Automated graphical user interface configuration

Abstract

Automated configuration of graphical user interface screens of industrial software applications. An application executing on a computing device utilizes a navigation model representing hierarchies of navigation items to automate placement of graphical components in appropriate locations on the graphical user interface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An automated graphical user interface configuration system comprising:
 at least one configuration processor; and   one or more processor-executable instructions stored on at least one computer-readable storage medium of the automated graphical user interface configuration system, said processor-executable instructions including instructions that, when executed by the at least one configuration processor:
 display a navigation model, the navigation model comprising a hierarchy of navigation items; 
 receive a selection of one of the navigation items via an input device; 
 traverse, in response to said receiving, the navigation model to locate one or more other navigation items thereof having metadata associated with the selected navigation item; 
 generate, in response to said locating, a graphical user interface screen having a plurality of panes; and 
 automatically populate, in response to said generating, at least one of the panes with visual content representing the selected navigation item and at least one of the remaining panes of the plurality with visual content representing each of the one or more located navigation items. 
   
     
     
         2 . The automated graphical user interface configuration system of  claim 1 , further comprising processor-executable instructions stored on the at least one computer-readable storage medium that, when executed by the at least one configuration processor, update, in response to said receiving, one or more context attributes of the selected navigation item to update the visual content representing the selected navigation item. 
     
     
         3 . The automated graphical user interface configuration system of  claim 1 , further comprising processor-executable instructions stored on the at least one computer-readable storage medium that, when executed by the at least one configuration processor, manage the automatic population of the panes with visual content across a plurality of display devices. 
     
     
         4 . The automated graphical user interface configuration system of  claim 1 , wherein the navigation items each represent a device of an industrial process control system. 
     
     
         5 . The automated graphical user interface configuration system of  claim 1 , wherein the navigation items are arranged hierarchically within the navigation model. 
     
     
         6 . The automated graphical user interface configuration system of  claim 5 , wherein the navigation model defines the hierarchy of navigation items, the visual content representing each navigation item, and actions to execute when each navigation item is selected. 
     
     
         7 . The automated graphical user interface configuration system of  claim 1 , wherein the navigation model defines navigation through a plurality of generated graphical user interface screens. 
     
     
         8 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 displaying, by an application executing on a computing device, a navigation model, wherein the navigation model includes a hierarchy of navigation items;   receiving, by the application, a selection of one of the navigation items from an input device;   traversing, by the application in response to said receiving, the navigation model to locate one or more other navigation items of the navigation model having metadata associated with the selected navigation item;   generating, by the application in response to locating the one or more other navigation items, a graphical user interface screen having a plurality of panes; and   populating, by the application, at least one of the panes with visual content representing the selected navigation item and at least one of the remaining panes of the plurality with visual content representing each of the one or more located navigation items, wherein the application performs said populating automatically in response to said generating.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising updating, by the application in response to said receiving, one or more context attributes of the selected navigation item to update the visual content representing the selected navigation item. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising managing, by the application, the population of the panes with visual content across a plurality of display devices. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the navigation items each represent a device of an industrial process control system. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the navigation items are arranged hierarchically within the navigation model. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the navigation model defines the hierarchy of navigation items, the visual content representing each navigation item, and actions to execute upon selection of each navigation item. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the navigation model defines navigation through a plurality of generated graphical user interface screens. 
     
     
         15 . A computer readable storage device having processor readable instructions stored thereon including instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement a method of automatically configuring a graphical user interface, comprising:
 displaying a navigation model, wherein the navigation model comprises a plurality of navigation items arranged hierarchically;   receiving a selection of one of the navigation items from an input device;   traversing the navigation model to locate one or more other navigation items of the navigation model having metadata associated with the selected navigation item;   generating a graphical user interface screen having a plurality of panes; and   populating at least one of the panes with visual content representing the selected navigation item and at least one of the remaining panes of the plurality with visual content representing each of the one or more located navigation items, wherein the application performs said populating automatically in response to said generating.   
     
     
         16 . The computer readable storage device of  claim 15 , further comprising processor readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor implement the method of automatically configuring a graphical user interface, further comprising updating, in response to said receiving, one or more context attributes of the selected navigation item to update the visual content representing the selected navigation item. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising processor readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor implement the method of automatically configuring a graphical user interface, further comprising managing the population of the panes with visual content across a plurality of display devices. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the navigation items each represent a device of an industrial process control system. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the navigation items are arranged hierarchically within the navigation model. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the navigation model defines the hierarchy of navigation items, the visual content representing each navigation item, and actions to execute upon selection of each navigation item.