Dynamic message templates and messaging macros

Abstract

A device and method provide a user with a template for a message having fields that can be pre-filled with data to reduce the manual entry of data into the message. The method includes, but is not limited to, executing an application at a device, wherein context data including context data items is associated with the executing application, selecting a messaging technology to send a message from the device, selecting a template for the message, wherein the template comprises one or more dynamic fields, selecting a context data item from the context data associated with the executing application, and inserting the selected context data item in the dynamic field to facilitate the creation of a message.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 executing an application at a device, wherein message context data including message context data items is associated with the executing application; 
 selecting a messaging technology to send a message from the device; 
 selecting a template for the message, wherein the template comprises a dynamic field; 
 selecting a selected message context data item from the message context data associated with the executing application; and 
 automatically inserting the selected message context data item in the a dynamic field of a template to facilitate the creation of a message to send from the device. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending the message to a the device using the selected a messaging technology. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein sending the message to a the device uses a transmission technology selected from the group consisting of transmission control protocol, internet protocol, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, file transfer protocol, dual-tone multifrequency, and infrared. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining if a field in the template is a the dynamic field. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , further comprising, if the field in the template is a the dynamic field, determining if the message context data item is available, and if the message context data item is available, selecting the message context data item. 
     
     
       6. The method of claim  1  5, wherein selecting the template is performed based on the executing application the dynamic field includes a data indicator configured to indicate a type of message context data to select. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein selecting a selected message context data item comprises executing a macro, wherein the macro selects the selected message context data item to insert in the dynamic field. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising executing a macro, wherein the macro is inserted in the dynamic field wherein the dynamic field includes an indicator of the macro to be executed. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the template comprises a plurality of dynamic fields, and the method further comprises selecting a dynamic field from the plurality of dynamic fields, wherein the selected message context data item is inserted into the selected dynamic field. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device is a mobile communications device. 
     
     
       11. A computer program product embodied on a An apparatus comprising a computer readable medium memory device storing instructions configured to cause a processing device to perform operations comprising:
 computer code configured to: executeexecuting an application, wherein message context data including message context data items is associated with the executing application; 
 select a messaging technology to send a message; 
 select a template for the message, wherein the template comprises a dynamic field; select selecting a selected message context data item from the message context data associated with the executing application; and 
 automatically insert inserting the selected message context data item in the a dynamic field of a template to facilitate the creation of a message to send from the apparatus. 
 
     
     
       12. The computer program product apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the computer code configured to select a selecting of the selected message context data item comprises computer code configured to execute executing a macro, wherein the macro selects the selected message context data item to insert in the dynamic field. 
     
     
       13. The computer program product apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the computer code processing device is further configured to allow acceptance of the message with the selected message context data item. 
     
     
       14. The computer program product apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the template comprises a plurality of dynamic fields, and the computer code processing device is further configured to select a selected dynamic field from the plurality of dynamic fields and to insert the selected message context data item into the selected dynamic field. 
     
     
       15. A device comprising:
 a memory configured to store computer code; and 
 a processor, in response to execution of the computer code, configured to select a template for a message, wherein the template comprises a dynamic field; to select a selected message context data item from message context data associated with an executing application; the executing computer code and to automatically insert the selected message context data item in the a dynamic field of a template to facilitate the creation of a message; a memory, wherein the memory stores the computer code; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor executes the computer code. 
 
     
     
       16. The device of  claim 15 , wherein the processor is further comprising computer code configured to determine if a field in the template is a the dynamic field. 
     
     
       17. The device of  claim 16 , wherein the processor is further comprising computer code configured to, if the field is a dynamic field, determining determine if the selected message context data item is available when the field in the template is the dynamic field, and if the context data item is available, selecting configured to select the selected message context data item when the selected message context data item is available. 
     
     
       18. The device of claim  16  17, wherein selecting the template is performed based on an executing application the dynamic field includes a data indicator configured to indicate a type of message context data for the processor to select. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the message context data comprises at least Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) location information. 
     
     
       20. The device of  claim 15 , wherein the message context data comprises at least GPS location information. 
     
     
       21. The computer program product apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the message context data comprises at least GPS location information. 
     
     
       22. A method comprising:
 determining, by a processing device, a message to be generated from a message template;   automatically populating, by the processing device, a dynamic field of the message template with message context data in response to the determination; and   sending, by the processing device, the message having the message context data in the dynamic field of the message template to a remote device.   
     
     
       23. The method of claim 22, wherein automatically populating the dynamic field of the message template with message context data further comprises identifying the message template includes a fillable field, and determining the fillable field is the dynamic field of the message template. 
     
     
       24. The method of claim 23, wherein determining the fillable field is the dynamic field of the message template further comprises determining whether the fillable field is a static field and identifying the fillable field is the dynamic field when the fillable field is determined to not be the static field. 
     
     
       25. The method of claim 22, wherein automatically populating the dynamic field of the message template with message context data further comprises selecting the message context data based, at least in part, on a data indicator associated with the dynamic field. 
     
     
       26. The method of claim 25, wherein the dynamic field includes the data indicator is configured to indicate a type of message context data for the processing device to select. 
     
     
       27. The method of claim 22, wherein automatically populating the dynamic field of the message template with message context data further comprises executing, by the processing device, a macro configured to select the message context data to populate in the dynamic field. 
     
     
       28. The method of claim 27, wherein the dynamic field includes an indicator of the macro for the processing device to execute. 
     
     
       29. The method of claim 22 further comprising:
 prompting, by the processing device, display of the message template having the populated dynamic field and one or more fillable static fields; and   prompting, by the processing device, a user for entry in the one or more fillable static fields.   
     
     
       30. The method of claim 22 wherein sending the message utilizes a transmission control protocol, an internet protocol, Bluetooth protocol, IEEE 802.11 protocol, a file transfer protocol, a dual-tone multifrequency protocol, or infrared transmission protocol. 
     
     
       31. The method of claim 22, wherein the message context data comprises at least Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) location information. 
     
     
       32. An apparatus comprising a computer readable memory device storing instructions configured to cause a processing device to perform operations comprising:
 determining a message to be generated from a message template;   automatically populating a dynamic field of the message template with message context data in response to the determination; and   sending the message having the message context data in the dynamic field of the message template to a remote device.   
     
     
       33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the processing device to perform operations comprising identifying that the message template includes a fillable field, and determining the fillable field is the dynamic field of the message template. 
     
     
       34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the processing device to perform operations comprising determining whether the fillable field is a static field and identifying the fillable field is the dynamic field when the fillable field is determined to not be the static field. 
     
     
       35. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the processing device to perform operations comprising selecting the message context data based, at least in part, on a data indicator associated with the dynamic field. 
     
     
       36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the dynamic field includes the data indicator is configured to indicate a type of message context data for the processing device to select. 
     
     
       37. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the processing device to perform operations comprising executing a macro configured to select the message context data to populate in the dynamic field. 
     
     
       38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the dynamic field includes an indicator of the macro for the processing device to execute. 
     
     
       39. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:
 prompting display of the message template having the populated dynamic field and one or more fillable static fields; and   prompting a user for an entry in the one or more fillable static fields.   
     
     
       40. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the message context data comprises at least Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) location information.