Hierarchical grouping columns
View Patent ↗A system and process that automatically responds to changes in displayed table data to determine and reestablish a hierarchy for the table. A column hierarchy order component checks each column of a table to determine the number of groupings of entries and reorders the columns based on the number of groupings. A column order at the time a table is loaded is saved and can be used to restore that original order.
1. A method comprising:
receiving a selection of a column from columns of a table to change a primary grouping of rows from the table based on grouping row entries for the selected column;
displaying the table with a changed primary grouping of rows in the table;
receiving a call indicating the table with the changed primary grouping of rows and requesting restoring of a column hierarchy order for the table;
automatically determining, by a computer, a hierarchy of the table based on analyzing tally counts associated correspondingly with the columns of the table, wherein determining the hierarchy further comprises:
counting a number of groups present in a column from the indicated table to determine a tally count associated with the column, wherein a group is defined as adjacent identical entries in the column;
reorganizing the table to establish the column hierarchy order by reordering the columns displayed, based on the determined hierarchy of the table;
maintaining relative column order within the column hierarchy order when two or more tally counts associated correspondingly with two or more of the columns from the table are equal; and
displaying the table as reorganized.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing a current order of the columns independently from the table before reorganizing the table.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
storing the current order of the columns independently from the table in response to the call.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the current order is stored in a local context layer.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reorganized table is displayed after a sorting of the columns in an increasing order based on the tally counts associated correspondingly with the columns of the table.
6. A system comprising:
data storage to store a database component; and
a computer coupled to the data storage to host an application, the computer comprising:
a user interface component to:
receive a selection of a column from columns of a table to change a primary grouping of rows from the table based on grouping row entries for the selected column;
draw the table on a display for the application, wherein the table is with a changed primary grouping of rows in the table;
a context component comprising,
a column hierarchy restoration component to:
count a number of groups present in a column from the table to determine a tally count associated with the column, wherein a group is defined as identical adjacent entries in the column;
arrange table columns for display based on determined tally counts for the columns of the table, the column hierarchy restoration component activated responsive to a change in the order of entries in one or more columns of the table displayed and the received selection for the change, and
a column order restoration component to return the displayed table to a previously stored column order; and
a backend interface component to retrieve and store table data for the table in the database component.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the context component is local to the user interface component and the application.