METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMPLEMENTING WEB PAGES HAVING SMART TABLES

• US 20080022196A1
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Desarnauts, Bernard, Shumann, Michael, Boye, Steven, Escobosa, Marc, Lakshminarayan, Rajagopal, Zauderer, Victor
• Granted Patent: US 9,552,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/243
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• 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 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines

Abstract

A method and apparatus that allows a user to specify whether his web page has primarily row or column layout. Web page editor software designed in accordance with the present invention generates the internal representation of a page (such as HTML) differently depending on how the user specifies the web page. A preferred embodiment of the present invention defaults to a primarily row layout, but allows the user to specify a primarily columnar layout by checking a box displayed by the editor. The editor generates an HTML table representing the page (or each frame of the page). Within the main HTML table, the editor generates HTML subtables, depending on whether the page is laid out using primarily row or column layout. The subtables are defined in such a way that the various elements of the page lined up in either a row or column direction, thus minimizing the problems. In addition, an editor in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention allows the user to define whether the height of text is locked or whether it can be changed when viewed by a browser.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A method for preserving a preferred presentation layout of a web page authored on a first computing system and rendered on one or more second computing systems, wherein, said layout is susceptible to influence by browser configuration on said one or more second computing systems, said method, comprising:

obtaining a layout of display elements on a web page;

determining, using a first computing system, a primary split direction for the web page, preserving a preferred layout of said web page when rendered by one or more second computing systems, wherein said preferred layout is susceptible to influence by browser configuration on said one or more second computing systems;

determining splits of the web page, in the primary split direction; and

generating, after receiving a request from a user, an internal representation of the web page where the layout of the web page is primarily by rows or primarily by columns in accordance with the splits.

11. The method of claim 10 where the step of determining the primary split direction includes the step of receiving input from a user indicating the primary split direction.

12. The method of claim 10 further including the step of enabling the size of selected text of the web page to be locked.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising displaying the web page on a display screen, including indications of the locations in of the determined splits.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the request received from a user is a publish request from a user.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the request received from a user is a preview request from a user.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing program code for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

obtaining a layout of display elements on a web page;

determining a primary split direction for the web page, preserving a preferred layout of said web page when rendered by web browsers hosted by at least one other computer, wherein said preferred layout is susceptible to influence by browser configuration on said web browsers hosted by at least one other computer;

determining splits in the web page, in the primary split direction, and

generating, after receiving a request from a user, an internal representation of the web page where the layout of the web page is primarily by rows or primarily by columns in accordance with the primary split direction.

17. A system for preserving a preferred presentation layout of a web page authored on a first computing system and rendered on one or more second computing systems, wherein, said layout is susceptible to influence by browser configuration on said one or more second computing systems, said system comprising:

a device for obtaining a layout of display elements on a web page, and a primary split direction for the web page preserving a preferred layout of said web page when rendered by various web browsers; and

memory storing software code for determining splits in the web page, in the primary split direction and generating, after receiving a request from a user, an internal representation of the web page where the layout of the web page is primarily by rows or primarily by columns in accordance with the primary split direction.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the primary split direction is set by the user.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the primary split direction is a default setting.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the primary split direction is either vertical or horizontal.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein, for a vertical primary split direction, the software code generates needed splits in a columnar orientation.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein, for a horizontal primary split direction, the software code generates needed splits in a row orientation.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the software code displays the web page indicating the splits.

24. The system of claim 20 wherein the layout includes frames and wherein the software code determines splits for each frame independently.

25. A method for preserving a preferred presentation layout of a web page authored on a first computing system and rendered on one or more second computing systems, wherein, said layout is susceptible to influence by browser configuration on said one or more second computing systems, said method, comprising:

obtaining a layout of display elements on a web page;

determining, using a first computing system, a primary split direction for the web page, preserving a preferred layout of said web page when rendered by one or more second computing systems, wherein said preferred layout is susceptible to influence by browser configuration on said one or more second computing systems;

determining splits of the web page, in the primary split direction; and

enabling the size of selected text of the web page to be locked.

26. The method of claim 25 where the step of determining the primary split direction includes the step of receiving input from a user indicating the primary split direction.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising displaying the web page on a display screen, including indications of the locations in of the determined splits.

28. The method of claim 25 further comprising generating an internal representation of the web page where the layout of the web page is primarily by rows or primarily by columns in accordance with the splits.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the generating step is performed after receiving a publish request from a user.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the generating step is performed after receiving a preview request from a user.