Method for dynamically generating reference identifiers in structured information

• US 7,124,358 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2002
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carpenter, Cory R.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US10/040,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20040205047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,749 Days
• Field of Search: 715/513, 715/514, 715/530, 715/500, 345/853, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]

Abstract

A method for dynamically creating a reference identifier in an electronic document formatted as a data structure is provided. Hierarchy in the data structure is followed to reach the root of the data structure, and the data structure is traversed from the root until a target object is encountered. A reference identifier is generated from a location of the target object. As the data structure is traversed, a counter is incremented when a specified branch of the data structure is encountered, and the counter is cleared when a specified branch of the data structure is closed. The reference identifier may be updated to reflect changes in the data structure. Such changes are reflected on a browser upon reloading the browser page. Accordingly, the reference identifier reflects a location of a target object within the structure of the hierarchy of the document.

Claims

1. A method for creating a reference identifier in an electronic document formatted as a data structure, comprising:

(a) following hierarchy of said data structure to reach a root of said data structure;

(b) traversing the data structure for a matching string value in said document from said root until a target object is encountered, wherein said string value is selected from a group consisting of;

a document and a document fragment;

(c) dynamically generating said identifier for retrieved content in said document based upon said string value from a location of said target object in said data structure, wherein the step of generating said identifier includes adding a relevant attribute of an encountered element in said data structure to an HTML document indicating a depth of said element in said data structure, including encoding said attribute as a URL; and

(d) generating content relative identifiers in retrieved data, comprising;

resolving context of a cross reference to a secondary document from said retrieved content; and

converting said cross reference context to a reference identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of traversing the data structure includes incrementing a counter when a specified branch of the data structure is encountered.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of traversing the data structure includes clearing a counter when a specified branch of the data structure is closed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of traversing the data structure includes recursively traversing the data structure.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of updating said reference identifier to reflect changes in said data structure.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of updating said reference identifier includes resetting an index for said data structure when content of said data structure is amended.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein amended content includes content selected from the group consisting of:

inserted content, removed content, and reorganized content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said data structure is a standardized mark-up language.

9. A computer system comprising:

an electronic document formatted as a data structure;

a manager responsive to a traverse request having a string value and to match said string value of said request with said data structure;

said manager is adapted to generate an identifier for said matched string value of an encountered element in said document to an HTML document with an indicator for a depth of said element in said data structure in response to said traverse request, and to encode said attribute as a URL; and

said manager adapted to generate a content relative identifier from said matched string value through resolution of context of a cross reference to a secondary document and to convert said cross reference to a reference identifier.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a counter increment responsive to said manager if a specified branch in said data structure matches said traverse request.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising a counter clearance responsive to said manager if a specified branch in said data structure is closed.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a modified marker in response to an amendment to said data structure.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said amendment to said data structure is selected from the group consisting of:

inserted content, removed content, and reorganized content.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said data structure is standardized mark-up language.

15. An article comprising:

a computer-readable medium;

means in the medium for following hierarchy in a data structure;

means in the medium for traversing said data structure to match a string value in said data structure, wherein said string value is selected from a group consisting of;

a document and a document fragment;

means in the medium for dynamically generating an identifier for retrieved content in said data structure from a position of a target object in said data structure, wherein said means for generating said identifier includes adding a relevant attribute of an encountered element in said data structure to an HTML document indicating a depth of said element in said data structure, including encoding said attribute as a URL; and

means in the medium for generating content relative identifiers in said retrieved content, including resolving context of a cross reference to a secondary document and converting said cross reference to a reference identifier.

16. The article of claim 15, wherein the medium is a recordable data storage medium.

17. The article of claim 15, wherein said traversal means generates a counter increment responsive to a match of a specified branch in said data structure to a search request.

18. The article of claim 15, wherein said traversal means generates a counter clearance responsive to an encounter of a closed branch of said data structure to a search request.

19. A method for dynamically creating a reference identifier in an electronic document formatted as a data structure, comprising:

(a) following hierarchy of said data structure to reach a root of said data structure;

(b) recursively traversing the data structure for a matching string value in said document from said root until a target object is encountered, wherein said string value is selected from a group consisting of;

a document and a document fragment;

(c) wherein the step of traversing the data structure includes changing a counter when a branch of said data structure is encountered;

(d) generating said identifier for said matching string value in said document from a location of said target object in said data structure, wherein the step of generating said identifier includes adding a relevant attribute of an encountered element in said data structure to an HTML document indicating a depth of said element in said data structure, including encoding said attribute as a URL; and

(e) generating a content relative identifier in retrieved data, comprising;

resolving context of a cross reference to a secondary document from said retrieved content, and converting said cross reference to a reference identifier.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of traversing the data structure includes clearing said counter when a specified branch of said data structure is closed and a target object is null, and incrementing said counter when a specified branch of said data structure is encountered.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of updating said reference identifier to reflect changes in said data structure.