XML document editor

• US 7,409,673 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2003
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Academia Sinica (Government of The Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: Academia Sinica (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Wang, Jaspher, Shih, Nai-Cheng, Kuo, Yue-Sun
• Primary Examiner(s): STEELMAN, MARY J
• Application Number:
  US10/601,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20040268304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/112
• 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 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors

Abstract

A DTD-compliant XML document editor is disclosed. The XML document editor generates hints for required elements and required element slots automatically in the process of document creation and edition so as to guide the user to produce a valid document, while syntactic violations are avoided at the same time. The editor also suggests optional elements that may be added into the document to be edited. The user requires no knowledge about XML and DTD to edit DTD-compliant XML documents. The editing process is user-interface-neutral, being able to support user interfaces based on tree views, presentation views and forms. By combining the DTD-compliant editing process with the simplicity of forms, a simple XML document editor with forms as its user interface is developed.

Claims

1. Method for enabling a user to edit an XML document using an XML document editor to add or delete an element into a working document and to convert said working document into an XML document file;

comprising the step of enabling said XML document editor to automatically generate, in relation to two consecutive elements z_i and z_i+1 of said working document, a list of candidate third elements z to be provided to a user;

wherein said third elements z in said list are selected such that relations between elements z_i and z and between elements z and z_i+1 comply with said Document Type Definition (DTD) of said working document after said element z is inserted between elements z_i and z_i+1, said list enabling the user to select any of the candidate third elements z and add them to the working document without affecting DTD compliance of the working document, wherein whether the relation between two consecutive elements complies with said DTD is determined according to the following rule;

suppose G is Glushkov Automaton of said document, z_i is a state in G, 1≦

i≦

p−

1, pε

N, Σ

={z₁, z₂, . . . z_p} is a sequence of states in G where z₁=s, s is start state of G, z_p=f, f is final state of G;

if z_i+1ε

reachable(z_i), wherein reachable(z_i) denote the set of states in G reachable from state z_i,

then the relation between z_i and z_i+1 is determined compliant with DTD of said document.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a cell C to include said candidate third element z is generated according to the following rule and displayed as a list:

suppose (z_i, z_i+1)IH, H denotes the set of edges in G, G is Glushkov Automaton of regular expression E corresponding to an element of said working document;

further suppose Σ

is a set to include states corresponding to all elements of G, A(E1) is the set of states in subexpression E1 to E, f-reachable(z_i) denotes the set of states in G reachable from z_i through forward edges;

if z_i+1ε

f-reachable(z_i), then let C={zε

Σ

|zε

f-reachable(z_i) and z_i+1ε

f-reachable(z)};

if z_i+1ε

f-reachable(z_i), then let E1* be the smallest iteration subexpression of E that covers both z_i and z_i+1, C={zε

A(E1)|zε

f-reachable(z_i) or z_i+1ε

f-reachable(z)}.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a cell C to include said candidate third elements z is generated according to the following rule and displayed as a list:

suppose (z_i, z_i+1)ε

H, H denotes the set of edges in G, G is Glushkov Automaton of regular expression E corresponding to an element of said working document;

further suppose Σ

is a set to include states corresponding to all elements of G, A(E1) is the set of states in subexpression E1 to E, f-reachable(z_i) denotes the set of states in G reachable from z_i through forward edges;

if (z_i, z_i+1) is a forward edge, let C={zε

Σ

|zε

f-reachable(z_i) and z_i+1ε

f-reachable(z)} and;

if z_iε

last(E1*) for some iteration subexpression E1* of E and E1 is the largest one, then let C1={zε

A(E1)|z_i+1ε

f-reachable(z)}, C=C∪

C1;

if z_i+1ε

first(E2*) for some iteration subexpression E2* of E and E2 is the largest one, then let C2={zε

A(E2)|zε

f-reachable(z_i)} and C=C∪

C2;

if (z_i, z_i+1) is a backward edge, then let C=A(E3), wherein E3* is the largest iteration subexpression of E satisfying z_iε

last(E3) and z_i+1ε

first(E3).

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising automatically generating a required element between element pair z_i and z and element pair z and z_i+1 after said third element z is inserted between element pair z_i and z_i+1, such that said working document is compliant with said DTD;

wherein said requirement comprises articulation points between elements z_i and z (and z and z_i+1) in Glushkov Automaton G;

i.e., states through which all paths between z_i and z (and z and z_i+1) shall pass.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising automatically generating an element slot allowing user to add elements into said document, if no required element between element pair z_i and z and element pair z and z_i+1 is found after said third element z is inserted between element pair z_i and z_i+1 and if (z_i, z)ε

H ((z, z_i+1)ε

H), wherein H denotes set of edges in G; and

wherein said requirement comprises articulation points between elements z_i and z (and z and z_i+1) in Glushkov Automaton G;

i.e., states through which all paths between z₁ and z (and z and z_i+1) shall pass.