Patent ID: 8078955

Claim:
A method that facilitates a grid-based approach to defining a repetition pattern of cell styles for repeating or tiling the repetition pattern of cell styles onto a target table, comprising: performing by a computer: displaying a repetition pattern user interface comprising a grid area, wherein the grid area comprises a two-dimensional grid of cells, and wherein a cell style for an individual cell within the grid area can be defined independently from every other cell within the grid area; receiving user input which defines the repetition pattern of cell styles, wherein the user input specifies one or more cell styles for one or more cells within the two-dimensional grid of cells, wherein each cell style of the one or more cell styles for a given cell within the two-dimensional grid of cells specifies one or more attributes for the given cell, and wherein the repetition pattern of cell styles is defined by the one or more cell styles within the two-dimensional grid of cells, wherein the two-dimensional grid of cells comprises the repetition pattern of cell styles, and wherein the repetition pattern of cell styles is defined separately from the target table; and applying the repetition pattern of cell styles to the target table, wherein said applying comprises repeating or tiling the repetition pattern of cell styles onto the target table.