Print Preview Integration with Data Modeling Editor
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Solution Overview
Problem
The process of setting print parameters in data modeling is laboriously iterative, requiring users to wait until the end of the workflow or leave print preview mode to view results, making it difficult to select the correct pages to print.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows users to work simultaneously in print preview and editor modes, enabling on-the-fly updates of print parameters and page layout, with automated page selection, allowing users to alter print settings while maintaining an active editor mode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users set print parameters in a linear workflow before viewing results, then the workflow process is simple and structured, but the process becomes laboriously iterative and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the print preview mode with the editor mode, allowing users to view print results and adjust parameters within the same active editing session. This integration eliminates the need to switch between separate workflows and enables real-time feedback, transforming the linear sequential process into an interactive iterative process that completes faster despite multiple adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements real-time feedback by displaying print preview results immediately after parameter changes are made. Users can see the effect of their parameter adjustments on the page layout and data visualization, allowing for rapid iterative refinement without time loss between separate preview and editing phases.
2Productivity
If users wait until the end of the workflow to view print settings results, then the workflow structure is maintained, but it becomes difficult to select correct pages and requires remembering which pages are relevant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a print preview mode as an intermediary between the editor mode and the final printing process. This intermediary layer displays a visual representation of how data modeling objects will appear on printed pages, allowing users to identify and select relevant pages based on visual content rather than memory, thereby eliminating information loss and improving selection efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If users work in separate editor mode and print preview mode, then each mode can be optimized independently, but the process requires switching between modes and cannot update page layout on-the-fly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines editor mode and print preview mode into a single integrated environment where users can edit data modeling objects and adjust print parameters simultaneously. The page layout updates on-the-fly in response to both data changes and parameter adjustments, providing interactive real-time feedback without requiring mode switching, thereby improving ease of operation while managing complexity through unified architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer readable storage medium includes executable instructions to supply, in an editor mode, a first set of data modeling objects in a document. A user request to enter a print preview mode is accepted. The print preview mode is entered while the editor mode remains active. The document is applied to a page layout with a set of pages. A set of pages to print are specified, where individual pages in the set of pages to print contain a subset of data modeling objects in the first set of data modeling objects.