Method and system for enabling collaborative authoring of hierarchical documents with versioning

• US 20040230894A1
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: JustSystems Canada, Inc. (Justsystems Corporation)
• Original Assignee: JustSystems Canada, Inc. (Justsystems Corporation)
• Inventors: Coward, Ken, Elza, Dethe, Fergusson, Michael, Flego, Anton
• Application Number:
  US10/817,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230894A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/511
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/137 Hierarchical processing, e.g. outlines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71

Abstract

A method in a computer system is disclosed for enabling authors to work on hierarchical documents. The method comprises retrieving a hierarchical document from a server computing device, modifying the retrieved hierarchical document, sending an indication of the modification to the server computing device, and when the modification cannot be applied on the server computing device, reverting the modified hierarchical document to a current form of the hierarchical document on the server computing device. A system is disclosed for creating a snapshot of a hierarchical document, storing a modification made to the hierarchical document, receiving a request for a version of the hierarchical document, and using the snapshot and stored modification to re-create the requested version.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for loading a version of a hierarchical document, comprising:

creating a snapshot of the hierarchical document;

storing a modification made to the hierarchical document;

receiving a request for a version of the hierarchical document;

locating a snapshot near the requested version of the hierarchical document;

loading the located snapshot; and

using the stored modification to re-create the requested version.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a first snapshot is closer to the requested version than a second snapshot when the first snapshot was created closer in time to a requested time than the time at which the second snapshot was created.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a first snapshot is closer to the requested version than a second snapshot when fewer modifications are stored between the first snapshot and the requested version than between the second snapshot and the requested version.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is received at a server computing device from a client computing device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is generated by a client computing device in response to a message from a server computing device to undo changes the client computing device applied to a local copy of the hierarchical document.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed by a client computing device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed by a server computing device.

8. A computer-readable medium for creating a version of a hierarchical document, the hierarchical document having a node, comprising:

a snapshot of the hierarchical document, wherein the snapshot includes the node and any attributes relating to the node; and

an indication of a mutation applied to the node, wherein the indication includes a time the mutation was applied.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the indication of a mutation includes a user requesting the mutation.

10. A system for loading a version of a hierarchical document, the hierarchical document having a node, comprising:

a component that stores a snapshot of the hierarchical document, the snapshot including the node;

a component that stores a mutation applied to the node; and

a component that loads a version of the hierarchical document.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the loading includes loading a snapshot near an indicated version and applying stored mutations.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the loaded snapshot is nearer the indicated version than another snapshot.

13. A system for loading a version of a hierarchical document, comprising:

a component that creates a snapshot of the hierarchical document;

a component that stores a modification made to the hierarchical document;

a component that receives a request for a version of the hierarchical document;

a component that locates a snapshot near the requested version of the hierarchical document;

a component that loads the located snapshot; and

a component that uses the stored modification to re-create the requested version.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein a first snapshot is closer to the requested version than a second snapshot when the first snapshot was created closer in time to a requested time than the time at which the second snapshot was created.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein a first snapshot is closer to the requested version than a second snapshot when fewer modifications are stored between the first snapshot and the requested version than between the second snapshot and the requested version.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the request is received at a server computing device from a client computing device.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the request is generated by a client computing device in response to a message from a server computing device to undo changes the client computing device applied to a local copy of the hierarchical document.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the method is performed by a client computing device.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the method is performed by a server computing device.