Method and apparatus for form adaptation

• US 20090158134A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wang, Wei, Ling, Yun, Li, Yuangui
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/222
• 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 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for retrieving a form template including one or more rendering attributes for rendering one or more partitions of a form are described. Whether the partitions of the form can be rendered in compliance with style constraints is determined according to the rendering attributes. An updated form template is generated such that at least one of the rendering attributes is updated. Partitions of the form can be rendered based on the updated template in compliance with the style constraints.

Claims

1. A method for designing forms, comprising:

retrieving a form template including one or more rendering attributes for rendering one or more partitions of a form;

determining if the one or more partitions of the form can be rendered in compliance with one or more style constraints according to the one or more rendering attributes; and

generating an updated form template wherein at least one of the one or more rendering attributes are updated and wherein the one or more partitions of the form can be rendered based on the updated template in compliance with the one or more style constraints.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

presenting a user interface including an error message indicating the at least one of the one or more rendering attributes do not satisfy the one or more style constraints.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more rendering attributes include a first rendering attribute having a first rendering value and a second rendering attribute having a second rendering value, and wherein the determination comprises:

determining a rendering value for the first rendering attribute according to the second rendering value and one of the one or more style constraints; and

comparing the rendering value with the first rendering value.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the form template is a structured text document in a markup language including one or more form components corresponding to one or more partitions of the form.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user interface includes a tree representing a document object model of the structured text document, wherein the tree includes one or more tree nodes corresponding to the one or more form components, and wherein the at least one of the one or more rendering attributes are associated with one of the one or more tree nodes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user interface includes a pop up form associated with the one of the one or more tree nodes, and wherein the at least one of the one or more rendering attributes are updated according to the pop up form.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the error message is associated with a link which activates the pop up form including a selection of a plurality of rendering values, wherein the presentation comprises:

determining the plurality of rendering values such that each of the plurality of rendering values for the at least one of the one or more rendering attributes is in compliance with the plurality of style constraints.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more partitions of the form include a table having a plurality of columns and wherein the one of the one or more tree nodes corresponds to the table.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one of the one or more tree nodes includes a link, wherein the user interface includes a pop up form including an order of a list of values corresponding to the plurality of columns in the table, and where the link activates the pop up form to update the order.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the user interface further includes a list of messages including the error message, wherein the tree and the list belong to separate windows in the user interface, and wherein the one of the one or more tree nodes is highlighted.

11. A machine-readable storage medium having instructions therein, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform a method, the method comprising:

retrieving a form template including one or more rendering attributes for rendering one or more partitions of a form;

determining if the one or more partitions of the form can be rendered in compliance with one or more style constraints according to the one or more rendering attributes; and

generating an updated form template wherein at least one of the one or more rendering attributes are updated and wherein the one or more partitions of the form can be rendered based on the updated template in compliance with the one or more style constraints.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising

presenting a user interface including an error message indicating the at least one of the one or more rendering attributes do not satisfy the one or more style constraints.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more rendering attributes include a first rendering attribute having a first rendering value and a second rendering attribute having a second rendering value, and wherein the determination comprises:

determining a rendering value for the first rendering attribute according to the second rendering value and one of the one or more style constraints; and

comparing the rendering value with the first rendering value.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the form template is a structured text document in a markup language including one or more form components corresponding to one or more partitions of the form.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the user interface includes a tree representing a document object model of the structured text document, wherein the tree includes one or more tree nodes corresponding to the one or more form components, and wherein the at least one of the one or more rendering attributes are associated with one of the one or more tree nodes.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the user interface includes a pop up form associated with the one of the one or more tree nodes, and wherein the at least one of the one or more rendering attributes are updated according to the pop up form.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the error message is associated with a link which activates the pop up form including a selection of a plurality of rendering values, wherein the presentation comprises:

determining the plurality of rendering values such that each of the plurality of rendering values for the at least one of the one or more rendering attributes is in compliance with the plurality of style constraints.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more partitions of the form include a table having a plurality of columns and wherein the one of the one or more tree nodes corresponds to the table.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the one of the one or more tree nodes includes a link, wherein the user interface includes a pop up form including an order of a list of values corresponding to the plurality of columns in the table, and where the link activates the pop up form to update the order.

20. An apparatus for designing forms, comprising:

means for retrieving a form template including one or more rendering attributes for rendering one or more partitions of a form;

means for determining if the one or more partitions of the form can be rendered in compliance with one or more style constraints according to the one or more rendering attributes; and

means for generating an updated form template wherein at least one of the one or more rendering attributes are updated and wherein the one or more partitions of the form can be rendered based on the updated template in compliance with the one or more style constraints