Badge Control for Visual Editing of Stacked Objects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing application development environments require developers to execute multiple steps to create and manage stacked objects, such as accordion navigators and tabbed navigators, which is time-consuming and inefficient, as the information or logic in these objects is typically calculated at runtime.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for visually editing stacked objects in a design view canvas, utilizing a badge control with navigation and editing tools that allow developers to control the presentation and composition of these objects directly within the design view, reducing the need for complex step-by-step processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If developers use traditional multi-step processes to create stacked objects, then the objects can be created with runtime calculation, but the development time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by enabling developers to configure and set up stacked objects during the design view phase rather than at runtime. The badge control allows developers to pre-define navigation structures, content associations, and object compositions visually before the application runs, thereby reducing development time and eliminating the need for complex multi-step runtime configuration processes.
2Ease of operation
If developers manually configure each stacked object through multiple steps, then precise control is achieved, but the process becomes time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges navigation controls and editing tools into a single integrated badge control interface. This unified interface combines navigation tools (for moving between stacked objects) and editing tools (for configuring object properties and content) that would traditionally require separate interfaces and multiple configuration steps. The merging of these functions into one visual interface simplifies the editing process and reduces operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The badge control serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a navigation tool for traversing stacked objects, an editing interface for configuring object properties, and a visualization element for the current state. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate specialized tools for each task, thereby easing operation while maintaining precise control capabilities.
3Productivity
If stacked objects are configured at runtime, then flexibility is maintained, but development time and manual steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables preliminary configuration of stacked objects during the design phase through the badge control interface. Developers can visually define navigation structures, associate content with navigational elements, and configure object properties before deployment. This preliminary action reduces the number of configuration steps required and eliminates the need for complex runtime setup procedures, thereby improving productivity without sacrificing flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method is described for visually editing a stacked object in a design view canvas of an application development environment. Within the design view canvas, a badge control is rendered that is associated with the stacked object. A set of one or more navigation tools is contained within the badge control along with a set of one or more editing tools. When the user interacts with the navigation tools, presentation of the information contained by the stacked object is controlled. When the user interacts with the editing tools, the content and composition of the stacked object can be manipulated.