REPRESENTING EXTENSIBLE MARKUP LANGUAGE (XML) AS AN EXECUTABLE HAVING CONDITIONAL AUTHENTICATION OR POLICY LOGIC

• US 20120042355A1
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Morris, Cameron Craig, Muhlestein, Herrick Gordon, Burch, Lloyd Leon
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,770 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

Techniques for representing extensible markup language (XML) in an executable format are presented. An XML document is parsed into its components and content. The components and content are packaged as an executable. Some portions of the executable include authentication logic or policy logic that is subsequently enforced when the executable is processed. The executable is subsequently distributed to recipient machines. The machines process the executable and produce memory loaded versions of the components and content representing the XML document on the machines. The memory loaded versions of the components and content include conditionally added authentication logic of policy logic.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable implemented method to process on a device, comprising:

generating, by the device, an executable that processes to reproduce components and content as an in-memory data structure, the components and content representing an extensible markup language (XML) document; and

configuring, by the device, the executable with authentication and policy logic, the authentication logic providing custom authentication for a recipient that attempts to access the XML document via the executable and the policy logic enforcing dependent resources and licensing restrictions for the XML document when accessed by the recipient, and the policy logic providing log and report processing based on access by the recipient to the XML document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating further includes identifying common logic included within the executable that is common with other executables for other XML documents.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying further includes removing the common logic from the executable and provide a reference for the common logic within the executable to access a common library where the common logic can be acquired and processed with the executable.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying further includes removing the common logic from the executable and the other executables and creating a module within a common library for the common logic, the executable and the other executables modified to reference the common logic from the common library.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating further includes providing logic within the executable that produces the in-memory data structure in a Document Object Model (DOM) format.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating further includes providing the executable in an execution format used by a machine of the recipient.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring further includes configuring the executable to dynamically resolve conditions used with the authentication logic and policy logic based on processing environment variables associated with a machine of the recipient.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable implemented method to process on a device, comprising, comprising:

processing, by the device, an executable to produce a loaded version of components and content for a document in an extensible markup language (XML) formatted data structure accessible from memory of the device; and

enforcing, by the device, authentication logic and policy logic that is part of the executable when a recipient attempts access the XML formatted data structure, the authentication logic processing custom authentication based on the recipient and the policy logic enforcing licensing restrictions for the document and providing report and log processing based on the access of the recipient to the XML formatted data structure.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising, providing, by the device, the XML formatted data structure to XML-enabled applications processing on the device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing further includes providing the XML formatted data structure as a Document Object Model (DOM) data structure.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein enforcing further includes interacting with a user to acquire credentials for processing the authentication logic.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein enforcing further includes making selective portions of the content from the document available to the recipient based on processing the authentication logic.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein enforcing further includes providing the XML formatted data structure to applications on the device without using an XML parser.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein enforcing further includes dynamically enforcing the authentication logic and the policy logic based at least in part on processing environment variables associated with a device, a processing environment associated with the recipient, and an identity of the recipient.

15. A system, comprising:

a processor configured with an extensible markup language (XML) compiler and an XML parser;

the parser configured to parse an XML document into components, each component associated with content, and the XML compiler is configured to translate each component and its content into an executable that when subsequently processed on a machine reconstructs the components and content as a data structure within an environment of that machine, and wherein at least a portion of the executable includes authentication logic and policy logic that the machine enforces when subsequently processing the executable to custom authenticate a recipient for access to the XML document and to enforce licensing restrictions for the XML document.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising, a common library to represent portions of the executable that overlap more than once within the executable or that overlap with portions of other executables, wherein the XML compiler is to bundle the common library with the executable or to insert references to the common library within the portions of the executable.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the policy logic is to conditionally present selective portions of the XML document based on processing the authentication logic.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing logic is to provide report and log processing for when the recipient access the XML document.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the data structure is represented in a Document Object Model (DOM) format.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein a format of the executable produced by the XML compiler is machine-independent.