Method of data stream construct management utilizing format shells and shell fragments

• US 4,969,093 A
• Filed: 06/30/1988
• Issued: 11/06/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stark, Jeffrey A., Edel, Thomas R., Barker, Barbara A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS JR, ARCHIE E
• Application Number:
  US07/213,428
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200, 364/300, 364/900
• US Class Current: 718/102
• 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 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/149 Adaptation of the text data for streaming purposes, e.g. Efficient XML Interchange [EXI] format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation

Abstract

A method is disclosed for dynamically redefining a shell structure which includes embedded formatting, processing or resource information. The shell structure includes end user requirements necessary to process constructs within a data stream which are accessed by means of embedded tags within the data stream. Data stream clutter is reduced and end user formatting is rendered more flexible by embedding tags in the data stream to a point in one or more shells accessible by the end user'"'"'s work station; however, it is often desirable to modify a particular shell for a specific application without permanently altering the shell. A formatting shell fragment is created in accordance with the present invention which includes a reference to a complete shell and a temporary modification to be applied to that shell. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention multiple formatting shell fragments may be concatenated with other formatting shell fragments and a complete shell. In this manner, a data stream may be processed by utilizing an existing shell structure which has been temporarily redefined for that purpose.

Claims

1. A method of flexibly managing a data stream processed and transmitted in a manner which allows a high degree of flexibility by accessing a selected formatting shell by means of tags embedded in a data stream, said method comprising the steps performed by a computer of:

creating at least one formatting shell fragment having a reference therein to said selected formatting shell;

embedding at least one tag in said data stream referencing said formatting shell fragment;

accessing said at least one formatting shell fragment in response to detection of said at least one tag; and

processing said data stream in accordance with said selected formatting shell, as modified by said at least one formatting shell fragment.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of creating at least one formatting shell fragment is performed by an originator of the data stream.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of creating at least one formatting shell fragment is performed by an end user independent of the data stream.

4. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of separately transmitting said formatting shell fragment, said selected formatting shell and said data stream.

5. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of storing said formatting shell fragment in a recognizable form.

6. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of creating a second formatting shell fragment having a reference therein to said at least one formatting shell fragment.

7. A method of transmitting, managing and processing of data stream constructs independent of an application program which generated the data stream, said method comprising the steps performed by a computer of:

generating a data stream for transmission from an originating station to a receiving station;

creating at the originating station a selected formatting shell containing processing calls as part of the step of generating said data stream, said data stream having embedded therein tags to said processing calls;

creating at least one formatting shell fragment having a reference to said selected formatting shell, said formatting shell fragment having at least one processing call therein, said data stream having embedded therein at least one tag to said formatting shell fragment;

separately transmitting said data stream and said selected formatting shell to said receiving station;

processing said data stream at said receiving station to detect said tags;

retrieving processing calls identified by said tags from said at least one formatting shell fragment and said selected formatting shell; and

processing said data stream in accordance with said retrieved processing calls.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said step of creating at least one formatting shell fragment is performed at said origination station by an originator of said data stream.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein said step of creating at least one formatting shell fragment is performed by an end user at said receiving station.

10. A method of managing and processing of data stream constructs in a data processing system which permits a high degree of flexibility in passing document data and formatting information from one application program to another, said method comprising the steps performed by a computer of:

using a first application program to generate a data stream describing a document, said data stream including embedded formatting tags;

separately creating a selected a selected formatting shell of processing calls, each of said processing calls linked with one of said formatting tags;

separately creating at least one formatting shell fragment including at least one processing call linked with one of said formatting tags; and

using a second application program to process said data stream by detecting said embedded formatting tags and accessing said processing calls from said selected formatting shell and said at least one formatting shell fragment.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein said steps of separately creating a selected formatting shell and at least one formatting shell fragment are performed using said first application program.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein said step of separately creating a selected formatting shell is performed using said first application program and wherein said step of creating said at least one formatting shell fragment is performed using said second application program.

13. The method according to claim 10 further including the step of storing said selected formatting shell and said at least one formatting shell fragment in a storage device recognized by said system and wherein said second application program accesses said processing calls from said storage device.

14. The method according to claim 10 wherein said steps of separately creating a selected formatting shell and at least one formatting shell fragment are performed using said first application program and further including the step of separately transmitting said data stream, said selected formatting shell and said at least one formatting shell fragment to said second application program.

15. A method of modifying a formatting shell structure containing a plurality of tagged constructs necessary to process portions of a data stream which are accessed by means of embedded tags within the data stream, said method comprising the steps performed by a computer of:

creating a first formatting shell fragment structure containing at least one tagged construct having an identical name to a selected one of said plurality of tagged constructs within said formatting shell structure; and

concatenating said first formatting shell fragment structure and said formatting shell structure by substituting into said formatting shell structure said at least one tagged construct for said selected one of said plurality of tagged constructs.

16. The method according to claim 15 further including the step of creating a second formatting shell fragment structure containing at least one tagged construct having an identical name to a tagged construct within said first formatting shell fragment structure and wherein said second formatting shell fragment structure is concatenated with said first formatting shell fragment structure.