An interactive table generation method and system based on a jigsaw metaphor

Abstract

The application discloses an interactive table generation method and system based on a puzzle metaphor, and the method comprises the following steps: importing original data used for making a target table; based on the original data, the target table is constructed in a puzzle metaphor mode through an interactive user interface by means of interactive modes including creating a puzzle, combining puzzles and / or splitting puzzles, wherein each puzzle represents a data instance, a data instance name or an aggregate function in the original data; adjusting puzzle parameters, including adjusting parameters of a single puzzle or a whole puzzle combination to adjust the structure and style of the target table, and generating a final target table. The method can realize more efficient creation of a fine and readable data table, and is suitable for application fields such as financial statement making, scientific research experiment data processing and enterprise data analysis.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of human-computer interaction technology, specifically relating to an interactive table generation method and system based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor. Background Technology

[0002] In today's information age, data has become a crucial driving force for social development, and the way data is organized and presented directly affects people's understanding and application of it. Data tables, as a common data organization and exchange format, play a vital role in data documents, reports, and data presentations. In this specification, a data table refers to text-based data organized in tabular form, primarily composed of raw data, and excluding data visualizations beyond basic styles (such as font, spacing, and borders). Data tables are not merely simple data listings, but a structured way of presenting data. Through this ideal format for displaying data details, relationships, trends, and patterns between data can be seen more clearly, hence their widespread use in data work.

[0003] However, creating data tables is a challenging task. Creators often need to meticulously organize and label the cells within the table to improve its readability. For example, using... Figure 1 The data table in (A) serves as the raw data. The table creator may encounter the following situations, such as... Figure 1 As shown in (B1)-(B4): (1) As shown in B1, in a table containing a large amount of data, the creator needs to annotate the table by adding serial numbers, adjusting spacing, changing styles, etc., to emphasize the hierarchical structure of the table or specific cells; (2) As shown in B2, sometimes a table may appear messy because the sparsity of the values ​​is too high or too low. In this case, the creator needs to adjust the sparsity of the table values ​​to improve the aesthetics and readability of the table; (3) As shown in B3, in order to adapt to different display needs, the creator may also need to split or merge the table to match the page size used for display; (4) As shown in B4, when there are adjacent cells with the same value in the table, merging them can effectively assist in data comparison, which can not only reduce the complexity of the table, but also improve the readability and comprehensibility of the data.

[0004] Existing tools are not well-suited to help users quickly create data tables in scenarios like those described above. For example, some data analysis tools, such as Tableau and Trifacta, while offering numerous data manipulation options to help users convert data into various table formats, lack flexibility in modifying table structure and style to create aesthetically pleasing tables, as these tools are largely focused on data analysis. On the other hand, spreadsheet tools like Excel allow users to edit cell content, adjust cell positions, and modify cell styles through cell-based interactions. While these tools offer high interactivity, they become cumbersome and time-consuming when creating complex data tables. This is because these tools lack semantic-based interactive features and are not well-suited for large datasets, failing to meet the need for more efficient creation of beautiful and readable data tables. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above, the purpose of this invention is to provide an interactive table generation method and system based on the puzzle metaphor. By using the visual metaphor of a puzzle as the core interaction method, users can quickly build table prototypes with various structures and styles through two means: drag-and-drop puzzle combination and parameter adjustment centered on the puzzle. This method can be widely used in various fields such as financial statement preparation, scientific research experimental data processing, and enterprise data analysis.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0007] An interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor provided by this invention includes the following steps:

[0008] Import the raw data used to create the target table;

[0009] Based on the original data, the target table is constructed in an interactive user interface using a jigsaw puzzle metaphor, through interactive methods including creating, combining, and / or splitting jigsaw puzzles, where each piece of the jigsaw puzzle represents a data instance, data instance name, or aggregate function in the original data.

[0010] Adjusting the puzzle parameters, including adjusting the parameters of individual puzzle pieces or the entire puzzle assembly, adjusts the structure and style of the target table to generate the final target table.

[0011] Preferably, the imported raw data includes JSON format datasets, CSV format datasets, or Excel spreadsheet files.

[0012] Preferably, the puzzle is created by at least one of the following methods:

[0013] Method 1: Users select and drag a column of data instances from the imported raw data onto the user interface canvas to create a jigsaw puzzle representing all the values ​​in that column.

[0014] Method 2: Users can select to drag only the first cell of a column from the imported raw data to create a jigsaw puzzle representing the name of the data instance;

[0015] Method 3: Users can drag and drop function icons from the user interface onto the canvas to create a puzzle representing the calculation rows or columns;

[0016] For puzzles created using at least one of the above methods, it is supported to place the puzzle pieces anywhere on the canvas, and it is also supported to place multiple puzzle pieces on the canvas at the same time.

[0017] Preferably, the combined puzzle includes:

[0018] Users can drag one puzzle piece to the top, bottom, left, or right edge of another puzzle piece to combine them, based on the positional relationship of the data represented by the puzzle pieces in the target table.

[0019] Preferably, the disassembly puzzle includes:

[0020] Users can drag any piece from an already assembled puzzle to a blank space on the user interface canvas to split the puzzle.

[0021] Preferably, when constructing the target table interactively, other interactive methods are also included:

[0022] When a jigsaw puzzle is created to represent a data instance, the values ​​in that data instance will be placed in either a vertical or horizontal orientation by default. Users can change the orientation of the data instance by clicking the rotate button in the upper right corner of the jigsaw puzzle.

[0023] Users can adjust the display area of ​​the puzzle by clicking the zoom button in the lower right corner of the puzzle.

[0024] Users can select to delete a puzzle piece or edit its value from a drop-down menu generated by right-clicking on a puzzle piece.

[0025] Users can choose to undo or redo interactive operations through the user interface;

[0026] Users can select the target table corresponding to the puzzle on the current canvas to be exported to an Excel file through the user interface.

[0027] Preferably, if the imported raw data is an Excel spreadsheet file, it supports automatically parsing the Excel spreadsheet file into a series of puzzle images to be displayed on the user interface.

[0028] Preferably, adjusting the puzzle parameters includes adjusting the parameters of individual puzzle pieces or the entire puzzle assembly to adjust the structure and style of the target table, generating the final target table, including:

[0029] When adjusting the parameters of a single puzzle piece, the user clicks on any puzzle piece and then adjusts a series of preset local structure and style parameters;

[0030] When adjusting the parameters of the entire puzzle set, the user selects any piece in the puzzle set and then adjusts a series of preset global structure and style parameters.

[0031] Preferably, the local structure and style parameters include grouping, cell merging, splitting, indexing, blank rows, and styles, and the global structure and style parameters include row header, column header, internal cells, the entire table, hierarchy, aggregation, odd / even rows, odd / even columns, the current row, and the current column.

[0032] This invention also provides an interactive table generation system based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor, including: a raw data import module, a jigsaw puzzle interactive table construction module, and a jigsaw puzzle parameter adjustment module;

[0033] The raw data import module is used to import the raw data used to create the target table;

[0034] The puzzle interactive table building module is used to build a target table on an interactive user interface based on the original data in a puzzle metaphor manner, through interactive methods including creating puzzles, combining puzzles, and / or splitting puzzles.

[0035] The puzzle parameter adjustment module is used to adjust puzzle parameters, including adjusting the parameters of a single puzzle piece or the entire puzzle combination, to adjust the structure and style of the target table and generate the final target table.

[0036] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention include at least the following:

[0037] This invention uses the visual metaphor of a "puzzle" as the core and foundation of interaction. Each puzzle piece represents a set of semantically related data values ​​(such as a column in a relational data table), an aggregate function, or a specific set of data values. Users can create, combine, and split puzzle pieces on a canvas-based user interface to construct the desired target table. Users can also adjust a series of preset structure and style parameters for each puzzle piece and combined puzzle pieces to adjust the structure and style of the target table. This invention effectively facilitates batch operations on tabular data while supporting a wide range of table designs, enabling more efficient creation of beautiful and readable data tables. Attached Figure Description

[0038] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0039] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating common scenarios in the process of creating data tables;

[0040] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the puzzle creation interaction provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the combined jigsaw puzzle interaction provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the interactive table generation system based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0044] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and do not limit the scope of protection of this invention.

[0045] The inventive concept of this invention is as follows: Addressing the problem that existing table tools, lacking semantic-based interaction, cannot effectively help users quickly create the tables they need, this invention provides an interactive table generation method and system based on a jigsaw puzzle metaphor. Using the visual metaphor of a jigsaw puzzle as the basis for interaction, users can create, combine, and disassemble jigsaw puzzle pieces by dragging and dropping raw data on the user interface, thereby flexibly and quickly constructing the required tables. Simultaneously, users can adjust a series of preset structure and style parameters for each puzzle piece to adjust the table's structure and style, thus quickly constructing beautiful and readable table prototypes with various structures and styles, improving the work efficiency of data workers.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor provided in an embodiment of the present invention. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the embodiment provides an interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor, including the following steps:

[0047] S1, Import the raw data used to create the target table.

[0048] Specifically, the raw data imported by the user includes JSON format datasets, CSV format datasets, or Excel spreadsheet files.

[0049] S2, based on the original data, constructs the target table in an interactive user interface using a puzzle metaphor, through interactive methods including creating puzzles, combining puzzles, and / or splitting puzzles.

[0050] Specifically, the visual metaphor of a jigsaw puzzle is used as the interaction center. Each puzzle piece represents a data instance, data instance name, or aggregation function in the original data. Users construct the target table through the following interactions on a canvas-style user interface:

[0051] S2-1, Create a puzzle.

[0052] In this example, the user selects data from the original data by dragging and dropping to create a jigsaw puzzle, the effect of which is as follows: Figure 3 As shown:

[0053] like Figure 3 As shown in (a), the user selects and drags a column of data instances (e.g., value 1.1, value 1.2, value 1.3) from the imported raw data onto the canvas of the user interface to create a jigsaw puzzle representing all the values ​​in that column;

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown in (b), the user selects to drag only the first cell of a column (e.g., header 1) from the imported raw data to create a jigsaw puzzle representing the name of the data instance;

[0055] like Figure 3 As shown in (c), the user selects to drag and drop a function icon (such as a summation icon) from the user interface toolbar onto the canvas to create a puzzle representing a calculated row or column (such as a sum).

[0056] All created puzzle pieces can be placed anywhere on the canvas, and multiple puzzle pieces can be placed on the canvas at the same time.

[0057] S2-2, Combination puzzle.

[0058] In this embodiment, the user drags one puzzle piece to the top, bottom, left, or right edge of another puzzle piece based on the positional relationship of the data represented by the puzzle pieces in the target table, thus combining the puzzle pieces. The effect is as follows: Figure 4 As shown:

[0059] like Figure 4 As shown in (a), the user selects and drags the value 2.1 and value 2.2 puzzle pieces to the left edge of the value 1.1 puzzle piece, forming a puzzle as shown in (a). Figure 4 The combined effect shown in (A) is as follows;

[0060] like Figure 4 As shown in (b), the user selects and drags the puzzle pieces with values ​​2.1 and 2.2 to the top edge of the puzzle piece with value 1.1, forming a shape as shown in (b). Figure 4 The combination effect shown in (B1), or the combination effect in the cross-tabulation form shown in (B2);

[0061] like Figure 4 As shown in (c), the user selects and drags the puzzle pieces with values ​​2.1 and 2.2 to the bottom edge of the puzzle piece with value 1.1, forming a shape as shown in (c). Figure 4 The combined effect shown in (C1), or as... Figure 4 The combined effect shown in (C2) is formed by associating values ​​2.1 and 2.2 with values ​​1.1 and 1.2 respectively;

[0062] like Figure 4 As shown in (d), the user selects and drags the value 2.1 and value 2.2 puzzle pieces to the right edge of the value 1.1 puzzle piece, forming a puzzle as shown in (d). Figure 4 The combined effects shown in (D1), (D2) and (D3) are as follows.

[0063] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to, the combination effects shown above, and support users to obtain any combination effect and the final combination puzzle by dragging and dropping according to different data and the relationship or affiliation between data.

[0064] S2-3, disassemble the puzzle pieces.

[0065] In this embodiment, the user can drag any piece of the puzzle from the already assembled puzzle to a blank space on the canvas of the user interface to split the puzzle.

[0066] S2-4, other interaction methods.

[0067] In this embodiment, when the puzzle created in step S2-1 represents a data instance, the values ​​in that data instance will be placed vertically by default. Users can rotate the puzzle by clicking the rotation button in the upper right corner (e.g., ...). Figure 4 As shown in (a), the data instance is placed horizontally, and can also be zoomed in by clicking the zoom button in the lower right corner of the puzzle (as shown in (a)). Figure 4 (As shown in (a)) Adjust the display area of ​​the puzzle.

[0068] In addition, users can select to delete a puzzle piece or edit its value from the drop-down menu generated by right-clicking on the puzzle piece, select undo and redo interactive operations through the user interface, and select to export the target table corresponding to the puzzle piece on the current canvas to an Excel file through the user interface.

[0069] In particular, if the original data to be imported in step S1 is an existing Excel spreadsheet file, the user does not need to build the target table through the aforementioned interaction. The Excel spreadsheet file will be automatically parsed into a series of puzzle pieces to be presented on the user interface.

[0070] S3, Adjust the puzzle parameters, including adjusting the parameters of individual puzzle pieces or the entire puzzle combination, to adjust the structure and style of the target table and generate the final target table.

[0071] Specifically, local structure and style parameters include grouping, cell merging, splitting, indexing, blank rows, and styles, while global structure and style parameters include row header, column header, internal cells, the entire table, hierarchy, aggregation, odd / even rows, odd / even columns, current row, and current column.

[0072] In the embodiments, Table 1 shows the parameter names and descriptions of the local structure and style parameters:

[0073] Table 1 Local Structure and Style Parameters

[0074]

[0075] In the embodiment, Table 2 shows the parameter names and descriptions of the global structure and style parameters:

[0076] Table 2 Global Structure and Style Parameters

[0077]

[0078]

[0079] In summary, this embodiment illustrates an interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor, demonstrating its application in table creation and opening up a pathway for users to quickly create table prototypes with diverse designs. This invention breaks away from the traditional interaction mode of cell manipulation based on fixed-cell user interfaces, proposing a novel, highly flexible, and incremental table creation method. It is not only easy to understand and use, but more importantly, it significantly improves the work efficiency of data workers.

[0080] Based on the same inventive concept, such as Figure 5 As shown, this embodiment of the invention also provides an interactive table generation system 500 based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor, including: a raw data import module 510, a jigsaw puzzle interactive table construction module 520, and a jigsaw puzzle parameter adjustment module 530.

[0081] The raw data import module 510 is used to import the raw data used to create the target table.

[0082] The puzzle interactive table building module 520 is used to build a target table in an interactive user interface based on raw data in a puzzle metaphor manner, through interactive methods including creating puzzles, combining puzzles, and / or splitting puzzles.

[0083] The puzzle parameter adjustment module 530 is used to adjust puzzle parameters, including adjusting the parameters of individual puzzle pieces or the entire puzzle combination, to adjust the structure and style of the target table and generate the final target table.

[0084] It should be noted that the interactive table generation system based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor and the interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor provided in this embodiment of the invention belong to the same inventive concept. For details of its specific implementation process, please refer to the embodiment of the interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor, which will not be repeated here.

[0085] The specific embodiments described above illustrate the technical solution and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, additions, and equivalent substitutions made within the scope of the principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Import the raw data used to create the target table; Based on the original data, the target table is constructed in an interactive user interface using a jigsaw puzzle metaphor, through interactive methods including creating, combining, and / or splitting jigsaw puzzles, where each piece of the jigsaw puzzle represents a data instance, data instance name, or aggregate function in the original data. Puzzles can be created in at least one of the following ways: Method 1: Users select and drag a column of data instances from the imported raw data onto the canvas of the user interface to create a puzzle representing all the values ​​in that column; Method 2: Users select and drag only the first cell of a column from the imported raw data to create a puzzle representing the name of the data instance; Method 3: Users select and drag function icons from the user interface onto the canvas to create a puzzle representing a calculated row or column; For puzzles created in at least one of the above ways, it is supported to place the puzzle pieces anywhere on the canvas, and it is also supported to place multiple puzzle pieces on the canvas at the same time; The puzzle assembly includes: the user drags one puzzle piece to the top, bottom, left, or right edge of another puzzle piece according to the positional relationship of the data represented by the puzzle piece in the target table to achieve puzzle assembly; The process of splitting the puzzle includes: the user dragging any piece of the puzzle from the already assembled puzzle to a blank space on the canvas of the user interface to split the puzzle. Adjusting puzzle parameters, including adjusting parameters of individual puzzle pieces or the entire puzzle combination, adjusts the structure and style of the target table to generate the final target table. Specifically, when adjusting the parameters of an individual puzzle piece, the user clicks on any puzzle piece and then adjusts a series of preset local structure and style parameters; when adjusting the parameters of the entire puzzle combination, the user selects any puzzle piece in the puzzle combination and then adjusts a series of preset global structure and style parameters. The local structure and style parameters include grouping, cell merging, splitting, indexing, blank rows, and styles; the global structure and style parameters include row header, column header, internal cells, the entire table, hierarchy, aggregation, odd / even rows, odd / even columns, the current row, and the current column.

2. The interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The imported raw data includes JSON format datasets, CSV format datasets, or Excel spreadsheet files.

3. The interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor according to claim 1, characterized in that, When building the target table interactively, other interactive methods are also included: When a jigsaw puzzle is created to represent a data instance, the values ​​in that data instance will be placed in either a vertical or horizontal orientation by default. Users can change the orientation of the data instance by clicking the rotate button in the upper right corner of the puzzle. Users can adjust the display area of ​​the puzzle by clicking the zoom button in the lower right corner of the puzzle. Users can select to delete a puzzle piece or edit its value from a drop-down menu generated by right-clicking on a puzzle piece. Users can choose to undo or redo interactive operations through the user interface; Users can select the target table corresponding to the puzzle on the current canvas to be exported to an Excel file through the user interface.

4. The interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the imported raw data is an Excel spreadsheet file, it supports automatically parsing the Excel spreadsheet file into a series of puzzle images to be displayed on the user interface.

5. An interactive table generation system based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor, used to implement the interactive table generation method based on jigsaw puzzle metaphor as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, include: The module includes a raw data import module, a jigsaw puzzle interactive table construction module, and a jigsaw puzzle parameter adjustment module. The raw data import module is used to import the raw data used to create the target table; The puzzle interactive table building module is used to build a target table on an interactive user interface based on the original data in a puzzle metaphor manner, through interactive methods including creating puzzles, combining puzzles, and / or splitting puzzles. The puzzle parameter adjustment module is used to adjust puzzle parameters, including adjusting the parameters of a single puzzle piece or the entire puzzle combination, to adjust the structure and style of the target table and generate the final target table.

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