METHOD, SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM FOR THE LAYOUT OF AUTOMATICALLY-PLACED ELEMENTS AND USER-PLACED
ELEMENTS IN A CHART
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Charting programs (such as spreadsheet application programs, word processing application programs, and presentation apphcation programs) enable the creation of charts of various types from user provided data Typically, charting programs generate charts having a fixed layout m which chart elements (e g, titles, legends, plot area, etc ) are arranged according to a predefined format Many users, however wish to retain some control of the layout of chart elements so that they have some control over the placement of these elements m order to effect the overall appearance of the chart, to conform to a presentation standard, or to emphasize a particular detail presented in the chart
To that end, some charting programs have been developed, which allow a user to change the location of certain chart elements by hand (1 e, manual layout) However, these charting programs fail to provide any assistance to the user to find appropriate locations for the remaining elements For instance, a user may reposition and/or resize a legend in a bar chart while other elements automatically generated by the charting program (such as the plot area) remain unchanged Furthermore, in current charting programs, a repositioned and/or resized chart element creates free space m the chart corresponding to the previous position of the element In response to the free space created by the manual layout of chart elements, current charting programs expand the plot area of the chart to take up the free space created by manual layout elements However, these methods often result m an unacceptable visual layout when the manual elements are laid out along with automatically positioned elements by the charting program
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments of the present invention have been made
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, the above and other problems are solved by a method, system, and computer-readable medium for determimng a layout of automatically-placed elements and user-placed elements m a chart created m a* chart application program User-placed elements include chart elements that have been moved and/or resized by a user Automatically-placed elements include chart elements that have been laid out according to an automatic position and size calculated by the chart application program
Accordmg to one aspect of the mvention, the method mcludes making a first "pass" of chart elements by selecting a group of automatically-placed chart elements and user-placed chart elements previously laid out m the chart and automatically laying out the automatically-placed chart elements and the user-placed chart elements according to an automatic position and size calculated by the chart application program Thus, initially the chart layout is computed as if all chart elements are automatically-placed elements The method further mcludes making a second pass of chart elements by reselecting each of the elements from among the automatically laid out elements m the chart, determimng whether the selected chart element are user-placed chart elements, and if the selected chart element are user-placed chart elements, then laying out the user-placed chart element in the chart accordmg to a user-specified layout If any of the selected chart elements are not a user-placed chart element, then the automatic position and size previously calculated for these elements is maintained
Laying out the user-placed element in the chart accordmg to a user-specified layout may mclude repositioning and resizing the user-placed chart element accordmg to the user's previous movement and/or resizing of the element m the chart In laying out the user-placed chart element in the chart accordmg to a user-specified layout the method may further mclude determimng whether the user-placed chart element is associated with a data point in the chart, if the user-placed chart element is associated with a data point in the chart, then laying out the user-placed chart element as an offset from a data point reference location calculated accordmg the user-specified layout, and if the user-placed chart element is not associated with a data point in the chart, then
laying out the user-placed chart element as a proportion of the area of the chart calculated according to the user-specified layout
In laying out the user-placed chart element as an offset from a data point reference location calculated according to the user-specified layout the method may further include calculating a layout position and a layout size of the user-placed chart element utilizing values representing a previously calculated size and position offset of center of the user-placed element from the data point reference location In laying out the user-placed chart element as a proportion of the area of the chart calculated according to a the user-specified layout the method may further include calculating a layout position and a layout size of the user-placed chart element utilizing previously calculated ratios of the center, width, and height of the user-placed element to the width and height of the chart area
Other aspects of the invention may be implemented as a computer process, a computing system, or as an article of manufacture such as a computer program product or computer readable media. The computer program product may be a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encodmg a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process The computer program product may also be a propagated signal on a earner readable by a computing system and encodmg a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process
These and various other features, as well as advantages, which characterize the present invention, will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a computer system architecture diagram illustrating a computer
system utilized in and provided by the various embodiments of the invention,
FIGURE 2 is a screenshot of an illustrative chart which may be generated by the
chart application program in the computer system of FIGURE 1, according to an
illustrative embodiment of the invention, and
FIGURE 3 is an illustrative routine performed by the chart application program in the computer system of FIGURE 1 for determining a layout of automatically-placed elements and user-placed elements m a chart, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements, various aspects of the present invention will be descnbed In particular, FIGURE 1 and the correspondmg discussion are mtended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment m which embodiments of the invention may be implemented While the invention will be descnbed in the general context of program modules that execute m conjunction with program modules that run on an operating system on a personal computer, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may also be implemented m combmation with other types of computer systems and program modules
Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, mcludmg handheld devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like The invention may also be practiced m distnbuted computmg environments where tasks are performed by remote processmg devices that are linked through a commumcations network In a distnbuted computmg environment, program modules may be located m both local and remote memory storage devices
Referring now to FIGURE 1, an illustrative computer architecture for a computer 2 utilized in the vanous embodiments of the invention will be described^ The computer architecture shown m FIGURE 1 illustrates a conventional desktop or laptop computer, including a central processmg unit 5 ("CPU"), a system memory 7, mcludmg a random access memory 9 ("RAM") and a read-only memory ("ROM") 11, and a
system bus 12 that couples the memory to the CPU 5 A basic input/output system containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer, such as during startup, is stored m the ROM 11 The computer 2 further includes a mass storage device 14 for stormg an operatmg system 16, application programs, and other program modules, which will be descnbed in greater detail below
The mass storage device 14 is connected to the CPU 5 through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to the bus 12 The mass storage device 14 and its associated computer-readable media provide non-volatile storage for the computer 2 Although the description of computer-readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by the computer 2
By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented m any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks ("DVD"), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the computer 2
According to various embodiments of the invention, the computer 2 may operate in a networked environment usmg logical connections to remote computers through a network 18, such as the Internet The computer 2 may connect to the network 18 through a network interface unit 20 connected to the bus 12 It should be appreciated that the network interface unit 20 may also be utihzed to connect to other types of networks and remote computer systems The computer 2 may also mclude an input/output controller 22 for receiving and processing input from a number of other devices, including a keyboard, mouse, or electronic stylus (not shown in FIGURE I)
Similarly, an input/output controller 22 may provide output to a display screen, a printer, or other type of output device
As mentioned briefly above, a number of program modules and data files may be stored in the mass storage device 14 and RAM 9 of the computer 2, including an operating system 16 suitable for controlling the operation of a networked personal computer, such as the WINDOWS XP operating system from MICROSOFT CORPORATION of Redmond, Washington The computer 2 is also capable of executing one or more application programs In particular, the computer 2 is operative to execute a chart application 16 As known to those skilled m the art, the chart application 16 provides functionality for creating charts, including column charts, bar charts, X-Y charts, pie charts, radar charts, donut charts, and polar charts, from numencal and text data provided by a user The chart application 16 also provides capabilities for applying a variety of formatting options for text, numeric values, and other features comprising a chart
According to illustrative embodiments of the mvention and as will be descnbed in greater detail below, the chart application 16 may be utilized to determining a layout of automatically-placed and user-placed elements in a chart As defined herein, "automatically-placed elements" are chart elements which correspond to a fixed position and size determined by the chart application 16 "User-placed elements" (or "manual layout elements") are chart elements that have been moved and/or resized by a user according to a user preference It should be understood that in accordance with the various embodiments of the mvention, a chart element is still considered a user-placed element even if it has been moved and/or resized back to an automatic position and size established by the chart application 16
According to one embodiment of the mvention, the chart application 16 comprises the OFFICE suite of application programs including the EXCEL spreadsheet application program, the WORD word processing application program, and the POWERPOINT presentation application program from MICROSOFT CORPORATION of Redmond, Washington It should be appreciated, however, that the various aspects of the mvention descnbed herein may be utilized with other
application programs from other manufacturers Moreover, although the inventive aspects described herem are presented in the context of the application programs identified above, it should be appreciated that other types of application programs may also be utilized to embody the various aspects of the invention Additional details regarding the various functions performed by the chart application 16 will be provided below with respect to FIGURES 2-3
Referring now to FIGURE 2, a screenshot of an illustrative chart 200 which may be generated by the chart application 16 according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention will be described The chart 200 is a column chart which mcludes a plot area with data columns 50, 52, 54, and 56 Each data column 50, 52, 54, and 56 in the chart 200 corresponds to a numeric value along the chart's y-axis The chart 200 will be referred to in the following description of FIGURE 3, below
Referring now to FIGURE 3, an illustrative routine 300 will be described illustrating a process performed by the chart application program 16 for determining a layout of automatically-placed elements and user-placed elements m a chart When reading the discussion of the routines presented herein, it should be appreciated that the logical operations of various embodiments of the present invention are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance requirements of the computing system implementing the invention Accordingly, the logical operations illustrated in FIGURE 3, and making up the embodiments of the present invention described herein are referred to variously as operations, structural devices, acts or modules It will be recognized by one skilled in the art that these operations, structural devices, acts and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention as recited within the claims set forth herein
The routine 300 begins at operation 305, wherein the chart application 16 selects a chart element from a chart created by the chart application 16 In particular, the chart
application 16 may initiate a first "pass" of the chart elements by selecting the outermost element in the chart as a first chart element The routine 300 contmues at operation 310 where the chart apphcaton 16 determines whether the chart includes more chart elements m addition to the currently selected chart element If, at operation 310, the chart application 16 determines that the chart mcludes more elements, then the routine 300 contmues at operation 315 where the chart apphcaton 16 lays out the selected chart element as an automatcally-placed element corresponding to a predetermined fixed position and size in the chart It should be understood that according to the various embodiments of the inventon, during the first "pass" of the chart elements, the chart application 16 lays out all of the elements as automatically-placed elements, even if an element is a user-placed or previously placed manual element Thus, at operaton 315, the user-placed elements are temporarily repositioned and resized from then* user-selected positons and sized according to an automate layout determined by the chart apphcaton 16 From operaton 315, the routine 300 contmues at operaton 320 where the chart apphcaton 16 selects the next chart element m the chart From operaton 320, the routine 300 then returns to operaton 310
At operaton 310, if the chart apphcaton 16 determines that the chart applicaton 16 does not include more elements to be automatically laid out m the chart, the routine 300 then continues at operaton 325 where the chart apphcaton 16 nutates a second 'pass" of the automatically laid out chart elements by reselecting the first chart element at operaton 325 The routine 300 then continues at operaton 330 where the chart apphcation 16 determines whether the chart mcludes more chart elements m additon to the currently selected chart element If, at operaton 330, the chart apphcaton 16 determines that the chart mcludes more elements, then the routine 300 continues at operaton 335
At operaton 335, the chart application 16 determines whether the currently selected element is a manual layout or user-placed element In particular, the chart apphcaton 16 recalls the previous position and size of the element prior to it being automatically laid out at operaton 315 If at operation 335, the chart applicaton 16 determines that the currently selected element is not a user-placed element (I e, the
element is an automatically-placed element), the routine 300 then branches to operation 355 where the chart application 16 selects the next element in the chart It will be appreciated that when the chart application 16 determines an automatically-placed chart element during the second "pass" through the chart, the current position and size of the automatically-placed element is maintained during the re-layout of the chart However, as will be described in greater detail below, user-placed or manual layout chart elements are resized and repositioned by the chart application 16 according to the payout previously specified by a user (I e, by manually resizing and/or repositioning the chart element)
If at operation 335, the chart application determines that the currently selected element is a manual layout or user-placed element, then the routine 300 continues at operation 340 where the chart application 16 determines whether the user-placed element is associated with a data pomt m the chart For instance, a user-placed chart element associated with a data pomt may be a column associated with a specific numeric value in the plot area of a column chart such as the column 52 m the chart 200 of FIGURE 2 descnbed above If, at operation 340, it is determined that the user-placed element is associated with a data pomt in the chart, then the routine 300 continues to operation 350 If, on the other hand, it is determined that the user-placed element is not associated with a data pomt m the chart, then the routme 300 branches to operation 350
At operation 345, the chart application 16 lays out the user-placed element associated with the data pomt as a position offset from a "reference location" of the data pomt In particular, the user-placed element associated with the data pomt is repositioned and resized as a position offset from the reference location of the data pomt In accordance with one illustrative embodiment, the reference location of a data point is the value indicating the location of the data pomt chart element For instance, in the chart 200 of FIGURE 2, the reference location for the column 52 would be the numeric value "5" corresponding to the top of the column In a line chart, the reference location would be the center of the data pomt marker According to the various embodiments of the invention, the "offset" is a (x-linear, y-hnear) position offset for charts with linear axes (such as column and x-y charts) and a (radial-linear, angular)
position offset for charts with a polar axis (such as pie charts and polar charts) It will be appreciated that when a user initially manipulates a data-point associated chart element (thus making it a user-placed or manual layout element), the chart apphcation 16 calculates the size of the element and the position offset of the element from the data point reference location The chart application 16 utilizes the calculated values to calculate the position and size of the user-placed chart element during the layout process From operation 345, the routine 300 then branches to operation 355 where the chart application 16 selects the next element in the chart
Returning now to operation 340, if the user-placed element is not associated with a data point (eg, a chart title or legend), then the routine 300 branches to operation 350 At operation 350, the chart apphcation 16 lays out the user-placed element as a proportion of the chart area That is, the user-placed element is repositioned and resized as a proportion of the current chart area In particular, when a user manipulates a chart element thus making it a user-placed or manual layout chart element, the chart apphcation 16 calculates the ratios of the center, width, and height of a boundmg box (not shown) sunoundmg the chart element to the width and height of the current chart area The chart apphcation 16 utilizes these calculated ratios to calculate the position and size of the user-placed element during the chart layout process The routine 300 then continues from operation 350 at operation 355 where the chart apphcation 16 selects the next element in the chart
From operation 355, the routine 300 returns to operation 330 where the chart application 16 determines if there are more elements in the current chart to be laid out If there are any remaining elements in the chart, then the routine 300 returns to operation 340 If there are no remaining elements in the chart, then the routine 300 ends
Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the various embodiments of the invention mclude a method, system, and computer-readable medium for determining a layout of automatically-placed elements and user-placed elements in a chart created in a chart application program The above specification, examples and data provide a complete descnption of the manufacture and use of the composition of
the invention Smce many embodiments of the invention can be made without departmg from the spirit and scope of the mvention, the mvention resides in the claims hereinafter appended

WE CLAIM:
1. A method for determining a layout of automatically-placed elements and
user-placed elements in a chart created in a chart application program, comprising:
(a) selecting a plurality of chart elements in the chart, wherein the plurality of chart elements include automatically-placed chart elements and user-placed placed chart elements;
(b) automatically laying out the automatically-placed chart elements and the user-placed chart elements in the chart;
(c) selecting a first chart element from among the automatically laid out elements in the chart as a current chart element;
(d) detenrnning whether the current chart element is a user-placed chart element;
(e) if the current chart element is a user-placed chart element, then laying out the user-placed chart element in the chart according to a user-specified layout;
(f) selecting the next chart element in the chart as the current chart element; and
(g) repeating the operations (c)-(f) for each of the plurality of chart elements in the chart until all of the user-placed elements are laid out in the chart.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the current chart element is not a user-placed chart element, then selecting the next chart element in the chart as the current chart element.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein laying out the user-placed element in the chart according to a user-specified layout comprises repositioning and resizing the user-placed chart element according to a previous user manipulation.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein laying out the user-placed chart element in the chart according to a user-specified layout comprises:
determining whether the user-placed chart element is associated with a data point in the chart;
if the user-placed chart element is associated with a data point in the chart, then laying out the user-placed chart element as an offset from a data point reference location calculated according the user-specified layout; and
if the user-placed chart element is not associated with a data point in the chart, then laying out the user-placed chart element as a proportion of the area of the chart calculated according to the user-specified layout.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein laying out the user-placed chart element as an offset from a data point reference location calculated according to the user-specified layout comprises calculating a layout position and a layout size of the user-placed chart element utilizing values representing a previously calculated size and position offset of center of the user-placed element from the data point reference location.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein laying out the user-placed chart element as a proportion of the area of the chart calculated according to a the user-specified layout comprises calculating a layout position and a layout size of the user-placed chart element utilizing previously calculated ratios of the center, width, and height of the user-placed element to the width and height of the chart area.
7. A system for determining a layout of automatically-placed elements and
user-placed elements in a chart, comprising a client computer operative to execute a chart
application program for laving out a plurality of chart elements, the chart application
program further operative to:
(a) selecting a plurality of chart elements in the chart, wherein the plurality of chart elements include automatically-placed chart elements and user-placed placed chart elements;
(b) automatically laying out the automatically-placed chart elements and the user-placed chart elements in the chart;
(c) selecting a first chart element from among the automatically laid out elements in the chart as a current chart element;
(d) determining whether the current chart element is a user-placed chart element;
(e) if the current chart element is a user-placed chart element, then laying out the user-placed chart element in the chart according to a user-specified layout;
(f) selecting the next chart element in the chart as the current chart element; and
(g) repeating the operations (c)-(f) for each of the plurality of chart elements in the chart until all of the user-placed elements are laid out in the chart.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein if the current chart element is not a user-placed chart element, then selecting the next chart element in the chart as the current chart element.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein laying out the user-placed element in the chart according to a user-specified layout comprises repositioning and resizing the user-placed chart element according to a previous user manipulation.
10. The system of claim 7, wherein laying out the user-placed chart element in the chart according to a user-specified layout comprises:
determining whether the user-placed chart element is associated with a data point in the chart;
if the user-placed chart element is associated with a data point in the chart, then laying out the user-placed chart element as an offset from a data point reference location calculated according the user-specified layout; and
if the user-placed chart element is not associated with a data point in the chart, then laying out the user-placed chart element as a proportion of the area of the chart calculated according to the user-specified layout.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein laying out the user-placed chart element as an offset from a data point reference location calculated according to the user-specified layout comprises calculating a layout position and a layout size of the user-placed chart element utilizing values representing a previously calculated size and position offset of center of the user-placed element from the data point reference location.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein laying out the user-placed chart element as a proportion of the area of the chart calculated according to a the user-specified layout comprises calculating a layout position and a layout size of the user-placed chart element utilizing previously calculated ratios of the center, width, and height of the user-placed element to the width and height of the chart area.
13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions
stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, will cause the computer to perform
a method for determining a layout of automatically-placed elements and user-placed
elements in a chart created in a chart application program, comprising:
(a) selecting a plurality of chart elements in the chart, wherein the plurality of chart elements include automatically-placed chart elements and user-placed placed chart elements;
(b) automatically laying out the automatically-placed chart elements and the user-placed chart elements in the chart;
(c) selecting a first chart element from among the automatically laid out elements in the chart as a current chart element;
(d) determining whether the current chart element is a user-placed chart element;
(e) if the current chart element is a user-placed chart element, then laying out the user-placed chart element in the chart according to a user-specified layout;
(f) selecting the next chart element in the chart as the current chart element; and
(g) repeating the operations (c)-(f) for each of the plurality of chart elements in the chart until all of the user-placed elements are laid out in the chart.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein if the current chart element is not a user-placed chart element, then selecting the next chart element in the chart as the current chart element.
15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein laying out the user-placed element in the chart according to a user-specified layout comprises repositioning and resizing the user-placed chart element according to a previous user manipulation.
16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein laying out the user-placed chart element in the chart according to a user-specified layout comprises:
determining whether the user-placed chart element is associated with a data point in the chart;
if the user-placed chart element is associated with a data point in the chart, then laying out the user-placed chart element as an offset from a data point reference location calculated according the user-specified layout; and
if the user-placed chart element is not associated with a data point in the chart, then laying out the user-placed chart element as a proportion of the area of the chart calculated according to the user-specified layout.
17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein laying out the user-placed chart element as an offset from a data point reference location calculated according to the user-specified layout comprises calculating a layout position and a layout size of the user-placed chart element utilizing values representing a previously calculated size and position offset of center of the user-placed element from the data point reference location.
18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein laying out the user-placed chart element as a proportion of the area of the chart calculated according to a the user-specified layout comprises calculating a layout position and a layout size of the user-placed chart element utilizing previously calculated ratios of the center, width, and height of the user-placed element to the width and height of the chart area.