Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to the use of navigational control UI elements to aid in navigating large surfaces on a touchscreen device. The navigational control UI element may be operable to facilitate traversal of the navigable surface along the axis upon which the navigational control UI element is placed. In alternate examples, the navigational control element may be operable to provide functionality to traverse or adjust the navigable surface along both the horizontal vertical axes. In still further aspects, other types of navigational control UI elements may provide the ability to directly jump to a specific position on the navigable surface.

Abstract: Techniques for rendering shared data include receiving, from a data store by a computing device, data indicative of a persistent data object. The persistent data object is associated with a class indicative of a data type for information contained in the persistent data object. The persistent data object is operable to be inserted in a file generated by an application executing on the computing device. The visualization logic associated with the class may be received by the computing device. The information in the persistent data object is rendered using the selected method of visualization, and other information in the document is rendered using native rendering capabilities of the application.

Abstract: Techniques for managing data include receiving, at a data store, a persistent data object generated by a source application, the object configured to be compatible with a plurality of applications and document types. The object is associated with a unique identifier. In response to a request for the object, the object is accessed based on its unique identifier and sent to a computing device executing a destination application. The object is incorporated by and is compatible with a destination document being edited by the destination application. An update to the object is received that is generated by a user application editing a user document. In response to receiving an indication that the object has been inserted in the destination document, the update is sent by the data store to the destination computing device and is usable to update the object as incorporated in the destination document.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for automatically constructing a new formula based upon an existing formula. Various methods are employed to analyze an existing formula in order to determine an intent. Once the intent is determined, a new formula may be constructed that satisfies the intent of the existing formula. Further aspects relate to validating the new formula to ensure it produces the same result as the existing formula which it is intended to replace. Various user interface elements are also disclosed which may be employed to provide the newly constructed formulas to users of an application. The various aspects to disclosed herein may be performed by an application, such as a spreadsheet application, performed in real-time, or provided as a remote service.

Abstract: Techniques for managing data include receiving, at a data store, a persistent data object generated by a source application, the object configured to be compatible with a plurality of applications and document types. The object is associated with a unique identifier. In response to a request for the object, the object is accessed based on its unique identifier and sent to a computing device executing a destination application. The object is incorporated by and is compatible with a destination document being edited by the destination application. An update to the object is received that is generated by a user application editing a user document. In response to receiving an indication that the object has been inserted in the destination document, the update is sent by the data store to the destination computing device and is usable to update the object as incorporated in the destination document.

Abstract: Techniques for rendering shared data include receiving, from a data store by a computing device, data indicative of a persistent data object. The persistent data object is associated with a class indicative of a data type for information contained in the persistent data object. The persistent data object is operable to be inserted in a file generated by an application executing on the computing device. The visualization logic associated with the class may be received by the computing device. The information in the persistent data object is rendered using the selected method of visualization, and other information in the document is rendered using native rendering capabilities of the application.

Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to the use of navigational control UI elements to aid in navigating large surfaces on a touchscreen device. The navigational control UI element may be operable to facilitate traversal of the navigable surface along the axis upon which the navigational control UI element is placed. In alternate examples, the navigational control element may be operable to provide functionality to traverse or adjust the navigable surface along both the horizontal vertical axes. In still further aspects, other types of navigational control UI elements may provide the ability to directly jump to a specific position on the navigable surface.

Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to the use of navigational control UI elements to aid in navigating large surfaces on a touchscreen device. The navigational control UI element may be operable to facilitate traversal of the navigable surface along the axis upon which the navigational control UI element is placed. In alternate examples, the navigational control element may be operable to provide functionality to traverse or adjust the navigable surface along both the horizontal vertical axes. In still further aspects, other types of navigational control UI elements may provide the ability to directly jump to a specific position on the navigable surface.

Abstract: Systems for associating videos with cells of a spreadsheet are provided. Both dynamic data and static data may be associated with a single cell of the spreadsheet. Upon association, parameters (including video attributes, image attributes and audio attributes) may be viewed and/or manipulated by a user, providing video and audio processing functionality within a spreadsheet. Controls may be provided for playing the video and/or playing the video in response to spreadsheet data satisfying a condition. Text transcriptions (e.g., speech-to-text) of an audio track associated with a video file may be inserted as subtitles into the video or a plurality of individual frames for the video. Spreadsheet operations (e.g., sort and/or filter operations) may also be performed on a range of cells based on parameters of an associated video.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for automatically constructing a new formula based upon an existing formula. Various methods are employed to analyze an existing formula in order to determine an intent. Once the intent is determined, a new formula may be constructed that satisfies the intent of the existing formula. Further aspects relate to validating the new formula to ensure it produces the same result as the existing formula which it is intended to replace. Various user interface elements are also disclosed which may be employed to provide the newly constructed formulas to users of an application. The various aspects to disclosed herein may be performed by an application, such as a spreadsheet application, performed in real-time, or provided as a remote service.

Abstract: Aspects disclosed herein relate to the use of navigational control UI elements to aid in navigating large surfaces on a touchscreen device. The navigational control UI element may be operable to facilitate traversal of the navigable surface along the axis upon which the navigational control UI element is placed. In alternate examples, the navigational control element may be operable to provide functionality to traverse or adjust the navigable surface along both the horizontal vertical axes. In still further aspects, other types of navigational control UI elements may provide the ability to directly jump to a specific position on the navigable surface.

Abstract: Techniques for performing a process during a real time collaboration by multiple users or clients on a spreadsheet file are disclosed herein which may permit calculations to be performed locally by at least one of the clients. By doing so, increases in performance are realized since only data updates need to be provided to the host machine. As such, a determination is preferably made whether calculations performed locally can result in different data. If conflicting data is a possibility, then the calculations for the spreadsheet file will usually be performed remotely by a host machine. If not, then each client capable of doing so will perform the calculations locally and then provide only the updated data to the host machine. The determination of whether to perform the calculations locally or not may also be made dynamically, such as when one or more new formulas are added to the spreadsheet file.

Abstract: A document management system includes a list management application that manages one or more lists stored by the document management system. The list management application exposes list management functionality to users that access the lists in the document management system. The lists are stored as list management application files.

Abstract: Techniques for performing a process during a real time collaboration by multiple users or clients on a spreadsheet file are disclosed herein which may permit calculations to be performed locally by at least one of the clients. By doing so, increases in performance are realized since only data updates need to be provided to the host machine. As such, a determination is preferably made whether calculations performed locally can result in different data. If conflicting data is a possibility, then the calculations for the spreadsheet file will usually be performed remotely by a host machine. If not, then each client capable of doing so will perform the calculations locally and then provide only the updated data to the host machine. The determination of whether to perform the calculations locally or not may also be made dynamically, such as when one or more new formulas are added to the spreadsheet file.

Abstract: Techniques for performing a process during a real time collaboration by multiple users or clients on a spreadsheet file are disclosed herein which may permit calculations to be performed locally by at least one of the clients. By doing so, increases in performance are realized since only data updates need to be provided to the host machine. As such, a determination is preferably made whether calculations performed locally can result in different data. If conflicting data is a possibility, then the calculations for the spreadsheet file will usually be performed remotely by a host machine. If not, then each client capable of doing so will perform the calculations locally and then provide only the updated data to the host machine. The determination of whether to perform the calculations locally or not may also be made dynamically, such as when one or more new formulas are added to the spreadsheet file.

Abstract: Techniques for collaborating on a spreadsheet file by client computers in real time are disclosed herein. In particular, a revision manager module is preferably provided with a host machine which receives updates from the client computers, processes such updates, and then applies them to the spreadsheet file. Additionally, a technique is described for handling updates sent to the revision manager by clients simultaneously or near simultaneously. In this case, the revision manager determines whether the updates to the spreadsheet file are transformable or able to be merged. If so, the updates are combined into the spreadsheet file and applied thereto. If the updates are not transformable, the revision manager confirms that all clients have received all previous updates before applying the non-transformable update to the spreadsheet file.

Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus for discovering and connecting to data sources are provided. A system is provided that includes a server computer operative to maintain a centrally managed repository of data connection definitions. A client computer is also provided including an application program capable of consuming data from a data source. When a request is received by the application to connect to a data source, a list of available sources is retrieved from the server computer. If one of the data sources in the list is selected, a data connection file is retrieved and utilized to connect to the data source. If a report is opened by the application that includes a reference to a data source, the repository is utilized to confirm the connection to the data source.

Abstract: Techniques for collaborating on a spreadsheet file by client computers in real time are disclosed herein. In particular, a revision manager module is preferably provided with a host machine which receives updates from the client computers, processes such updates, and then applies them to the spreadsheet file. Additionally, a technique is described for handling updates sent to the revision manager by clients simultaneously or near simultaneously. In this case, the revision manager determines whether the updates to the spreadsheet file are transformable or able to be merged. If so, the updates are combined into the spreadsheet file and applied thereto. If the updates are not transformable, the revision manager confirms that all clients have received all previous updates before applying the non-transformable update to the spreadsheet file.

Abstract: Techniques for performing a process during a real time collaboration by multiple users or clients on a spreadsheet file are disclosed herein which may permit calculations to be performed locally by at least one of the clients. By doing so, increases in performance are realized since only data updates need to be provided to the host machine. As such, a determination is preferably made whether calculations performed locally can result in different data. If conflicting data is a possibility, then the calculations for the spreadsheet file will usually be performed remotely by a host machine. If not, then each client capable of doing so will perform the calculations locally and then provide only the updated data to the host machine. The determination of whether to perform the calculations locally or not may also be made dynamically, such as when one or more new formulas are added to the spreadsheet file.