Abstract:
A user interface toolbar and associated method for enabling a user to make a series of selections in a procedural order that can be used to assign properties to a component object in an application program document. The toolbar contains a plurality of selection controls, each containing a control value and a dropdown menu. The menu options that drop down in successive selection controls change in context with the menu choices made in a previous selection control. A user typically fills selection controls from left to right (or top to bottom) in a procedural fashion. As the user makes selections to fill in the controls, the menus corresponding to the selection controls that are downstream (to the right of or below) the last filled selection control are updated based on the content of the previous selections. The toolbar allows a user to select and change any selection previously made, as desired, with the resultant changes effecting the selections and menus to the right of or below the changed selection. The toolbar also allows a user to enter a secondary set of control values in the selection controls. Properties may be assigned to a component object in an application program document based on the control values in the selection controls. The toolbar preferably is implemented as a modeless window comprising a title bar and a close window icon, wherein the plurality of selection controls are arranged horizontally across the toolbar, or vertically.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention concerns user interfaces for computer application programs in general, and user interface toolbars in particular. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are many instances in which conventional menu structures are cumbersome for applying user-desired features to objects, especially when such features are defined through a series of procedural steps. In such cases, choices made in the menu structure will determine subsequent options from which the user may select. This problem is particularly troublesome when it is desirable to enable a user to modify any choice that was made in the series of choices (i.e., where it is desirable to provide “modeless options”). 
     Most menu structures, such as dropdown menus, are static—that is, they correspond to a predefined command structure, where the options from which a user may choose do not change in response to a previous menu choice. These types of menus are often difficult to navigate through more than two levels, especially when a desired selection is embedded several layers down within the nested menu structure. Furthermore, menus of this sort do not readily support procedural selection processes, particularly where subsequent choices are context sensitive. The term “context sensitive” as used herein in connection with a series of options presented to a user means that the options presented to the user are dependent on a previous selection of one or more other options. This concept should not be confused with simply drilling down through a series of nested layers of menus to make a single choice from one of the options presented on a given layer. To make a series of procedural selections in which successive choices are context sensitive, the user should be able to choose one option from among a plurality of options, and as a result of that selection, the user should then be presented with a plurality of further options that are specific to the option selected. In some cases, the choice from the second set of options may lead to the user being provided yet a third set of options that relate only to the second choice. Currently, conventional menus cannot handle such procedural selections, since they do not have the ability to present context sensitive options that depend on previous choices, nor do they provide for reentry, i.e., they do not provide any means for a user to readily modify one of the choices in a series of linked selections. 
     Wizards provide an improvement over conventional menus for procedural selection of features, in that they typically are context sensitive to a user&#39;s prior selections. However, wizards have several drawbacks, including lack of reentry to previous steps, and modally locking the interface to prevent it from displaying additional selections. 
     Additional problems occur when it is desirable to attach multiple features to the same object. For instance, it would be desirable to apply simultaneous and/or sequential dynamic effects to objects on web pages. These effects may then be initiated in response to a variety of events, such as the loading of a page, a specific time interval lapsing, movement of the cursor to a predefined position, and other user interactions. The combination of the effects and the events would typically require multiple context sensitive wizards, each launching a series of modal dialog boxes for a particular effect. However, it would be advantageous to have an improved user interface that can enable a user to select and change features with less difficulty than existing interfaces and without reliance on the wizard paradigm. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention addresses the foregoing menu and option selection problems by providing a user interface toolbar that comprises context sensitive controls. The toolbar enables the user to make a series of selections in a procedural order that assigns properties to a component object in an application program document. The toolbar contains a plurality of selection controls, each containing a dropdown menu. Note: the toolbar controls could be of any kind: one step might simply be a checkbox or a latched button. The menu options that drop down in successive selection controls change in context based on the selected component object, the menu choices made in a previous selection control, and optionally, in consideration of user selectable compatibility settings. A user typically fills selection controls (i.e., makes control choices) from left to right or top to bottom, in a procedural fashion. But if necessary the toolbar can use the enabled/disabled state of the control to force the user to the next logical step. As the user makes selections to fill in the controls, the menus corresponding to the selection controls that are downstream (to the right of or below) the last filled selection control are updated based on the content of the previous selections. The toolbar allows a user to select and change any selection previously made, as desired, with the resultant changes affecting the selections and menus to the right of or below the changed selection control. 
     According to a first aspect of the invention, a method for assigning properties to a component object in an application program is provided, wherein the application program runs on a computer system having a graphical user interface, and including a display and a user interface selection device. A user of the application program positions the user interface selection device to select a component object, such as a text object or a graphic object that is to have properties assigned to it. The properties are assigned according to control values that are entered into a toolbar that comprises a plurality of selection controls, wherein each selection control has a control value and an associated dropdown menu. The toolbar preferably comprises two or three selection controls, but may comprise more selection controls. The selection controls preferably are arranged in a horizontal fashion along the toolbar, so that a user enters control value selections procedurally in a left-to-right fashion. Optionally, the controls may be arranged vertically, wherein the user enters control value selections in a top-to-bottom order. Control values are entered into the selection controls by selecting a menu item from each selection control dropdown menu in a procedural fashion, starting with the first (preferably left-most or top) selection control. The menu of a given selection control depends on the value of the selection control that is to its immediate left, so that the menus are nested on a context sensitive basis. The menu items for the first selection control dropdown menu preferably depend on a context of the selected component object. The menu items for the second selection control dropdown menu are context sensitive to the control value selected from the first selection control dropdown menu, in light of the context of the selected component object. Likewise, in the event a third selection control is used, the menu items for the third selection control dropdown menu are context sensitive to the control value selected from the second selection control dropdown menu. Various properties are assigned to the selected component object based on the control values entered in the selection controls. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is the toolbar&#39;s ability to support re-entrant selection of control values, wherein changes to a previously selected control value cause the control values in downstream selection controls (to the right or below) to be cleared. Whether a downstream control value is cleared depends on whether the previously selected and new control values share a common context. The user may selectively change a control value for any of the controls. In some instances, changes to the first selection control cause the control values in the second and third selection controls to be cleared. In other instances, changes to the second selection control value cause the control value in the third selection control to be cleared. A change to a given selection control does not cause a change to any selection control that is upstream of it (to the left of it or above it). When a selection control is changed, the menu in the selection control to the immediate right of or below the changed control is updated, as necessary, to reflect a context of the new control value. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the method provides for assigning additional properties to the component object by enabling the user to enter secondary control values in the selection controls. This procedure begins by enabling the user to select a secondary control value for the first selection control. The dropdown menu for the first selection control preferably contains indicia indicating that a previous menu item has already been assigned to the component object. Upon selection of the secondary control value (i.e., the selection of any menu item that is different from the existing selection), the second and third (if applicable) selection controls are cleared, and the user proceeds to enter secondary selections into these selection controls in a fashion similar to that described above for procedurally entering control values. 
     According to yet another aspect of the invention, the toolbar is designed to prompt the user to procedurally enter information. For instance, the toolbar preferably is disabled if no component object is selected, or if the selected component object cannot have properties assigned to it. Once a proper component object is selected, the toolbar is preferably displayed in an active mode, wherein the first selection control contains a prompt requesting a user to select a menu item from its dropdown menu if the selected component object has yet to have any properties assigned to it. Similarly, once a first selection control value is entered, the second selection control contains a prompt requesting the user to select a menu item from the second selection control dropdown menu. Similar prompting is preferably added to the third selection control, once a value has been selected for the second selection control. Selection of a component object with previously-assigned properties will cause the toolbar to display selection control values corresponding to the properties assigned to that object, the values of which may be edited in a similar fashion to that describe above. 
     The toolbar preferably includes additional controls, including a button for clearing the control values for the current component object. Clicking on a clear button causes the control values in each of the selections to be cleared, and if the component object has had properties assigned to it based on these control values, the assigned properties are also cleared from the component object. The toolbar also preferably includes a “highlight selected component object” toggle button that toggles a visual highlighting of the selected component object and/or a visual highlighting of all component objects in a document that have been assigned properties. When the component object is selected, the properties assigned to the object are displayed if the user positions a cursor over it with the user interface input device. The toolbar optionally includes a tip box associated with each of its controls, whereby the tip box in visually displayed when the cursor is positioned over the control, to indicate to the user the purpose of the control. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the invention is implemented in an application program suitable for designing web page documents that include component objects having dynamic hypertext markup language (DHTML) effects assigned to them. Coming soon will be a new technology (probably to be accepted as an internet standard) called “Behaviors” or DHTML+TIME. For all intents and purposes it is the same as DHTML today except instead of using a scripting language it is all tag based. For example, a graphic component object may be assigned a dynamical HTML effect so that it “flies in” from a predetermined direction when the document is loaded for display on a user&#39;s browser. The first selection control menu contains a list of events that may be selected to trigger a dynamic HTML effect. The second selection control menu contains a list of dynamic effects that can be selectively applied to the component object, while the third selection control menu contains a list of settings that are applicable to the selected dynamic effect, as appropriate. Preferably, all of the event, effect, and settings menus take into consideration compatibility settings related to the browsers with which the display page (and its dynamic HTML effects) are compatible. The toolbar and method allow a user to assign multiple dynamic HTML effects to the same component object. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1A shows the user interface toolbar of the present invention in a disabled mode; 
     FIG. 1B shows the toolbar in its initial configuration; 
     FIG. 1C shows the toolbar displaying a first selection control menu; 
     FIG. 1D shows a configuration of the toolbar after an entry has been made to its first selection control; 
     FIG. 2A shows the toolbar displaying a second selection control menu; 
     FIG. 2B shows a configuration of the toolbar after an entry has been made to its second selection control; 
     FIG. 2C shows the toolbar displaying a third selection control menu; 
     FIG. 2D shows a toolbar that has all of its selection control values entered; 
     FIG. 3A shows the toolbar displaying the second selection control menu during a reentry of the second selection control value; 
     FIG. 3B shows the toolbar when an entry for its third selection control is not required; 
     FIG. 3C shows the toolbar displaying the first selection control menu to indicate that a previous control value has been assigned to a selected component object in a document; 
     FIG. 3D shows the toolbar after a secondary control value has been entered in the first selection control; 
     FIG. 4A shows the toolbar displaying the third selection control menu during a reentry of the third selection control value; 
     FIG. 4B shows the toolbar after a reentry of the third selection control value; 
     FIG. 4C shows the toolbar&#39;s clear button being activated; 
     FIG. 4D shows the toolbar reverting back to its initialized configuration after the clear button has been activated; 
     FIG. 5 is a logic flow diagram for illustrating the process that is used when applying a dynamic HTML effect to a display page component object; and 
     FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary environment for practicing the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention comprises a procedural toolbar that enhances the user interface of an application program. In order to enable the reader to more easily understand the functionality and operation of the present invention, the following text describes an exemplary procedural toolbar, shown in FIGS. 1A-1D,  2 A- 2 D,  3 A- 3 D, and  4 A- 4 D, which is used in Microsoft Corporation&#39;s FRONTPAGE 2000™ web page publishing program. This example and its specific application to web page design and editing is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, as the procedural toolbar can be used in many other types of application programs. 
     The FRONTPAGE 2000™ web page publishing program supports many web page and web site functional features, simplifies the design of web pages, and allows a user to create a web page (displayable on a web browser) that includes a plurality of graphic and text component objects, such as a bitmaps, photos, and text. The exemplary procedural toolbar described herein is used for selecting dynamic HTML (DHTML) effects that are assigned to various component objects on the web page. A DHTML effect is used to provide a displayed interaction or effect to a component object with which it is associated, such as making a text block “fly in” from the top of a page. The dynamic effect is generally invoked in response to a predetermined event, such as the loading of the web page into a user&#39;s browser for viewing, or the positioning of a cursor over an object on the displayed page. 
     In order to assign an effect to a component object, it is necessary to define the effect through the use of a procedural series of menu selections. The menu selections are accessed through a plurality of selection controls that are displayed on the procedural toolbar, wherein each selection control is associated with a dropdown menu and displays a plurality of options. The selection controls are preferably arranged from left to right, but may alternatively be listed from top to bottom. It will be understood that in the following discussion, references made to the controls as being displayed from left to right are also intended to apply to controls that are displayed vertically and are initially completed from top to bottom. 
     Displayed in the initial (left-most) menu level is a list of events from which the user may select a DHTML effect that is to be included on the web page. At this first level, the user chooses a dynamic effect that will be associated with an object and which will be displayed or activated upon occurrence of a selected event. At the second level, the user chooses the effect settings, to determine which of the criteria applicable to the selected effect will be applied. 
     The various menus selections are context based and are not static—that is, the menus displayed to the user to enable a selection to be made are contextually based on the user&#39;s selection of an option from the directly preceding menu. The initial or top level event selection menu may be static, (e.g., always displaying the same options), or may be based on the context of the selected object to which the event will apply. Thus, certain events may only be applicable to specific types of objects, in which case it is appropriate to only display events that can be applied to the object that was selected by the user before the toolbar was activated. The following explanation and specific examples should make the preceding discussion clear. 
     As shown in FIG. 5, the process for assigning a DHTML effect to a component object begins in a block  10 , where a user selects a component object, such as a text string or graphic, which is displayed on the web page being designed. The user then opens a DHTML effect toolbar  100  (FIGS. 1A-1D,  2 A- 2 D,  3 A- 3 D, and  4 A- 4 D) in a block  12  by selecting the corresponding menu item from the FRONTPAGE 2000™ edit menu. Alternately, the toolbar may selectively be automatically displayed upon start-up of FRONTPAGE 2000™, or it may selectively be displayed when a new or existing document is opened. 
     Referring to FIG. 1A, DHTML effect toolbar  100  is a modeless window that can be moved by clicking and dragging a title bar  102  or other parts of the tool bar background. The DHTML effect toolbar can be closed by clicking on a close window icon  104 , or by typing alt-F4 on the user&#39;s keyboard (not shown). DHTML effect toolbar  100  comprises three selection controls, including an event selection control  106 , an effect selection control  108 , and an effect settings selection control  110 . Each selection control is associated with a dropdown menu, which may be activated by clicking on the selection control&#39;s corresponding dropdown menu activation button. For example, clicking on an effect dropdown menu activation button  112  activates a dropdown menu for event selection control  106 . The DHTML effect toolbar additionally comprises a “remove effect” button  114 , and a “highlight DHTML effects” toggle button  116 . Note that the hatched areas of the toolbar represent portions that preferably are displayed in the conventional gray color normally associated with Microsoft&#39;s WINDOWS™ graphic user operating system buttons and controls. In addition, grayed text, such as the “REMOVE EFFECT” text shown in FIG. 1A, indicates that a control is disabled. 
     The DHTML effect toolbar may optionally display context sensitive tip boxes when the user positions a mouse (or other pointing device controlled) cursor over a selection control or button anytime the DHTML effect toolbar is displayed, both in its disabled and active modes (discussed below). For instance, positioning and holding the cursor over event selection control  106  will cause an “ON” tip box  118  to be displayed. There are similar tip boxes associated with each respective control or button, including an “APPLY” tip box  120  associated with effect selection control  108 , an “EFFECT” tip box  122  associated with effect settings selection control  110 , a “REMOVE EFFECT” tip box  124  associated with “remove effect” button  114 , and a “HIGHLIGHT DHTML EFFECTS” tip box  126  associated with “highlight DHTML effects” toggle button  116  (shown in FIG.  1 B). 
     Continuing with the process, in a decision block  14 , a determination verifies whether the selected component object can have DHTML effects assigned to it. For example, in the event that DHTML effect toolbar  100  is initially displayed, a component object may not yet be selected, or the component object that is selected may not support the assignment of any DHTML effects. In either of these cases, in a block  16 , all of the text corresponding to the selection controls and the “remove effect” button are grayed and disabled, indicating that selection of the controls or button will have no effect, and the system produces no further action until an appropriate component object is selected in block  10 . 
     Once an appropriate component object is selected, a block  18  displays DHTML effect toolbar  100  in an active mode, in the toolbar&#39;s initial configuration, as shown in FIG.  1 B. The toolbar is displayed in its active mode whenever a user selects an object on the web page that can have (or already does have) DHTML effects assigned to it. The toolbar is displayed in its initial configuration, as illustrated in this Figure, when the selected component object does not have any DHTML effects yet assigned to it. 
     In its initial configuration, DHTML effect toolbar  100  displays “&lt;choose an event&gt;” text  128  in event selection control  106 . This text prompts the user to select event dropdown menu activation button  112 , which causes an event dropdown menu  130  to be displayed, as shown in FIG.  1 C. Event dropdown menu  130  contains a list of events that can be selected to cause one or more DHTML effects to be assigned to the web page object. As the user moves the cursor over the dropdown menu items, the menu items are highlighted, one at a time. In a block  20  (FIG.  5 ), the user may select a desired event by clicking on a highlighted menu item, such as a “PAGE LOAD” menu item  131 , which is then saved as an event selection control value  132 , as shown in FIG.  1 B. 
     The menu items in event dropdown menu  130  comprise a list of trigger events that may be assigned to the selected component object. For instance, some component objects may support certain types of triggering events, while not supporting others. The list of events also depends on user selected browser compatibility settings in FRONTPAGE 2000™ that identify various browsers with which the user desires the web page to be compatible. For example, while NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR 4.0™ and MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER 4.0™ support many DHTML effects and their associated triggering events, some earlier versions of these and other current versions of other browsers may not support all such effects and/or events. If the compatibility settings are set to support these earlier browsers, then the list of possible events that may be used to trigger a DHTML effect is limited to the events supported by the selected browsers with which the display page is to be compatible. 
     Next, in accord with a block  22  (FIG.  5 ), effect selection control  108  will be changed to prompt the user to select an effect by displaying a “&lt;CHOOSE AN EFFECT&gt;” text prompt  133 , as shown in FIG.  1 D. The user will then click on an effect dropdown menu activation button  134  with the mouse or other pointing device, which will cause an effect dropdown menu  136  to be displayed (as shown in FIG.  2 A). The effect dropdown menu items are context sensitive for the event selected—that is, the menu items listed in a given effect menu will depend on what event has been selected by the user. For instance, effect dropdown menu  136  contains a list of effects that may be invoked whenever the web page is loaded (as a result of the user previously selecting the event “PAGE LOAD”). Similarly, other dropdown menus of effects (not shown) may be displayed, containing menu selections for effects associated with other events, such as the “CLICK,” “DOUBLE CLICK,” and “MOUSE OVER” events shown in dropdown menu  130 . As with the event dropdown menu, the effect menu items will also depend on the compatibility settings. 
     Upon display of the menu, in a block  24  (FIG.  5 ), the user selects a highlighted menu item such as a “FLY IN” menu item  138  from dropdown menu  136  to set the effect that will be applied in the effect selection control  108 , as shown in FIG.  2 B. Longer menus may include a scroll bar  140 , as shown in FIG. 2A, to enable a user to access all of the available options. The selected event is saved as event selection control value  139 . 
     Depending on the effect that is selected, the user may be required to enter additional settings corresponding to the selected effect. For example, some of the available effects may require additional settings be chosen, such as a direction from where an animation is to initiate, while other effects may not. A decision block  26  (FIG. 5) determines whether additional settings are needed. In the event that an effect is chosen that does not require additional settings, the effect settings selection control  110  remains blank and disabled (grayed out). Such a case is shown in FIG. 3B, where the “SPIRAL” effect does not require additional settings. The DHTML effect selection process is then complete, and a DHTML effect is assigned to the component object in a block  28  (FIG. 5) based on the selected event and selected effect control values. 
     If additional settings are required, a block  30  (in FIG. 5) prompts the user to make further choices by displaying a “&lt;CHOOSE SETTINGS&gt;” text prompt  142  that is displayed in effect settings selection control  110  (FIG.  2 B), and a settings selection dropdown menu  146  is loaded with a list of applicable settings based on the selected event and effect, along with the selected component object and compatibility settings, as shown in FIG.  2 C. 
     Referring back to FIG. 5, in a block  32 , the user then selects a dropdown menu activation button  144  (FIG.  2 B), causing the effect settings dropdown menu  146  to be displayed, as shown in FIG.  2 C. As with the above menus, the user selects a highlighted item such as a “FROM LEFT” menu item  147  by clicking on it (or pressing the “Enter” button on the keyboard while menu item  147  is highlighted), causing the selected item to be displayed as a control value  148  in effect settings selection control  110  (FIG.  2 D). 
     The logic then flows back to decision block  26  in FIG. 5, where the query to determine whether any additional settings are required is repeated. The process of adding additional settings is repeated until no additional settings are required. At this point, the DHTML effect selection process is complete for this example, and the selected effect (with associated event and settings) is assigned to the web page component object that the user selected before starting this process. Note that once a complete effect has been applied to a component object, remove effect button  114  is enabled, as shown in FIG.  2 D. 
     The procedural toolbar provides further functionality by enabling the user to change previously selected control values. As shown in FIG. 4A, the user may change the effect setting control value by simply clicking on effect setting dropdown menu activation button  144  and choosing a new setting, such as a “FROM BOTTOM-LEFT” menu item  149 . The newly chosen effect setting is then displayed in effect settings selection control  110 , as shown in FIG.  4 B. 
     Changes can be made to the control values displayed in the effect selection control and the event selection control in a similar fashion. However, changes to previously selected control options may cause changes in the options previously selected for controls downstream (to the right) and their associated control selections, depending on the context of the new and prior selections. For example, suppose the user decides to change the effect from the previous selection, “FLY IN,” to the “SPIRAL” effect. This change is accomplished by clicking on effect dropdown menu activation button  134 , which redisplays effect dropdown menu  136 . From effect dropdown menu  136 , the user selects a “SPIRAL” menu item  150 . As a result, the effect assigned to the web page object (and displayed as the control value in effect selection control  108 ) is changed to the “SPIRAL” effect, as shown in FIG.  3 B. Because the “SPIRAL” effect does not required a control option to be set in effect settings selection control  110 , it no longer displays any option in FIG.  3 B. 
     There are some instances where the downstream controls (the controls to the right of the active control) may not change in response to a change made upstream. For instance, multiple effects may have a common setting, such as “WIPE” and “FLY IN.” Thus, when a user changes an effect, but the new effect supports the setting already displayed in the effect settings selection control, the effect setting option in effect settings selection control  110  is not changed. This situation may also apply to a change in the selected event. For instance, it is likely that the mouse events “CLICK” and “DOUBLE CLICK” will support common effects. Thus, changing the selected event will not cause the downstream selections to change if the previously selected effect is supported by both the previous and newly selected events. 
     Another substantial benefit of the procedural toolbar is its ability to support selection of multiple events. For example, the user may want to apply a DHTML effect to a given object whenever the web page is loaded and whenever a user moves a cursor over the object after it is loaded. To add another HTML effect to the component object, the user first clicks on effect dropdown menu button activation  112  to display event dropdown menu  130 , as shown in FIG.  3 C. Depending on the context of previously selected events, the event dropdown menu may contain indicia identifying the existence of one or more events already assigned to the web page object. For example, if the “PAGE LOAD” event has already been assigned (from the steps above), “PAGE LOAD” menu item  132  may be displayed in bold font or contain a check mark or other mark to indicate that the PAGE LOAD event has already been associated with the object. Conversely, there may be instances where it is preferable to replace an existing event assignment, rather than add a new event assignment. For example, the user may desire to replace the “CLICK” event with a “DOUBLE CLICK” event. If two events are mutually exclusive, they cannot both be associated with an object, and thus, the user will be required to decide whether to replace the event already selected with the other, mutually exclusive event. The determination of whether to add or replace event assignments may be appropriately made by an application program developer based on the context of the application programs menu items. 
     Upon selecting an additional event (or a replacement event, as applicable), the selected event will be displayed in the event selection control. For example, the user has selected a “MOUSE OVER” event menu item  154 , as shown in FIGS. 3C-3D. In response to this choice, the downstream controls no longer display the options previously chosen for the former event, but instead are changed to display appropriate content based on the context of the newly selected event. The user then repeats the process discussed above for selecting an effect and the contextually appropriate settings for the newly chosen effect. 
     The user may also remove an assigned effect (or clear an effect that is being entered) by clicking on “remove effect” button  114 , as shown in FIG.  4 C. When the “remove effect” button is activated, the configuration of the toolbar reverts to its initial configuration, as shown in FIGS. 4D and 1B. Clicking on “highlight DHTML effects” button  116  (see FIG. 1A) toggles highlighting of the web page component objects that have DHTML effect assigned to them. This highlighting enables a user to easily identify the component objects on a page that do and do not have assigned DHTML effects. Furthermore, when a web page component object is highlighted, moving the cursor over the object will cause a display box to dynamically appear. This display box (not shown) will contain information regarding the dynamic effect(s) assigned to the object. For example, a component object that is assigned a fly in effect, from the left, to occur when its web page is loaded, would have a display box that includes the text “DHTML EFFECT: ON PAGE LOAD, FLY IN FROM LEFT.” In cases where multiple event effects are assigned to the component object, the display box will display entries corresponding to each assigned event effect. 
     The ordering and menu structure of the procedural toolbar may be modified from that described above so as to best fit a particular application program. For example, the DHTML effect toolbar described above provides for the entry of contextual information via selection controls in a left-to-right fashion. This arrangement corresponds to how most Western Civilizations interpret display text, i.e., most languages are written and read from left to right. However, some languages are written and read from right to left. A procedural toolbar in accord with the present invention may be designed so that the contextual information for each successive choice is contained in selection controls that are arranged and actuated from right to left. In addition, there may be additional controls and associated menus, depending upon the nature of the object, event, effect, or other parameters implemented by a tool bar in accord with the present invention. 
     In the foregoing description, more than one event could be selected to be applied to a web page object. In a similar fashion, a menu structure could be set up so that more than one item in a menu could be selected. For instance, a formatting sub-menu could list various formatting feature selections that could be simultaneously applied, such as selections for making a text font display as both “bold” and in “red.” Optionally, one of the dropdown menus can list a formatting-related menu option that would invoke (when selected) a conventional formatting dialog, allowing a user to select various formatting options, such as text fonts, borders, etc. The use of multiple selections could apply to a menu list associated with any selection control. The menus may also be sectioned to allow for only a single selection among each menu section 
     Exemplary Operating Environment 
     FIG.  6  and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in which the invention may be implemented. Although not required, the invention will be described in the general context of computer executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a personal computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. 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, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. 
     With reference to FIG. 6, an exemplary system for implementing the invention includes a general purpose computing device in the form of a conventional personal computer  220 , including a processing unit  221 , a system memory  222 , and a system bus  223  that couples various system components including the system memory to processing unit  221 . System bus  223  may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The system memory includes read only memory (ROM)  224  and random access memory (RAM)  225 . A basic input/output system (BIOS)  226 , containing the basic routines that helps to transfer information between elements within personal computer  220 , such as during start-up, is stored in ROM  224 . Personal computer  220  further includes a hard disk drive  227  for reading from and writing to a hard disk, not shown, a magnetic disk drive  228  for reading from or writing to a removable magnetic disk  229 , and an optical disk drive  230  for reading from or writing to a removable optical disk  231  such as a CD-ROM or other optical media. Hard disk drive  227 , magnetic disk drive  228 , and optical disk drive  230  are connected to system bus  223  by a hard disk drive interface  232 , a magnetic disk drive interface  233 , and an optical drive interface  234 , respectively. The drives and their associated computer readable media provide nonvolatile storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and other data for personal computer  220 . Although the exemplary environment described herein employs a hard disk, removable magnetic disk  229 , and removable optical disk  231 , it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of computer readable media which can store data that is accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, Bernoulli cartridges, RAM, ROM, and the like, may also be used in the exemplary operating environment. 
     A number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk, magnetic disk  229 , optical disk  231 , ROM  224 , or RAM  225 , including an operating system  235 , one or more application programs  236 , other program modules  237 , and program data  238 . A user may enter commands and information into personal computer  220  through input devices such as a keyboard  240  and a pointing device  242 . Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to processing unit  221  through a serial port interface  246  that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, game port, or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor  247  or other type of display device is also connected to system bus  223  via an interface, such as a video adapter  248 . In addition to the monitor, personal computers typically include other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers and printers. 
     Personal computer  220  may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer  249 . Remote computer  249  may be another personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to personal computer  220 , although only a memory storage device  250  has been illustrated in FIG.  6 . The logical connections depicted in FIG. 6 include a local area network (LAN)  251  and a wide area network (WAN)  252 . Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, Intranets, and the Internet. 
     When used in a LAN networking environment, personal computer  220  is connected to local network  251  through a network interface or adapter  253 . When used in a WAN networking environment, personal computer  220  typically includes a modem  254  or other means for establishing communications over WAN  252 , such as the Internet. Modem  254 , which may be internal or external, is connected to system bus  223  via serial port interface  246 . In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to personal computer  220 , or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used. 
     Although the present invention has been described in connection with one or more preferred forms of practicing it, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that many other modifications can be made thereto within the scope of the claims that follow. Accordingly, it is not intended that the scope of the invention in any way be limited by the above description, but instead be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.