Data binding in a word-processing application

• US 20060150085A1
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Little, Robert A., Jones, Brian M., Davis, Tristan A., Sunderland, Mark, Sawicki, Marcin
• Granted Patent: US 7,730,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• 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

Abstract

A word processor application is provided for creating word processor documents wherein the data and presentation can be separated. Data can be stored in a separate location from the presentation surface of the word processor document. Users of the word processor application can establish links (or bindings) between the contents of the data and the presentation surface. A user can modify contents of a word processor document by directly changing the linked data without having to deal with the complexity of the presentation format, which can be constantly changing. A user can modify content of a word processor document, by editing a data store without any knowledge of the current layout of the presentation surface. A user can modify complex backing data through simple document edits, without exposure to the complexities of the data structure.

Claims

1. In a word processor application, a method of providing a word processor document comprising:

creating a presentation surface for displaying contents of the document,

creating a data store for storing document data having an associated structure,

associating a schema file with the data stored within the word processor document,

creating one or more content regions in the word processor document, and

creating one or more bindings associated with the one or more content regions.

2. The word processor application of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises separating the data structure from the presentation surface.

3. The word processor application of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing access to data in the data store.

4. The word processor application of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises editing of the data directly within the data store.

5. The word processor application of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises updating the one or more content regions associated with the data edit.

6. The word processor application of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises updating associated data in the data store based on an edit of one or more content regions.

7. The word processor application of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises creating a dangling reference when a data binding refers to a nonexistent location in the data store.

8. The word processor application of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises exposing a programming interface to the word processor application, and using the programming interface to develop code for causing/reacting to changes in the data store or in one or more content regions of the presentation surface.

9. The word processor application of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises updating content of multiple content regions based on a modification associated with at least one node in the data store.

10. A word processing application for providing a word processor document comprising:

means for creating a store, the store for storing data,

means for adding XML data to the store,

means for associating a schema file with the XML data within the store, wherein the schema defines structure of the data, and

means for creating one or more data binding associating one or more nodes in the store with content regions of the document.

11. The word processing application of claim 10 further comprising a programming means for developing code to monitor the one or more links.

12. The word processor of claim 10 operable to edit multiple linked areas in the document, causing an associated change in the store.

13. The word processor of claim 10 operable to edit a node in the store, causing an associated edit in one or more content regions of the document.

14. The word processor of claim 10, wherein the means for creating a link is further operable to create a dangling or bound link.

15. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components, comprising:

a word processor presentation surface for presenting content of a word processor document,

a first store for storing first data, and

a binding for binding first data in the first store to an area of the document.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising a second store for storing second data.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 further comprising a first schema associated with the first store and a second schema associated with the second store.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 further comprising a programming interface for developing code to monitor the first store.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the word processing application is further operable to create a dangling reference when a link refers to an unknown location in the store.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the word processing application is further operable to create a dangling or bound link.