System and method for validating an XML document and reporting schema violations

• US 7,373,595 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Little, Robert A., Jones, Brian M., Sawicki, Marcin
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, THU V
• Application Number:
  US10/184,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20040006744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,147 Days
• Field of Search: 715/513, 715/517, 715/500, 715/501.1, 715/859, 717124-125, 717/127, 717/859
• US Class Current: 715/237
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/221 Parsing markup language streams streaming G06F40/149

Abstract

A system and method for validating an extensible markup language (XML) document and reporting schema violations in real time. A parallel tree is maintained that includes nodes corresponding to non-native XML elements of the XML document. When changes occur to the XML document, the non-native XML elements corresponding to the changes are marked. The nodes corresponding the marked non-native XML elements are validated against an XML schema that corresponds to the non-native XML markup. The elements and nodes corresponding to errors in the non-native XML markup are then reported to the user according to display indicators in the XML document and the parallel tree.

Claims

1. A method for validation and reporting of schema violations for an extensible markup language (XML) document, wherein the XML document includes native XML elements and non-native XML elements, the method comprising:

locating a change to a non-native XML element within the XML document;

marking a portion of the XML document to signify that the change has occurred with relation to that portion of the XML document;

marking a node within a parallel tree associated with the changed non-native XML to signify that the change has occurred, wherein the node corresponds to the portion of the XML document where the change has occurred, and wherein the parallel tree selectively includes the node corresponding to the changed non-native XML element and excludes at least one node corresponding to at least one of the native XML elements, wherein the at least one of the native XML elements is associated with a corresponding native XML schema and the changed non-native XML element is associated with a corresponding non-native XML schema;

validating the node of the parallel tree against the corresponding non-native XML schema such that the portion of the XML document where the change to the non-native XML element within the XML document occurred is validated;

determining if an error in the changed non-native XML element exists from error data supplied in response to validating the node; and

displaying an error notification within the XML document and the parallel tree if the error occurred.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein locating changes to the non-native XML elements further comprises:

identifying a parent element for each non-native XML element where the change occurred; and

identifying a closest sibling element for each non-native XML element where the change occurred.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a new node within the parallel tree when a new non-native XML element is generated in the XML document.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating a new node further comprises:

creating an identifier that corresponds to a new non-native XML element, wherein a parent element and a sibling element of the new non-native XML element is determinable from the identifier;

creating an unparented node within the parallel tree;

relating the identifier to the unparented node; and

instructing a parent node corresponding to the parent element to adopt the unparented node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the node of the parallel tree further comprises:

copying content to the parallel tree, wherein the content is associated with the portion of the XML document where the change occurred;

validating the node including the content against the corresponding non-native XML schema; and

deleting the content from the parallel tree, such that storage space for the parallel tree is minimized.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein validating the node including the content against the corresponding non-native XML schema includes examining the parallel tree with an XML validation engine according to the non-native XML schema.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining when a timeout or idle condition occurs prior to validating the node of the parallel tree.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying notification of an error further comprises:

indicating the portion of the XML document where the error occurred according to a first display indicator; and

indicating the node of the parallel tree that correspond to the portion of the XML document where the error occurred according to a second display indicator.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein user input corresponding to at least one of the first display indicator and the second display indicator produces an error display that provides interactive information regarding the error.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein user input corresponding to at least one of the first display indicator and the second display indicator produces a tooltip that provides textual information regarding the error.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable components, comprising:

a first component for generating an extensible markup language (XML) document that includes a first type of elements associated with a first XML schema and a second type of elements associated with a second XML schema, the firsts component being configured to present a display indicative that at least one of the second type of elements violates the second XML schema, wherein the first type and second type are native XML and non-native XML respectively;

a second component for selectively storing in a tree structure nodes that are associated with the second type of elements and the second XML schema and excluding nodes that are associated with the first type of elements and the first XML schema, each node in the tree structure being associated with a corresponding element in the first component, the first component and the second component being synchronized; and

a third component for validating the elements associated with the nodes in the tree structure, the third component being arranged to return error data to the first component in response to a violation of the validation, wherein the elements are validated in response to a change in the elements of the first component associated with the nodes in the tree structure.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising a fourth component corresponding to the error data that is arranged to be generated when a user input interacts with an indicator that is displayed within at least one of the XML document and the second component.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the fourth component is further arranged to display information regarding an error corresponding to the error data, including at least one of an error type, instructions for rectifying the error, and a statement of the error.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for validation and reporting of schema violations for an extensible markup language (XML) document, wherein the XML document includes native XML elements and non-native XML elements, the instructions comprising:

locating a change to a non-native XML element within the XML document;

creating a new node within a parallel tree when the change corresponds to the creation of a new non-native XML element within the XML document;

wherein the parallel tree selectively includes the node corresponding to the new non-native XML element and excludes at least one node corresponding to at least one of the native XML elements, wherein the at least one of the native XML elements is associated with a corresponding native XML schema and the new non-native XML element is associated with a corresponding non-native XML schema;

marking a portion of the XML document as affected by the change;

marking the new node within the parallel tree to signify that the change has occurred, wherein the new node corresponds to the portion of the XML document affected by the change;

validating the new node of the parallel tree against the corresponding non-native XML schema such that the portion of the XML document where the change to a the non-native XML element within the XML document occurred is validated;

determining if an error in the new non-native XML element exists from error data supplied in response to validating the new node; and

if so, displaying a notification of the error within the XML document and the parallel tree.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein locating changes to the non-native XML elements further comprises:

identifying a parent element for each non-native XML element where the change occurred; and

identifying a closest sibling element for each non-native XML element where the change occurred.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein generating a new node further comprises:

creating an identifier that corresponds to a new non-native XML element, wherein a parent element and sibling element of the new non-native XML element is determinable from the identifier;

creating an unparented node within the parallel tree;

relating the identifier to the unparented node; and

instructing a parent node corresponding to the parent element to adopt the unparented node.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein validating the node of the parallel tree further comprises:

copying content to the parallel tree, wherein the content corresponds to the portion of the XML document;

validating the node including the content against the corresponding non-native XML schema; and

deleting the content from the parallel tree, such that storage space for the parallel tree is minimized.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein displaying notification of an error further comprises:

indicating the portion of the XML document where the error occurred according to a first display indicator; and

indicating the node of the parallel tree that correspond to the portion of the XML document where the error occurred according to a second display indicator.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein user input corresponding to at least one of the first display indicator and the second display indicator produces an error display that provides interactive information regarding the error.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein user input corresponding to at least one of the first display indicator and the second display indicator produces a tooltip that provides textual information regarding the error.