GENERATING MEDIA CONTENT IN A WEBSITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
A website construction tool allows website construction via an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) using containers and modules defining predetermined website constructs from a robust assortment of common and popular rendering formats and content source definition for individual webpages, and arranges the individual pages for navigation. A user selects from the predefined constructs by selecting modules for generating code, corresponding to the desired content, source and rendering format. Pointing device positioning locates the on-screen location by generating a container dedicated to the desired content. Webpage structure, or page flow, is generated by insertion of navigation controls and page insertions for navigating between pages in the deployed site, The predetermined constructs, therefore, provide templates of complex rendering formats allowing for content insertion without burdening the user with development of the constructs so rendered. Constructed websites may be hosted by the development entity, further relieving the user from website maintenance.
1 . In a website construction tool, a method for generating window based content for insertion in the website comprising:
receiving, from a plurality of modules corresponding to types of window based screen elements, a selection of a module for defining a container responsive to a type of the screen element, the type determining the data displayable in the screen element;
positioning the container by placing the corresponding module on the screen;
receiving a selection of a source of the data for populating the container, the source based on the type of the screen element; and
activating a toolbar of content specific tool icons, the tool icons based on the type for modifying the data from the selected source, each toolbar corresponding to a specific one of the plurality of modules.
2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting a hierarchical screen arrangement for constructing the website under construction, the screen arrangement including:
a site selection window for selecting the website under construction from a plurality of available stored websites; and
a display mode for identifying a set of features for modification, each display mode having a corresponding screen, each display mode selectable from any of the other display modes.
3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the display modes include:
a webpage selection mode for selecting pages of the website under construction for modification;
a builder selection mode for adding and modifying content of the selected webpage;
a theme selection mode for modifying common colors and styles of all pages in the website; and
a control panel selection mode for managing administrative details.
4 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
displaying an interface responsive to each of the activated tool icons; and receiving a selection of at least one of the tool icons.
5 . The method of claim 4 wherein the user controls for generating website content include:
display modes corresponding to a type and granularity of modifications to perform to a website under construction;
modules corresponding to containers based on types of window based display mediums, each module specific to a particular display medium; and
toolbars specific to each of the modules, each of the toolbars having a set of tool icons for manipulating the content of display medium of the module to which it corresponds.
6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the types of window based display mediums include text, text and image, slideshow, and carousel, the carousel for navigating bidirectionally across a set of rendered content items.
7 . A method for displaying items for use in connection with construction of a website by a user, comprising the steps of:
providing a developmental website comprising a developmental website workspace region for construction of the developmental website by the user;
providing a viewable display region for display of a developmental website workspace region and user controls;
displaying at least one website construction content item in the developmental website workspace region, said website construction content item having been placed within the region in response to a prior user command in connection with constructing the developmental website, said website construction content item being of a type requiring a particular set of content type-specific user manipulation controls; and
in response to selection of a particular website construction content item by the user, displaying a corresponding content type-specific user control region containing said content type-specific user manipulation controls in the display region so as to allow user editing of the particular type of website construction content item.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the particular type of website construction content item is an image, and wherein the content type-specific user control region comprises image editing controls.
9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the particular type of website construction content item is text, and wherein the content type-specific user control region comprises text editing controls.
10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the user control region is displayed in the display region in a position that does not obscure the display of the website construction content item.
11 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the user-selectable user control items comprise tile icons.
12 . The method of claim 7 wherein the user control items are selected via a cursor on a user's computer, and the user-draggable representation of a selected item is moved by the user's dragging of a selected user control item to the developmental website workspace region of the developmental website for insertion of functionality into the developmental website.
13 . The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of displaying an insertion acceptance indicator in the developmental website workspace region to provide a visual indication of acceptability of the website construction functionality provided by the selected user control item in the developmental website.
14 . The method of claim 13 wherein the insertion acceptance indicator comprises a visual elongated bar having a dimension that corresponds to a dimension of a pre-existing website construction content item.
15 . A system for construction of a website by a user including a display of items for use by the user in connection with constructing the website, comprising:
a network accessible computer server for executing a website construction program by providing a web-based user interface to a remote user using a browser via a network connection;
a database accessible by the computer server for storing website construction information corresponding to a plurality of users that construct a plurality of websites; the computer server executing a computer program that carries out the steps of:
receiving, from a plurality of modules corresponding to types of window based screen elements, a selection of a module for defining a container responsive to a type of the screen element, the type determining the data displayable in the screen element;
positioning the container by placing the corresponding module on the screen;
receiving a selection of a source of the data for populating the container, the source based on the type of the screen element; and
activating a toolbar of content specific tool icons, the tool icons based on the type for modifying the data from the selected source, each toolbar corresponding to a specific one of the plurality of module.
16 . The method of claim 15 further comprising presenting a hierarchical screen arrangement for constructing the website under construction, the screen arrangement including:
a site selection window for selecting the website under construction from a plurality of available stored websites; and
a display mode for identifying a set of features for modification, each display mode having a corresponding screen, each display mode selectable from any of the other display modes.
17 . The method of claim 16 wherein the display modes include:
a webpage selection mode for selecting pages of the website under construction for modification;
a builder selection mode for adding and modifying content of the selected webpage;
a theme selection mode for modifying common colors and styles of all pages in the website; and
a control panel selection mode for managing administrative details.
18 . The method of claim 15 further comprising:
displaying an interface responsive to each of the activated tool icons; and receiving a selection of at least one of the tool icons.
19 . The method of claim 17 wherein the user controls for generating website content include:
display modes corresponding to a type and granularity of modifications to perform to a website under construction;
modules corresponding to containers based on types of window based display mediums, each module specific to a particular display medium; and
toolbars specific to each of the modules, each of the toolbars having a set of tool icons for manipulating the content of display medium of the module to which it corresponds.
20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the user controls are displayed in a position that does not obscure the display of the positioned containers.