Task-Sensitive Methods and Systems for Displaying Command Sets

摘要

Methods and systems present commands to a user within a software application program by determining the user's context within the application program and automatically presenting in a user interface commands that pertain to the user's current context. When the user's context changes, the context-sensitive commands are automatically removed from the user interface. In one implementation context blocks and context panes are employed to present the commands.

主权项

1. A computer-readable storage medium providing non-volatile storage of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processing units, cause a computer system to:
display a user interface of a software application program, the user interface comprising:
a document area displaying a document, anda container area proximate the document area, the container area not obscuring the document area; and in response to selection of a given object within the document area: determine whether a first context block is relevant to a task that a user is able to accomplish on the document, the first context block comprising a first plurality of user-selectable commands; in response to determining that the first context block is relevant to the task and is not displayed in the container area, display the first context block within the container area; and in response to determining that a second context block is displayed in the container area and that the second context block is not relevant to any task in the set of tasks, hide the second context block.