Patent ID: 8533739

Claim:
A computer-readable memory medium storing program instructions for positioning objects in a graphical data flow program, wherein the program instructions are executable to: display the graphical data flow program on a display, wherein the graphical data flow program includes a first plurality of nodes interconnected by connections that visually indicate flow of data to occur among the nodes during execution of the graphical data flow program, wherein the first plurality of interconnected nodes visually indicate functionality to be performed by the graphical data flow program during the execution, wherein the first plurality of interconnected nodes includes a first two or more nodes and a structure object having a border visually defining a graphical data flow sub-diagram that includes a second plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality to be performed by the structure object during the execution; receive user input excluding the structure object from re-arrangement; automatically re-arrange the graphical data flow program, wherein said excluding the structure object from re-arrangement prevents the second plurality of interconnected nodes included in the graphical data flow sub-diagram of the structure object from being re-arranged with respect to each other, wherein re-arranging the graphical data flow program includes: automatically re-positioning the first two or more nodes to new positions in the graphical data flow program, wherein re-positioning the first two or more nodes includes changing their relative positioning with respect to each other, wherein the new positions are not determined based on user input specifying positioning information for the new positions; and automatically shifting the structure object and the second plurality of interconnected nodes included in the graphical data flow sub-diagram of the structure object to new positions in the graphical data flow program without re-arranging the second plurality of interconnected nodes with respect to each other; and re-display the graphical data flow program after re-arranging the graphical data flow program, wherein re-displaying the graphical data flow program comprises displaying the first two or more nodes at changed positions relative to each other and displaying nodes in the second plurality of interconnected nodes in their same relative positioning with respect to each other.