Multi-Touch Editing in a Graphical Programming Language

1 . A computer-accessible memory medium that stores program instructions executable by a processor to implement:

displaying a graphical program on a display device, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program;

receiving multi-touch input to a multi-touch interface, wherein the multi-touch input specifies an edit operation in the graphical program;

performing the edit operation in the graphical program in response to the multi-touch input; and

displaying the edited graphical program on the display device.

2 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 , wherein the multi-touch input specifies or manipulates a graphical program element in the graphical program.

3 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a pinching or reverse pinching motion applied to a graphical program element; and

wherein the edit operation comprises resizing the graphical program element.

4 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 3 ,

wherein the graphical program element comprises a frame for containing one or more other graphical program elements, and wherein said resizing the graphical program element comprises resizing the frame.

5 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises two touchpoints applied respectively to two graphical program elements; and

wherein the edit operation comprises wiring the two graphical program elements together.

6 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises double tapping two touchpoints applied respectively to two graphical program elements; and

wherein the edit operation comprises wiring the two graphical program elements together.

7 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises two or more touchpoints applied respectively to two or more graphical program elements; and

wherein the edit operation comprises selecting the two or more graphical program elements for a subsequent operation to be performed on the two or more graphical program elements.

8 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises three or more touchpoints defining a convex hull around one or more graphical program elements; and

wherein the edit operation comprises selecting the one or more graphical program elements for a subsequent operation to be performed on the one or more graphical program elements.

9 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a rotation motion applied to one or more graphical program elements; and

wherein the edit operation comprises rotating the one or more graphical program elements.

10 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises tapping or double tapping two or more touchpoints on the graphical program node; and

wherein the edit operation comprises expanding the graphical program node to the graphical subprogram.

11 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises tapping or double tapping two or more touchpoints on the border of the graphical subprogram; and

wherein the edit operation comprises collapsing the graphical subprogram to the representative graphical program node.

12 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a reverse pinching motion applied to the graphical program node; and

wherein the edit operation comprises expanding the graphical program node to the graphical subprogram.

13 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a pinching motion applied to the graphical subprogram; and

wherein the edit operation comprises collapsing the graphical subprogram to the representative graphical program node.

14 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a multi-touch swipe applied to the graphical program node; and

wherein the edit operation comprises expanding the graphical program node to the graphical subprogram.

15 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the graphical program includes a graphical subprogram, wherein the graphical subprogram is represented by a graphical program node in the graphical program;

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a multi-touch reverse swipe applied to the graphical subprogram; and

wherein the edit operation comprises collapsing the graphical subprogram to the representative graphical program node.

16 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a reverse pinching motion applied to a graphical program node; and

wherein the edit operation comprises increasing the graphical program node in size with respect to other nodes in the graphical program.

17 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a pinching motion applied to a graphical program node; and

wherein the edit operation comprises decreasing the graphical program node in size with respect to other nodes in the graphical program.

18 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a multi-touch swiping movement applied to a graphical program element; and

wherein the edit operation comprises invoking a display of selectable operations applicable to the element.

19 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the multi-touch input is context sensitive, wherein the edit operation is based at least partially on a target graphical program element or region to which the multi-touch input is applied.

20 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 , wherein the multi-touch input specifies or manipulates a region in the graphical program.

21 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 20 ,

wherein the multi-touch input comprises a pinching or reverse pinching motion applied to a region in the graphical program; and

wherein the edit operation comprises resizing the region in the graphical program; and

wherein said resizing the region displaces one or more other graphical program elements or regions in the graphical program.

22 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 , wherein the multi-touch interface comprises a computer touch-pad.

23 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 , wherein the multi-touch interface comprises a computer touch-screen.

24 . The computer-accessible memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the multi-touch input is performed in combination with a keyboard key press to form a combination multi-touch input; and

wherein the edit operation invoked by the combination multi-touch input is different from that invoked by the multi-touch input alone.

25 . A computer-implemented method for creating a graphical program, the method comprising:

utilizing a computer to perform:

displaying a graphical program on a display device, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program;

receiving multi-touch input to a multi-touch interface, wherein the multi-touch input specifies an edit operation in the graphical program;

performing the edit operation in the graphical program in response to the multi-touch input; and

displaying the edited graphical program on the display device.