Method and apparatus for providing a graphical user interface for creating and editing a mapping of a first structural description to a second structural description

• US 6,678,867 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2001
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• 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): Hong, Stephen S.
• Application Number:
  US09/899,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20020085032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715/515, 715/522, 715/523, 715/530, 715/531
• US Class Current: 715/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product for providing a graphical user interface for creating and editing a mapping of structured information to different structured information, which allows a user to interactively define the mapping. The present invention operates as a user tool by accepting interactive input from a user of a source input, processing the input to display the source input in a format for accepting user commands to create or edit a transformation map of source components to target components. Interactive user input is accepted for selection of an input file to be transformed and selection of a transformation map for the requested transformation. Interactive user input is accepted for processing 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 through the user interface, 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. A method of mapping and transforming information in a first structured format to information in a second structured format, comprising the following steps:

inputting into a map editor a structural description of a first system that communicates over a protocol having a first structured format;

inputting into the map editor a structural description of a second system that communicates over a protocol having a second structured format;

outputting from the map editor to a graphical user interface a representation of a translation between the first structured format and the second structured format;

inputting into a map editor from the graphical user interface user preferences of translation between the first structured format and the second structured format;

outputting from the map editor a map of the translation between the first structured format and the second structured format, based on the inputting from the second system, first system, and graphical user interface into the map editor;

transforming a first document having the first structured format into a second document having a second structured format based on said map.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first structured format has a Document Type Definition (DTD) directed hierarchy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first structured format is derived from Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said first structured format is eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the second structured format is a Document Type Definition (DTD) directed hierarchy.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the second structured format is eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second structured format is derived from Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML).

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first structure format is a database design.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the second structured format is a database design.

7. A method of mapping and transforming information in a first structured format to information in a second structured format, comprising the following steps:

inputting into a map editor a first Document Type Definitions (DTDs) file of a first structured format;

inputting into the map editor a second Document Type Definition (DTDs) file of a second structured format;

inputting into the map editor a first document having a first structured format;

outputting from the map editor a map of the translation between the first structured format and the second structured format, based on the inputting of the first DTDs file, the second DTDs file, and the first document into the map editor;

transforming the first document having the first structured format into a second document having a second structured format based on said map; and

outputting said second document to a browser that supports the second structured format.

8. An apparatus for mapping and transforming information in a first structured format to information in a second structured format, comprising:

a means for inputting into a map editor a structural description of first system that communicates over a protocol having a first structured format;

a means for inputting into the map editor a structural description of a second system that communicates over a protocol having a second structured format;

a means for outputting from the map editor to a graphical user interface a representation of a translation between the first structured format and the second structured format;

a means for inputting into a map editor from the graphical user interface user preferences of translation between the first structured format and the second structured format;

a means for outputting from the map editor a map of the translation between the first structured format and the second structured format, based on the inputting from the second system, first system, and graphical user interface into the map editor;

a means for transforming a first document having the first structured format into a second document having a second structured format based on said map.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first structure format utilizes Document Type Definitions (DTDs).

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said first structured format is eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second structured format utilizes Document Type Definitions (DTDs).

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second structured format is eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

17. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second structured format is derived from Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML).

18. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first structured format is a database design.

19. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second structured format is a database design.

13. An apparatus for mapping and transforming information in a first structured format to information in a second structured format, comprising:

a means for inputting into a map editor a first Document Type Definitions (DTDs) file of a first structured format;

a means for inputting into the map editor a second Document Type Definitions (DTDs) file of a second structured format;

a means for inputting into the map editor a first document having first structured format;

a means for outputting from the map editor a map of the translation between the first structured format and the second structured format, based on the inputting of the first DTDs file, the second DTDs file, and the first document into the map editor;

a means for transforming the first document having the first structured format into a second document having a second structured format based on said map; and

a means for outputting said second document to a browser that su ports the second structured format.