Data binding in a word-processing application

• US 7,730,394 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Little, Robert A., Jones, Brian M., Davis, Tristan A., Sunderland, Mark, Sawicki, Marcin
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin; Boris
• Application Number:
  US11/030,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20060150085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,972 Days
• Field of Search: 715/530, 715/235
• US Class Current: 715/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• 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 word processor application is provided for creating word processor documents wherein the data and presentation can be separated. Data can be stored in a separate location from the presentation surface of the word processor document. Users of the word processor application can establish links (or bindings) between the contents of the data and the presentation surface. A user can modify contents of a word processor document by directly changing the linked data without having to deal with the complexity of the presentation format, which can be constantly changing. A user can modify content of a word processor document, by editing a data store without any knowledge of the current layout of the presentation surface. A user can modify complex backing data through simple document edits, without exposure to the complexities of the data structure.

Claims

1. In a word processor application, a method of providing a word processor document comprising:

opening the word processor document;

providing a presentation surface configured to;

present the word processor document including presenting one or more content regions for displaying contents of the word processor document in a document format of the word processor document; and

receive changes to the document format of the word processor document independent of changes to the contents of the word processor document stored with the presentation surface;

creating a data store after opening the word processor document, wherein the data store is configured to;

store one or more nodes of document data representing the contents of the word processor document; and

receive changes to the contents of the word processor document independent of changes to the document format of the word processor document;

load the data store with XML data that is stored within the word processor document;

storing the document data separately from the presentation surface;

representing a structure of the document data in a schema file stored with the document data;

providing one or more bindings associating the one or more content regions with the one or more nodes of the document data that is stored within the data store;

wherein the one or more bindings allows changes to a location of the contents of the word processor document stored with the presentation surface to be made on the presentation surface without changing a location and the structure of the XML data within the data store; and

determining when one of the bindings refers to a nonexistent location in the data store and attempting to rebind the one or more content regions with another one of the one or more of the document data.

2. The word processor application of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing access to data in the data store.

3. The word processor application of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises editing of the data directly within the data store.

4. The word processor application of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises updating the one or more content regions associated with the data edit.

5. The word processor application of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises updating associated data in the data store based on an edit of one or more content regions.

6. The word processor application of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises creating a dangling reference when a data binding refers to a nonexistent location in the data store.

7. The word processor application of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises exposing a programming interface to the word processor application, and using the programming interface to develop code for causing/reacting to changes in the data store or in one or more content regions of the presentation surface.

8. The word processor application of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises updating content of multiple content regions based on a modification associated with at least one node in the data store.

9. A word processor system for providing a word processor document comprising:

a presentation surface store for storing a word processor presentation surface for presenting content of a word processor document in a format of the word processor document and receiving changes to the document format of the word processor document independent of changes to the contents of the word processor document;

a content store that is created after opening the word processor document for storing first data including the content of the word processor document, the first data including one or more nodes of document data including portions of the content and receiving changes to the content of the word processor document independent of changes to the document format of the word processor document, wherein the content store is stored separately from the presentation surface store;

wherein the content store is loaded with XML data that is stored within the word processor document; and

wherein a schema file stored with the document data represents a structure of the document data; and

a binding for binding the one or more nodes of first data in the content store to an area of the document and attempting to rebind the one or more nodes when it is determined that the binding refers to a nonexistent location in the content store;

wherein the binding allows changes to a location of the contents of the word processor document stored with the presentation surface to be made on the presentation surface without changing a location and the structure of the XML data within the data store.

10. The word processor of claim 9 further comprising a second store for storing second data.

11. The word processor of claim 10 further comprising a first schema associated with the content store and a second schema associated with the second store.

12. The word processor of claim 9 further comprising a programming interface for developing code to monitor the content store.

13. The word processor of claim 9, further comprising creating a dangling reference when a link refers to an unknown location in the content store.

14. A storage medium storing computer-executable components, comprising:

a presentation surface store for storing a word processor presentation surface for presenting content of a word processor document in a format of the word processor document and receiving changes to the document format of the word processor document independent of changes to the contents of the word processor document;

a content store that is created after opening the word processor document for storing first data including the content of the word processor document, the first data including one or more nodes of document data including portions of the content and receiving changes to the content of the word processor document independent of changes to the document format of the word processor document, wherein the content store is stored separately from the presentation surface store;

wherein the content store is loaded with XML data that is stored within the word processor document; and

wherein a schema file stored with the document data represents a structure of the document data; and

a binding for binding the one or more nodes of first data in the content store to an area of the document and attempting to rebind the one or more nodes when it is determined that the binding refers to a nonexistent location in the content store;

wherein the one or more bindings allows changes to a location of the contents of the word processor document stored with the presentation surface to be made on the presentation surface without changing a location and the structure of the XML data within the data store.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, further comprising a second store for storing second data.

16. The storage medium of claim 15 further comprising a first schema associated with the content store and a second schema associated with the second store.

17. The storage medium of claim 14 further comprising a programming interface for developing code to monitor the content store.

18. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein the word processor is further operable to create a dangling reference when a link refers to an unknown location in the content store.

19. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein the word processor is further operable to create a dangling or bound link.