to the selection of the given object and the first context block is relevant to the task; and 
 hide the second context block when the second context block is displayed in the container area and the second context block is not relevant to the task. 
 
   
     
     
         14 . The computing system of  claim 13 , wherein if the selection includes additional content in the document in addition to the given object, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or mere processing units, cause the computing system to display the first context block only when each user-selectable command in the second plurality of user-selectable commands is pertinent to the given object and the additional content. 
     
     
         15 . The computing system of  claim 13 , wherein in response to selection of another object in the document, the computer-readable instruction, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computing system to:
 determine whether the first context block is relevant to another task, the user attempting to perform the other task with regard to the other object; and   display the first context block within the container area when the first context block is not displayed to the container area immediately prior to the selection of the other object and the first context block is relevant to the other task.   
     
     
         16 . The computing system of  claim 13 , wherein HTML is used to define the plurality of user-selectable commands in the first context block. 
     
     
         17 . The computing system of  claim 13 , wherein the software application program is a web browser and the document is a web page. 
     
     
         18 . A method comprising:
 displaying a user interface of a software application program, the user interface comprising:
 a document area displaying a document; 
 a container area proximate the document area, the container area not obscuring the document area; 
   in response to a user selecting an object within the document area, performing the following actions:
 determining, by a computing system, whether a first context block is relevant to a task that the user is able to perform on the object, the first context block comprising a plurality of user-selectable commands; 
 in response to determining the first context block is relevant to the task, making the first context block visible within the container area. 
   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein HTML is used to define the plurality of user-selectable commands in the first context block. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the software application program is a web browser and the document is a web page.