System and method for template creation and execution

• US 20040205584A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Snelling, David A.W., Tu, Shang-Fan, Pezzanite, John Robert
• Application Number:
  US10/185,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20040205584A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/513
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets

Abstract

A system and method for template creation and execution is disclosed. Template execution is subdivided into steps requiring a higher degree of technical knowledge and steps requiring a higher degree of business/organizational knowledge. During template execution, files from each step in the template creation process are retrieved. A template file is parsed for tags, the tags call a definition file, and the definition file accesses a configuration file. Updated configuration information from the configuration file is inserted into the tags.

Claims

1. A template configuration method, comprising the steps of:

retrieving configuration information;

displaying configuration information; and

storing configuration information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving configuration information comprises retrieving at least one of a list of tags, a description of each tag, a list of configuration options for each tag, a description of each configuration option, a current value of each configuration option, and available values for each configuration option.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising retrieving a list of all tags used in a market.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising retrieving a description that a tag is one of a link, an ad, and a headline.

5. The method of claim 2, comprising retrieving a description that a configuration option is one of a uniform resource locator for a link, a title of a link, a size of an ad, and a localized string.

6. The method of claim 2, comprising retrieving available values for each configuration option, the available values of one of the configuration options being dependent on the current value of another configuration option.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising changing the current value of a configuration option in response to a request.

8. A template execution method, comprising the steps of:

parsing a template for a tag;

calling a tag definition to retrieve a current value of a configuration option of the tag;

replacing the tag name with the current value of the configuration option; and

inserting the tag into a result stream.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of if the tag has no configuration option, then inserting the tag directly into the result stream.

10. The method of claim 8, comprising parsing a template for a tag, the tag representing one of a link, an ad, and a headline.

11. The method of claim 8, comprising calling a tag definition written in one of extensible style language transformation, Java, and C #.

12. The method of claim 8, comprising calling a tag definition to retrieve a current value of a configuration option from a configuration file, the configuration file having the current value of all configuration options used in a market.

13. The method of claim 8, comprising calling a tag definition to retrieve a current value of a configuration option, the current value selected from a group of available values.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising calling a tag definition to retrieve a current value of a configuration option, the current value selected from a group of available values dependent on the current value of another configuration option.

15. The method of claim 8, comprising calling a tag definition to retrieve a current value of a configuration option, the configuration option being one of a uniform resource locator for a link, the title of a link, the size of an ad, and a localized string.

16. A system for creation and management of templates for use in a dynamic information system, comprising:

a layout module that includes templates having tags;

an implementation module that implements the tags; and

a configuration module that configures the layout of the dynamic information system in accordance with said templates.

17. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein said tags represent specific software code executed at runtime.

18. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the tags are implemented in one of extensible style language transformation, Java, and C #.

19. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein said configuration module includes business rules for at least one particular market.

20. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein said templates define a layout of said dynamic information system presentation interface.