Encoding of markup language data

• US 20070044012A1
• Filed: 08/19/2005
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Soderberg, Joel, Suver, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,739,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]

Abstract

Markup-language documents are converted into compacted markup-language form by using a number of parameterized macros. A parameterized macro takes at least one parameter. When compacting markup-language documents, a sequence of elements is replaced by references to a macro and to parameter(s), where the macro, when used with the parameters, yields the sequence of elements. The macros used may either be predetermined, from a static dictionary, may be generated on the fly, or mix of both. The definitions of macros may be included in the compacted markup-language information in order to allow a recipient of the compacted markup-language information to expand the macro reference and parameter(s) into the sequence of elements which had been replaced.

Claims

1. A method for encoding markup-language information for transmission, where said markup-language information comprises a sequence, said sequence comprising at least two ordered elements, said at least two ordered elements comprising at least one data element and at least one tag element associated with each data element, the method comprising:

selecting a macro corresponding to said sequence, where said macro takes at least one parameter, and where using at least one specific data element from among said at least one data elements for each of said at least one parameter to said macro yields said sequence; and

substituting said sequence in said markup-language information with macro data comprising a reference to said macro and to said specific data elements in said markup-language information, said substitution resulting in modified markup-language information.

2. The method of claim 1, where said selection of a macro comprises:

selecting a pre-existing macro from a set of at least one pre-existing macros.

3. The method of claim 2 where said set of pre-existing macros is a static dictionary comprising a set of macros, where said static dictionary is available to a recipient of said transmission.

4. The method of claim 1, where said step of selecting a pre-existing macro comprises:

generating said macro corresponding to said sequence.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding said definition for said macro to said modified markup-language information.

6. The method of claim 1, where said steps of selecting a macro for a sequence and substituting said sequence with a reference to said macro and said specific data elements are performed iteratively for at least two sequences in said markup-language information.

7. The method of claim 1, where said modified markup-language information comprises a second sequence comprising at least two second sequence elements, where each of said second sequence elements comprise a reference to a macro, a data element, or a tag element associated with a data element, and where said steps of selecting a macro for a sequence and substituting said sequence with macro data comprising a reference to said macro and said specific data elements are performed iteratively for at least two sequences in said markup-language information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tokenizing said modified markup-language information, said tokenization comprising using a token to represent said macro in said macro data.

9. A system for preparing markup-language information for transmission, where said markup-language information comprises an information sequence, said sequence comprising at least two ordered elements, said at least two ordered elements comprising at least one data element and at least one tag element associated with each data element, the system comprising:

macro storage for storing a set of macros, where each of said macros takes at least one element as a parameter;

macro selector for selecting a specific macro from said set of macros, where said specific macro, when applied to a parameter set comprising one or more specific parameters, yields said information sequence; and

sequence substituter for substituting said information sequence with macro data comprising a reference to said specific macro and to parameters set, yielding revised markup-language information.

10. The system of claim 9, where said macro storage comprises a set of at least one pre-existing macros.

11. The system of claim 10 where said set of pre-existing macros is a static dictionary comprising a set of pre-defined macros, where said static dictionary is available to a recipient of said transmission.

12. The system of claim 9, where said macro selector further generates said specific macro corresponding to said sequence and stores said specific macro in said macro storage.

13. The system of claim 9, where said revised markup-language information comprises a second sequence, where said macro selector selects a second specific macro from said set of macros where said second specific macro, when applied to a second parameter set comprising one or more specific parameters, yields said second sequence, and where said sequence substituter substitutes said second sequence in said revised markup-language information with second macro data comprising a reference to said second specific macro and said second parameter set.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

tokenizer for tokenizing said revised markup-language information, said tokenizer substituting a token representing said macro for said macro reference in said revised markup-language information.

15. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions executable by a computer, said instructions for performing steps comprising:

receiving first information comprising macro data, said macro data comprising a reference to a macro and at least one parameter for said macro;

obtaining a macro definition for said macro;

applying said macro definition to said parameters to yield a result sequence; and

substituting said result sequence for said macro data in said first information to yield second information.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where, said steps of obtaining a macro definition, applying said macro definition to parameters to yield a result sequence, and substituting said result sequence for said macro data are performed iteratively.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where obtaining a macro definition for said macro comprises:

selecting a pre-existing macro from a set of at least one pre-existing macros.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 where said set of pre-existing macros is a static dictionary comprising a set of macros, where said static dictionary is available to a recipient of said transmission.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where obtaining a macro definition for said macro comprises:

obtaining a macro definition from said first information.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where said step of receiving first information comprising macro data, said macro data comprising a reference to a macro and at least one parameter for said macro further comprises:

expanding tokens in said first information.