Graphical user interface for displaying histories of setting panels in a stack view for easy manipulation

摘要

A user interface display method that facilitates setting of various setting parameters for controlling an application program and preserving past values of the setting parameters as historical snapshots. When a setting panel is displayed and the user modifies setting parameter values in the setting panel and saves the new values, the pre-modified setting parameter values are saved as a historical snapshot, and the modified values are saved as the current setting parameters for controlling the program. Historical snapshots of setting panels that have been saved in the past can be displayed simultaneously with the current setting panel in a manner that visually simulates a stack of panels. The user can select any one of the historical panels in the stack, modify the setting values in that panel, and save the modified values as the current settings while keeping the historical snapshot.

主权项

1. A method implemented by a computer for manipulating setting parameters, comprising:
(a) storing in the computer a set of current setting parameters used to control a program, including a first subset of current setting parameters and second subset of current setting parameters; (b) storing in the computer a plurality of first subsets of historical setting parameters and a plurality of second subsets of historical setting parameters; (c) displaying a current setting panel on a screen, including:
(c1) displaying a main setting panel;(c2) displaying a current first sub-panel within the main setting panel, the current first sub-panel being rendered based on the first subset of current setting parameters and including a plurality of input means for interacting with a user; and(c3) displaying a current second sub-panel within the main setting panel, the current second sub-panel being rendered based on the second subset of current setting parameters and including a plurality of input means for interacting with the user; (d) in response to a first user input, replacing the display of the current first sub-panel by a display of a historical first sub-panel, the historical first sub-panel being rendered based on a selected one of the plurality of first subsets of historical setting parameters and including a plurality of input means for interacting with the user, wherein the selected first subset of historical setting parameters were saved at one time point and two or more parameters among the selected first subset of historical setting parameters have different values than corresponding parameters among the first subset of current setting parameters; (e) in response to a second user input received via the input means of the historical first sub-panel, generating a modified first subset of setting parameters by modifying the selected one of the plurality of first subsets of historical setting parameters based on the second user input; (f) in response to a third user input, replacing the display of the current second sub-panel by a display of a historical second sub-panel, the historical second sub-panel being rendered based on a selected one of the plurality of second subsets of historical setting parameters and including a plurality of input means for interacting with the user, wherein the selected one of the plurality of first subsets of historical setting parameters and the selected one of the plurality of second subsets of historical setting parameters correspond to different historical times; (g) in response to a fourth user input received via the input means of the historical second sub-panel, generating a modified second subset of setting parameters by modifying the selected one of the plurality of second subsets of historical setting parameters based on the fourth user input; (h1) keeping the first subset of current setting parameters as a new first subset of historical setting parameters, and saving the modified first subset of setting parameters generated in step (e) as a new subset of current setting parameters without saving the modified second subsets of setting parameters generated in step (g); repeating steps (d) to (g) for additional user inputs; (h2) keeping the first subset of current setting parameters as a new first subset of historical setting parameters, keeping the second subset of current setting parameters as a new second subset of historical setting parameters, and saving the modified first and second subsets of setting parameters generated in steps (e) and (g) as a new set of current setting parameters; and (i) controlling the program using the new set of current setting parameters.