Structured-document path-language expression methods and systems

• US 7,516,399 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hsu, Bofan, Sosiak, Sarah, Cupala, Shiraz J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Manglesh M
• Application Number:
  US10/955,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 715/513, 715/505, 715/234, 715/200, 715/231, 715/237, 715/254, 715/713, 702/179, 702/17, 717/143, 707/102, 707/100
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets

Abstract

Systems and methods for building and/or simplifying structured-document path-language expressions are described. One of these systems or methods enables a user to graphically select structured-document path-language functions and addresses. With these addresses and functions, a structured-document path-language expression can be built without a user having to fully understand or type in syntax for the expression. Another of these systems or methods simplifies structured-document path-language address and function syntax. This simplification can aid a user in building and easily understanding a structured-document path-language expression.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media embodying computer-readable instructions which, when executed, perform acts comprising:

receiving a selection of at least part of a graphical rendering of a hierarchically structured electronic document;

receiving a structured-document path-language address usable to locate the part of the hierarchically structured electronic document;

automatically producing a simplified form of the structured-document path-language address, the simplified form of the structured-document path-language address being produced by abbreviating the structured-document path-language address by removing one or more unique namespaces; and

building a structured-document path-language expression that includes the structured-document path-language address and, if the part of the hierarchically structured electronic document includes a blank value, altering the structured-document path-language expression to treat the blank value as a zero.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein producing the simplified form of the structured-document path-language address comprises simplifying the structured-document path-language address to a minimally logical form.

3. The media of claim 1, further comprising presenting, in a user interface, the simplified form of the structured-document path-language address.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the structured-document path-language address comprises XML Path language (XPath).

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the electronic document comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

6. A method comprising:

enabling selection of a structured-document path-language function;

receiving selection of the structured-document path-language function;

enabling graphical selection of part of a graphical rendering of a hierarchically structured electronic document;

receiving selection of the part;

automatically presenting a simplified structured-document path-language expression comprising the selected part and the selected function, the automatically presenting comprising abbreviating the structured-document path-language expression by removing one or more unique namespaces; and

altering the structured-document path-language expression to treat a blank value as a zero if the selected part includes one or more blank values.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of enabling selection of the structured-document path-language function comprises enabling selection through a user interface not requiring entry of a syntax for the structured-document path-language function.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of enabling selection of the structured-document path-language function comprises presenting the structured-document path-language function in a syntactically incomplete form.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of enabling selection of the structured-document path-language function comprises presenting the structured-document path-language function in a simplified form.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising presenting an explanation of the structured-document path-language function.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the structured-document path-language function comprises a function of eXtensible Markup Language (XML) Path language (XPath).

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of enabling graphical selection of the part comprises presenting a graphical rendering of the electronic document having a selectable field mapped to the part.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of enabling graphical selection of the part comprises presenting a hierarchical schema of the electronic document having a selectable node representing the part.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of presenting comprises presenting the selected part in a simplified form.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of presenting comprises presenting the selected function in a simplified form.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of presenting comprises presenting the selected function and the selected part in simplified forms.

17. The method of claim 6, wherein the hierarchically structured electronic document comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

18. The method of claim 6, further comprising building a syntactically correct form of the structured-document path-language expression.

19. The method of claim 6, further comprising simplifying the structured-document path-language expression.

20. A method comprising:

presenting, via a user interface, a selectable simplified form of a structured-document path-language function;

presenting, via a user interface, a graphical rendering of a hierarchically structured electronic document, the graphical rendering comprising a plurality of selectable parts;

receiving selection of the simplified form;

receiving a selection of one or more of the selectable parts;

automatically producing a simplified form of a structured-document path-language address for at least one selected selectable part the simplified form of the structured-document path-language address being produced by removing one or more unique namespaces;

building a structured-document path-language expression comprising the structured-document path-language function and the structured-document path-language address, and

altering the structured-document path-language expression to treat a blank value as a zero if the selected part includes one or more blank values.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the simplified form describes an operation of the structured-document path-language function.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the simplified form comprises a textual string of greater length than a machine-readable syntax for the structured-document path-language function.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising presenting an explanation of the structured-document path-language function.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the structured-document path-language function is a function of eXtensible Markup Language (XML) Path language (XPath).

25. A method comprising:

presenting a graphical rendering of a hierarchically structured electronic document;

receiving selection of a part of the graphical rendering, the selected part corresponding to a node on a hierarchical schema for the hierarchically structured electronic document, the hierarchical schema comprising a plurality of nodes;

generating a structured-document path-language addressing syntax for the node;

automatically simplifying the structured-document path-language addressing syntax by abbreviating the structured-document path-language address by removing one or more unique name spaces;

presenting the simplified structured-document path-language syntax; and

building a structured-document path-language expression comprising the structured-document path-language addressing syntax and a syntax for a structured-document path-language function, the building being effective to enable the structured-document path-language expression to treat a blank value of the selected node as a zero.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the act of simplifying comprises simplifying the structured-document path-language addressing syntax to a minimally logical form.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the act of presenting the graphical rendering of the hierarchically structured electronic document comprises presenting the hierarchical schema for the electronic document having selectable icons by which one or more of the plurality of nodes are able to be selected.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the act of presenting the graphical rendering of the hierarchically structured electronic document comprises presenting a rendering of the electronic document having selectable fields by which one or more of the plurality of nodes are able to be selected.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving syntax for a structured-document path-language function; and

building a structured-document path-language expression comprising the structured-document path-language addressing syntax and the syntax for the structured-document path-language function.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising determining if the structured-document path-language expression is syntactically correct.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising presenting information showing a syntactical error in the structured-document path-language expression if the structured-document path-language expression is syntactically incorrect.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the structured-document path-language comprises XML Path language (XPath).

33. A method comprising:

receiving a structured-document path-language expression addressing a node of a hierarchically structured electronic document, the node corresponding to a user selection of a graphical rendering of a part of the hierarchically structured electronic document, and the node being associated with a simplified structured-document path-language address automatically produced by removing one or more unique name spaces; and

altering the structured-document path-language expression effective to enable the structured-document path-language expression to treat a blank value of the node as a zero.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the act of altering is performed without user interaction.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the structured-document path-language expression comprises a mathematical function and wherein the act of altering is effective to enable the structured-document path-language expression to produce a numerical result when evaluated.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the structured-document path-language expression comprises XML Path Language (XPath) and the hierarchically structured electronic document comprises XML.