View templates for HTML source documents

• US 7,051,276 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2000
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Edlund, Carl A., Mogilevsky, Alex, Ovetchkine, Oleg V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Basehoar, Adam L
• Application Number:
  US09/671,815
• Time in Patent Office: 2,064 Days
• Field of Search: 715/517, 715/520, 715/521, 715/518, 715/522, 715/525, 715/513, 715/501.1
• US Class Current: 715/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/114 Pagination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]

Abstract

A View Template allows a template author to create an attractive HTML view template, and flow an arbitrary HTML content document into a series of containers defined in the view template. A content document author creates a standard HTML markup language document that can be displayed in a browser in the bottom-less page model. A view template author designs an HTML view template document that changes how that content document is displayed in the browser or printed. The HTML content document is “flowed” into areas defined by the HTML view template document. The HTML view template document describes where to flow the HTML content document onto the display or printer. There is an object model (OM) that supports the series of containers holding the content document. Each container in the series has a layout that defines the size, location, and ordering for the content document to flow through while in that container. The order of containers that the content document flows through is kept in a view chain. The view chain also maintains a break table with information about the content document at each of the container boundaries.

Claims

1. A method of displaying content documents in accordance with a custom layout on a computer having a display screen, an operating system operating under the control of a textual mark-up engine, and a textual mark-up template document, the method comprising:

parsing in a first tag contained in the textual mark-up template document;

determining from data defined by the first tag, a first textual mark-up content document, a first defined subset of the display screen area, and an identifier of a second tag;

displaying content from the first textual mark-up content document in the first defined subset of the display screen area, and recording an association of the first tag with the second tag;

parsing in a third tag contained in the textual mark-up template document;

determining from data defined by the third tag, a second textual mark-up content document, a second defined subset of the display screen area, and an identifier of a fourth tag;

displaying content from the second textual mark-up content document in the second defined subset of the display screen area, and recording an association of the third tag with the fourth tag;

parsing in the second tag contained in the textual mark-up template document;

determining from a recorded association, that the second tag is associated with the first tag, and displaying overflow from the first textual mark-up content document in a display screen area defined by the second tag;

parsing in the fourth tag contained in the textual mark-up template document; and

determining from a recorded association, that the fourth tag is associated with the third tag, and displaying overflow from the second textual mark-up content document, in a display screen area defined by the fourth tag.

2. In a computer network comprising a server system and a client system, a server-controlled method for generating a textual mark-up presentation document for presentation on an output device coupled to the client system, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the client system for the presentation document;

accessing a template document comprising plural layout tags that define plural content documents and defined areas within the presentation document the plural tags comprising,

a first tag comprising data identifying a first content document, a first defined area within the presentation document, and an identifier of a first-next tag;

a second tag comprising data identifying a second content document, a second defined area within the presentation document, and an identifier of a second-next tag;

the first-next tag identifying a third defined area within the presentation document;

the second-next tag identifying a fourth defined area within the presentation document;

upon parsing in the template document, creating a record comprising associating the first tag with the first content document and the first-next tag, and associating the second tag with the second content document and the second-next tag;

creating the presentation document comprising, determining from associations in the record to place first content document overflow from the first defined area into the third defined area and to place second content document overflow from the second defined area into the fourth defined area; and

sending the presentation document to the client system.

3. In a computer network comprising a server system and a client system, a client-controlled method for generating a textual mark-up presentation document for presentation on an output device coupled to the client system, the method comprising:

receiving a template document at the client system;

determining from a plural tags in the template document plural content documents including a network source for at least one content document and defined areas within the presentation document to flow the plural content documents, the plural tags comprising,

a first tag comprising data identifying a first content document, a first defined area within the presentation document, and an identifier of a first-next tag;

a second tag comprising data identifying a second content document, a second defined area within the presentation document, and an identifier of a second-next tag;

the first-next tag identifying a third defined area within the presentation document;

the second-next tag identifying a fourth defined area within the presentation document;

upon parsing in the template document, creating a record comprising associating the first tag with the first content document and the first-next tag, and associating the second tag with the second content document and the second-next tag;

obtaining the at least one content document from the network source; and

creating the presentation document comprising, determining from associations in the record to place first content document overflow from the first defined area into the third defined area and to place second content document overflow from the second defined area into the fourth defined area;

displaying the presentation document on the output device coupled to the client system.

4. A computer readable medium having computer readable code including a rendering engine and a template stored thereon said template defining a layout for content to occupy, the computer readable code comprising:

the template including plural textual mark-up tags comprising,

a first tag defining a first container area, a first content source to occupy the first container area, and an identifier of a first container overflow tag indicating where to place content from the first content source that overflows the first container area,

the first container overflow tag defining a second container area,

a second tag defining a third container area, a second content source to occupy the third container area, and an identifier of a second container overflow tag indicating where to place content from the second content source that overflows the third container area,

the second container overflow tag defining a fourth container area;

the rendering engine comprising computer executable instructions for,

parsing the template and rendering a document according to the layout defined by the template,

creating a record comprising overflow associations, and placing a first tuple associating the first container overflow tag with the first tag,

parsing in the second tag and determining from the record that the second tag is not represented by tuples in the record comprising the first tuple, and placing in the record, a second tuple associating the second container overflow tag with the second tag, and

parsing in the second overflow tag and determining from the second tuple in the record, to place content from the second content source that overflows the third container area into the fourth container area.

5. A method for customizing textual mark-up documents on a computer network using a textual mark-up content source, a textual mark-up customizing document containing a series of tags and a textual mark-up parsing engine, the method comprising:

parsing in a first tag in the textual mark-up customizing document, the first tag defining a container area and a first textual mark-up content source to be flowed into the defined container area, and the first tag further defining a second tag expected to be found in the customizing document, the second tag to receive an overflow of the first textual mark-up content source if that overflow would not fit within the container area defined by the first tag;

placing in a record a tuple, the tuple associating a unique first tag identifier with a unique second tag identifier;

parsing in the second tag in the textual mark-up customizing document, the second tag defining a container area;

determining from the tuple in the record based on associations of unique identifiers, that the overflow of the first textual mark-up content source defined in the first tag should be placed in the container area defined by the second tag;

before parsing in the second tag, parsing in a third tag in the textual mark-up customizing document, the third tag defining a container area and a second textual mark-up content source to be flowed into the container area defined by the third tag, and the third tag further defining a fourth tag expected to be found in the customizing document, the fourth tag to receive an overflow of the second textual mark-up content source if that overflow would not fit within the container area defined by the third tag;

determining from the record that the third tag is not related to the tuple associating the unique first tag identifier with the unique second tag identifier; and

placing in the record a tuple, the tuple associating a unique third tag identifier with a unique fourth tag identifier.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein textual mark-up content defined in the textual mark-up customizing document is placed into areas in between the container areas defined the first, second, third and fourth tags.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

parsing in an arbitrary tag and determining from the record whether the arbitrary tag is expected to receive textual mark-up content source overflow from a previous container area defined in a previous arbitrary tag based on whether the record associates the arbitrary tag unique identifier with the previous arbitrary tag unique identifier.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

accessing remotely, content from the first textual mark-up content source;

accessing locally, other textual mark-up content; and

flowing the other textual mark-up content outside the container areas defined by the first, second, third, and fourth tags.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the first textual mark-up content source comprises content having both in-flow content elements and positioned content elements, and a record maintains a running total of the sum of the distances occupied by a series of containers defined by a series of related tags including the first tag, the second tag, and at least one other tag, the method comprising:

determining whether content from the first textual mark-up content source comprises an explicit offset request for placement of a positioned element at an explicit offset; and

maintaining a running total of the sum of the distances occupied by the series of containers.

10. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

breaking a flow of the content from the first textual mark-up content source into the container area defined by the first tag upon a container full indication; and

saving a break position where the flow stopped.

11. A computer system comprising:

a digital processor coupled to computer memory;

the computer memory comprising software including a textual mark-up template and a rendering engine;

the textual mark-up template comprising plural tags including,

a first tag comprising data identifying a first content document, a first defined area within a presentation document, and an identifier of a next tag associated with the first tag,

a second tag comprising data identifying a second content document, a second defined area within the presentation document, and an identifier of a next tag associated with the second tag,

the next tag associated with the first tag comprising data defining a third defined area within the presentation document,

the next tag associated with the second tag comprising data defining a fourth defined area within the presentation document; and

the rendering engine comprising computer executable instructions for,

parsing the textual mark-up template,

creating records comprising a first record associating the first content document with the next tag associated with the first tag and a second record associating the second content document with the next tag associated with the second tag,

rendering the presentation document comprising placing first content document overflow from the first defined area into the third defined area based on an association in the first record, and placing second content document overflow from the second defined area into the fourth defined area based on an association in the second record.

12. The computer system of claim 11 further comprising a display and wherein the presentation document is rendered on the display.

13. The computer system of claim 11 further comprising a network connection and wherein the computer system receives a request from a remote client computer over the network connection, and the computer system returns the presentation document in response to the request.

14. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the second content document is obtained from a remote source over a network connection.

15. In a computer system creating textual mark-up documents using a textual mark-up customizing document containing a series of tags and a textual mark-up parsing engine, the computer system comprising:

a means for parsing in a first tag in the textual mark-up customizing document, the first tag defining a container area and a first textual mark-up content source to be flowed into the defined container area, and the first tag further defining a second tag expected to be found in the customizing document, the second tag to receive an overflow of the first textual mark-up content source that does not fit within the container area defined by the first tag;

a means for placing a tuple in a record, the tuple associating the first tag with the second tag;

a means for parsing in the second tag in the textual mark-up customizing document, the second tag defining a container area;

a means for determining from associations of the tuple in the record, that the overflow of the first textual mark-up content source defined in the first tag should be placed in the container area defined by the second tag;

before parsing in the second tag, a means for parsing in a third tag in the textual mark-up customizing document, the third tag defining a container area and a second textual mark-up content source to be flowed into the container area defined by the third tag, and the third tag further defining a fourth tag expected to be found in the customizing document, the fourth tag to receive an overflow of the second textual mark-up content source that does not fit within the container area defined by the third tag;

a means for determining from the record that the third tag is not related to the tuple associating the first tag with the second tag; and

a means for placing a tuple in the record, the tuple associating the third tag with the fourth tag.

16. The computer system of claim 15 wherein parsing is performed by a same means.

17. The computer system of claim 15 further comprising a means for determining whether a textual mark-up content source provides a positioning format comprising normal positioning, float positioning, or absolute positioning.

18. The computer system of claim 17 further comprising:

a means for determining that the textual mark-up content document comprises absolute positioning; and

a means for adjusting absolute positioning for distance between container areas.

19. The computer system of claim 15 further comprising a means for tracking display breaks in HTML elements that break across container areas.

20. The computer system of claim 15 further comprising a means for flowing a textual mark-up content document created in a bottomless page model into defined container areas.

21. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon for placing content substantially in conformance with a custom displayable layout, the computer including a textual mark-up engine and a textual mark-up template document describing the custom displayable layout, the executable instructions comprising:

instructions for parsing in a first tag contained in the textual mark-up template document;

instructions for determining from data defined by the first tag, a first textual mark-up content document, a first defined subset area of the custom displayable layout, and an identifier of a second tag;

instructions for placing content from the first textual mark-up content document in the first defined subset area of the custom displayable layout, and recording an association of the first tag with the second tag;

instructions for parsing in a third tag contained in the textual mark-up template document;

instructions for determining from data defined by the third tag, a second textual mark-up content document, a second defined subset area of the custom displayable layout, and an identifier of a fourth tag;

instructions for placing content from the second textual mark-up content document in the second defined subset area of the custom displayable layout, and recording an association of the third tag with the fourth tag;

instructions for parsing in the second tag contained in the textual mark-up template document;

instructions for determining from the recorded association, that the second tag is associated with the first tag, and placing overflow from the first textual mark-up content document in the custom displayable layout in an area defined by the second tag;

instructions for parsing in the fourth tag contained in the textual mark-up template document; and

instructions for determining from the recorded association, that the fourth tag is associated with the third tag, and placing overflow from the second textual mark-up content document, in the custom displayable layout in an area defined by the fourth tag.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21 having computer executable instructions further comprising instructions for populating a break table with data recording how HTML elements break across defined subset areas of the custom displayable layout.