Merging tagged documents and scripts having dynamic content

• US 6,061,698 A
• Filed: 10/22/1997
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Shen, Honghai, Chadha, Atul
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar B.
• Application Number:
  US08/955,884
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/513, 395/701-710
• US Class Current: 715/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and processor for linking a dynamic data fetch command to a document file, the document file initially in a preliminary markup state having at least one matching pair of a special beginning tag and a special ending tag, the tags separately contained in sequential comment statements of the preliminary markup document file, the tags delimiting and identifying an area in the preliminary markup document file for placement of requested dynamic data, the dynamic data fetch command located in a predefined script file having a linkage identifier, comprising the steps of identifying, in the preliminary markup document file, the matching pair of the special beginning tag and the special ending tag to identify the delimited area therebetween; selecting the predefined script file; generating a linked document file from the preliminary markup document file, adding, at the identified area in the preliminary markup document file, the linkage identifier for the selected predefined script file; and merging the predefined script file having the dynamic data variable fetch command with the linked document file.

Claims

1. A method for linking a dynamic data fetch command to a document file, said document file initially in a preliminary markup state having at least one matching pair of a special beginning tag and a special ending tag, said tags separately contained in sequential comment statements of said preliminary markup document file, said tags delimiting and identifying an area in said preliminary markup document file for placement of requested dynamic data, said dynamic data fetch command located in a predefined script file, said predefined script file having a linkage identifier, comprising the steps of:

identifying, in said preliminary markup document file, said matching pair of said special beginning tag and said ending tag, thereby identifying said delimited area therebetween;

selecting said predefined script file;

generating a linked document file from said preliminary markup document file, adding, at said identified area in said preliminary markup document file, said linkage identifier for said selected predefined script file; and

generating a final script file merging said predefined script file having said dynamic data fetch command with said linked document file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification step comprises:

searching said preliminary markup file to identify said comment statements; and

selecting each of said identified comment statements having said special beginning tag, said special beginning tag and a matching pair ending tag delimiting and identifying said area.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein predefined script file selection step comprises responding to each said selected delimited identified area by prompting a user to select one of said preferred script files said user wishes to correspond to said identified area.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said prompting step of said predefined script file selection step additionally comprises presenting all said predefined script file linkage identifiers to said user for selection.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising the additional step of:

in response to a subsequent change to said linked document file, again generating a final script file merging said predefined script file having said dynamic data fetch command with said document file, said linked document file incorporating said subsequent change.

6. A system for linking a dynamic data fetch command to a document file, said document file initially in a preliminary markup state having at least one matching pair of a special beginning tag and a special ending tag, said tags separately contained in sequential comment statements of said preliminary markup document file, said tags delimiting and identifying an area in said preliminary markup document file for placement of requested dynamic data, said dynamic data fetch command located in a predefined script file, said predefined script file having a linkage identifier, comprising:

a search processor for identifying, in said preliminary markup document file, said matching pair of said special beginning tag and said ending tag, thereby identifying said delimited area therebetween;

a prompting processor for responding to each said identification of said identified area by prompting a user to select one of said preferred script files said user wishes to correspond to said identified area;

a linking processor for generating a linked document file from said preliminary markup document file, adding, at said identified area in said preliminary markup document file, said linkage identifier for said selected predefined script file; and

a document generation processor for generating a final script file merging said predefined script file having said dynamic data fetch command with said linked document file.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said prompting processor additionally presents all said predefined script file linkage identifiers to said user for selection.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said document generation processor additionally, in response to a subsequent change to said linked document file, again generates a final script file by merging said predefined script file having said dynamic data fetch command with said linked document file.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for linking a dynamic data fetch command to a document file, said document file initially in a preliminary markup state having at least one matching pair of a special beginning tag and a special ending tag, said tags separately contained in sequential comment statements of said preliminary markup document file, said tags delimiting and identifying an area in said preliminary markup document file for placement of requested dynamic data, said dynamic data fetch command located in a predefined script file, said predefined script file having a linkage identifier, comprising:

computer readable program code which causes a computer processor to identify, in said preliminary markup document file, said matching pair of said special beginning tag and said special ending tag, thereby identifying said delimited area therebetween;

computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to respond to each said identification of said identified area by prompting a user to select one of said preferred script files said user wishes to correspond to said identified area;

computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to generate a linked document file from said preliminary markup document file, adding, at said identified area in said preliminary markup visual document file, said linkage identifier for said selected predefined script file; and

computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to generate a final script file merging said predefined script file having said dynamic data fetch command with said linked document file.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to prompt said user, additionally causes said computer processor to present all said predefined script file linkage identifiers to said user for selection.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said computer processor to generate said final script file, additionally, in response to a subsequent change to said linked document file, causes said computer processor to again merge said predefined script file having said dynamic data fetch command with said linked document file.

12. A computer program product usable with a programmable computer having computer readable program code embodied therein for linking a dynamic data fetch command to a document file, said document file initially in a preliminary markup state having at least one matching pair of a special beginning tag and a special ending tag, said tags separately contained in sequential comment statements of said preliminary markup document file, said tags delimiting and identifying an area in said preliminary markup document file for placement of requested dynamic data, said dynamic data fetch command located in a predefined script file, said predefined script file having a linkage identifier, comprising:

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer to identify, in said preliminary markup document file, said matching pair of said special beginning tag and said ending tag, thereby identifying said delimited area therebetween;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer to respond to each said identification of said identified area by prompting a user to select one of said preferred script files said user wishes to correspond to said identified area;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer to generate a linked document file from said preliminary markup document file, adding, at said identified area in said preliminary markup document file, said linkage identifier for said selected predefined script file; and

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer to generate a final script file merging said predefined script file having said dynamic data linkage fetch command with said linked document file.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer to prompt said user, additionally causes said programmable computer to present all said predefined script file linkage identifiers to said user for selection.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein said computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer to generate said final script file, additionally, in response to a subsequent change to said linked document file, causes said programmable computer to again generate a final script file merging said predefined script file having said dynamic data fetch command with said linked document file.