Patent ID: 7962856

Claim:
A lookup control configuration system embodied on a computer storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, implement a method, comprising: defining metadata comprising a default display member attribute and a default value member attribute of a data table having a multi-dimensional set of values arranged in rows and columns, the default display member attribute of the data table being set to indicate a first column of the data table, the default value member attribute of the data table being set to indicate a second column of the data table; generating a lookup control configured to display user-selectable values, the lookup control including: a data source attribute adapted to indicate a data source entity from which the user-selectable values are retrieved and displayed in the lookup control; a display member attribute adapted to indicate a first column of the data source entity, the user-selectable values being retrieved from the first column of the data source entity; and a value member attribute adapted to indicate a second column of the data source entity; in response to a drag and drop of the data table onto the lookup control, automatically configuring the lookup control by: inferring from the drag and drop that the data table is to be used for the lookup control; automatically setting the data source attribute of the lookup control to indicate the data table, which causes the user-selectable values displayed in the lookup control to be retrieved from the data table; automatically setting the display member attribute of the lookup control to the default display member attribute of the data table based on the metadata, which causes the user-selectable values displayed in the lookup control to be retrieved from the first column of the data table; and automatically setting the value member attribute of the lookup control to the default value member attribute of the data table based on the metadata; displaying attributes of the lookup control in a user interface component that includes: a first user-selectable configuration option that displays the data table as the data source attribute; a second user-selectable configuration option that displays the default display member attribute of the data table as the display member attribute; and a third user-selectable configuration option that displays the default value member attribute of the data table as the value member attribute; and displaying the automatically configured lookup control.