Tear-away topology views

摘要

Enabling users to select a subset of elements represented by a rendered topology view, and in response, a new view comprising the selected elements is automatically created. Preferred embodiments render this subset view, referred to herein as a “tear-away view”, alongside the topology view from which the elements were selected, thereby enabling the user to focus on the selected elements in context of the bigger picture. An active correlation is preferably maintained between the views, such that various updates to one view are also reflected in the other view. Preferred embodiments automatically create a new data model underlying the tear-away view, and in one aspect, this data model and/or tear-away view may be persisted.

主权项

1. A system, comprising:
a computer comprising a processor; and instructions which are executable, using the processor, to implement functions comprising:
rendering a first topology view comprising a plurality of elements, the view corresponding to an underlying first data model for the elements, the first data model including relationship information defining relationships among the elements;detecting a selection of a plurality of the rendered elements;detecting a dragging of the selected elements across a defined tear-away topology boundary, the tear-away topology boundary defined to signal that elements dragged across the boundary are to be used, when dropped, for creating a second topology view in association with the first topology view; andcreating, responsive to detecting a drop of the dragged elements after detecting the signal that the elements were dragged across the defined tear-away topology boundary, the second topology view, the second topology view having a correlation with the first topology view, and a second data model that underlies the selected elements, wherein:
the second topology view comprises a rendered copy of the selected elements, and the second data model comprises information that is copied, for each of the selected elements, from corresponding information in the first data model;the rendered copy maintains spatial positioning of, and relationships among, the selected elements as rendered in the first topology view; andprovided that the correlation is active, an update to the rendered copy of the selected elements in the second topology view automatically causes a corresponding update to the selected elements in the first topology view, as well as corresponding updates to the second data model and the first data model, and an update to the selected elements in the first topology view automatically causes a corresponding update to the rendered copy of the selected elements in the second topology view, as well as corresponding updates to the first data model and the second data model.