Structural editing operations for network forms

• US 20060161837A1
• Filed: 01/14/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sikchi, Prakash, Kelkar, Amol S., Rivers-Moore, Jonathan E., O'Connor, Brian G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,937,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

Systems and/or methods that enable an operation associated with an altered structure of a data instance of a network form without first altering the structure of the data instance are described. These systems and/or methods, in one embodiment, enable an operation of a network form eventually requiring alteration of a structure of a data instance of the network form without first performing a roundtrip with the network form'"'"'s network computer. In another embodiment, the systems and/or methods approximate a view and editing experience associated with a structural change to a data instance of a network form without structurally changing the data instance.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a selection to enable an operation eventually necessitating an alteration to a structure of a data instance of a network form; and

enabling the operation without first altering the structure of the data instance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of enabling is performed following the act of receiving the selection without first performing a roundtrip to a network computer having the data instance.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling selection of a second operation eventually necessitating an alteration to the structure of the data instance of the network form, the second operation being subordinate to the first operation;

receiving a selection to enable the second operation; and

enabling the second operation without first altering the structure of the data instance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of enabling the operation comprises displaying a view that approximates a transformation of the alteration to the structure of the data instance.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the act of displaying the view approximating the transformation of the alteration comprises:

determining a position in the data instance associated with the selection;

determining an identifier corresponding to this position;

determining one or more viewing pieces associated with the identifier; and

displaying the one or more viewing pieces.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of enabling the operation comprises enabling editing behavior that approximates behavior permitted by a schema governing the alteration to the structure of the data instance.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of enabling editing behavior comprises:

determining a position in the data instance associated with the selection; and

determining the editing behavior in an editing template mapped with this position.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

recording the selection;

communicating the selection to a network computer having the data instance, effective to enable the alteration to the structure of the data instance;

receiving edits from a user; and

communicating the edits to the network computer effective to enable addition of the edits to the data instance.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording the selection and communicating the selection to a network computer having the data instance, wherein the act of communicating the selection is effective to enable the alteration to the structure of the data instance.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a view of the data instance of the network form and wherein the act of receiving the selection is received through the view.

11. A method comprising:

approximating a view associated with a structural alteration of a data instance of a network form; and

approximating an editing experience associated with the structural alteration of the data instance of the network form,

wherein the act of approximating the view and the act of approximating the editing experience are performed without the data instance of the network form having the structural alteration.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the act of approximating the view comprises:

determining a portion of the data instance associated with the structural alteration;

determining one or more viewing pieces associated with this portion; and

removing the one or more viewing pieces from the view.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the act of approximating the view comprises:

determining a position in the data instance at which the structural alteration can be made;

selecting one or more viewing pieces associated with this position; and

displaying the one or more viewing pieces.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the act of approximating the editing experience comprises:

determining a position in the data instance at which the structural alteration can be made; and

selecting the editing behavior associated with this position from an editing template.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a selection to view and edit the structural alteration;

recording the selection; and

following the acts of approximating, communicating the recorded selection to a network computer having the data instance effective to enable the structural alteration to be made to the data instance.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying, prior to the act of approximating the view, a prior view comprising a rendering of the data instance of the network form,

wherein the act of approximating the view comprises altering the prior view to accommodate the approximated view associated with the structural alteration.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving edits from a user enabled by the approximated view and the approximated editing experience.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising communicating the edits and information associated with the structural alteration to a network computer, the information effective to enable the structural alteration of the data instance and the edits effective to enable alteration to data comprised by the structural alteration of the data instance.

19. A method comprising:

receiving a selection to enable an editing operation in a network form, wherein the editing operation requires an alteration of a structure of a data instance of the network form and the data instance is accessible across a communication network but is locally inaccessible;

recording the selection;

displaying a view enabling entry of edits for the editing operation;

enabling behavior for the edits approximating behavior associated with the required alteration of the structure of the data instance;

receiving user edits through the view;

recording the user edits;

communicating the recording of the selection across the communication network effective to enable the alteration to the structure of the data instance; and

communicating the recording of the user edits across the communication network effective to enable alteration of data within the alteration of the structure of the data instance.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the act of recording the user edits comprises;

recording data entered by a user; and

recording a structural context in which the data is entered, and

wherein the act of recording the selection comprises;

recording a command entered by the user; and

recording a structural context in which the command is entered.