Tool-based iterative document management

• US 20040133858A1
• Filed: 01/02/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Veanes, Margus, Barnett, Michael, Nachmanson, Lev Borisovich, Reid, Jacqueline Lynette
• Granted Patent: US 7,337,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/530
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A change management method and system for tool-based document generation which incorporates tool input changes, tool changes, and user changes during iterative document creation. After a tool-based document is generated and saved by a tool, and then edited by a user, during a next iteration of creating the edited document, the tool first generates a new base document. The base document is then saved, and a three-way merge is performed on the former iteration'"'"'s base document, this iteration'"'"'s new base document, and the former iteration'"'"'s edited document. The former iteration'"'"'s base document serves as the base of the merge process. The merge outputs a merged document, and when further edits are needed, the merged document is edited, and saved as the edited document. If no edits are necessary, the merged document is saved directly as the edited document. In each iteration, the new base document and the edited document are saved for a possible next iteration.

Claims

1. A method for iterative tool-based document generation, comprising:

receiving a request to generate a document;

if a prior base document does not exist or a user document does not exist,

generating a base document and copying it to become a user document;

if both the prior base document and the user document exist,

generating a base document,

generating a merge document using a three file merge of the generated base document, the prior base document, and the user document, using the prior base document as the base of the merge, and

if the merge is accepted,

moving a merged document to become the user document, and

moving the generated base document to replace the prior base document, and

if the merge is not accepted,

the prior base document and the user document remain the same.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving edits to the user document.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the changes in the generated base document from the prior base document are changes made by a tool.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the generated base document is a new tool generated document, and the merge document is a three file merge output from the tool, which received as input, the new tool generated document, the prior base document, and the user document, with the prior base document as the base of the merge.

5. A method for iterative document generation, comprising:

receiving a request to generate a document;

generating and saving a base document for a present iteration;

obtaining a prior iteration'"'"'s base document, and the prior iteration'"'"'s edited document; and

creating a merged document for the present iteration comprising a three file merge of the base document, the prior iteration'"'"'s base document, and the prior iteration'"'"'s edited document, using the prior iteration'"'"'s base document as base for the merge.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising receiving edits to the merged document, and saving the edited merged document as an edited document for the present iteration.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the request to generate a document comprises a request to open the prior iteration'"'"'s edited document.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein generating the base document for the present iteration further comprises presenting configuration options to a user in a graphical user interface.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein a prior version of a template was used in creating the prior iteration'"'"'s base document.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein executable code generating the base document for the present iteration, has been changed since generating the prior iteration'"'"'s base document.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the prior iteration was the first iteration.

12. The method of claim 6 wherein a wizard program tool is used to generate the base document for the present iteration, a merge program is used for creating the merged document, and an editor program is used to receive the edits and save the edited document.

13. A computer system for managing change during iterative tool-based document generation, the system comprising:

a central processing unit transferring data and instructions from memory via a bus;

computer executable instructions being executed by the central processing unit, the executable instructions comprising instructions for,

creating and saving a base document containing content from a tool input;

merging the base document with a prior iteration'"'"'s base document and a prior iteration'"'"'s edited document to create a merged document;

receiving edits to the merged document and saving the edited merged document as an edited document.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising, in a next iteration:

creating and saving a new base document containing content from a tool input; and

merging the base document with the new base document and the edited document to create a new merged document.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein creating and saving the base document further comprises presenting a graphical user interface and receiving document configuration inputs through an input device.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein a prior version of the tool input was used in creating the prior iteration'"'"'s base document.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein an executable instruction creating and saving the base document, has been changed since generating the prior iteration'"'"'s base document.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the present iteration is a third iteration.

18. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for iterative tool-based document change management, the instructions comprising:

generating a base document for a present iteration comprising content from a tool input;

saving two copies of the base document;

obtaining a prior iteration'"'"'s base document, and the prior iteration'"'"'s edited document;

creating a merged document for the present iteration comprising three-file merging the prior iteration'"'"'s base document, the prior iteration'"'"'s edited document, and the present iteration'"'"'s base document; and

receiving edits to the merged document, and saving the edited merged document as the present iteration'"'"'s edited document.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein the tool input contains content which was not present in a prior version of the tool input, and that content is added to the base document.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein the computer readable instructions that generated the base document have been changed since the prior iteration'"'"'s base document was created.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein the instructions for generating the base document, creating the merged document, and receiving edits, are part of a same computer program.