System and method for obtaining and using namespace related information for opening XML documents

• US 20040205470A1
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sawicki, Marcin, Jones, Brian Michael, Snyder, Daniel Robert, Little, Robert Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,458,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/500
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces

Abstract

A system and method for obtaining and using namespace related information for presenting XML content. A namespace responsive application program determines one or more namespaces contained in an XML document and queries a namespace library to identify namespace related information, such as a solution related to the namespace. The identified namespace related information is retrieved and used for opening the XML document.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable components, comprising:

a namespace library containing namespace related information indexed by a plurality of namespaces; and

an application program configured to open an XML documents referring to at least one of the namespaces, the application program being further configured to query the namespace library with the namespace to retrieve namespace related information associated with the namespace and to use the namespace related information for opening the XML document.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the namespace related information includes at least one location identifier of a solution, and wherein the application program is configured to retrieve the solution using the location identifier and applies the solution for handling the XML document.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the solution includes at least one feature, and wherein the application program is configured to use the feature to enhance the utility of the XML document.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the solution includes at least one XML schema, and wherein the application program is further configured to use information contained in the XML schema to handle the XML document.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the solution includes at least one transform, and wherein the application program is further configured to apply the transform for converting the XML document to a format that the application program can handle.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the transform is an Extensible Style Language (XSL) transform.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the namespace related information includes at least two solutions, and wherein the application program is configured to present the solutions to a user for selection.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the application program is further configured to insert at least one namespace associating the XML document to the application program.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the namespace related information associated with the namespace is contained in a repository, and wherein the application program is configured to retrieve the namespace related information contained in the repository through a network.

10. A computer-implemented method for opening an XML document, comprising:

determining at least one namespace contained in the XML document;

issuing a query using the namespace to identify namespace related information associated with the namespace;

retrieving the identified namespace related information;

if the namespace related information includes at least one solution, applying the solution to open the XML document; and

otherwise, applying a default solution to open the XML document.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising if more than one solution is available, prompting a user to select among the solutions and applying the selected solution to open the XML document.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein if the solution includes at least one XML schema, using information contained in the XML schema to handle the XML document.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein if the solution includes at least one transform, applying the transform to convert the XML document to a format that the application program can handle.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising saving the transformed XML document.

15. In a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a user interface selection device, a method for providing and selecting documents for opening by an application program, comprising:

displaying identifiers corresponding to the documents for selection by the user;

receiving a selection of at least one of the documents from the user;

if the selected document is an XML document, presenting for selection by the user at least two options for opening the selected XML document, one of the options including opening the XML document using a solution; and

if the user selects the option of opening the XML document using the solution, presenting a transformed XML document to the user, the transformed XML document being the original XML document after being converted using the solution.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting identifiers corresponding to a plurality of solutions for selection by the user, the solutions being associated with the selected XML document; and

receiving a selection of at least one of the solutions from the user.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein at least one of the solution identifiers is an alias associated with the solution.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising:

presenting additional document-opening options for selection by the user, the document opening options begin associated with the selected XML document; and

receiving a selection of at least one of the document-opening options from the user.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting an identifier corresponding to at least one feature associated with the solution for selection by the user, the feature enhancing the utilities of the selected XML document; and

receiving a selection of the feature from the user.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the feature identifiers is an alias associated with the feature.