Object-oriented system and computer program product for mapping structured information to different structured information

• US 6,085,196 A
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 07/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited, Ricoh Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited, Ricoh Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery, Bhatnagar, Anurag
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US08/997,482
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

An object-oriented system and computer program product for mapping structured information to different structured information, which allows a user to interactively define the mapping. The present invention operates as an object-oriented user tool by accepting interactive input from a user of a source input, by processing the input to display the source input in a format for accepting and processing user commands to create or edit a transformation map of source components to target components. Interactive user input is then accepted and processed for selection of an input file to be transformed and selection of a transformation map to be used for the requested transformation. Interactive user input is accepted and processed for selection of individual components of the first structured information format for mapping, and for selection of options for the target components. Exemplary options for the target components are a null value, the source component itself, a single selected target component, or plural selected target components. Interactive user input is accepted for processing to assign attribute values to components of the second structured information format. Exemplary options for the sources of attribute values are attribute values obtained from the source components, system attribute values, no value, attribute values input interactively by the user, and content of element. Interactive user input is then accepted and processed to initiate processing of a transformation of the source input file in the first structured information format to a target output file in the second structured information format.

Claims

1. An object-oriented system for processing structured information for implementation by a computer in an object-oriented framework, comprising:

a storage means;

a first obtaining means for obtaining an interactive input from a user;

a second obtaining means for obtaining a first structural description of a first structured information format;

a third obtaining means for obtaining a second structural description of a second structured information format;

means for interactively creating a rule to transform an element of the first structured information format into an element of the second structured information format utilizing the interactive input from the user, the first structural description, and the second structural description; and

means for outputting the rule,

wherein at least one of the first obtaining means, the second obtaining means, the third obtaining means, the means for interactively creating, and the means for outputting includes a software object.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first structured information format includes an ISO/IEC 9070 public identifier naming format, the second structured information format includes an operating system file name format, and the means for interactively creating comprises:

means for interactively creating a rule to transform an ISO/IEC 9070 public identifier naming format element into an operating system file name format element utilizing the interactive input from the user, a structural description of the ISO/IEC 9070 public identifier naming format, and a structural description of the operating system file name format.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first structured information format includes a first database variable name format, the second structured information format includes a second database variable name format, and the means for interactively creating comprises:

means for interactively creating a rule to transform a first database variable name format element into a second database variable name format element utilizing the interactive input from the user, a structural description of the first database variable name format, and a structural description of the second database variable name format.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the structured information includes a markup language format, the first structured information format includes a first markup language format, the second structured information format includes a second markup language format, and the means for interactively creating comprises:

means for interactively creating a rule to transform a first markup language format element into a second markup language format element utilizing the interactive input from the user, a structural description of the first markup language format, and a structural description of the second markup language format.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the first markup language format includes a Standard Generalized Markup Language ("SGML"), the second markup language format includes a HyperText Markup Language ("HTML"), and the means for interactively creating comprises:

means for interactively creating a rule to transform an SGML element of the first markup language format into an HTML element of the second markup language format utilizing the interactive input from the user, the first structural description which includes an SGML Document Type Definition ("DTD"), and the second structural description which includes an HTML DTD.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the means for interactively creating comprises:

a map creator object.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the means for outputting the rule comprises:

an object method for outputting the rule to a map object.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein the map creator object comprises:

a reference to a software object for an element for transformation of the first structured information format;

a reference to a software object for an element of the second structured information format, for transformation of the element of the first structured information format;

a reference to a software object for a property of the element of the second structured information format, for transformation of the element of the first structured information format;

a reference to a software object for an attribute value of the element of the second structured information format, for transformation of the element of the first structured information format;

an object method for obtaining the element for transformation of the first structured information format, which has been interactively selected by the user, using the software object for the element for transformation of the first structured information format;

an object method for obtaining the element of the second structured information format which corresponds to the element of the first structured information format, which has been interactively selected by the user, using the software object for the element of the second structured information format;

an object method for determining a property of the element of the second structured information format which has been selected by the user, using the software object for a property of the element of the second structured information format;

an object method for obtaining a second structured information format attribute value which has been interactively input by a user, using the software object for the attribute value of the element of the second structured information format; and

an object method for assigning the attribute value which has been interactively input by a user to the second structured information format attribute value.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the map creator object further comprises:

a reference to a software object for registering an instance of an element for transformation of the first structured information format; and

a reference to a software object for unregistering the instance of an element for transformation of the first structured information format when the element is no longer needed by the map creator.

10. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for processing an element of the first structured information format into a plurality of first structured information format components.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein the means for processing an element of the first structured information format into a plurality of first structured information format components comprises:

a parser object.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the parser object comprises:

a reference to the element of the first structured information format;

a reference to a storage area for the plurality of first structured information format components; and

an object method for processing the element of the first structured information format into the plurality of first structured information format components for storage in the storage area for the plurality of first structured information format components.

13. A system according to claim 12, further comprising:

means for utilizing the rule to transform the element of the first structured information format into the element of the second structured information format.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the means for utilizing the rule to transform the element of the first structured information format into the element of the second structured information format comprises:

a transformer object.

15. A system according to claim 1, wherein the means for obtaining an interactive input from a user comprises:

a user interface object.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the user interface object comprises:

a reference to a software object for user input;

an object method for obtaining interactive input from the user of a selection of an element for transformation of a first structured information format using the software object for user input; and

an object method for obtaining interactive input from the user of a selection of an element of a second structured information format which corresponds to the element of the first structured information format using the software object for user input.

17. A system according to claim 15, wherein the user interface object further comprises:

a reference to a software object for user input of a selection of a transformation to be performed on the element of the first structured information format; and

an object method for obtaining interactive input from the user of the selection of a transformation to be performed on the element of the first structured information format using the software object for user input of the selection of the transformation.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the means for interactively creating a rule to transform an element of a first structured information format into an element of a second structured information format utilizing the interactive input from the user further comprises:

a reference to a software object for a rule to be created; and

an object method for creating a rule to map the second element of the first structured information format to a null string using the software object for the rule to be created, when the selection of a transformation which has been input by the user indicates a null transformation is to be performed.

19. A system according to claim 17, wherein the means for interactively creating a rule to transform an element of a first structured information format into an element of a second structured information format utilizing the interactive input from the user further comprises:

a reference to a software object for a rule to be created; and

an object method for creating a rule to map the second element of the first structured information format to a copy of the second element of the first structured information format using the software object for the rule to be created, when the selection of a transformation which has been input by the user indicates a transformation of the second element of the first structured information format to a copy of the second element of the first structured information format is to be performed.

20. A system according to claim 15, wherein the user interface object further comprises:

a reference to a software object for an interactive user input of a source for inputting the second structured information format attribute value;

a reference to a software object for an interactive user input of the second structured information format attribute value;

an object method for obtaining interactive input from the user of the source for inputting the second structured information format attribute value using the software object for the interactive user input of the source for inputting the second structured information format attribute value; and

an object method for obtaining interactive input from the user of the second structured information format attribute value using the software object for the interactive user input of the second structured information format attribute value.

21. A system according to claim 20, further comprising:

a reference to a software object for a rule to be created;

an object method for examining the source which has been input by the user; and

an object method for assigning a null value to the second structured information format attribute value using the software object for the rule to be created, when the source which has been input by the user indicates no source is to be used.

22. A system according to claim 20, further comprising:

a reference to a software object for a rule to be created;

an object method for examining the source which has been input by the user; and

an object method for assigning a system value to the second structured information format attribute value using the software object for the rule to be created, when the source which has been input by the user indicates a system source is to be used.

23. A system according to claim 20, further comprising:

a reference to a software object for a rule to be created;

an object method for examining the source which has been input by the user; and

an object method for assigning a first structured information format attribute value to the second structured information format attribute value using the software object for the rule to be created, when the source which has been input by the user indicates a first structured information format attribute source is to be used.

24. A system according to claim 20, further comprising:

a reference to a software object for a rule to be created;

an object method for examining the source which has been input by the user; and

an object method for assigning a first structured information format content value to the second structured information format attribute value using the software object for the rule to be created, when the source which has been input by the user indicates a first structured information format content source is to be used.

25. A system according to claim 20, further comprising:

a reference to a storage buffer for the source which has been input by the user;

an object method for examining the source which has been input by the user using the storage buffer for the source which has been input by the user;

an object method for interactively inputting a user input value, when the source which has been input by the user indicates a user input source is to be used; and

an object method for assigning the user input value to the second structured information format attribute value, when the source which has been input by the user indicates a user input source is to be used.

26. A system according to claim 1, wherein the user comprises:

a software object.

27. An object-oriented computer program product for processing structured information for implementation by a computer in an object-oriented framework, comprising:

a storage means;

a first obtaining means for obtaining an interactive input from a user;

a second obtaining means for obtaining a first structural description of a first structured information format;

a third obtaining means for obtaining a second structural description of a second structured information format;

means for interactively creating a rule to transform an element of the first structured information format into an element of the second structured information format utilizing the interactive input from the user, the first structural description, and the second structural description; and

means for outputting the rule,

wherein at least one of the first obtaining means, the second obtaining means, the third obtaining means, the means for interactively creating, and the means for outputting includes a software object.

28. A computer program product according to claim 27, wherein the first structured information format includes ISO/IEC 9070 public identifier naming format, the second structured information format includes an operating system file name format and the means for interactively creating comprises:

means for interactively creating a rule to transform an element of a first structured information format which includes an ISO/IEC 9070 public identifier element into an element of a second structured information format which includes an operating system file name format element utilizing the interactive input from the user, the first structural description which includes a structural description of the ISO/IEC 9070 public identifier format, and the second structural description which includes a structural description of the operating system file name format.

29. A computer program product according to claim 27, wherein the structured information includes database variable names, the first structured information format includes a first database variable name format, the second structured information format includes a second database variable name format, and the means for interactively comprises:

means for interactively creating a rule to transform an element of a first structured information format which includes a first database variable name format element into an element of a second structured information format which includes a second database variable name format element utilizing the interactive input from the user, the first structural description which includes a structural description of the first database variable name format, and the second structural description which includes a structural description of the second database variable name format.

30. A computer program product according to claim 27, wherein the structured information includes markup language, the first structured information format includes a first markup language, the second structured information format includes a second markup language, and the means for interactively comprises:

means for interactively a rule to transform an element of a first structured information format which includes a first markup language element into an element of a second structured information format which includes a second markup language element utilizing the interactive input from the user, the first structural description which includes a structural description of the first markup language, and the second structural description which includes a structural description of the second markup language.

31. A computer program product according to claim 30, wherein the first markup language includes SGML, the second markup language includes HTML, and the means for interactively further comprises:

means for interactively a rule to transform an element of a first markup language which includes an SGML element into an element of a second markup language which includes an HTML element utilizing the interactive input from the user, the first structural description which includes an SGML DTD, and the second structural description which includes an HTML DTD.