Methods and systems for naming and indexing children in a hierarchical nodal structure

• US 7,237,192 B1
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Blake, Stephenson, Jeffrey, Winer, Adam, Wejeyekoon, Arjuna, Albers, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): STORK, KYLE R
• Application Number:
  US10/136,698
• Time in Patent Office: 1,883 Days
• Field of Search: 715/513, 715/517, 715/523, 715/530
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]

Abstract

A hierarchically structured electronic document includes a parent node, a first and a second child of the parent node. The first child is configured as a named role child, the named role child having a first child component, the named role child specifying a relationship between the first child component and the parent node. The second child is configured as an index role child and has a plurality of second child components. The index role child specifies that all second child components are index children. The second child components collectively define and are configured to be rendered in the order in which the second child components appear under the second child. Collisions between named role and index children are avoided as the document includes a role (either a name role or an index role) between the parent and each child of the parent that is at the same hierarchical level.

Claims

1. A computing device including a processor for rendering a hierarchically structured electronic document, comprising:

means for rendering a parent node,

means for rendering a first child of the parent node, the first child being configured as a named role child by a first tag, the named role child having a first child component, the first tag specifying a positional placement of the first child component within the electronic document, and

means for rendering a second child of the parent node, the second child being configured as an index role child by a second tag that is different from the first tag, the second child having a plurality of second child components, each second child component being at a same hierarchical level as every other one of the plurality of second child components of the second child, the second tag specifying that all second child components are index children, wherein the second child components are in a specified index relationship with one another to collectively define an indexed order in which the second child components appear hierarchically under the second child such that the second child components are rendered in the hierarchically structured electronic document in the indexed order irrespective of an intended positional placement of any one of the second child components in the hierarchically structured document, each child of the parent node at the same hierarchical level within the electronic document being configured either as a name role child or an index role child.

2. The computing device for rendering the hierarchically structured electronic document of claim 1, wherein the first tag and the second tag are each defined in a markup language or standard.

3. The computing device for rendering the hierarchically structured electronic document of claim 2, wherein the markup language or standard is XML.

4. The computing device for rendering the hierarchically structured electronic document of claim 1, wherein the document includes at least one component between each first or second child of the parent node and a next first or second child of the parent node.

5. A method of creating a hierarchically structured electronic document, the document including a parent node and a plurality of hierarchically lower child nodes, comprising the steps of:

providing a parent node;

providing a first child of the parent node, the first child being configured as a named role child by a first tag, the named role child having a first child component, the first tag specifying a positional placement of the first child component within the electronic document;

providing a second child of the parent node, the second child being configured as an index role by a second tag that is different from the first tag, the second child having a plurality of second child components, each second child component being at a same hierarchical level as every other one of the plurality of second child components of the second child, second tag specifying that all second child components are index children, wherein the second child components are in a specified index relationship with one another to collectively define an indexed order in which the second child components appear hierarchically under the second child such that the second child components are rendered in the hierarchically structured electronic document in the indexed order irrespective of an intended positional placement of any one of the second child components in the hierarchically structured document, each child of the parent node at the same hierarchical level within the electronic document being configured either as a name role child or an index role child, and

defining at least one named role and an index role and storing the at least one named role and the index role in a document model against which the hierarchically structured electronic document may be validated.

6. The method of creating a hierarchically structured electronic document of claim 5, wherein the first tag and the second tag are each defined in a markup language or standard.

7. The method of creating a hierarchically structured electronic document of claim 6, wherein the markup language is XML.

8. The method of creating a hierarchically structured electronic document of claim 7, wherein the model document is selected from the group including a Document Type Definition (DTD) syntax and an XML Schema.

9. The method of creating a hierarchically structured electronic document of claim 5, wherein the document includes at least one component between each first or second child of the parent node and a next first or second child of the parent node.

10. A computer system configured for providing a hierarchically structured electronic document, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one data storage device;

a plurality of processes spawned by said at least one processor, the processes including processing logic for;

providing a parent node;

providing a first child of the parent node, the first child being configured as a named role child by a first tag, the named role child having a first child component, the first tag specifying a positional placement of the first child component within the electronic document;

providing a second child of the parent node, the second child being configured as an index role by a second tag that is different from the first tag, the second child having a plurality of second child components, each second child component being at a same hierarchical level as every other one of the plurality of second child components of the second child, second tag specifying that all second child components are index children, wherein the second child components are in a specified index relationship with one another to collectively define an indexed order in which the second child components appear hierarchically under the second child such that the second child components are rendered in the hierarchically structured electronic document in the indexed order irrespective of an intended positional placement of any one of the second child components in the hierarchically structured document, each child of the parent node at the same hierarchical level within the electronic document being configured either as a name role child or an index role child, and

defining at least one named role and an index role and storing the at least one named role and the index role in a document model against which the hierarchically structured electronic document may be validated.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the first child and the second child are each defined by a tag in a markup language.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the markup language is XML.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the model document is selected from the group including a Document Type Definition (DTD) syntax and an XML Schema.

14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the document includes at least one component between each first or second child of the parent node and a next first or second child of the parent node.

15. A machine-readable medium having data stored thereon representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by computing device, causes said computing device to providing a hierarchically structured electronic document, by performing the steps of:

providing a parent node;

providing a first child of the parent node, the first child being configured as a named role child by a first tag, the named role child having a first child component, the first tag specifying a positional placement of the first child component within the electronic document;

providing a second child of the parent node, the second child being configured as an index role by a second tag that is different from the first tag, the second child having a plurality of second child components, each second child component being at a same hierarchical level as every other one of the plurality of second child components of the second child, second tag specifying that all second child components are index children, wherein the second child components are in a specified index relationship with one another to collectively define an indexed order in which the second child components appear hierarchically under the second child such that the second child components are rendered in the hierarchically structured electronic document in the indexed order irrespective of an intended positional placement of any one of the second child components in the hierarchically structured document, each child of the parent node at the same hierarchical level within the electronic document being configured either as a name role child or an index role child, and

defining at least one named role and an index role and storing the at least one named role and the index role in a document model against which the hierarchically structured electronic document may be validated.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first child and the second child are each defined by a tag in a markup language.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the markup language is XML.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the model document is selected from the group including a Document Type Definition (DTD) syntax and an XML Schema.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the document includes at least one component between each first or second child of the parent node and a next first or second child of the parent node.