Method and apparatus for utilizing an object model for managing content regions in an electronic document

• US 7,712,016 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sunderland, E. Mark, Little, Robert A., Jones, Brian M., Davis, Tristan A., Sawicki, Marcin
• Primary Examiner(s): RUTLEDGE, AMELIA L
• Application Number:
  US11/065,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/202, 715/209, 715/255
• US Class Current: 715/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for utilizing a document object model to manage content regions for use in an electronic document. A content region is a predefined area which may be inserted in an electronic document and which serves as a placeholder for receiving and displaying specific types of content such as text, graphics data, calendar data, or tabular data. The document object model enables a user to create, modify, and delete content regions from an electronic document using an application programming interface from within a computer application program.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing an object model in an application program for managing a plurality of content regions for displaying specific types of content in an electronic document, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of objects in the object model, wherein the plurality of objects comprises a plurality of properties, a plurality of methods, and a plurality of events each functionally associated with the plurality of content regions;

exposing an application programming interface (API) in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects, wherein exposing the API in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects comprises providing an interactive content pane for managing content regions, each content region being operative to provide an interactive region corresponding to a specific type of content for entering the specific type of content into each content region;

providing a dropdown list corresponding to the plurality of objects, the dropdown list comprising entries associated with the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events;

receiving a selection of a first entry in the dropdown list, the first entry being associated with adding at least one content region, wherein adding the at least one content region comprises adding the at least one content region based on at least one parameter and at least one object for specifying the at least one content region, the at least one parameter corresponding to the specific type of content associated with the at least one content region and the at least one object corresponding to a location for adding the at least one content region;

adding the at least one content region;

receiving a selection of a second entry in the dropdown list; and

utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, one of the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events associated with the second entry to manage the at least one content region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, the plurality of properties comprises:

utilizing a first property to set a string representing a date format for the at least one content region for displaying a date;

utilizing a second property to set a document part category associated with the at least one content region for displaying document parts;

utilizing a third property to set a locking behavior for restricting deletion of the at least one content region;

utilizing a fourth property to set a locking behavior for restricting deletion of a contents of the at least one content region;

utilizing a fifth property to set a picture format for the at least one content region for displaying pictures;

utilizing a sixth property to set a title for the at least one content region; and

utilizing a seventh property to set the specific type of content associated with the at least one content region.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising validating the plurality of properties against at least the specific type of content associated with the at least one content region.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the utilizing the properties further comprises utilizing an eighth property to return a current validation status of the at least one content region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, the plurality of methods comprises:

calling a first method to add an additional content region around a specified range in the electronic document;

calling a second method to copy the at least one content region from a first location in the electronic document for insertion in a second location in the electronic document;

calling a third method to delete the at least one content region from the electronic document;

calling a fourth method to set placeholder text for the at least one content region;

calling a fifth method to set a custom validation error for the at least one content region;

calling a sixth method to add a new item to the dropdown list for the at least one content region;

calling a seventh method for removing all dropdown entries from the dropdown list;

calling an eighth method to reorder the dropdown list; and

calling a ninth method to cut the at least one content region from the electronic document.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising validating the plurality of methods against at least one of the plurality of properties set for the at least one content region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, the plurality of events comprises:

firing a first event in response to a user-selection inside of the at least one content region in the electronic document;

firing a second event in response to a user-selection outside of the at least one content region in the electronic document;

firing a third event in response to a insertion of the at least one content region in the electronic document; and

firing a fourth event in response to a deletion of the at least one content region in the electronic document.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a plurality of enumeration objects, the enumeration objects representing possible values for the plurality of properties in the object model.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing the plurality of methods further comprises setting at least one parameter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing the plurality of events comprises setting at least one parameter.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having a set of instructions which, when executed performs a method for utilizing an object model in a word processing application program for managing a plurality content regions for displaying specific types of content in an electronic document, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

providing a plurality of objects in the object model, wherein the plurality of objects comprises a plurality of properties, a plurality of methods, and a plurality of events each functionally associated with the plurality of content regions;

exposing an application programming interface (API) in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects, wherein exposing the API in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects comprises exposing an interactive content pane comprising;

at least one content region and a selection region for the at least one content region within the interactive content pane;

receiving a selection of the selection region for the at least one content region;

providing, in response to the selection of the selection region for the at least one content region, a dropdown list corresponding to the plurality of objects, the dropdown list of the plurality of objects comprising entries associated with the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events;

receiving a selection of a first entry in the dropdown list, the first entry being associated with adding at least one content region, wherein adding the at least one content region comprises adding the at least one content region based on at least one parameter and at least one object for specifying the at least one content region, the at least one parameter corresponding to a specific type of content associated with the at least one content region and the at least one object corresponding to a location for adding the at least one content region;

adding the at least one content region in accordance with the at least one parameter and the at least one object;

receiving a selection of second entry in the drop down list; and

utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, one of the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events associated with the second entry to manage the selected at least one content region.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the second entry, the plurality of properties comprises:

utilizing a first property to set a string representing a date format for the selected at least one content region for displaying a date;

utilizing a second property to set a document part category associated with the selected at least one content region for displaying document parts;

utilizing a third property to set a locking behavior for restricting deletion of the selected at least one content region;

utilizing a fourth property to set a locking behavior for restricting deletion of a contents of the selected at least one content region;

utilizing a fifth property to set a picture format for the selected at least one content region for displaying pictures;

utilizing a sixth property to set a title for the selected at least one content region; and

utilizing a seventh property to set the specific type of content associated with the selected at least one content region.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising validating the plurality of properties against at least the specific type of content associated with the selected at least one content region.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the utilizing the properties further comprises utilizing an eighth property to return a current validation status of the selected at least one content region.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of one the second entry, the plurality of methods comprises:

calling a first method to add an additional content region around a specified range in the electronic document;

calling a second method to copy the selected at least one content region from a first location in the electronic document for insertion in a second location in the electronic document;

calling a third method to delete the selected at least one content region from the electronic document;

calling a fourth method to set placeholder text for the selected at least one content region;

calling a fifth method to set a custom validation error for the selected at least one content region;

calling a sixth method to add a new item to the dropdown list for the selected at least one content region;

calling a seventh method for removing all dropdown entries from the dropdown list;

calling an eighth method to reorder the dropdown list; and

calling a ninth method to cut the selected at least one content region from the electronic document.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising validating the plurality of methods against at least one of the plurality of properties set for the selected at least one content region.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein utilizing, in response to receiving the selection the second entry, the plurality of events comprises:

firing a first event in response to a user-selection inside of the selected at least one content region in the electronic document;

firing a second event in response to a user-selection outside of the selected at least one content region in the electronic document;

firing a third event in response to a insertion of the selected at least one content region in the electronic document; and

firing a fourth event in response to a deletion of the selected at least one content region in the electronic document.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising providing a plurality of enumeration objects, the enumeration objects representing possible values for the plurality of properties in the object model.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein utilizing the plurality of methods comprises setting at least one parameter and utilizing the plurality of events comprises setting the at least one parameter.

20. A method for managing content regions within an electronic document, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of objects in the object model, wherein the plurality of objects comprises a plurality of properties, a plurality of methods, and a plurality of events each functionally associated with the plurality of content regions;

exposing an application programming interface (API) in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects, wherein exposing the API in the object model for accessing the plurality of objects comprises providing an interactive content pane for providing;

at least one boundary for at least one content region within the interactive content pane, the at least one boundary limiting the at least one content region to a certain number of textual lines,

a selection region for the at least one content region within the interactive content pane,

a label for the at least one content region within the interactive content pane, the label being indicative of a specific type of content for the content region,

a handle for the at least one content region within the interactive content pane, the handle being operative to drag the at least one content region to different portions of the electronic document, and

a notification region for the at least one content region within the interactive content pane;

a place for instructional text within the at least one content region whenever the at least one content region is empty, the instruction text comprising instructions for inserting the specific type of content into the at least one content region;

receiving a selection of the selection region for the at least one content region;

providing, in response to the selection of the selection region for the at least one content region, a dropdown list corresponding to the plurality of objects, the dropdown list of the plurality of objects comprising entries associated with the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events;

receiving a selection of an entry in the drop down list; and

utilizing, in response to receiving the selection of the entry, one of the plurality of properties, the plurality of methods, and the plurality of events associated with the selected entry to manage the selected at least one content region.