System, method, and software application for enabling a user to view and interact with a visual map in an external application
View Patent ↗The present invention provides a system, method, and software program for enabling a user to view and interact with a visual map in an external application. According to one embodiment of the invention, a visual mapping application creates a file with (i) visual map data and (ii) software code capable of being executed by an external application to display the visual map and provide select visual mapping application in the external application. In one embodiment, such functionality includes the ability to expand and collapse map topics, scroll the map, zoom in and out, follow hypertext links in the map, find content in the map, and print the map. The created file can be thought of as a “visual map player” in that an external application can “play” the created file, resulting in a live map in the external application.
1. A method on a computer for enabling a user to view and interact with a visual map in an external application, the method comprising:
receiving a request in a visual mapping application to create a visual map file that can be executed within an external application, the visual mapping application having visual mapping functionality including editing functionality for a user to edit visual map data and store the edited visual map data;
in response to receiving the request in the visual mapping application to create a visual map file that can be executed within an external application, performing the following steps:
retrieving visual map data, including any stored edits to the visual map data, wherein the visual map data is retrieved by the visual mapping application; and
creating a file in the visual mapping application, wherein the created file includes (i) the retrieved visual map data and (ii) software code capable of being executed by the external application to display the visual map and enable at least a subset of the same visual mapping functionality as the visual mapping application within the external application, wherein the visual mapping functionality includes the editing functionality for editing the visual map.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises embedding the created file into another file that is of a type compatible with the external application.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the external application is a web browser and the created file is embedded into a web page.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the external application is a PDF player and the created file is embedded into a PDF file.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the external application is a word processing application, and the created file is embedded into a word processing document.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the external application is an application that enables a user to create and play slide presentations, and the created file is embedded into a slide presentation file.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visual mapping functionality includes the ability to expand and collapse topics in the visual map, change a zoom factor of the visual map, follow hypertext links in the visual map, and print the visual map.
8. A method of claim 1 , wherein the retrieved visual map data was created in the visual mapping application.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retrieved visual map data was retrieved by the visual mapping application from an external source.
10. A method on a computer for enabling a user to view and interact with a visual map in an external application, the method comprising:
creating a file, using a visual mapping application, that can be executed by an external application, the visual mapping application having visual mapping functionality including editing functionality for a user to edit visual map data and store the edited visual map data; and
inserting data related to a visual map, including any stored edits to the visual map data, into the created file;
wherein the created file, when executed by an external application, is able to display the visual map and provide a user with at least a subset of the same visual mapping functionality as the visual mapping application within the external application, wherein the visual mapping functionality includes the editing functionality for editing the visual map.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises embedding the created file into another file that is of a type compatible with the external application.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the external application is a web browser and the created file is embedded into a web page.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the external application is a PDF player and the created file is embedded into a PDF file.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the external application is a word processing application, and the created file is embedded into a word processing document.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the external application is an application that enables a user to create and play slide presentations, and the created file is embedded into a slide presentation file.
16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data related to a visual map includes all the data necessary to display the visual map.
17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data related to a visual map is a link to a network address from which visual map data can be obtained.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the link is a link to a published visual map available on a web service.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the network address is a web service and the link includes information used by the web service to dynamically generate visual map data from a data source.
20. The method of claim 10 , wherein the visual mapping functionality includes the ability to expand and collapse topics in the visual map, change a zoom factor of the visual map, follow hypertext links in the visual map, and print the visual map.
21. The method of claim 10 , wherein the created file is embedded within an external application prior to the inserting step, and wherein the external application generates visual map data and performs the inserting step.
22. A method on a computer for enabling a user to view and interact with a visual map in an external application, the method comprising:
creating using a visual mapping application a target visual mapping application by using visual mapping code written in a programming language that, when compiled, can be executed by an external application, the visual mapping application having visual mapping functionality including editing functionality for a user to edit visual map data and store the edited visual map data;
compiling the visual mapping code to create compiled visual mapping code of the target visual mapping application;
creating a template file that includes the compiled visual mapping code; and
importing data related to a visual map, including any stored edits to the visual map data, into the template file to create a file that includes such data and the compiled visual mapping code, wherein, the created file, when executed by an external application, is able to display the visual map and operate on the visual map at least a subset of the same visual mapping functions as the visual mapping application within the external application, wherein the visual mapping functions include editing functions for editing the visual map.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the method further comprises embedding the created file into another file that is of a type compatible with the external application.
24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the data related to a visual map includes all the data necessary to display the visual map.
25. The method of claim 22 , wherein the data related to a visual map is a link to a network address from which visual map data can be obtained.
26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the link is a link to a published visual map available on a web service.
27. The method of claim 25 , wherein the network address is a web service and the link includes information used by the web service to dynamically generate visual map data from a data source.
28. The method of claim 22 , wherein the visual mapping functions include the ability to expand and collapse topics in the visual map, change a zoom factor of the visual map, follow hypertext links in the visual map, and print the visual map.
29. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and comprising code, that, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to perform the following method:
creating a file using a visual mapping application that can be executed by a non-visual mapping application, the visual mapping application having visual mapping functionality including editing functionality for a user to edit visual map data and store the edited visual map data; and
inserting data related to a visual map, including any stored edits to the visual map data, into the created file;
wherein the created file, when executed by a non-visual mapping application, is able to display the visual map and provide a user with at least a subset of the same visual mapping functionality as the visual mapping application within the non-visual mapping application, wherein the visual mapping functionality includes the editing functionality for editing the visual map.
30. The computer program of claim 29 , wherein the method further comprises embedding the created file into another file that is of a type compatible with the non-visual mapping application.
31. The computer program of claim 29 , wherein the data related to a visual map includes all the data necessary to display the visual map.
32. The computer program of claim 29 , wherein the data related to a visual map is a link to a network address from which visual map data can be obtained.
33. The computer program of claim 32 , wherein the link is a link to a published visual map available on the web service.
34. The computer program of claim 32 , wherein the network address is a web service and the link includes information used by the web service to dynamically generate visual map data from a data source.
35. The computer program of claim 29 , wherein the visual mapping functionality includes the ability to expand and collapse topics in the visual map, change a zoom factor of the visual map, follow hypertext links in the visual map, and print the visual map.