User-defined groups of graphical objects

Abstract

In an example, a computer-implemented method to group graphical objects includes displaying, on a display device, a graphical diagram with multiple graphical objects that represent data of a data source. The method includes receiving input to define one or more groups. The method includes, in response to the input, generating one or more containers, each of the one or more containers representing a different one of the one or more groups; and graphically depicting membership of the graphical objects in the one or more groups by relative arrangement of the graphical objects and the one or more containers according to group membership of each of the graphical objects.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method to group graphical objects, the method comprising:
 displaying, on a display device, a graphical diagram with a plurality of graphical objects that represent data of a data source;   receiving input to arrange the plurality of graphical objects according to container or non-container status of each of the plurality of graphical objects; and   in response to the input, graphically depicting a status of each of the plurality of graphical objects as a non-container graphical object or a container graphical object by relative arrangement of the plurality of graphical objects that have the status of non-container graphical object.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the status of a non-container graphical object indicates that a corresponding graphical object does not enclose another graphical object. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the status of a non-container graphical object indicates that a corresponding graphical object represents a resource or a node with no child resource or child node in structured source data. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the status of a container graphical object indicates that a corresponding graphical object encloses at least one other graphical object. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the status of a container graphical object indicates that a corresponding graphical object represents a resource or a node with a child resource or child node in structured source data. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the input comprises a first input, the method further comprising receiving a second input including a selection of a container graphical object, wherein the graphically depicting the status of each of the plurality of graphical objects as a non-container graphical object or a container graphical object by relative arrangement of each of the plurality of graphical objects that correspond to the status as a non-container graphical object applies exclusively to graphical objects within the selected container graphical object. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the input comprises a first input, the method further comprising:
 receiving a second input including a selection of an attribute to group the plurality of graphical objects;   defining a plurality of groups, each group of the plurality of groups corresponding to a different attribute and each container graphical object representing a different group of the plurality of groups; and   in response to the second input, graphically depicting membership of the plurality of graphical objects in the plurality of groups by relative arrangement of the plurality of graphical objects and the container graphical objects according to group membership of each of the plurality of graphical objects according to a respective value of the attribute of each of the graphical objects.   
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the plurality of graphical objects represents data objects of the data source, the data objects having a hierarchy;   the hierarchy is graphically represented by arrangement of the plurality of graphical objects within nested container graphical objects; and   the method further comprises preserving the hierarchy while graphically depicting membership of the plurality of graphical objects in the plurality of groups.   
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the plurality of graphical objects represents data objects of the data source, the data objects comprising a hierarchy;   the container graphical objects include multiple container graphical objects generated within a pre-existing container graphical object for two or more different subsets of the plurality of graphical objects each grouped together in a corresponding container graphical object;   a first subset of the graphical objects are grouped together in a first container graphical object, each graphical object of the first subset of the plurality of graphical objects comprising a first value for the attribute;   a second subset of the plurality of graphical objects are grouped together in a second container graphical object, each graphical object of the second subset of the plurality of graphical objects comprising a second value for the attribute that is different than the first value; and   exclusively grouping together the graphical objects that represent data objects at a first level of the hierarchy below a second level of the hierarchy represented by the pre-existing container graphical object.   
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the input comprises first input, the method further comprising:
 receiving second input to simultaneously select two or more graphical objects of the plurality of graphical objects;   receiving third input to define an arbitrary group comprising the simultaneously selected two or more graphical objects; and   in response to the third input, graphically depicting membership of the simultaneously selected two or more graphical objects in the arbitrary group by relative arrangement of the simultaneously selected two or more graphical objects.   
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor to perform or control performance of operations comprising:
 displaying, on a display device, a graphical diagram with a plurality of graphical objects that represent data of a data source;   receiving input to arrange the plurality of graphical objects according to container or non-container status of each of the plurality of graphical objects; and   in response to the input, graphically depicting a status of each of the plurality of graphical objects as a non-container graphical object or a container graphical object by relative arrangement of the plurality of graphical objects that have the status of non-container graphical object.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the status of a non-container graphical object indicates that a corresponding graphical object does not enclose another graphical object. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the status of a non-container graphical object indicates that a corresponding graphical object represents a resource or a node with no child resource or child node in structured source data. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the status of a container graphical object indicates that a corresponding graphical object encloses at least one other graphical object. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the status of a container graphical object indicates that a corresponding graphical object represents a resource or a node with a child resource or child node in structured source data. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the input comprises a first input, the operations further comprising receiving a second input including a selection of a container graphical object, wherein the graphically depicting the status of each of the plurality of graphical objects as a non-container graphical object or a container graphical object by relative arrangement of each of the plurality of graphical objects that correspond to the status as a non-container graphical object applies exclusively to graphical objects within the selected container graphical object. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the input comprises a first input, the operations further comprising:
 receiving a second input including a selection of an attribute to group the plurality of graphical objects;   defining a plurality of groups, each group of the plurality of groups corresponding to a different attribute and each container graphical object representing a different group of the plurality of groups; and   in response to the second input, graphically depicting membership of the plurality of graphical objects in the plurality of groups by relative arrangement of the plurality of graphical objects and the container graphical objects according to group membership of each of the plurality of graphical objects according to a respective value of the attribute of each of the graphical objects.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the plurality of graphical objects represents data objects of the data source, the data objects having a hierarchy;   the hierarchy is graphically represented by arrangement of the plurality of graphical objects within nested container graphical objects; and   the operations further comprise preserving the hierarchy while graphically depicting membership of the plurality of graphical objects in the plurality of groups.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the plurality of graphical objects represents data objects of the data source, the data objects comprising a hierarchy;   the container graphical objects include multiple container graphical objects generated within a pre-existing container graphical object for two or more different subsets of the plurality of graphical objects each grouped together in a corresponding container graphical object;   a first subset of the plurality of graphical objects are grouped together in a first container graphical object, each graphical object of the first subset of the plurality of graphical objects comprising a first value for the attribute;   a second subset of the plurality of graphical objects are grouped together in a second container graphical object, each graphical object of the second subset of the plurality of graphical objects comprising a second value for the attribute that is different than the first value; and   exclusively grouping together the graphical objects that represent data objects at a first level of the hierarchy below a second level of the hierarchy represented by the pre-existing container graphical object.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the input comprises first input, the operations further comprising:
 receiving second input to simultaneously select two or more graphical objects of the plurality of graphical objects;   receiving third input to define an arbitrary group comprising the simultaneously selected two or more graphical objects; and 
 in response to the third input, graphically depicting membership of the simultaneously selected two or more graphical objects in the arbitrary group by relative arrangement of the simultaneously selected two or more graphical objects.