Method and apparatus for storing changes to file attributes without having to store an additional copy of the file contents

• US 20010027457A1
• Filed: 03/22/2001
• Published: 10/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Interwoven Incorporated (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interwoven Incorporated (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Yee, Terrence
• Application Number:
  US09/815,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20010027457A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1441 Resetting or repowering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

A method of and an apparatus for storing changes to file attributes without having to store an additional copy of the file contents. In a system for maintaining and making changes to content for a website, extranet site or intranet site, memory may be allocated as a backing store. Preferably, the contents of the backing store are saved despite a shutdown or power failure. Information may be stored by the backing store in the form of files, each file including contents and attributes. The content of a file includes the information stored within the file, while the attributes of the file include information relating to the file. When a change is made to the file contents, both the changed version and the version prior to the changes may be stored in the backing store. For each version of the file contents, associated attributes are also stored. However, when a change is made to the attributes of the file without a change to its contents, the newly changed attributes may be stored in the backing store along with the prior version of the attributes. The newly changed attributes and the prior version of the attributes then share the same version of the file contents. By avoiding having to store multiple versions of the file contents, storage space in the backing store is preserved. A pointer may be provided in the backing store which links both the newly changed attributes and the prior attributes to the same copy of the associated file contents.

Claims

1. A method of storing changes to an attribute of a file comprising steps of:

altering an attribute of a file, prior to said altering, the attribute being included in a prior set of attributes of the file stored in a memory device;

storing in the memory device a new set of attributes, said new set of attributes including the altered attribute;

storing in the memory device a single version of file contents; and

sharing the file contents by the prior set of attributes and the new set of attributes.

2. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein said altering is performed in connection with the development of a website, extranet site or intranet site and wherein the file contents includes information which is to be accessible via the website, extranet site or intranet site.

3. The method according to

claim 2

, wherein said altering is performed in a work area and further comprising submitting the altered attribute for storage in the memory device, the memory device being part of a development server.

4. The method according to

claim 1

, further comprising forming a pointer in response to said altering the attribute wherein the pointer associates the new set of attributes with the file contents.

5. The method according to

claim 1

, further comprising:

altering the file contents; and

discontinuing said sharing of the file contents in response to said altering of the file contents.

6. The method according to

claim 5

, further comprising:

storing a new file contents, the new file contents including the file contents as altered by said altering the file contents.

7. The method according to

claim 5

, further comprising retaining in the memory device the file contents, prior to being altered by said altering the file contents, in association with one of the prior set of attributes or the new set of attributes.

8. The method according to

claim 5

, wherein said storing stores the new file contents in association with the new set of attributes when the file contents are accessed via the new set of attributes for performing said altering and further comprising updating the new set of attributes so as to reflect the changed file contents.

9. The method according to

claim 5

, wherein said storing stores the new file contents in association with the prior set of attributes when the file contents are accessed via the prior set of attributes for performing said altering and further comprising updating the prior set of attributes so as to reflect the changed file contents.

10. The method according to

claim 1

, further comprising:

altering an attribute of the new set of attributes thereby forming a third set of attributes;

sharing said file contents by the prior set of attributes, the new set of attributes and the third set of attributes.

11. The method according to

claim 10

, further comprising forming a pointer in response to said altering an attribute wherein the pointer associates the new set of attributes and the third set of attributes with the file contents.

12. The method according to

claim 11

, wherein the new set of attributes and the third set of attributes each includes an identification of the pointer.

13. The method according to

claim 10

, further comprising:

forming a first pointer in response to said altering an attribute of the file, wherein the first pointer associates the new set of attributes with the file contents; and

forming a second pointer in response said altering the attribute of the new set of attributes wherein the second pointer associates the third set of attributes with the file contents.

14. The method according to

claim 13

, wherein the new set of attributes includes an identification of the first pointer and wherein the third set of attributes includes an identification of the second pointer.

15. An apparatus for storing changes to an attribute of a file, the apparatus having physical memory comprising:

a work area including a file undergoing development, the file having a prior set of attributes and file contents; and

a staging area for receiving an alteration made in the work area to an attribute of the prior set of attributes wherein in response to receiving the changed attribute, a new set of attributes is stored in the memory, the new set of attributes including the altered attribute and the file contents being shared by the prior set of attributes and the new set of attributes.

16. The apparatus according to

claim 15

, further comprising an edition area for storing contents of a website, extranet site or intranet site and wherein the file contents includes information which is to be accessible via the website, extranet site or intranet site.

17. The apparatus according to

claim 15

, wherein said memory further comprises a persistent backing store memory for storing the prior set of attributes, the new set of attributes and the shared file contents.

18. The apparatus according to

claim 15

, further comprising a pointer stored in the memory for associating the new set of attributes with the file contents.

19. The apparatus according to

claim 15

, wherein when an alteration is made to the file contents in the work area, the file contents are no longer shared by the prior set of attributes and the new set of attributes.

20. The apparatus according to

claim 19

, wherein a new file contents, as altered by said alteration to the file contents, is stored in the memory.

21. The apparatus according to

claim 20

, wherein the memory device stores the file contents, prior to being altered by said alteration to the file contents, in association with one of the prior set of attributes or the new set of attributes, said prior set of attributes or new set of attributes updated so as to reflect the changed file contents.