Patent ID: 12204527

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are various systems and methods for providing a plurality of dynamic panels in a user interface (UI). The dynamic panels (or “panels”) can display different pieces of data from one or more data sources. For example, a query can be run on one or more data sources, and different parts of the result from the query can be output using different dynamic panels. For instance, each dynamic panel can be associated with a variable to output. Different types of dynamic panels can be provided, such as charts (e.g., line chart, bar chart, etc.), controls (e.g., dropdown, multiselect box, search box, etc.), maps, tables, text boxes, etc. The panels can be data source agnostic. For example, the panels can be associated with data from different types of data sources, such as relational databases (e.g., SQL Server), Elasticsearch, etc. In some embodiments, individual panels may each be referred to as “widgets.” In some embodiments, the user interface including multiple panels may be referred to as a “dashboard.”

FIG.1illustrates one embodiment of a user interface100comprising dynamic panels for displaying results of queries performed on one or more data sources. Panels110through150are some examples of different types of panels that can be included in the user interface100. Panel110and panel120are dropdown control panels; panel130is a table panel; panel140is a line chart panel; and panel150is a bar chart panel. Many different types of panels can be included in the user interface100, depending on the embodiment. For instance, as explained above, types of panels can include charts, controls, graphs, maps, etc. Examples of chart panels may include a bar chart, line chart, pie chart, scatter plot, etc. Examples of control panels may include a date picker, dropdown control, button (e.g., export button, query button, etc.), input box, multiselect box, slider, text area, timeline, etc. Other examples of panels may include a card, image, link (e.g., hyperlink), list, text, graphs, maps, etc.FIGS.7A-7Cillustrate additional examples of types of panels.

A dynamic panel can be linked to one or more other dynamic panels. As mentioned above, the output of a panel can be used in another panel. When the data of a panel depends or relies on the data of another panel, if the data in the source panel changes, the data in the panel that relies on the source panel may also change or be refreshed. For example, inFIG.1, an example query obtains data regarding National Football League teams from multiple data sources. Panel110can be a dropdown control that selects the team to view. Panel120can be a dropdown control that selects the season for which to display the games. Panel130can be a table that displays the games for the team selected in panel110for the season selected in panel120. Changes to the selected team in panel110or the selected season in panel120can update the games displayed in panel130. In some embodiments, panel140and panel150display statistics related to the games displayed in panel130; when games displayed in panel130change, panel140and panel150update accordingly.

The query and the settings relating to the display of particular panels can be managed separately. For example, a user interface can provide a section for entering the query and another section for entering display related settings. Separate management of the query and the display settings can allow the panels to be easily updated within the user interface and allow reuse of queries. The page that contains the panels may be referred to as a “document.”

In this manner, multiple panels can be used to display different aspects of the result from a query. One query can be run to obtain the needed information, and the result can be parsed and displayed using multiple panels. Display of information can be simplified by using multiple panels. Also, the query can be reused across panels since each panel can extract a portion of the result to display. In certain embodiments, each panel may have its own query and display the result of the query. The panels can also be linked together so that the data from one panel can be used to display the data in another panel.

Exemplary User Interface of Dashboard Creation System

FIGS.2A-2Dillustrate one embodiment of a user interface200of a dashboard creation system for creating one or more dynamic panels for use in a dashboard. For example, the user interface200can provide functionalities for custom styling, query editing and/or previewing, defining query sub-properties, etc. of panels.FIG.2Aillustrates one embodiment of the main page210of the user interface200.FIG.2Billustrates one embodiment of the query page220.FIG.2Cillustrates one embodiment of the global variables page230.FIG.2Dillustrates one embodiment of the document Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) page240.

Using the main page210, the user can create, edit, delete, and manage one or more panels. In one embodiment, the main page210includes a top section211that displays the name of the document selected, if any; links to the query page220(FIG.2B), the global variables page230(FIG.2C), and the document CSS page240(FIG.2D); and various icons for creating panels and for other features. The main page210also includes a panels section212that displays the list of panels included in the document. The main page210includes a design section213where the user can create, organize, and edit panels. In the example ofFIG.2A, the user creates Document 1, which contains panels p1, p2, p3, etc. A panel can be referred to by its name, and the name of the panel can be displayed when the cursor is over a particular panel. For illustrative purposes, certain items in design section213are marked with dashed lines to indicate that they are panels; for example, the slider in the top right corner of design section213is a panel. Four blocks at the bottom of design section213(listing company name and dollar value) are also examples of panels; these panels are shown in solid lines because they have borders.

Moving toFIG.2B, the query page220allows the user to enter a query. For example, a query can be associated with a panel. The example query page220may appear when the user clicks on the link to the query page220on the main page210(FIG.2A). The query page220can display a list of queries221, for example, stored queries in a database (e.g., template storage355,455inFIGS.3and4). In some embodiments, a query may be reused in other documents. For example, the user can select a query from the list of queries or create a new query. In the example ofFIG.2B, the query page includes a button for adding a new query. The query page220can include a code section222for entering the query and a preview section223for previewing results of execution of the query in code section222. The user may update or delete a query from the query page220. The example query inFIG.2Brelates to the panel shown inFIG.7Cand updates the data source(s) to reflect availability of individual squares or cards and to add information relating to the squares or cards (e.g., insert username, time, etc.).

FIG.2Cillustrates the global variables page230, which allows the user to define global variables associated with a document and/or a panel. The global variables can be referred to by the panels in the document. In addition, the user may also define variables associated with a panel. The variables can be used to link two or more panels together. For instance, the query for a panel may reference a variable in one or more other panels. The panels may be linked in the sense that when the data in a particular linked panel updates, the data in the panels that reference the particular panel also updates. The global variables page230can appear when the user clicks on the link to the global variables page230on the main page210(FIG.2A). The global variables example, like the query page220. In the example ofFIG.2C, the global variables page230shows two variables “options” and “strike.” In some embodiments, a global variable is defined for a panel. The panel global variable may be referenced using the format “<panel name>.<global variable name>.” For example, if “options” variable is associated with panel p1, and the user can refer to “options” variable as “p1. options.” The panel global variables may also be used to link two or more panels together. In some embodiments, global variables may be used to link two or more panels. In one embodiment, global variables may be referred to in a uniform resource locator (URL). The global variables may be modified by changing the values associated with the global variables in the URL.

FIG.2Dillustrates the document CSS page240that allows the user to define the style for a document and the panels in the document. The document CSS page240can appear when the user clicks on the link to the document CSS page240on the main page210(FIG.2A). The document CSS page240can be a pop-up window as illustrated inFIG.2Dor a separate page, for example, like the query page220. Different styles can be applied at various levels of granularity; for example, a style can apply to individual elements within the document or the panel. The document CSS page240may also specify the dimensions of the document and the panels in the document. The same CSS may be applied to various panels by referring to a panel's number, title, or type (e.g., dropdown, text, etc.).

In some embodiments, the user interface200, including the various pages illustrated inFIGS.2A-2D, can be a web interface. The system may also provide different types or modes of user interfaces for authoring and editing documents and panels. For example, more advanced users can use an interface for directly entering the query, and beginner users can use a simpler interface that allows selection of values for various aspects of a panel (e.g., x value and y value of a chart). Users can share documents with other users and can give other users permission to edit, read only, etc. For example, the system can provide an edit mode (or “author mode”), in which the user can edit all aspects of a panel, e.g., the query for the panel, the display settings for the panel, etc. The system can also provide a read only mode (or “consumer mode”), in which the user can interact with the panels (e.g., select a value for a dropdown control), but may not edit other aspects of panels. In certain embodiments, users can edit panels within a web authoring environment. For example, users may use web technologies to edit the panels and may edit the panels within a web page or web interface.

In one embodiment, the user interface200can have two viewing modes: a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor mode and a corresponding read-only consumer mode. In editor mode, built-in panels like bar charts, scatter plots, time series plots, tables, dropdown menus, text boxes, etc. can be added and arranged on the canvas or page. The user can author and edit data queries via a rich editor UI, which can support quickly previewing results for quick debugging. Queries may natively support templating (e.g., via Handlebars) to link to panels, URL parameters, or data from other queries. Panels can also be templatized to link to data from the queries and coordinate with other panels. Additionally, the editor can customize styling for a particular page or document, or deployment. The read-only consumer mode may allow finished web pages to be shared to a set of users that can interact with a page but not edit its layout or setup.

Querying and Displaying Data in Data Sources Using Dynamic Panels

FIG.3is a data flow diagram illustrative of the interaction between the various components of a dashboard creation system300configured to create and display dynamic panels, according to one embodiment. The system300can be connected to one or more data sources310, such as databases. The system300may include a template engine350and template storage355. A template system may allow creation of templates that can be used to generate user interface pages, such as web pages. A template system can combine templates and data from data sources to generate user interface pages. For example, a template engine or processor of the template system can render the templates and data from data sources into finished pages. The template engine350can render user interface pages based on the documents and/or data in data sources310. In some embodiments, a template is any text that contains a template placeholder(s) (e.g., double curly brackets: “{{” and “}}”), and the template engine350processes the template text with a template context (e.g., an object) and renders the template text to provide the final output. The output can be incorporated into query backends or be used to drive other panels. The template storage355can store templates and related information. In certain embodiments, the template storage355can also store documents, panels included in documents, and related information. Some examples of template systems may include Handlebars, Mustache, etc.FIG.3shows the template engine350and the template storage355as a part of the system300, but they may reside in a separate computing system or on separate computing devices from the system300. For example, the template engine350can be external to the system300. The system300may communicate with a user system320, such as a desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet, mobile devices, etc. For example, the user system320displays user interface pages rendered by the template engine350. The system300may include additional or different components, depending on the embodiment.

At data flow action1, the user creates a panel. As explained above, a panel can have a query associated with it and display settings associated with it.

At data flow action2, the user defines a query associated with the panel. As mentioned above, the panels can be data source agnostic and can be associated with data from different types of data sources, such as relational databases SQL, Elasticsearch, etc. The system300can connect to and query data from any data source that supports a text-based query language. The system300can support different types of query languages and/or tools, depending on the embodiment. In certain embodiments, Handlebars can be used for the queries. In some embodiments, JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) can be used for the queries. In other embodiments, the system300can include one adapter for SQL databases and another adapter for REST backends (e.g., Elasticsearch), which may be provided as default adapters. The system300can additionally allow the user to transform and selectively extract data out of query results. For example, the user can extract data from JSON query responses using JSONPath.

At data flow action3, the user defines display settings associated with the panel. The user can define the display settings in the document CSS for the panel. The user can create additional panels and define the query and display settings for each panel. One or more panels may be added to a container. A container may function as a holder for panels. A container can act as a collection of panels that move as a unit. The user can define the layout of the panels within the container, and also define behavior for the container, which can apply to all the panels in the container as a group. The user may add tabs for a container. For example, a container may include multiple tabs, and the user can switch between tabs to view different content. Each tab can act as a separate content space and hold different panels.

At data flow action4, the system300generates the user interface page for the document that contains the panel. When the system300receives a request from the user system320for a particular document, the system300can obtain the requested document, for example, from the template storage350and run the query associated with the panels in the documents. The template engine350may combine the document, the panels, and the query results in order to generate finished user interface pages. As explained above, one query can be used to obtain data, and different parts of the query can be associated with different panels. For instance, a query q returns columns c1, c2, c3, and c4, and the system300creates a text panel whose text is {{q.c1}}, a dropdown panel whose values is {{q.c2}}, and a chart panel whose x values and y values are {{q.c3}} and {{q.c4}}, respectively. Or each panel may have a query associated with it and the result of the query can be associated with the particular panel. The finished user interface pages can be then sent to the user system320to be displayed in a user interface.

At data flow action5, the user system320receives user input/selection in the user interface. The user may change the displayed result in the user interface of the user system320. For example, the user may select a particular value in a dropdown control. Or the user may select a particular panel or an item within a panel. The user input or selection is sent to the system300.

At data flow action6, the system300updates the display of the panel. For instance, the query may be rerun or the query result may be filtered based on the selected value in a dropdown control. Or actions may be associated with a panel or an item within a panel, and such actions may be performed. For example, selection of a panel or an item within a panel can display options or attributes related to the panel or the item. In one example, the selection of a table row in one panel is linked to another panel that contains more detailed information about the selected row. A table shows a list of games as inFIG.1, and selecting a game in the table shows more detailed statistics on the selected game in a different panel. Certain details relating toFIG.3are further explained below in connection withFIG.3A.

The system300can be highly extensible, and panels can be easily created, edited, and/or removed. In one embodiment, a new panel can be added by creating a web module (e.g., an AngularJS module). A simple web module may be easily created by a suitable module generator (e.g., via Yeoman generator). Similarly, data adapters for new types of data sources can be easily added (e.g., via a java jar).

Linking of Dynamic Panels

FIG.3Aillustrates one example of linking multiple dynamic panels. In the example ofFIG.3, panels310,320, and330are similar to panels110,120, and130inFIG.1. Panels310,320, and330may be named p1, p2, and p3, respectively. As mentioned in connection withFIG.1, panel310can be a dropdown control that selects the team to view; panel320can be a dropdown control that selects the season for which to display the games; and panel330can be a table that displays the games for the team selected in panel310for the season selected in panel320. For example, panels310and320can have a selected value variable associated with them since they are dropdown controls. The variables may be referenced as p1. selectedValue and p2. selectedValue. The query of panel330can reference p1. selectedValue and p2. selectedValue in the WHERE clause of a SELECT statement. For example, the query can be as follows: SELECT column FROM table WHERE team=p1. selectedValue AND season=p2. selectedValue. In the example ofFIG.3A, p1. selectedValue=“Team 1” and p2. selectedValue=“2014.”

The query may refer to panels, variables of panels, and/or global variables as templates, and a template system or language can process the queries and replace any templates with corresponding values. For example, a template can be indicated by double curly brackets “{{” and “}}” in a template system or language, such as Handlebars and Mustache. In the example above, p1. selectedValue and p2. selectedValue may be enclosed in double curly brackets to indicate that they are templates. Therefore, the query for the example above can be written as: SELECT column FROM table WHERE team={{p1. selectedValue}} AND season={{p2. selectedValue}}. The template engine350can process and replace the templates with their corresponding values at the time of generating the finished user interface pages. In certain embodiments, the system300builds a graph of all the references from the templates and associates the references such that if any of the references change, the corresponding templates are regenerated or refreshed. Templates may also refer to objects other than panels, depending on the embodiment. Using double curly brackets to indicate templates is described above as an example, and any other syntax elements can be used to indicate templates.

In some embodiments, the user can define variables associated with the panels that can be referenced in a query. For example, the user can define variable A for panel310and variable B for panel320, and the query for panel330can reference variable A and variable B in the query. For example, variable A and variable B can be associated with the selected value of panel310and panel320, respectively. As explained above, in some embodiments, panels can have global variables associated with them.

Writing to Data Sources Using Dynamic Panels

FIG.4is a data flow diagram illustrative of the interaction between the various components of a dashboard creation system400configured to write to data sources using dynamic panels, according to one embodiment. The system400and corresponding components ofFIG.4may be similar to or the same as the system300and similarly named components ofFIG.3. The system400may include additional or different components, depending on the embodiment.

In some cases, it may be useful to allow users to write to or update the data sources through the panels. For example, the user may want to change the data in a panel and reflect the changes to the data source. The user could also save some selected rows from a table in one document for later use in other documents, or save notes from different users to a table for later reference. In certain cases, the user may also want to rename a portfolio in a database.

The system400can allow the users to update the data sources410through queries. For example, SQL queries or JSON queries can be used. SQL queries and JSON queries can refer to the panels as templates, and a template system or language like Handlebars or Mustache can process the queries and replace any templates with corresponding values. However, in certain cases, directly replacing the templates with the corresponding values can lead to unintended consequences. For instance, the user may specify an always true condition as the value to be replaced with a template in the WHERE clause of a SQL query, which can result in changing all data. In one example, the user creates a query as follows: UPDATE table SET text=“newText” WHERE id={{p1. text}}. If the value of p1. text is “1=1,” replacing the template {{p1. text}} with “1=1 would update every row in the table. Accordingly, the system400make the queries secure by using a custom function as explained below.

At data flow action1, the system400creates a custom function to verify parameters in a query. For example, an administrator of the system400can create the custom function.

In some embodiments, the system400uses SQL queries and processes the SQL queries using Handlebars. The custom function can be a Handlebars helper. For example, the custom function can be named “param” and registered with Handlebars. Handlebars can invoke the custom function when processing the SQL queries. The user can use the custom function when using templates in SQL queries.

In one embodiment, the custom function prevents use of text values in templates and only allows parameter values in templates. For example, a variable of a panel used in a template should be a parameter value. Supposing that the variable of the panel referred to in a template is p1. property, the custom function checks whether p1. property is an array. If p1. property is not an array, the custom function replaces “{{param p1. property}}” with a “?” and saves the value of p1. property for reference, for example, in a reference array. If p1. property is an array with a length of n, the custom function replaces “{{param p1. property}}” with a string containing n question marks separated by commas and saves the value of each of element in the array for reference, for example, in a reference array. In this way, the custom function can help create parameterized queries, which contain placeholders such as “?” that can be inserted in query parameters. The SQL engine would escape and not evaluate these parameters, and therefore, parameterized queries can prevent SQL injection. For instance, the expression “1=1” would be escaped and would not be evaluated as a boolean expression; rather it is evaluated as a string.

For example, if p1. property is equal to 1, the custom function processes the SQL query UPDATE table SET text=“newText” WHERE id={{param p1. property}} to UPDATE table SET text=“newText” WHERE id=?, and stores 1 in the reference array. In another example, if p1. property is equal to an array [1, 2], the custom function processes the SQL query UPDATE table SET text=“newText” WHERE id={{param p1. property}} to UPDATE table SET text=“newText” WHERE id=(?, ?), and stores 1 and 2 in the reference array. The processed query and parameters can be prepared as a JDBC statement and run against one or more data sources410. Types of parameters can be preserved (e.g., whether the parameter is a number or a string) by using additional Handlebars helpers.

In other embodiments, the system400uses JSON queries and processes the JSON queries using Handlebars and/or Mustache. A JSON query can include three parts: path, method, and body. The path and the body can use templates; since the method generally has a few options, templates may not be used with the method. In order to have different rules for the use of templates, the path, method, and body can be separated into different components of the query. For example, the path and method can be considered as metadata, and the body can be considered as the template.

The custom function can be used on the body of a JSON query. The custom function can be a Handlebars helper. For example, the custom function can be named “{{esc}}” and registered with Handlebars. Handlebars can invoke the custom function when processing JSON queries. The user can use the custom function when using templates in JSON queries. The custom function may verify that all values for templates are valid JSON values (e.g., string, number, object, array, boolean, null, etc.). The custom function can convert the value of templates to string format (e.g., using JSON stringify function). For example, {value: {{esc p1. value}}} where p1. value is “a” (chars [a]) is evaluated to be {value: “a”}.

The system400can also create an additional custom function for string interpolation or for cases where the user wants to use another Handlebars helper (e.g., the join helper). The additional custom function can be a block helper; for example, it can be referred to as {{ #esc}}{{/esc}} block helper. In one embodiment, the block helper can evaluate the templates within the block helper, take the result as one string, and convert the one string to string format. In other embodiments, Handlebars evaluates what is inside the block helper, and the helpers within the block helper can convert the result to string format. In certain embodiments, the block helper or helpers convert the result to string format (e.g., by calling JSON stringify function) for security. In one embodiment, JSON stringify function can be called on block helpers for security. Various embodiments described in this disclosure may be implemented separately or in combination as appropriate.

The system400may also define rules and features to be implemented in association with the custom function(s). In one example, for the path, the system400can require that values for templates are uniform resource identifier (URI) unreserved characters and are not periods. This can prevent the template value from going outside of the intended space in the path (e.g., intended directory). In some embodiments, the system400may not allow quotes around templates to avoid a string object from being closed accidentally. The system400may also require that all other non-block helpers are nested inside the {{esc}} helper or used inside the {{ #esc}}{{/esc}} block helper.

At data flow action2, the user writes a query in a panel using the custom function in order to write data to a data source410. The system400can require users to use the custom functions when writing queries to write to a data source410. For instance, the system400can return errors for queries that do not use the custom functions or do not use the custom functions properly.

At data flow action3, the user runs the query. The user can associate the query with a query button panel. The user may run the query by clicking on the query button. The user system420can send the user query to the system400.

At data flow action4, the system400invokes the custom function to verify and process the parameters in the query. Upon receiving the user query from the user system420, the system400can invoke the custom function on the query and format the query appropriately. If the processed query does not conform to the rules associated with the custom function, the system400can return an error.

At data flow action5, the system400runs the query with the processed parameters to write to the data source410. If the processed query is properly written and/or conforms to the rules associated with the custom function, the system400runs the query against the data source410.

In certain embodiments, the system400also implements custom functions to verify parameters of queries for reading data. For example, the system400can create custom functions (e.g., Handlebars helpers) for verifying table names, column names, alias table names, alias column names, etc. In one embodiment, the system400creates Handlebars helpers “table,” “column,” and “alias” to make sure the table, column, or alias actually exists in the data sources410. The system400can verify a table name or column name by checking that the table name or column name is within the schema of the database. The user can register the alias table name or column name, and the system400may verify an alias name by checking that it is registered.

FIG.5illustrates a flowchart for creating and displaying dynamic panels in a user interface, according to certain embodiments. The process500may be implemented by one or more systems described with respect toFIGS.3and4. For illustrative purposes, the process500is explained below in connection with the system300inFIG.3and the example ofFIG.3A. Certain details relating to the process500are explained in more detail with respect toFIGS.1-4. Depending on the embodiment, the process500may include fewer or additional blocks, and the blocks may be performed in an order that is different than illustrated.

At block501, the system300generates a user interface configured to display a plurality of panels, each panel associated with display settings and a query. At block502, the system300performs the query associated with a first panel. The first panel can be panel310inFIG.3A.

At block503, the system300displays the first panel in the user interface based on the display settings of the first panel. The query of panel310can be run to obtain the list of teams to display in panel310. The list of teams can be displayed according the document CSS of panel310. One team from the list of teams may be displayed in panel310as the default value. For example, panel310shows the first team in the list.

Similarly, the system300can perform the query associated with panel320and display panel320in the user interface based on the display settings of panel320. One season from the list of seasons may be displayed in panel320as the default value. For example, panel320shows the most current season in the list.

At block504, the system300performs the query associated with a second panel. The second panel can be panel330inFIG.3A.

At block505, the system300displays the second panel in the user interface based on the display settings of the second panel. The query of panel330can be run to obtain the list of games to display in panel330. As explained above, the query of panel330obtains the list of games to display for the team selected in panel310and the season selected in panel320. The list of games can be displayed according the document CSS of panel330.

At block506, the system300receives user input changing the displayed result in the first panel. For example, the user selects Team 1 from the list of teams in panel310, and panel310is updated to show Team 1 as selected. The user selection is sent to the system300.

At block507, the system300updates the display of the first panel. If there are any changes to be made to panel310, the system300can refresh panel310, e.g., by rerunning the query and/or regenerating panel310through the template engine350. In the example ofFIG.3A, panel310is a dropdown control, so the system300may not have to update panel310.

At block508, the system300updates the display of the second panel. Since the query of panel330links to panel310, panel330is also updated to display games for Team 1 for the season selected in panel320. For example, the query for panel330can be rerun. In this manner, linked panels can be updated dynamically.

FIG.6illustrates a flowchart for writing to data sources using dynamic panels, according to certain embodiments. The process600may be implemented by one or more systems described with respect toFIGS.3and4. For illustrative purposes, the process600is explained below in connection with the system400inFIG.4. Certain details relating to the process600are explained in more detail with respect to FIGS.1-5. Depending on the embodiment, the process600may include fewer or additional blocks, and the blocks may be performed in an order that is different than illustrated.

At block601, the system400creates a custom function to verify parameters in a query. The custom functions may be Handlebars helpers explained above, such as param helper, {{esc}} helper, {{ #esc}}{{/esc}} block helper, etc.

At block602, the system400receives a query using the custom function from a panel in the user interface. The user writes a query that uses the custom function.

At block603, the system400invokes the custom function to verify and process parameters in the query. In one embodiment, the custom function replaces the parameters with respective placeholders and stores respective values corresponding to the parameters in an array. In another embodiment, the custom function changes respective values corresponding to the parameters to string format.

At block604, the system400runs the query with the processed parameters to write to or read from the data source(s)410.

FIGS.7A-7Cillustrate various examples of panels and features provided by a dashboard creation system, according to certain embodiments.FIG.7Aillustrates the alignment indicator feature for panels. As the user moves a panel within the user interface, other panels that line up with the panel being moved can be distinguished in the user interface to indicate that they are aligned. For example, the borders of the other panels can be highlighted, displayed in a different color, etc. In one embodiment, one or more guidelines appear to show that the panels are lined up (e.g., at one edge).

FIG.7Billustrates the auto zoom feature for panels. When the finished user interface pages are displayed in the user interface, the user may resize the window of the user interface. In such case, the document and/or the panels in the user interface pages may be resized based on the width of the window. For example, if the window size is increased, the size of the document and/or the panels in the UI pages increase to fit the width of the window. Or if the window size is decreased, the size of the document and/or the panels in the UI pages decrease to fit the width of the window. This can be different from typical web pages where the content of the web pages remains the same regardless of whether the window of the browser is resized or not.

FIG.7Cillustrates another example of a panel730. This panel may be referred to as a “card” panel since it includes one or more cards that can be selected. A card panel may refer to visualization of certain information within a card-like display. Either a single card or multiple cards can be selected, and the selections can be linked to other panels. In the example ofFIG.7C, different cards indicate a particular score combination for the outcome of a game. Users may sign up for a particular score combination in order to predict the outcome, and the user names are listed in the card they sign up for.

In certain embodiments, the user login information may be saved as global variables so that they can be accessible within the document. The user login information can include the group, email address, name, etc. of the user. The user login information may be used in queries, for example, to check permissions, etc.

Dashboard Creation Application

The system for providing a plurality of dynamic panels in a user interface as explained above may also be referred to as a “Dashboard Creation Application.” The Dashboard Creation Application (DCA) can be an extensible WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) web application for quickly and easily creating interactive, data-driven web pages. For example, the Dashboard Creation Application can easily create interactive dashboards which support lightweight filtering and drill-down operations on top of arbitrary data storage systems or data sources.

In one embodiment, the Dashboard Creation Application enables analysts to author dashboards of visualizations for easy consumption by end users. It will provide a number of panels like charts, tables, and images, in a pluggable architecture so analysts can add custom panels for particular deployments. For example, a standard plug-in structure can be used across systems and products. Panels will be interactive and coordinated, and support filtering/aggregations to create drill-down style analysis. The dashboard author will have fine control over the layout and styling of the panels contained in each Dashboard Creation Application dashboard. The Dashboard Creation Application will be deployable on top of any collection of other products for presentation and dashboarding use cases because it is agnostic to the underlying data store.

In various embodiments, the Dashboard Creation Application may perform one or more of the functions noted below:Create dashboards which use Elasticsearch or SQL data sourcesAdd chart, table, text, dropdown, map, multi-select, etc. panels to dashboardsCreate custom panelsCreate basic links between panelsMove and resize panels via the UIEdit the query template associated with a panel through the UICreate/manage new documents through the UIFlexibility around which portions of a JSON response can be accessed and used as data for the panelsShare a pool of queries/variables across all panels to make it easier to build dashboardsAbstracting out features across backends into the “basic” or “beginner” UI

In some embodiments, the Dashboard Creation Application integrates closely with other products so that more use cases can be covered by combining the tools appropriately. The numbers and types of users reached can be increased by improving the usability and expressiveness of the UI available to end users for building dashboards. In various embodiments, the Dashboard Creation Application may implement one or more of the functions noted below:Expansion of the formatting UI—users can make very specific visual edits to the panels through the UIFilters and/or panels from other applications or web-based applications can be dropped into and used inside Dashboard Creation Application.

Implementation Mechanisms

According to one embodiment, the techniques described herein are implemented by one or more special-purpose computing devices. The special-purpose computing devices may be hard-wired to perform the techniques, or may include circuitry or digital electronic devices such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that are persistently programmed to perform the techniques, or may include one or more hardware processors programmed to perform the techniques pursuant to program instructions in firmware, memory, other storage, or a combination. Such special-purpose computing devices may also combine custom hard-wired logic, ASICs, or FPGAs with custom programming to accomplish the techniques. The special-purpose computing devices may be desktop computer systems, server computer systems, portable computer systems, handheld devices, networking devices or any other device or combination of devices that incorporate hard-wired and/or program logic to implement the techniques.

Computing device(s) are generally controlled and coordinated by operating system software, such as iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server, Windows CE, Unix, Linux, SunOS, Solaris, iOS, Blackberry OS, VxWorks, or other compatible operating systems. In other embodiments, the computing device may be controlled by a proprietary operating system. Conventional operating systems control and schedule computer processes for execution, perform memory management, provide file system, networking, I/O services, and provide a user interface functionality, such as a graphical user interface (“GUI”), among other things.

For example,FIG.8shows a block diagram that illustrates a computer system800upon which an embodiment may be implemented. For example, the computing system800may comprise a system for providing a plurality of dynamic panels in a user interface. Other computing systems discussed herein may include any portion of the circuitry and/or functionality discussed with reference to system800. For instance, the system300and/or400can each include some or all of the components and/or functionality of the system800.

Computer system800includes a bus802or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a hardware processor, or multiple processors,804coupled with bus802for processing information. Hardware processor(s)804may be, for example, one or more general purpose microprocessors.

Computer system800also includes a main memory806, such as a random access memory (RAM), cache and/or other dynamic storage devices, coupled to bus802for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor804. Main memory806also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor804. Such instructions, when stored in storage media accessible to processor804, render computer system800into a special-purpose machine that is customized to perform the operations specified in the instructions.

Computer system800further includes a read only memory (ROM)808or other static storage device coupled to bus802for storing static information and instructions for processor804. A storage device810, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or USB thumb drive (Flash drive), etc., is provided and coupled to bus802for storing information and instructions.

Computer system800may be coupled via bus802to a display812, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or LCD display (or touch screen), for displaying information to a computer user. An input device814, including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupled to bus802for communicating information and command selections to processor804. Another type of user input device is cursor control816, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command selections to processor804and for controlling cursor movement on display812. This input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis (e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane. In some embodiments, the same direction information and command selections as cursor control may be implemented via receiving touches on a touch screen without a cursor.

Computing system800may include a user interface module to implement a GUI that may be stored in a mass storage device as executable software codes that are executed by the computing device(s). This and other modules may include, by way of example, components, such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.

In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, possibly having entry and exit points, written in a programming language, such as, for example, Java, Lua, C or C++. A software module may be compiled and linked into an executable program, installed in a dynamic link library, or may be written in an interpreted programming language such as, for example, BASIC, Perl, or Python. It will be appreciated that software modules may be callable from other modules or from themselves, and/or may be invoked in response to detected events or interrupts. Software modules configured for execution on computing devices may be provided on a computer readable medium, such as a compact disc, digital video disc, flash drive, magnetic disc, or any other tangible medium, or as a digital download (and may be originally stored in a compressed or installable format that requires installation, decompression or decryption prior to execution). Such software code may be stored, partially or fully, on a memory device of the executing computing device, for execution by the computing device. Software instructions may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will be further appreciated that hardware modules may be comprised of connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and/or may be comprised of programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules or computing device functionality described herein are preferably implemented as software modules, but may be represented in hardware or firmware. Generally, the modules described herein refer to logical modules that may be combined with other modules or divided into sub-modules despite their physical organization or storage

Computer system800may implement the techniques described herein using customized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and/or program logic which in combination with the computer system causes or programs computer system800to be a special-purpose machine. According to one embodiment, the techniques herein are performed by computer system800in response to processor(s)804executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory806. Such instructions may be read into main memory806from another storage medium, such as storage device810. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory806causes processor(s)804to perform the process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions.

The term “non-transitory media,” and similar terms, as used herein refers to any media that store data and/or instructions that cause a machine to operate in a specific fashion. Such non-transitory media may comprise non-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device810. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory806. Common forms of non-transitory media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic data storage medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical data storage medium, any physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, any other memory chip or cartridge, and networked versions of the same.

Non-transitory media is distinct from but may be used in conjunction with transmission media. Transmission media participates in transferring information between nontransitory media. For example, transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus802. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red data communications.

Various forms of media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor804for execution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk or solid state drive of a remote computer. The remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system800can receive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitter to convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector can receive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriate circuitry can place the data on bus802. Bus802carries the data to main memory806, from which processor804retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory806may optionally be stored on storage device810either before or after execution by processor804.

Computer system800also includes a communication interface818coupled to bus802. Communication interface818provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link820that is connected to a local network822. For example, communication interface818may be an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellite modem, or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example, communication interface818may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN (or WAN component to communicate with a WAN). Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation, communication interface818sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.

Network link820typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example, network link820may provide a connection through local network822to a host computer824or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP)826. ISP826in turn provides data communication services through the world wide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the “Internet”825. Local network822and Internet825both use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through the various networks and the signals on network link820and through communication interface818, which carry the digital data to and from computer system800, are example forms of transmission media.

Computer system800can send messages and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), network link820and communication interface818. In the Internet example, a server830might transmit a requested code for an application program through Internet825, ISP826, local network822and communication interface818.

The received code may be executed by processor804as it is received, and/or stored in storage device810, or other non-volatile storage for later execution.

Each of the processes, methods, and algorithms described in the preceding sections may be embodied in, and fully or partially automated by, code modules executed by one or more computer systems or computer processors comprising computer hardware. The processes and algorithms may be implemented partially or wholly in application-specific circuitry.

The various features and processes described above may be used independently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. All possible combinations and subcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain method or process blocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, and the blocks or states relating thereto can be performed in other sequences that are appropriate. For example, described blocks or states may be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, or multiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state. The example blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel, or in some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed from the disclosed example embodiments. The example systems and components described herein may be configured differently than described. For example, elements may be added to, removed from, or rearranged compared to the disclosed example embodiments.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Any process descriptions, elements, or blocks in the flow diagrams described herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should be understood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process. Alternate implementations are included within the scope of the embodiments described herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to be understood as being among other acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. The foregoing description details certain embodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated, however, that no matter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. As is also stated above, it should be noted that the use of particular terminology when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to including any specific characteristics of the features or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. The scope of the invention should therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.