公开(公告)号：US06239800B1

公开(公告)日：2001-05-29

申请号：US08990326

申请日：1997-12-15

申请人： Debra Lee Mayhew ,  Miriam Sarah Powell ,  David E. Shough

发明人： Debra Lee Mayhew ,  Miriam Sarah Powell ,  David E. Shough

IPC分类号： G06F300

CPC分类号： G06F8/61 ,  G06F9/453 ,  Y10S715/966 ,  Y10S715/967

摘要： The invention leads a user through an application program procedure via interactions with displayed information. A method incorporating the invention first displays maps (i.e., flow charts) of tasks required to be accomplished during the application procedure. The maps include various graphical icons, each of which provides an indication of job execution status; job names that are associated with at least some of the graphical icons; and connectors between the job names which designate an execution relationship therebetween. During the application program procedure, the presentation of a graphical icon is modified to indicate a readiness of an associated job to execute. Thereafter, the user selects the associated job for execution by entering a selection signal. The graphical icon's presentation is modified to indicate completion of execution of the associated job and the presentations of one or more connectors are modified to indicate a completion of execution. A preferred application of the method of the invention is to an application program which enables installation of a complex software system such as a database, on a mainframe computer.

摘要翻译： 本发明通过与显示的信息的交互通过应用程序过程引导用户。 结合本发明的方法首先显示在应用程序期间需要完成的任务的映射（即，流程图）。 地图包括各种图形图标，每个图标提供作业执行状态的指示; 与至少一些图形图标相关联的作业名称; 以及指定它们之间的执行关系的作业名称之间的连接器。 在应用程序过程期间，修改图形图标的呈现以指示相关联的作业的准备就绪。 此后，用户通过输入选择信号来选择相关联的作业来执行。 修改图形图标的表示以指示相关作业的执行完成，并修改一个或多个连接器的演示以指示执行完成。 本发明的方法的优选应用是能够在大型计算机上安装诸如数据库的复杂软件系统的应用程序。