Menu searching of a hierarchical menu structure

摘要

A menu search system allows a user to search through a menu structure, rather than only navigate hierarchically through the menu structure. When a user selects a menu search mode, the menu search system allows the user to enter text and, as the text is entered, searches the menu hierarchy for menu items with names that match the text. The menu search system then displays the matching menu items so that the user can select a displayed menu item of interest.

主权项

1. A method in a computing device for selecting a menu item from a menu structure of an application program, the method comprising:
receiving from a user as a currently selected menu item a selection of a root menu item of the menu structure, the menu structure having hierarchically organized menu items with parent and child relationships forming a menu hierarchy, each menu item having a menu item name comprising text characters; displaying on a display device of the computing device a menu search window that includes an input area and a menu item area; and repeating until the currently selected menu item has no child menu items:
displaying in the menu search window an indication of the currently selected menu item and any ancestor menu items of the currently selected menu item;receiving via the menu search window input from the user;when the received input is one or more text characters received via the input area,
searching the menu structure for matching menu items that are descendent menu items of the currently selected menu item and that have menu item names that match the received one or more text characters, the searching limited to menu items that are descendent menu items of the currently selected menu item; anddisplaying in the menu item area an indication of the matching menu items and ancestor menu items of the matching menu items; andwhen the received input is a selection of a displayed menu item of the menu item area as the currently selected menu item,
when the currently selected menu item has child menu items, displaying in the menu item area an indication of the child menu items; andwhen the currently selected menu item has no child menu items, performing by the application program a command associated with the currently selected menu item.