System and process for managing content organized in a tag-delimited template using metadata

• US 6,732,331 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2000
• Issued: 05/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DataCloud Technologies, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Twain Typesetting LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Alexander, Vlad
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Basehoar, Adam L.
• Application Number:
  US09/504,624
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 715/513, 715/500.1, 715/505, 715/506, 707/10
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

A system and process for managing content organized in a tag-delimited template using metadata are described. A stored template written in a tag-delimited language is retrieved. The retrieved template is converted into an object representation of a metadata entry form. A user interface exported by the object representation is initialized. A data entry form is built including individual data entry elements responsive to user selections on the user interface of the metadata form. Each data entry element includes a set of information attributes describing the data entry element. The data entry elements of the data entry form are defined as one or more classes within the retrieved template. The data entry form is rendered by enumerating each of the one or more classes of the stored template and generating each data entry element of the one or more enumerated classes as described by the set of information attributes.

Claims

1. A system for managing content organized in a tag-delimited template using metadata, comprising:

a template written in a tag-delimited language and retrieved from a data store;

a content management framework converting the retrieved template into an object representation of a metadata entry form and initializing a user interface exported by the object representation, the content management framework comprising;

a form builder building a data entry form comprising individual data entry elements responsive to user selections on the user interface of the metadata form, each data entry element comprising a set of information attributes describing the data entry element, wherein at least one of the data entry elements is nested within another data entry element;

an element builder defining the data entry elements of the data entry form as one or more classes within the retrieved template and rendering the data entry form, the element builder enumerating each of the one or more classes of the stored template;

a render controller generating each data entry element of the one or more enumerated classes as described by the set of information attributes;

an object model encapsulating the one or more classes corresponding to the at least one nested data entry element within the class corresponding to the another data entry element; and

the element builder recursively enumerating the one or more classes as the data entry form is rendered.

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

a cookie map retrieved from the data store and associated with the stored template, the cookie map comprising a list of cookies which each uniquely identify one such data entry element within the data entry form and the set of information attributes describing that data entry element;

the element builder generating each data entry element of the data entry form using the set of information attributes stored in the cookie for that data entry element.

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

content retrieved from the data store and corresponding to each data entry element of the rendered data entry form; and

a validator validating the retrieved content during the generation of the data entry element.

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

an adapter adapting the data entry form from the tag-delimited language into a Web page representation.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein each data entry element comprises a control and the one or more classes corresponding to the control each comprise a set of properties.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the control is selected from at least one member of the group comprising a checkbox, radio buttons, multi-line selection list, single-line selection list, text area, text field, and file upload.

7. A system according to claim 5, further comprising:

the element builder associating a validator with each control; and

the render controller validating content input via the control.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the validator is selected from at least one member of the group comprising a document, date, electronic mail address, list, file, number, string, and Uniform Resource Locator.

9. A process for managing content organized in tag-delimited template using metadata, comprising:

retrieving a stored template written in a tag-delimited language;

converting the retrieved template into an object representation of a metadata entry form;

initializing a user interface exported by the object representation;

building a data entry form comprising individual data entry elements responsive to user selections on the user interface of the metadata form, each data entry element comprising a set of information attributes describing the data entry element, wherein at least one of the data entry elements is nested within another data entry element;

defining the data entry elements of the data entry form as one or more classes within the retrieved template;

rendering the data entry form, comprising;

enumerating each of the one or more classes of the stored template; and

generating each data entry element of the one or more enumerated classes as described by the set of information attributes;

encapsulating the one or more classes corresponding to the at least one nested data entry element within the class corresponding to the another data entry element; and

recursively enumerating the one or more classes as the data entry form is rendered.

10. A process according to claim 9, further comprising:

retrieving a cookie map associated with the stored template, the cookie map comprising a list of cookies which each uniquely identify one such data entry element within the data entry form and the set of information attributes describing that data entry element;

generating each data entry element of the data entry form using the set of information attributes stored in the cookie for that data entry element.

11. A process according to claim 9, further comprising:

retrieving stored content corresponding to each data entry element of the rendered data entry form; and

validating the retrieved content during the generation of the data entry element.

12. A process according to claim 9, further comprising:

adapting the data entry form from the tag-delimited language into a Web page representation.

13. A process according to claim 9, wherein each data entry element comprises a control and the one or more classes corresponding to the control each comprise a set of properties.

14. A process according to claim 13, wherein the control is selected from at least one member of the group comprising a checkbox, radio buttons, multi-line selection list, single-line selection list, text area, text field, and file upload.

15. A process according to claim 13, further comprising:

associating a validator with each control; and

validating content input via the control.

16. A process according to claim 15, wherein the validator is selected from at least one member of the group comprising a document, date, electronic mail address, list, file, number, string, and Uniform Resource Locator.

17. A computer-readable storage medium holding code for managing content organized in a tag-delimited template using metadata, comprising:

retrieving a stored template written in a tag-delimited language;

converting the retrieved template into an object representation of a metadata entry form;

initializing a user interface exported by the object representation;

building a data entry form comprising individual data entry elements responsive to user selections on the user interface of the metadata form, each data entry element comprising a set of information attributes describing the data entry element, wherein at least one of the data entry elements is nested within another data entry element;

defining the data entry elements of the data entry form as one or more classes within the retrieved template;

rendering the data entry form, comprising;

enumerating each of the one or more classes of the stored template; and

generating each data entry element of the one or more enumerated classes as described by the set of information attributes

encapsulating the one or more classes corresponding to the at least one nested data entry element within the class corresponding to the another data entry element; and

recursively enumerating the one or more classes as the data entry form is rendered.

18. A storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising:

retrieving a cookie map associated with the stored template, the cookie map comprising a list of cookies which each uniquely identify one such data entry element within the data entry form and the set of information attributes describing that data entry element;

generating each data entry element of the data entry form using the set of information attributes stored in the cookie for that data entry element.

19. A storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising:

retrieving stored content corresponding to each data entry element of the rendered data entry form; and

validating the retrieved content during the generation of the data entry element.

20. A storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising:

adapting the data entry form from the tag-delimited language into a Web page representation.

21. A storage medium according to claim 17, wherein each data entry element comprises a control and the one or more classes corresponding to the control each comprise a set of properties.

22. A storage medium according to claim 21, further comprising:

associating a validator with each control; and

validating content input via the control.

23. A system for managing Web content using metadata on a content management framework, comprising:

a template stored in a data store and defining a set of properties of and characterizing one or more data entry controls for use in a data entry form, the data entry controls and the properties formed into classes comprising metadata, wherein the class are recursively definable;

a form builder exposing an interface of the template that defines a public method with which the data entry form can be built;

an element builder building the data entry form as a set of Web page elements responsive to a call to the public method of the template, comprising setting the one or more properties of the data entry form for each metadata class and creating the one or more data entry controls within the data entry form for each metadata class;

a render controller rendering the data entry form as source code in a tag-delimited page description language; and

the element builder enumerating each recursively defined class and recursively generating the one or more data entry controls and the properties for each such recursively defined class.

24. A system according to claim 23, wherein each data entry control comprises at least one member of the group comprising a checkbox control, a file upload control, a multi-line selection control, a radio button control, a single-line selection control, a text area control, and a text field control.

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

the element builder associating a validator with each data entry control within the data entry form, the validator performing validation of data entered into the data entry form through the data entry control.

26. A system according to claim 25, wherein the validator comprises at least one member of the group comprising a date validator, a default validator, a document validator, an electronic mail address validator, a number validator, and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) validator.

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

the element builder associating an adapter with the data entry form, the adapter modifying rendering of the data entry form based on the template type.

28. A system according to claim 27, wherein the adapter comprises at least one member of the group comprising a default document adapter and a default template adapter.

29. A system according to claim 23, wherein the data entry form is new data entry form, further comprising:

form builder determining whether the new data entry form is associated with stored Web page content and retrieving the associated stored Web page content into the new data entry form if such association exists.

30. A system according to claim 23, wherein the data entry form is an existing data entry form, further comprising:

the form builder retrieving stored Web page content associated with the existing data entry form, updating the existing data entry form with the retrieved Web page content, and modifying the existing data entry form responsive to a user request during the processing of the template.

31. A system according to claim 30, further comprising:

the form builder recursively defining one or more data entry controls as a child class contained within a parent class responsive to a user selection on the interface of the template.

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

a Web server executing the data entry form and storing Web content received therefrom in the data store and rendering Web pages based on the stored Web content retrieved from the data store.

33. A system according to claim 23, wherein the content management framework is embodied as an object model in an object-oriented programming language.

34. A process for managing Web content using metadata in a content management framework, comprising:

processing a template defining a set of properties of and characterizing one or more data entry controls for use in a data entry form, the data entry controls and the properties formed into classes comprising metadata, wherein the classes are recursively definable;

exposing an interface of the template that defines a public method with which the data entry form can be built;

building the data entry form as a set of Web page elements responsive to a call to the public method of the template, comprising;

setting the one or more properties of the data entry form for each metadata class;

creating the one or more data entry controls within the data entry form for each metadata class;

rendering the data entry form as source code in a tag-delimited page description language;

enumerating each recursively defined class; and

recursively generating the one or more data entry controls and the properties for each such recursively defined class.

35. A process according to claim 34, wherein each data entry control comprises at least one member of the group comprising a checkbox control, a file upload control, a multi-line selection control, a radio button control, a single-line selection control, a text area control, and a text field control.

36. A process according to claim 34, the operation of processing the template further comprising:

associating a validator with each data entry control within the data entry form, the validator performing validation of data entered into the data entry form through the data entry control.

37. A process according to claim 36, wherein the validator comprises at least one member of the group comprising a date validator, a default validator, a document validator, an electronic mail address validator, a number validator, and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) validator.

38. A process according to claim 34, the operation of processing the template further comprising:

associating an adapter with the data entry form, the adapter modifying rendering of the data entry form based on the template type.

39. A process according to claim 38, wherein the adapter comprises at least one member of the group comprising a default document adapter and a default template adapter.

40. A process according to claim 34, wherein the data entry form is new data entry form, further comprising:

determining whether the new data entry form is associated with stored Web page content; and

retrieving the associated stored Web page content into the new data entry form if such association exists.

41. A process according to claim 34, wherein the data entry form is an existing data entry form, further comprising:

retrieving stored Web page content associated with the existing data entry form;

updating the existing data entry form with the retrieved Web page content; and

modifying the existing data entry form responsive to a user request during the processing of the template.

42. A process according to claim 41, further comprising:

recursively defining one or more data entry controls as a child class contained within a parent class responsive to a user selection on the interface of the template.

43. A process according to claim 34, further comprising:

executing the data entry form and storing Web content received therefrom in a data store; and

rendering Web pages based on the stored Web content retrieved from the data store.

44. A process according to claim 34, wherein the content management framework is embodied as an object model in an object-oriented programming language.

45. A computer-readable storage medium holding code for managing Web content using metadata in a content management framework, comprising:

processing a template defining a set of properties of and characterizing one or more data enter controls for use in a data entry form, the data entry controls and the properties formed into classes comprising metadata, wherein the classes are recursively definable;

exposing an interface of the template that defines a public method with which the data entry form can be built;

building the data entry form as a set of Web page elements responsive to a call to the public method of the template, comprising;

setting the one or more properties of the data entry form for each metadata class;

creating the one or more data entry controls within the data entry form for each metadata class;

rendering the data entry form as source code in a tag-delimited page description language;

enumerating each recursively defined class; and

recursively generating the one or more data entry controls and the properties for each such recursively defined class.

46. A storage medium according to claim 45, the operation of processing the template further comprising:

associating a validator with each data entry control within the data entry form, the validator performing validation of data entered into the data entry form through the data entry control.

47. A storage medium according to claim 45, the operation of processing the template further comprising:

associating an adapter with the data entry form, the adapter modifying rendering of the data entry form based on the template type.

48. A storage medium according to claim 45, wherein the data entry form is new data entry form, further comprising:

determining whether the new data entry form is associated with stored Web page content; and

retrieving the associated stored Web page content into the new data entry form if such association exists.

49. A storage medium according to claim 45, wherein the data entry form is an existing data entry form, further comprising:

retrieving stored Web page content associated with the existing data entry form;

updating the existing data entry form with the retrieved Web page content; and

modifying the existing data entry form responsive to a user request during the processing of the template.

50. A storage medium according to claim 49, further comprising:

recursively defining one or more data entry controls as a child class contained within a parent class responsive to a user selection on the interface of the template.

51. A storage medium according to claim 45, further comprising:

executing the data entry form and storing Web content received therefrom in the data store; and

rendering Web pages based on the stored Web content retrieved from the data store.