RENDERING AN HTML ELECTRONIC FORM BY APPLYING XSLT TO XML USING A SOLUTION

• US 20090044103A1
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chalecki, Jason P., Sikchi, Prakash, Yiu, Kelvin S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,078,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/33 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

Instructions are received to open an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document. The XML document is searched to locate a processing instruction (PI) containing an entity. The entity, by example, can be a href attribute, a URL, a name, or a character string identifying an application that created an HTML electronic form associated with the XML document. A solution is discovered using the entity. The XML document is opened with the solution. The solution includes an XSLT presentation application and an XML schema. The XML document can be inferred from the XML schema and portions of the XML document are logically coupled with fragments of the XML schema. The XSLT presentation application is executing to transform the coupled portions of the XML document into the HTML electronic form containing data-entry fields associated with the coupled portions. Data entered through the data-entry fields can be validated using the solution.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an instruction to open a document in a first markup language;

searching the document to locate a processing instruction (PI) including a solution identifier;

discovering a solution using the solution identifier;

opening the document with the solution, wherein;

the solution includes a presentation application in the first markup language and a schema in the first markup language;

the document can be inferred from the schema; and

portions of the document are logically coupled with fragments of the schema;

executing the presentation application to render an electronic form in a second markup language, different form the first markup language, the electronic form containing user input fields associated with the coupled portions;

receiving, through one or more of the user input fields, data input by a user;

validating the data input by the user with one or more of a plurality of validation rules, each of the one or more plurality of validation rules corresponding to one of said user input fields through which data is input by the user, each said validation rule;

mapping to each said validation rule'"'"'s corresponding said user input field by use of a first entity selected from the group consisting essentially of;

a first path expression in the first markup language;

a declarative syntax; and

an entity that is script-based; and

mapping to said coupled portion to which each said validation rule'"'"'s corresponding said user input field is associated, the mapping with a second entity selected from the group consisting essentially of;

a second path expression in the first markup language;

an event handler;

an event handler that determines when a real-time validation tool uses said validation rule;

an event handler that determines when a real-time validation tool uses said validation rule before data received for said coupled portion is held by the document; and

an event handler that determines when a real-time validation tool uses said validation rule after data received for said coupled portion is held by the document, and

if the act of validating determines that the data input by the user is invalid, outputting indicia informing the user that the data input is invalid.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein one or more of the receiving, the searching, the examining, the discovering, the opening, and the executing of the presentation application are performed by the execution of an electronic forms application in the second markup language, the electronic forms application being different from the presentation application in the first markup language used to render the electronic form.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the executing the presentation application comprises applying a stylesheet in the first markup language to the document to create the electronic form; and

the electronic form includes a plurality of elements in the second markup language corresponding to the user input fields.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the solution identifier contains a href attribute that points to a URL;

the discovering the solution comprises discovering the solution using the URL in the PI;

the searching the document further comprises finding a first PI in the document; and

the first PI in the document includes the URL.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the solution further comprises a manifest of all files that can be used for:

representing the document in the electronic form;

allowing the user to input data into the user input fields; and

the act of validating the data that the user inputs into the user input fields.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the coupled portions contain information setting forth all possible documents in the first markup language for the coupled portions.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the user input fields of the electronic form map to a corresponding plurality of nodes in said coupled portions of the document;

and the data input is input for storage in a corresponding said node in the document, and

further comprising outputting data in the first markup language for viewing by the user in the electronic form through the user input fields via the mapping of the user input fields from corresponding said nodes in said coupled portions of the document.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the schema includes a logic application and the act of validating executes the logic application.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the act of validating uses each said validation rule to:

determine if the data received by input from the user into a corresponding said user input field is valid or invalid; and

require the user to correct any data input into the corresponding said user input field that the validation determines to be invalid.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein each said validation rule has an identity that is selected from the group consisting essentially of:

the identity is based on a part of a schema governing a node of the corresponding coupled portion;

the identity is written in script and associated with a node of the corresponding coupled portion; and

the identity is written in a declarative syntax and associated with a node of the corresponding coupled portion.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

each said validation rule includes an alert area display and the indicia comprises the alert area display; and

the act of validating comprises using one said validation rule to determine that the data input from the user into a corresponding said user input field is invalid; and

the act of outputting indicia outputs the corresponding alert area display so as to be associated with the corresponding said user input field.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein each coupled portion comprises a node that has one or more of the validation rules associated therewith.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein one said validation rule includes a requirement that is selected from the group consisting essentially of:

the data received by input from the user into a corresponding said user input field is to be numerical;

the data received by input from the user into a corresponding said user input field is to be textual; and

the data received by input from the user into a corresponding said user input field is to reference another coupled portion in the document.

14. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein each said validation rule includes:

an alert area display; and

how the alert area display is to appear when output.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the solution identifier includes a name; and

discovering the solution comprises discovering the solution using the name in the PI.

16. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the solution identifier includes a target that includes a character string that identifies an application used to create the electronic form associated with the document; and

discovering the solution comprises discovering the solution using the character string.

17. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein:

the discovering the solution comprises discovering the character string in a URL.

18. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein

the character string comprises a URL.

19. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the solution identifier includes at least one of a PI version and a product version; and

discovering the solution comprises discovering the solution using a name associated with the PI version or the product version.

20. A computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform acts comprising:

receiving an instruction to open an document in a first markup language;

searching the document to locate a processing instruction (PI) that contains a solution identifier selected from the group consisting essentially of;

a href attribute that points to a URL;

a name;

a target that includes a character string that identifies an application used to create an electronic form in a second markup language, the first markup language being different from the first markup language, the electronic form being associated with the document; and

a href attribute and at least one of a PI version and a product version;

discovering a solution using the solution identifier;

opening the document with the solution, wherein;

the solution includes or indicates a presentation application in the first markup language and a schema in the first markup language;

the document can be inferred from the schema; and

portions of the document are logically coupled with fragments of the schema;

executing the presentation application to transform the coupled portions of the document into the electronic form in the second markup language containing user input fields associated with the coupled portions;

receiving, through one or more of the user input fields, data input by a user;

validating the data input by the user with one or more of a plurality of validation rules, each of the one or more plurality of validation rules corresponding to one of said user input fields through which data is input by the user, each said validation rule;

mapping to each said validation rule'"'"'s corresponding said user input field by use of a first entity selected from the group consisting essentially of;

a first path expression in the first markup language;

a declarative syntax; and

an entity that is script-based; and

mapping to said coupled portion to which each said validation rule'"'"'s corresponding said user input field is associated, the mapping with a second entity selected from the group consisting essentially of;

a second path expression in the first markup language;

an event handler;

an event handler that determines when a real-time validation tool uses said validation rule;

an event handler that determines when a real-time validation tool uses said validation rule before data received for said coupled portion is held by the document; and

an event handler that determines when a real-time validation tool uses said validation rule after data received for said coupled portion is held by the document, and

if the act of validating determines that the data input by the user is invalid, outputting indicia informing the user that the data input is invalid.