Method and system for tracking changes in a document

• US 7,788,237 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Voronov, Yohay B., Harahan, Timothy B., Burns, Charles H. III, Iyer, Raju R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mahmoudi; Tony
• Assistant Examiner(s): BETIT, JACOB F
• Application Number:
  US11/016,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,083 Days
• Field of Search: 707/695, 715/229
• US Class Current: 707/695
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71

Abstract

A change list tracking mechanism supports features that require a record of values that have been modified in a document of a project management software application. Examples of the features supported include multiple undo, report generation, and audit logging. The change list tracking mechanism includes object containers and change lists. Each object container includes objects that are associated with properties of the document. A user who wants to be notified of specific modifications creates the change list to track modifications made to a specific object property in a particular object container. A property value identified in the change list may be modified by any user that accesses the document. The corresponding object container provides information about the modification to the change list. The user is identified and notified of the modification.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for tracking modifications in a project document, comprising:

creating change lists that are each arranged to track modifications to a particular property of the project document, wherein the change lists are created in response to a command from a user;

creating change list objects by associating a project management object included in the project document with a change list;

associating each of the change list objects with one of a plurality of properties of the project document that each describe a different type of attribute of the project document;

associating each of the change lists with particular object containers, wherein the object containers comprise the project management object tracked by each change list such that a change list tracks only modifications to a particular property of a project management object included within an object container;

associating each of the change lists with a group of users that includes a user to be notified when a particular property of a project management object included within a particular object container associated with a particular change list is modified;

determining when a property is modified;

providing information associated with the modified property from the object container to the change list associated with the modified property; and

sending a notification to the user associated with the change list that the property has been modified.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising associating each of the change lists with a group of users by a change list number.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising storing the information associated with the modified project schedule task in an undo buffer to enable a multiple undo feature.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a user that modified the project schedule task.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising logging information related to the user to an audit log.

6. A computer system for tracking modifications in a project document, comprising:

a processor, configured to perform actions comprising;

creating change lists that are each arranged to track modifications to a particular property of the project document, wherein the change lists are created in response to a command from a user;

creating change list objects by associating a project management object included in the project document with a change list;

associating each of the change list objects with one of a plurality of properties of the project document that each describe a different type of attribute of the project document;

associating each of the change lists with particular object containers, wherein the object containers comprise the project management object tracked by each change list such that a change list tracks only modifications to a particular property of a project management object included within an object container;

associating each of the change lists with a group of users that includes a user to be notified when a particular property of a project management object included within a particular object container associated with a particular change list is modified;

determining when a property is modified;

providing information associated with the modified property from the object container to the change list associated with the modified property; and

sending a notification to the user associated with the change list that the property has been modified.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the property is at least one of:

a start date, a finish date, a duration, a deadline date, and a resource.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising a multiple undo feature that returns the document to a previous version that does not include the modified property.

9. The system of claim 6, further comprising updating a project management report without re-generating the entire project management report.

10. The system of claim 6, further comprising an audit logging feature that identifies a user that is associated with the modified property.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the property is modified by performing at least one of:

reordering, moving, deleting, and adding.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the change lists are established by a user to notify the user when a property associated with a particular change list is modified.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the change lists are cleared after the user is notified.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the user is associated with the change lists by a change list number.

15. The system of claim 6, wherein the project document is associated with a project management software application.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions encoded thereon for tracking modifications in a project document, comprising:

creating change lists that are each arranged to track modifications to a particular property of the project document, wherein the change lists are created in response to a command from a user;

creating change list objects by associating a project management object included in the project document with a change list;

associating each of the change list objects with one of a plurality of properties of the project document that each describe a different type of attribute of the project document;

associating each of the change lists with particular object containers, wherein the object containers comprise the project management object tracked by each change list such that a change list tracks only modifications to a particular property of a project management object included within an object container;

associating each of the change lists with a group of users that includes a user to be notified when a particular property of a project management object included within a particular object container associated with a particular change list is modified;

determining when a property is modified;

providing information associated with the modified property from the object container to the change list associated with the modified property; and

sending a notification to the user associated with the change list that the property has been modified.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising enabling a feature based on the information associated with the modified property.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the feature is at least one of:

a multiple undo feature, a report generation feature, and an audit logging feature.