Systems and/or methods for server-controlled display of nested multi-level client dialogs

Abstract

Certain example embodiments described herein relate to server-controlled display techniques for nested multi-level client dialog boxes. On the client side, standard dialog elements are shown in the dialog box. Client-side events, e.g., caused by user interaction with the dialog box, are converted to parameters for a function call to the server and are processed there. The dialog box display may be updated by transferring (possibly only) dialog item changes that result from the function call back to the client. The server may process separate threads and bundle dialog and sub-dialog data in one function, and the server may split the bundled data for dialog and / or sub-dialog box rendering, as appropriate. Thus, an advantage of certain example implementations is that no dialog-specific logic (e.g., data access, dialog specific functions, etc.) needs to exist on the client side. Instead, the client side may simply render a fixed set of dialog box items.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]Certain example embodiments described herein relate to techniques for displaying dialog boxes on a client computer. More particularly, certain example embodiments described herein relate to server-controlled display techniques for nested multi-level client dialog boxes. In certain example embodiments, only the data required to render the dialog boxes in the client-side application is transmitted from the server to the client, thereby advantageously helping to avoid the sending and execution of client-side scripts / programs for handling renderings and user interactions.BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION[0002]Dialog boxes in software applications are known to be useful ways of communicating information to users. Dialog boxes may be used to provide users with various forms of alerts including, for example, alerts to flag errors (e.g., in the execution or interpretation of underlying code), to indicate the need for more information ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text talks about a way to make computer systems faster and more efficient. One way to do this is by putting the control logic on the server, rather than on the client device. This makes it faster to get the information you need.

Problems solved by technology

In many cases, only one dialog box can be opened at a time, and the simultaneous opening of a further sub-dialog box is not possible.

However, this is not always the case.

As another example, it is not always possible to display sub-dialog boxes or even dialog boxes providing user hints while a first or “main” dialog box is open.

The programming therefore becomes quite complicated for the developer, as many different possibilities need to be handled and potentially hard-coded.

Even dialog boxes that, for example, indicate incorrect entries to the user tend to be treated in this way and thus tend to require complicated programming.

This approach therefore mixes data and logic and leads to potentially expensive server calls, for example, when complex data needs to be updated and, thus, requested from the server (e.g., because of the “long way” between the code and data).

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