USRE39326E1 - Method and apparatus for suggesting completions for a partially entered data item based on previously-entered, associated data items - Google Patents

is a block diagram of a personal computer that provides the operating environment for the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

is a block diagram illustrating the interface between a computer's input/output devices, an operating system, and an application program.

are diagrams illustrating display screens from the “MICROSOFT EXCEL” for “WINDOWS 95” spreadsheet application and are illustrative of an embodiment of the present invention.

is a state flow diagram depicting the actions taken by an embodiment of the present invention for entering a partial data entry and accepting a suggested completion.

is a state diagram illustrating a state machine with transitions between states being induced by user and process events in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

is a flow chart diagram of a case conversion algorithm employed in an embodiment of the present invention.

contain a flow chart diagram of a Generate Completion List algorithm employed by an embodiment of the present invention to build a list of completed data items for performing an AutoComplete.

is a flow chart diagram of an Attempt AutoComplete algorithm in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

illustrates a conventional

10 suitable for supporting the operation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in

, the

10 may operate in a networked environment with logical connections to a

11. The logical connections between the

10 and the

11 are represented by a

12 and a

13. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that in this client/server configuration, the

11 may function as a file server or computer server.

The

10 includes a processing unit (PU) 14, such as the 80486 or “Pentium” microprocessors manufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif. The personal computer also includes system memory 15 (including read only memory (ROM) 16 and random access memory (RAM) 17), which is connected to the

14 by a

18. The

10 utilizes a BIOS 19 (Basic Input/Output System), which is stored in

16. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the

19 is a set of basic routines that helps to transfer information between elements within the

10. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the present invention may be implemented on computers having other architectures, such as computers that do not use a BIOS, and those that utilize other microprocessors, such as the “MIPS” or “POWER PC” families of microprocessors from Silicon Graphics and Motorola, respectively. Additionally, the present invention is not limited to computers that utilize ROM or RAM for system memory. Other technologies such as electronically programmable ROM (EPROM), ultraviolet light erasable and electronically programmable ROM (UVEPROM), electronically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), FLASH and bubble memory may also be used.

Within the

10, various devices may be connected to enhance the utility and performance of the personal computer. A local

20 may be connected to the

18 via a hard

21. A

22, which is used to read or write a

23, may be connected to the

18 via a floppy

24. A CD-

25, which is used to read a CD-

26, may be connected to the

18 via a CD-ROM interface 27. A user enters commands and information into the

10 by using input devices such as a

28, and/or pointing devices such as a

29. Typically, these input devices are connected to the

18 via a

30 or a parallel port interface (not shown in FIG. 1). Other types of pointing devices (not shown in

) include track pads, track balls, pens, head trackers, data gloves and other devices suitable for positioning a cursor on a

31. A

31 or other kind of display device may be connected to the

18 via a

32.

The personal computer may be connected to a network of other computers or devices. A

11 in a networked environment is connected to a remote

33. This remote

33 is typically a large capacity device such as a hard disk drive, CD-ROM drive, magneto-optical drive or the like. The

10 may be connected to the

11 by a

34, which is used to communicate over the

12.

The

10 may also be connected to the

11 by a

35, which is used to communicate over the

13, such as the Internet. The

35 is connected to the

18 via the

30. The

35 also can be connected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or community antenna television (CATV) network. Although illustrated in

as external to the

10, those of ordinary skill in the art will quickly recognize that the

35 may also be internal to the

11, thus communicating directly via the

18. It is important to note that connection to a

11 via either the

12 and the

13 is not required, but merely illustrates methods of providing a communication path between the

10 and the

11.

Although other internal components of the

10 are not shown, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that such components and the interconnection between them are well known. Accordingly, additional details concerning the internal construction of the

10 need not be disclosed in connection with the present invention.

Those skilled in the art will understand that program modules such as an

36,

37a-N, and data are provided to the

10 via computer-readable media. In the preferred computer, the computer-readable media include the local or remote memory storage devices, which may include the local

20,

23, CD-

26,

17,

16, and the remote

33. In the preferred

10, the local

20 is used to store data and programs, including the operating system and programs.

is a simplified block diagram illustrating the interaction between the

50, the

36, and an

37a. Referring now to both

, when the

10 is turned on or reset, the

14 is forced to begin program execution at a specific memory location in the

16. This specific memory location corresponds to the beginning of the bootstrap routine contained in the

19. The bootstrap routine functions to load the

36 from the

20 into the

17. Once the

36 is loaded into

17, the

14 executes the

36 and causes the visual elements associated with the user interface of the

36 to be displayed on the

31.

The

36, in conjunction with the

19 and associated device drivers, provides the basic interface between the computer's resources, the user, and the

37a. The

36 interprets and carries out instructions issued by the user and/or application program(s). For example, when the user wants to load an

37a, the

36 interprets the instruction (e.g., double clicking on the application program's icon) and causes the

14 to load the program code into

17 from either the local

20,

23, CD-

26, or the remote

33. Once the

37a is loaded into the

17, it is executed by the

14. For larger programs, the

36 causes the

14 to load various portions of program, or program modules, into

17 as needed. In addition, several applications programs (37a-N) can be loaded into RAM at the same time. In this scenario, the

36 will switch the

14 execution time between applications based on user requests, application program request, or by a time-sliced allotment of the processing time of

14.

The

36 provides a variety of functions or services that allow an

37a to easily deal with various types of input/output (I/O). This allows the

37a to issue relatively simple function calls that cause the

36 to perform the steps required to accomplish various tasks, such as displaying text on the monitor 31 (

) or printing text on an attached printer (not shown). Generally described (with reference to FIG. 2), the

37a communicates with the

36 by calling predefined functions provided by the

36. The

36 responds by providing the requested information in a message or by executing the requested task. In addition, the operating system may interface to the

50 in responding.

illustrate typical display screens for a spreadsheet program as would be observable on

31 shown in FIG. 1. The spreadsheet consists of a group of columns labeled B-F and group of rows labeled 4-19. In a spreadsheet application such as “MICROSOFT EXCEL”, a user can define and enter various types or categories of data. In the example shown in

, a list of the recent World Series from 1982 to the present has been entered. Column B contains the year that the World Series was played. Column C and column F contain the name of the American League and National League teams that opposed each other in the corresponding World Series. Finally, columns D and E illustrates the number of games that each team won during the World Series with the game score of the victor being circled.

Each entry in a spreadsheet is located in a cell. A cell is defined as the region in a spreadsheet where a single column and a single row intersect. For example, column F and

9 intersect at

114 in FIG. 3a and contains the data entry “Braves”. The user can move a cursor within a spreadsheet from one cell to another by entering cursor movement keys on the keyboard, by using a mouse or by using some other pointing device. The cell in which the cursor is present is referred to as the “active cell” and may be shown on the display in reverse video or as having a distinguishing border.

A brief description of AutoComplete as embodied within “MICROSOFT EXCEL” or “WINDOWS 95” is provided in conjunction with the display screens in

and the state flow diagram in FIG. 4.

will be used to show the interaction between user input, the operation of AutoComplete, and the data that is displayed to the user in various operating states.

will be used to illustrate the simple state flow for the process of entering edit mode for an active cell, entering a partial data item, receiving a suggested completion, and accepting the suggested completion.

, which provides a full state diagram of the AutoComplete process, will be used to describe the AutoComplete process in detail as consisting of a state machine with user commands and process events inducing transitions between states. Finally

will be used to describe additional detail for several aspects of the AutoComplete process.

The AutoComplete user interface in the preferred embodiment comprises eight functional areas: (1) Entering edit mode for an active cell; (2) Entering a partial data entry and finding a unique match; (3) Accepting a suggested completion; (4) Entering a partial data item over a suggested completion; (5) Entering a partial data entry and finding multiple matches; (6) Entering a partial data entry that disables further searches; (7) Obtaining a case conversion for a partial data entry; and (8) Entering a partial data entry where there are no associated cells. Each of these functional areas will be described with references being made to the user screens in

and the state flow diagram in FIG. 4.

Entering edit mode for an active cell. Referring to

, the

200 for an active cell may be entered at

205 by pressing a function key. The

104, located in the middle of

110, illustrates that

110 is currently active with the edit mode being enabled. Upon entering edit mode, a list of completed data items is generated in the BUILD

210. The list of completed data items is generated from completed data items stored within cells associated with active cell 110 (cells 112-134 for the illustrated example). The completed data items are previously entered data items which contain one or more characters or symbols. As will be described in more detail herein below, the list of completed data items will only contain one entry for each unique data item retrieved from the associated cells. It should be noted that the user may also enter the edit mode automatically by initiating a data entry in the active cell. After generating the completed data item list, the screen of

is displayed and the WAIT

220 is entered.

Entering a partial data entry and finding a unique match. In the edit mode, entering a partial data entry will cause a transition to the

230 and invoke a search of the list of completed data items to find a completed entry that uniquely matches the partial data entry.

, illustrates the results of this process where partial data entry “B” has been entered.

114 and 116 both contain the entry “Braves”, which uniquely matches the partial data entry that has been entered in

110. The

240 is then entered and the suggested completion is displayed in

110. As can be seen in

, a suggested completion can be presented to the user by displaying the portion of the suggested completion that contains the partial data entry in normal video and the remainder of the suggested completion in reverse video.

Accepting a suggested completion. At this point the user can either accept the suggested completion, exit the edit mode, or enter an additional partial completion. The scenario in which the user accepts the suggested completion is illustrated in

by entering the

250. If the user accepts the suggested completion by pressing the enter key, the

200 is exited at point 295 (shown in FIG. 4), and the suggested completion is stored in

110 as illustrated in FIG. 3i.

Entering a partial data item over a suggested completion. Instead of accepting the suggested completion displayed in

, the user may modify the partial data item by entering an additional character (i.e., “r”) into the

110. This action will result in another search of the list of completed data items for a completed entry uniquely matching the modified partial data entry “Br”. Again, the completed data item “Braves” will be displayed as a suggested completion in

110 as shown in FIG. 3c. If the user elects to again modify the partial data item by entering the additional character “e”, then the list of completed data items will be searched to identify a suggested completion for the twice modified partial data entry “Bre”. Since there are no completed data items that match the partial data entry “Bre”, only the partial data item is displayed in the

110 as shown in FIG. 3d.

Entering a partial data entry and finding multiple matches. Referring to

, the results of entering a partial data entry that has multiple matching items in the completed data item list is illustrated. In this example, the partial data entry “P” has been entered into

112. Upon searching the list of completed data items, it can be seen that the completed data items “Padres” from

130 and “Phillies” from

132 both match the partial entry “P” in

112. In the preferred embodiment, a suggested completion will not be displayed under these circumstances; however, in alternate embodiments, a decision process could be implemented to choose and display one of the possible completions. If the user subsequently enters the letter “h”, then the modified partial data entry of “Ph” will uniquely match the completed data item “Phillies” and the suggested completion will be displayed as shown in FIG. 3f.

Entering a partial data entry that disables further searches. Under the conditions illustrated in

, if the user enters the letter “i”, the modified partial data entry of “Pi” will not have a matching completed data item in the completed data item list. Similar to the example shown in

for the partial data entry “Bre”, the partial data entry “Pi” will be displayed in the

112 as shown in FIG. 3g. The difference between the example in FIG. 3d and the example in

is that in the former, a non-matching partial data entry was entered over a suggested completion and in the latter, a non-matching partial data entry was entered when the previous partial data entry had multiple matches. Both of these examples are provided to illustrate that in either case, the result is the same. When a partial data item is entered and there are no matching completed data items in the completed data item list, then the partial data entry is displayed in the active cell. In addition, if the user enters additional characters in the active cell, the list of completed data items will not be searched. The reason for disabling further searches is that if the completed data item list does not contain a match for a partial data entry (i.e., “Pi”), then it will not contain a match for any partial data entry beginning with the previous partial data entry (i.e., “Pit”). This aspect of AutoComplete will be described in more detail herein below with respect to

.

Obtaining a case conversion for a partial data entry. Now turning to

, the process of the case conversion in the AutoComplete process is illustrated. In

, the partial data entry “br” has been entered into

110 and a suggested completion has been found and displayed. The portion of the suggested completion that matches the partial data entry is displayed in normal video in conformance with the capitalization of the partial data entry “br”. The remainder of the suggested completion “aves” is displayed in reverse video. The actual completed data item “Braves” matching the partial data entry “br” begins with an upper case “B”. If the user accepts the suggested completion by pressing the enter key, the capitalization in the active cell will be adjusted to correspond to the capitalization of the completed data item and the display of

will result. Alternatively, the user can disable the case conversion by changing the insertion point in active cell 110 (i.e., moving the cursor within the active cell by either the keypad or the mouse). If the user disables the case conversion and then accepts the suggested completion, the completed data item “braves” will be entered into the spreadsheet and will also be included in subsequent lists of completed data items if left unaltered.

Entering partial data entry where there are no associated cells.

illustrates the definition of associated data items. As mentioned previously, the list of completed data items is formed from a set of cells associated with the active cell. As will be described in more detail below, AutoComplete as implemented in the preferred embodiment, defines associated cells as including the set of cells that: share the same column as the active cell; extend above and below the active cell; and are bordered by “white space”. In

,

138 is shown as the active cell and the partial data entry “P” has been entered.

138 does not have any associated cells because

136, which is directly above

138, is empty (contains “white space”) and there are no data entries below

138. When the edit mode is invoked for

138, the list of completed data items generated will be empty and thus, in response to entering the partial data entry “P”, no suggestions will be received. The suggested completions in cells 110-134 are not considered to be associated with

138 because they are separated by from the

138 by the white space in

136. Therefore, the preferred embodiment defines associated data items as those that are adjacent and share a common column. Other mechanisms, algorithms or decision rules can be used to define associated data items and the embodiment illustrated by this example should not limit the scope of AutoComplete. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that definitions such as: adjacent elements in a common row; elements that are within a range of N cells from the active cell; all data items in a column; all data items in a row; all data items in a spreadsheet; all data items formatted in a particular manner (i.e., bolded, underlined, italicized, etc.); and other similar methods can be used for determining which data items are associated. Essentially, any mechanism to differentiate between associated and non-associated cells can be utilized in this invention. As an example, in the preferred embodiment, the data in the cells can include formatting information of various types and combinations. The filtering algorithm can be designed to detect the formatting information and only select completed data items that contain specific formatting information (i.e., only bolded and italicized data will be selected).

Referring to

, a diagram of the AutoComplete state machine is shown as consisting of two types of states: static, depicted as a solid circle; and dynamic, depicted as a broken circle. A static state is a steady state in which an external event must occur in order to transition to a different state. In the absence of an external event, a process can remain in a static state indefinitely. A dynamic state is a momentary or transitory state in which a process only exists while performing a specific function or task. Upon completion of the task, a transition to another state will occur. A dynamic state generally comprises the execution of an algorithm and is exited upon completion of that algorithm.

Entering the [Edit]

650 causes the

200 to be entered as shown at

205. The (Build Level 1)

700 is issued automatically upon entering edit mode and the BUILD

210 is entered. In the BUILD

210, the first level of the completed data item list is generated. In the preferred embodiment, the first level includes the 50 cells that are most closely associated with the active cell. As will be described later, this includes the associated cells that are physically closest to the active cell. If there are a limited number of data entries (i.e., less than 50), the first level of the completion list will include all of the associated entries. After the first level of the completion list has been generated, a (Complete)

710 is executed and a transition to the WAIT

220 occurs. In the WAIT

220, the application program waits for the reception of a user command.

If there is idle time between entering user commands in the WAIT

220, and the completion list has not been fully generated, a (Build Next Level)

720 will be issued resulting in a transition to the BUILD Completion List

210. (Note, this event may also be issued in the

240.) When the next level of the completion list has been generated, a (Complete)

710 will be issued and a transition to the WAIT

220 will occur (or a transition to the previous state). The (Build Next Level)

720 will continue to be issued until the list of completed data items has been fully generated.

In the WAIT

220, four user commands are accepted: [Partial Entry], [Disable AutoComplete], [Abort], and [Accept]. The

110 in FIG. 3a and the

112 in

illustrate typical displays during the WAIT

220. If the user provides [Partial Entry] 600, a transition to the

230 will occur. This transition will occur in response to entering the first character in the active cell. This is an improvement over similar implementations, which require the entry of several characters prior to attempting to automatically complete the entry.

In the

230, the partial data entry will then be used as a character mask to search through the list of completed data items for a unique match. A unique match exists if there is only one item in the completed data item list that begins with the same character or characters defining the partial data entry. A unique match is further defined as, given that an N character partial entry has been entered, if there is one and only one data item in the completed data item list that begins with these N characters, then that data item is a unique match. If more than one entry matches the first N characters, then a unique match does not exist.

The

230 can be entered prior to fully generating the list of completed data items. If this occurs, the search for a suggested completion will be limited to the completed data item list in its current state (i.e., the levels that have been generated). But, if updating the list of completed data items results in destroying the unique status of the partial data entry, the current AutoComplete suggestion remains intact until either the user accepts the data item or enters a subsequent partial entry.

As a result of entering the

230, one of three possible outcomes will be realized: (1) a unique match will be found; (2) no matches will be found; or (3) multiple matches will be found.

If a unique match is found, then a (Suggested Completion)

730 is issued, which results in a transition to the

240. Referring to

, a typical display for the

240 is illustrated. Here, [Partial Entry] 600 containing the partial data entry “B” was entered in the WAIT

220 and this resulted in a transition to the

230. Upon finding the unique match “Braves”, the (Suggested Completion)

730 issued, which resulted in a transition to the

240 for displaying the suggested completion in

110.

If no matches are found, the (No Completion)

740 is issued, which results in a transition to the DISABLE

270. Examples of the scenario include

, where the partial data entry “Bre” in

110 has no matches, and

, where partial data entry “Pi” in

112 has no matches.

If multiple matches are found, the (No Suggestion)

750 is issued, which results in a transition back to the WAIT

220. An example of this transition and the resulting display can be seen by referring to

where the partial data entry “P” in

104 matches both the completed data items “Padres” of

130 and “Phillies” of

132.

The [Partial Entry]

600, entered in the WAIT

220, can also consist of multiple characters. This occurs when entering additional characters to distinguish a partial data entry from multiple matches. As an example, the character “h” can be appended to partial data entry “P” in

to form partial data entry “Ph” and a resulting transition to the

230. The search of the completed data item list will result in finding the suggested completion “Phillies” and eliminating “Padres”. A (Suggested Completion)

730 is then issued and a transition to the

240 occurs with the display of

being produced.

In contrast, if the character “i” is appended to the partial data entry “P” in

, partial data entry “Pi” will be formed and a transition to the

230 will occur. The search of the completed data item list will result in finding no matches for partial data entry “Pi”. The (No Completion)

740 will be issued and a transition to the DISABLE

270 will occur.

In the WAIT

220, the [Disable AutoComplete]

630 can also be entered. In the preferred embodiment, the [Disable AutoComplete]

630 consists of moving the insertion point or cursor in the edit window. Other methods could also be utilized such as pressing a function key. Entering this command causes a transition to the DISABLE

270.

The final two commands that can be entered in the WAIT

220 are [Abort] 620 and [Accept] 610. Entering the [Abort] 620 command results in a transition to the

260, in which the pre-edited contents of the active cell will be restored. The (Exit Edit)

760 will then be issued and the

200 will be exited at

295. Any partial data entries displayed prior to the [Abort] 620 command will be erased. Entering the [Accept]

610 causes a transition to the

250 in which state the contents displayed in the active cell are stored and the (Exit Edit) process event is issued to exit the

200 at

295. In the preferred embodiment, an [Accept] 610 can be issued by entering a carriage return or by using the key pad or mouse to change active cells. An [Abort] 620 can be issued by entering the [ESC] key. Other methods could also be used to implement these commands and are contemplated by the present invention.

The

240, operates to display a suggested completion in the active cell. If the completion list is not fully generated, the (Build Next Level)

720 may be issued as described above. While in the

240, the user can enter the [Partial Entry] 600, [Accept] 610, [Abort] 620 or [Disable AutoComplete] 630 commands.

Entering [Partial Entry] 600 in the

240 causes a transition to the

230. The completed data item list will then be examined for a unique match of the partial entry. As a result of entering the

230 from the

240, two possible outcomes can be realized: (1) a unique match will be found or (2) no matches will be found. Two examples illustrate these results. First, appending an “r” to the partial data entry “B” in

causes a transition to ATTEMPT

230 and issuing of (Suggested Completion) 730 for the suggested completion “Braves” as shown in FIG. 3c. Second, appending an “e” to the partial data entry “Br” in

causes a transition to ATTEMPT

230 and issuing of (No Completion)

740. The resulting state for this example is DISABLE

270 and is illustrated in FIG. 3d.

Entering [Accept] 610 in the

240 causes a transition to the

250. Entering this state from the

240 will invoke a case conversion if one is required. Entering [Abort] 610 in the

240 will have the same response as entering it in the WAIT

220 discussed above.

Entering the [Disable AutoComplete]

630 in the

240 will cause a transition to DISABLE

270. The contents of the active cell will be maintained; however, the portion of the data entry that had been displayed in reverse video will be changed to normal video to indicate that AutoComplete is disabled.

The DISABLE

270 operates to eliminate the overhead of searching through the completed data item list when it is known that a match will not be found. For example, in

there are no matching entries in the completed data item list for partial data entry “Pi”. Appending additional characters to the partial data entry “Pi” will not change this situation. Thus, the DISABLE

270 will allow the user to continue entering partial entries without burdening the PU 14 (shown in

) with fruitless searches.

The DISABLE

270 may also be entered if the completed data item list is empty. This situation will occur when the first data item in a new area is being entered or all other data items have been filtered out. In an embodiment which filters out numeric data items, editing a cell within a column of numbers will result in issuance of a (No Completion) 740 process event in the

230 and a subsequent transition to the DISABLE

270.

In the DISABLE

270, an [Abort] 620, [Accept] 610, or [Enable AutoComplete] 640 commands can be entered. The responses to the [Abort] 620 and [Accept] 610 commands are identical to the responses generated in the

240. Entering an [Enable AutoComplete] 640 command will cause a transition to the WAIT

220. In the preferred embodiment, the [Enable AutoComplete] 640 command can take the form of back-spacing over or deleting the last entered character(s) that caused the (No Completion) 240 process event to be issued, or returning the insertion point to the end of the partial data entry. As an example,

shows the display of partial entry “Pi” when the DISABLE

270 is active. Backspacing over the letter “i” will cause the issuance of the [Enable AutoComplete] 640 command and a transition to the WAIT

220; however, the ATTEMPT AutoComplete state will not be entered until a new partial data item is entered.

The

260 can be entered from the WAIT Partial Entry state, the

240, or the DISABLE

270 upon the execution of the [Abort] 620 command. The [Abort] 620 command operates to erase the data that is currently being displayed in the active cell and then exiting the

200. In addition, the contents of the active cell prior to entering the

200 will be restored.

In the

250, the data being displayed in the active cell is stored and the (Exit Edit)

760 is executed to exit the

200 at

295. This process occurs independent of the prior state; however, when entering from the

240, a case conversion may be performed on the suggested completion.

The case conversion algorithm is a unique aspect of the AutoComplete process and gives it the ability to handle data items with mixed upper and lower case characters. In general, the AutoComplete algorithm is case insensitive during the data entry process. But, when a suggested completion has been accepted, the AutoComplete process will adjust the capitalization of the data item to be consistent with matching entries. The purpose behind the case conversion is to provide consistency for the data items in the spreadsheet. If a data item is being entered in lower case, and a matching completed data item is found that is in upper case, then the matching item will be displayed as a suggested completion. The portion of the suggested completion that matches the partial data item (ignoring the capitalization) will be shown in normal video and in the capitalization that the partial data item was entered. The portion of the suggested completion that does not include the partial data item will be displayed in reverse video and in the capitalization that corresponds with the suggested completion. Accepting the suggested completion will result in adjusting the case of the partial entry to be the same as that of the suggested completion. But, if the user changes the insertion point or in some other way executes a DISABLE

630, then accepting the data in the active cell will result in maintaining the case of the characters as displayed in the active cell.

Turning to

, edit

205 indicates that the case conversion algorithm becomes active when the

200 has been entered for an active cell. The process blocks shown in

are executed during various states of the AutoComplete process. Overall, the case conversion algorithm maintains an “AcceptedUnaltered” flag to indicate whether or not a case conversion should be performed upon exiting the

200. When the AcceptedUnaltered flag is equated to FALSE, as in

420, then the case conversion will not be performed upon exiting the

200. Conversely, a value of TRUE in the AcceptedUnaltered flag will cause a case conversion to be performed. Thus, the AcceptedUnaltered flag is examined upon exiting the

200, to determine if a case conversion should be performed.

410 illustrates that for each user command received, other than an [Abort] 620 or [Accept] 610, the THEN branch is followed. For each user command invoking the THEN branch of

410, the AcceptedUnaltered flag is set to FALSE as shown in

420. If the user command results in producing a suggested completion (i.e., for [Partial Entry] 600 commands with unique matches), the THEN branch of

430 will be followed and process block 440 will set the AcceptedUnaltered flag to TRUE. If the user command does not result in finding a suggested completion, then the ELSE branch of

430 is followed. In either of these cases, processing will return to decision block 410 and the next user command will be processed.

Once the [Abort] 620 or [Accept] 610 commands are received, the ELSE branch of

410 will be followed and decision block 450 will be entered prior to exiting the edit mode. If the received user command was an [Accept] 610 command, then the AcceptedUnaltered flag will be examined in

460 to determine if a case conversion should be performed. If the AcceptedUnaltered flag in equated to TRUE, process block 480 will be entered to perform the case conversion; however, if the AcceptedUnaltered flag is equated to FALSE, then the current case displayed in the active cell will be maintained. In either case, the edit mode for the active cell will be exited at

295. In summary, whenever a partial entry results in producing a suggested completion, a case conversion will occur upon a subsequent [Accept] 610 command. If the user enters any command other than [Accept] 610, then the case conversion will disabled until a subsequent suggested completion is produced.

Turning now to

, the detailed operation of generating the completed data item list is shown. The completed data item list used in the AutoComplete process is a dynamic list (i.e., is built on the fly for each data entry attempt). In contrast to a static lists, a dynamic list does not require permanent memory resources. Therefore, once a data item has been entered into a cell and accepted by the user, the memory occupied by the completed data item list can be released and reallocated to other resources. The trade off in using a dynamic list rather than a static list is the processing overhead required to generate a unique list upon each entrance of the edit mode. In the preferred embodiment, this processing overhead is minimized by utilizing a tiered generation technique. This tiered technique includes building a first data item list of entries most closely associated with the active cell and, during idle time between user commands, augmenting the list with other associated data items. This process will continue until the entire list has been completed. Thus, in this tiered technique, priority is given to user input, and data entry is not delayed or “stuttered” while the data item list is being generated.

illustrate a possible implementation of the algorithm to generate a completion list. This algorithm is executed in the BUILD

210 shown in FIG. 5.

300 indicates that the generate completion list algorithm is invoked with input parameters TIER and RANGE. The TIER parameter is used to identify which level of the completion list is to be generated. The purpose of RANGE will be described later. In

318, the generate completion list algorithm returns the parameter STATUS. STATUS indicates whether the completed data item list has been fully generated (i.e., STATUS is equated to DONE) or if subsequent levels need to be generated (i.e., STATUS is equated to TIER). This algorithm will be invoked as many times as necessary until a completion list is generated that comprises all of the data items that are associated with the active cell.

In

302, the algorithm variables and parameters are initialized. The variable CUR is defined as the location of the active cell. The variables ABOVE and BELOW define the boundaries of the cells associated with the active cell. These variables are equated to the number of associated cells above and below the current cell respectively. The variable J identifies the number of cells that are to be included in the first tier or

1 generation of the completion list. The variable K defines the number of cells included in subsequent tiers of the completion list. In the preferred embodiment the values of J and K are set to 50 and 20 respectively; however, other values for these variables can be selected and are contemplated by the present invention.

In

304, the input parameter TIER is examined to determine which level of the completion list is being generated. If

1 is being generated (TIER=1) then execution continues in

306. In this block two additional parameters are initialized. The START parameter is used to identify the location of the next associated cell to be included in the completion list. The parameter END is used to define the location of the last associated cell to be included in the completion list for the level being generated. In

306, these parameter are initialized for the first level. Thus, in the preferred embodiment the first level will include associated

1 to J, or the first 50 associated cells. If the TIER parameter is greater than 1 in

304, then processing continues in

308. If

2 is being generated (TIER=2), process block 308 equates START to J plus 1 (51 in the preferred embodiment) and END is equated to START plus K. Thus, for

2, the START and END variables are set up so as to examine the next K cells associated with the active cell (cells 51-70 in the preferred embodiment). For TIER N, cell (N−2)*20+51 and the following K−1 cells will be added to the completed data item list. Upon completion of process block 306 or 308 process block 310 will be entered.

310 initializes the INDEX variable by equating it to the value of START. INDEX is used as a counter to indicate when all of the cells for the current level have been read and is also used as a pointer in the list of completed data items to identify the location to store the next data item. Input parameter RANGE is used as a pointer to indicate the distance above and below the active cell where the next data item is to be retrieved. When entering edit mode for the active cell, the RANGE variable is equated to 1. The cells immediately above and below the active cell are at

1. The next two cells above and below the active cell are at

2. Thus, as data items are retrieved from associated cells, the RANGE variable is incremented. The value of RANGE must be retained between subsequent calls to the BUILD Completion List algorithm.

312 invokes the Retrieve Tier of Completed Data Items routine shown in FIG. 7b. This routine utilizes the variables RANGE, INDEX, ABOVE, BELOW, END, CUR, and STATUS in retrieving and building the next level of the completion list.

314 applies the appropriate filters to the completed data item list.

316 will sort the new filtered completed data item list in alphabetical order. Finally, exit block 318 returns the STATUS variable to the calling routine.

Turning to

, the details of

312 in

are provided.

320 in

indicates the starting point of the routine. In process block 322 a check is performed to determine if all of the data items for the level being generated have been retrieved. This is accomplished by verifying that RANGE is less than or equal to ABOVE or BELOW and that INDEX is less than or equal to END. To illustrate the operation of these variables,

can be examined where

112 is being edited. The associated data items in

1 of the completed data item list include

110 and cells 114-134. The program variables for

1 will be initialized as follows:

Continuing with the example shown in

,

322 in

determines that RANGE (equated to 1) is equal to ABOVE and less than BELOW, and that INDEX is less than END. Therefore, the THEN branch of

322 will be followed and decision block 324 will be entered. In the THEN branch of

322, RANGE is examined in comparison to ABOVE and BELOW to determine which associated cells should be selected. The basic premises of the algorithm is to select the next closest cell to the active cell, giving preference to cells above the active cell. For instance, when building a level of associated data items, if there are cells above and below the active cell they are selected by alternating between the cell above and the cell below the active cell. In some instances, there will be cells above the active cell but no cells below the active cell or vice versa. In this case, only the cells above or below the active cell are selected. Thus, if the bottom cell in a column is being edited, then the J cells above the active cell will be selected in the first level. Alternatively, if the top cell in a column is being edited, then the J cells below the active cell will be selected. For the example in

, the cells will be selected in the following order: (110, 114, 116, 118, 120 . . . 134)

In

324, if RANGE is less than or equal to ABOVE, then there are associated cells above the active cell. Execution then continues in process block 326 where the contents of the cell at the location of the active cell plus RANGE is loaded into the completed data item list at the location of INDEX. In addition, INDEX is incremented by 1. In

324, if RANGE is greater than ABOVE, then there are no associated cells above the active cell and the ELSE branch will be followed. Whether or not process block 326 is executed, processing will continue at

328. In

328, if RANGE is less than or equal to BELOW, then there are associated cells below the active cell. Execution then continues in process block 330 where the contents of the cell at the location of the active cell minus RANGE is loaded in to the completed data item list at the location of INDEX. In addition, INDEX is incremented by 1. In

328, if the value of RANGE is found to be greater than BELOW, then there are no associated cells below the active cell and the ELSE branch will be followed. Whether or not process block 330 is executed, processing will continue in

336. In

336, RANGE is incremented by 1 and processing returns to

322.

Therefore, the overall affect of executing the THEN branch of

322 is to obtain the next two completed data items associated with the active cell. In some instances, only one data item will be retrieved. This will be the case when the are no associated cells either above or below the active cell.

For the example provided in

, after the first execution of the THEN branch of

322, the variables will be set to the following values:

In

322 for the current example, RANGE is no longer less than or equal to ABOVE. But, RANGE is less than BELOW and INDEX is less than END. Therefore, processing will continue to execute through the THEN branch of

322 and returning to process block 322 until either (1) RANGE is greater than both ABOVE and BELOW, or (2) INDEX is greater than END. In the first case, the list of completed data items is fully generated. Thus, in

332, INDEX will be less than END causing process block 334 to be executed, equating STATUS to DONE. In the second case, additional levels must be generated. Thus, in

332, INDEX will be greater than END resulting in returning STATUS equated to the value of TIER or the level that was generated.

For the simplified example illustrated in

, the BUILD Completion List routine is only invoked once. Upon exiting the retrieve Tier of Completed Data Items, the completed data item list for

112 in

will contain the following entries:

Finally, the filtered list of completed data items will be sorted alphabetically in

316. The sorting process can be accomplished using sorting techniques familiar to those skilled in the art such as quick sort. The resulting completed data item list is shown below:

Referring now to

, the AutoComplete algorithm invoked in the ATTEMPT AutoComplete state 230 (shown in

) is illustrated as a flow diagram. The

230 is entered from the WAIT

220 or the

240 upon providing a partial data entry.

500 in

illustrates that the AutoComplete algorithm uses input parameter [Partial Entry] 600. In

510, the completed data item list is searched for items that match [Partial Entry]. The searching process can be accomplished using a binary search, sequential search, or various other searching techniques. If at least one match is found, the THEN branch of

530 will be followed and decision block 550 will be entered. At

550, if more than one match has been identified in the completed data item list, the THEN branch of

550 will be followed and process block 520 will be entered. In

520 the (No Suggestion)

750 will be issued, and a transition to the WAIT

220 will occur. Returning to decision block 550, if only one match was identified in the completed data item list, the ELSE branch of

550 will be followed and process block 540 will be entered. In

540, the (Suggested Completion)

730 will be executed and a transition to the

240 will occur.

Returning to decision block 530, if no matches are found in the completed data item list, the ELSE branch of

530 will be followed and process block 570 will be entered. In

570, a (No Completion)

740 will be executed and a transition to DISABLE

270 will occur.

560 in

will then be entered and the AutoComplete algorithm will be exited.

1. A method for completing a partial data entry for an active cell of a spreadsheet having a plurality of cells defining a grid of rows and columns, comprising the steps of:

invoking an edit mode for said active cell;

identifying a list of completed data items from a search region within said spreadsheet comprising a table of contiguous data-containing cells encompassing said active cell and bordered by empty cells;

defining a partial data entry within said active cell;

identifying a matching completed data item from within said list of completed data items that corresponds to said partial data entry;

displaying said matching completed data item as a suggested completion for said partial data entry;

receiving an acceptance command in association with said suggested completion; and

in response to said acceptance command, storing said partial data entry with said suggested completion within the active cell.

2. The method of

further comprising the steps of:

receiving a command pertinent to said suggested completion; and operating on said suggested completion in accordance with said command.

3. The method of

, wherein said command is a user response and said operating step further comprises the steps of:

if said response contains a modified partial data item, verifying said suggested completion comprises said modified partial data item;

if said response is a rejection of said suggested completion, displaying said partial data entry; and

if said response is a command to exit said edit mode, clearing said active cell.

4. The method of

, wherein said identifying step further comprises the steps of:

retrieving a plurality of completed data items from said search region within said spreadsheet to form an associated list of completed data items;

filtering said associated list of completed data items to generate a filtered list; and

sorting said filtered list to generate said list of completed data items.

5. The method of

, wherein said search region within said spreadsheet is positionally based on said active cell and said identifying step further comprises the step of selecting a block of contiguous cells, said block being coterminous with said active cell.

6. The method of

, wherein said block is confined to one of said columns of cells within said spreadsheet, said column containing said active cell.

7. The method of

, wherein said block is confined to one of said rows of cells within said spreadsheet, said row containing said active cell.

8. The method of

, wherein said filtering step further comprises the step of removing surplus duplicated completed data items from said associated list of completed data items.

9. The method of

, wherein said filtering step further comprises the steps of:

removing completed data items that are not duplicated in said associated list of completed data items; and

removing surplus duplicated completed data items from said associated list of completed data items.

10. The method of

, wherein each of said completed data items comprises at least one glyph, and said filtering step further comprises the step of removing said completed data items that contain less than N glyphs, where N is an integer greater than one.

11. The method of

, wherein each of said completed data items comprises formatting information, and said filtering step further comprises the step of removing said completed data items that do not comprise a specific formatting information.

12. The method of

, wherein said identifying step further comprises the steps of:

defining a mask comprising said partial data entry;

searching said list of completed data items for at least one matching data item corresponding to said mask; and

in response to finding at least one said matching data item, equating said suggested completion to said matching data item.

13. The method of

, wherein said identifying step further comprises the steps of:

defining a mask comprising said partial data entry;

searching said list of completed data items for at least one matching data item corresponding to said mask; and

in response to finding more than one or said matching data items, defering identification of said suggested completion.

14. The method of

, wherein said identifying step further comprises the steps of:

defining a mask comprising said partial data entry;

searching said list of completed data items for at least one matching data item corresponding to said mask; and

in response to not finding said matching data item, disabling any further searches of said list of completed data items for said active cell.

15. The method of

further comprising the step of re-enabling searches of said list of completed data items for said active cell.

16. The method of

, wherein said displaying step further comprises the step of replacing said partial data entry in said active cell with said suggested completion.

17. The method of

, wherein said displaying step further comprises distinguishing a first portion of said suggested completion that comprises said partial data item from a second portion of said suggested completion that does not comprise said partial data entry.

18. The method of

, further comprising the step of operating on said suggested completion in accordance with said acceptance command to perform a case conversion, said case conversion comprising an adjustment of the case of said partial entry to correspond to the case of said suggested completion.

19. In a program module responsive to input commands for manipulation of data items presented in a plurality of cells, a method to generate a list of completed data items from a search region of cells that are positionally associated with an active cell, comprising the steps of:

identifying a list of completed data items from said search region within a spreadsheet comprising a table of contiguous data-containing cells encompassing said active cell and bordered by empty cells;

generating a sub-list of completed data items from a sub-range of cells that are within said search region encompassing said active cell; and

when said program module is not processing said input commands, expanding said sub-list of completed data items to comprise all of said table of contiguous data-containing cells within said search region.

20. The method of

, wherein said identifying step further comprises the steps of:

selecting all cells that border said active cell and contain completed data items to form a selected cell list; and

adding to said selected cell list all cells that border cells in said selected cell list and contain completed data items.

21. The method of

, wherein said completed data items comprise at least one character and said identifying step further comprises the steps of:

selecting a set of J cells from said search region;

filtering surplus duplicated completed data items from said set of J cells to generate a filtered sub-list; and

sorting said filtered sub-list alphabetically.

22. The method of

, wherein said expanding step further comprises the steps of:

(a) selecting a set of K cells from said search region, said set excluding cells contained in said sub-list;

(b) filtering surplus duplicated completed data items from said set of K cells to generate a filtered set;

(c) merging said filtered set into said sub-list;

(d) sorting said sub-list alphabetically; and

(e) repeating steps (a)-(d) until said sub-list comprises all of said table of contiguous data-containing cells within said search region.

23. In a program module responsive to input commands for manipulation of data items presented in a plurality of cells, a method to automatically complete a partial data entry in said active cell comprising the steps of:

invoking an edit mode for said active cell, said edit mode enabling said active cell to receive said partial data entry and a suggested completion;

identifying a list of completed data items from a search region within a spreadsheet comprising a table of contiguous data-containing cells encompassing said active cell and bordered by empty cells;

filtering surplus duplicated completed data items from said list of completed data items to generate a filtered list;

sorting said filtered list alphabetically to generate a suggestion list of completed data items;

receiving said partial data entry and displaying said partial data entry in said active cell;

searching said suggestion list to identify at least one suggested completion comprising said partial data entry;

in response to identifying only one said suggested completion, replacing said partial data entry in said active cell with said suggested completion;

receiving a response concerning said suggested completion; and

operating on said suggested completion in accordance with said response.

24. The method of

, wherein said identifying step further comprises the steps of:

selecting all cells that border said active cell and contain completed data items to form a selected cell list; and

adding to said selected cell list, all cells that border cells in said selected cell list and contain completed data items.

25. The method of

, wherein said cells are arranged in a grid of rows and columns on multiple work pages and said search region comprises cells from at least one of said work pages, and wherein cells sharing a common row are aligned in the X direction, cells sharing a common column are aligned in the Y direction, and cells sharing a common (X, Y) coordinate but are located on separate work pages are aligned in the Z direction, and any pair of cells border each other if they are adjacent to each other in the X, Y or Z directions.

26. A method for entering data items in a spreadsheet program, comprising the steps of:

selecting an active cell within a search region comprising a table of contiguous data-containing cells encompassing said active cell and bordered by empty cells;

enabling said active cell to receive a partial data entry and a suggested completion;

entering said partial data item in said active cell;

receiving said suggested completion selected from said search region; and

accepting said suggested completion.

27. A computer-readable medium on which is stored a computer program for automatically providing a suggested completion for a partial data entry, said computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by said computer, perform the steps of:

enabling an active cell to receive said partial data entry, said active cell being selected from a plurality of cells in response to placing a display item into a region occupied by said active cell;

identifying a list of completed data items from a search region within a spreadsheet comprising a table of contiguous data-containing cells encompassing said active cell and bordered by empty cells;

receiving said partial data entry and displaying said partial data entry within said active cell;

searching said list of completed data items to identify said suggested completion comprising said partial data entry; and

in response to identifying said suggested completion, displaying said suggested completion within said active cell.

28. The computer-readable medium of

wherein said computer program further performs the steps of:

receiving a response pertinent to said suggested completion;

if said response is an acceptance of said suggested completion, storing said suggested completion as said data entry;

if said response contains a modified partial data item, searching said list to identify a suggested completion comprising said modified partial data item;

if said response is a rejection of said suggested completion, displaying said partial data item; and

if said response is a command to exit said edit mode, clearing said active cell.

29. The computer-readable medium of

, wherein said search region is positionally based and said identifying step further comprises the steps of:

retrieving a plurality of completed data items from a block of contiguous cells, said block being coterminous with said active cell, and forming said list of completed data items;

removing surplus duplicated completed data items from said list of completed data items; and

sorting said list of completed data items alphabetically, said completed data items containing at least one glyph from a set of glyphs having an alphabetical relationship.

30. The computer-readable medium of

, wherein said searching step further comprises the steps of:

defining a mask comprising said partial data entry;

searching said list of completed data items for at least one matching data item corresponding to said mask;

equating said suggested completion to said matching data item if only one said matching data item is found;

defer identifying said suggested completion if more than one of said matching data items is found; and

disabling any further searches of said list of completed data items for said active cell if a matching data item is not found.

31. The computer-readable medium of

, wherein said displaying step further comprises the step of replacing said partial data entry in said active cell with said suggested completion.

32. The computer-readable medium of

, further comprising the step of operating on said suggested completion in accordance with said acceptance command to perform a case conversion, said case conversion comprising an adjustment of the case of said partial entry to correspond to the case of said suggested completion.

33. A computer system for completing a data entry for an active cell of a spreadsheet, comprising:

a processing unit;

a memory storage device;

an input device coupled to said processing unit for receiving data;

a pixel-based display device coupled to said processing unit for displaying data;

a program module, stored in said memory storage device for providing instructions to said processing unit;

34. The computer system of

, wherein said processing unit is further operative to:

receive a response pertinent to said suggested completion;

if said response is an acceptance of said suggested completion, store said suggested completion in said active cell as said data entry;

if said response contains a modified partial data item, search said list to identify a suggested completion comprising said modified partial data item;

if said response is a rejection of said suggested completion, display said partial data item; and

if said response is a command to exit said edit mode, clear said active cell.

35. The computer system of

, wherein said search region is positionally based and said processing unit is operative to identify a list of completed data items by:

retrieving a plurality of completed data items from a block of contiguous cells, said block being coterminous with said active cell, and forming said list of completed data items;

removing surplus duplicated completed data items from said list of completed data items; and

sorting said list of completed data items alphabetically, said completed data items containing at least one glyph from a set of glyphs having an alphabetical relationship.

36. The computer system of

, wherein said processing unit conducts a search of said list of completed data items by:

defining a mask comprising said partial data entry;

searching said list of completed data items for at least one matching data item corresponding to said mask;

equating said suggested completion to said matching data item if only one said matching data item is found;

deferring to identify said suggested completion if more than one of said matching data items is found; and

disabling any further searches of said list of completed data items for said active cell if a matching data item is not found.

37. The computer system of

, wherein said processing unit displays said suggested completion by replacing said partial data entry in said active cell with said suggested completion.

38. The computer system of

, wherein said response is an acceptance of said suggested completion and said processing unit operates on said suggested completion in accordance with said response by performing a case conversion, said case conversion comprising an adjustment of the case of said partial item to correspond to the case of said suggested completion.

39. A method for completing a partial data entry for an active cell of a spreadsheet having a plurality of cells defining a grid of rows and columns, the method comprising:

invoking an edit mode for the active cell;

identifying a list of completed data items from a search region within the spreadsheet, said search region including one ( 1 ) cells sharing the same column as the active cell, ( 2 ) cells sharing the same row as the active cell, ( 3 ) cells within the same column as the active cell and within a range of N cells from the active cell, wherein N is an integer greater than zero, and ( 4 ) cells within the same row as the active cell and within a range of N cells from the active cell, wherein N is an integer greater than zero;

defining a partial data entry within the active cell;

identifying a matching completed data item from within said list of completed data items that corresponds to said partial data entry;

displaying said matching completed data item as a suggested completion command for said partial data entry;

receiving an acceptance command in association with said suggested completion; and

in response to said acceptance command, storing said partial data entry with said suggested completion within the active cell.

40. The method of

, further comprising:

receiving a command pertinent to said suggested completion; and

operating on said suggested completion in accordance with said command.

41. The method of

, wherein said command is a user response and said operating operation further comprises:

if said response contains a modified partial data item, verifying said suggested completion comprises said modified partial data item;

if said response is a rejection of said suggested completion, displaying said partial entry; and

if said response is a command to exit said edit mode, clearing the active cell.

42. The method of

, wherein said identifying a list of completed data items operation further comprises:

retrieving a plurality of completed data items from said search region within the spreadsheet to form an associated list of completed data items;

filtering said associated list of completed data items to generate a filtered list; and

sorting said filtered list to generate said list of completed data items.

43. The method of

, wherein said search region within the spreadsheet is positionally based on the active cell and said identifying a list of completed data items operation further comprises selecting a block of contiguous cells, said block being coterminous with the active cell.

44. The method of

, wherein said block is confined to one of the columns of cells within the spreadsheet, said column containing the active cell.

45. The method of

, wherein said block is confined to one of the rows of cells within the spreadsheet, said row containing the active cell.

46. The method of

, wherein said filtering operation further comprises removing surplus duplicated completed data items from said associated list of completed data items.

47. The method of

, wherein said filtering operation further comprises:

removing completed data items that are not duplicated in said associated list of completed data items; and

removing surplus duplicated completed data items from said associated list of completed data items.

48. The method of

, wherein each of said completed data items comprises at least one glyph, and said filtering operation further comprises removing completed data items that contain less than N glyphs, where is an integer greater than one.

49. The method of

, wherein said completed data items comprises formatting information, and said filtering operation further comprises removing completed data items that do not comprise a specific formatting information.

50. The method of

, wherein said displaying operation further comprises distinguishing a first portion of said suggested completion that comprises said partial data item from a second portion of said suggested completion that does not comprise said partial data entry.

51. The method of

, wherein said identifying a list of completed data items operation further comprises:

defining a mask comprising said partial data entry;

searching said list of completed data items for at least one matching data item corresponding to said mask; and

in response to finding at least one said matching data item, equating said suggested completion to said matching data item.

52. The method of

, wherein said identifying a list of completed data items operation further comprises:

defining a mask comprising said partial data entry;

searching said list of completed data items for at least one matching data item corresponding to said mask; and

in response to finding more than one of said matching data items, deferring identification of said suggested completion.

53. The method of

, wherein said identifying a list of completed data items operation further comprises:

defining a mask comprising said partial data entry;

searching said list of completed data items for at least one matching data item corresponding to said mask; and

in response to not finding said matching data item, disabling any further searches of said list of completed data items for the active cell.

54. The method of

, further comprising re-enabling searches of said list of completed data items for the active cell.

55. The method of

, wherein said displaying operation further comprises replacing said partial data entry in the active cell with said suggested completion.

56. The method of

, further comprising operating on said suggested completion in accordance with said acceptance command to perform a case conversion, said case conversion comprising an adjustment of the case of said partial entry to correspond to the case of said suggested completion.

57. A method for completing a partial data entry for an active cell of a spreadsheet having a plurality of cells defining a grid of rows and columns, the method comprising:

invoking an edit mode for the active cell;

identifying a list of completed data items from a search region within the spreadsheet, said search region including cells within the same column as the active cell;

defining a partial data entry within the active cell;

identifying a matching completed data item from within said list of completed data items that corresponds to said partial data entry;

displaying said matching completed data item as a suggested completion command for said partial data entry;

receiving an acceptance command in association with said suggested completion; and

in response to said acceptance command, storing said partial data entry with said suggested completion within the active cell.

58. The method of

, wherein said search region is further limited to a range of N cells from the active cell, wherein N is an integer greater than zero.

59. A method for completing a partial data entry for an active cell of a spreadsheet having a plurality of cells defining a grid of rows and columns, the method comprising:

invoking an edit mode for the active cell;

identifying a list of completed data items from a search region within the spreadsheet, said search region including cells within the same row as the active cell;

defining a partial data entry within the active cell;

identifying a matching completed data item from within said list of completed data items that corresponds to said partial data entry;

displaying said matching completed data item as a suggested completion command for said partial data entry;

receiving an acceptance command in association with said suggested completion; and

in response to said acceptance command, storing said partial data entry with said suggested completion within the active cell.

60. The method of

, wherein said search region is further limited to a range of N cells from the active cell, wherein N is an integer greater than zero.