Dynamic rendering of content that includes query expressions

• US 8,019,770 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2001
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: M A Mobile Limited
• Original Assignee: M A Mobile Limited
• Inventors: Hartsook, Lawrence D., Kenville, Brian R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): DARNO, PATRICK A
• Application Number:
  US09/788,311
• Time in Patent Office: 3,862 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 3, 707/104.1, 707/102, 707/758, 707/803, 707/999.003, 707/999.1, 707/759, 707/999.001, 707/999.102, 715513-514, 715/526, 715/236, 715/238, 715/239, 709/100
• US Class Current: 707/759
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

A rendering engine dynamically renders content that includes query expressions. The query expressions are resolved by extracting data from a data source. The resolutions to the queries are rendered with the content, according to rules associated with the content.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for dynamically rendering data in a markup language document represented in a markup language, the method comprising:

identifying a symbol in the data in the markup language document, the symbol indicating a query of a data set from a data source, the query containing one or more variables, wherein

the query is associated with a markup language tag in the markup language document, the markup language document for rendering and the markup language tag specifying rendering of a portion of the markup language document; and

the markup language is augmented with a variable resolution functionality to support the variables, each variable resolving to two or more variable values;

accessing the data set in order to generate a resolution to the query, wherein the one or more variables contained in the query are resolved as part of the generation of the resolution to the query;

substituting the two or more variable values for each variable into the query to generate two or more completed queries;

dynamically rendering the resolution to the two or more completed queries together as a part of rendering of the markup language document, according to at least one rule associated with the markup language tag; and

receiving input data for updating information rendered using the resolution to the query and storing the input data in the data source at a location determined using the resolution to the query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the symbol comprises a delimited token.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the symbol is located within the data in the markup language document, the markup language document for rendering the data.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein:

the markup language comprises Hyper Text Markup Language.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein rendering further comprises:

rendering the resolution according to a semantics of the markup language tag with which the query is associated.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the data set comprises a set of at least one document in a hierarchically structured format.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein:

the hierarchically structured format comprises Extensible Markup Language.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein:

the symbol conforms an Extensible Markup Language standard concerning queries.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the data set comprises a database.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein:

rendering is performed by software running on a hand held computing device.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a resolution to the query by retrieving a node set from a set of documents in Extensible Markup Language; and

rendering each member of the node set.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein:

each variable contained in the query comprises a token bounded by delimiters.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein rendering the resolution further comprises:

receiving an input from a user;

responsive to receiving the input, updating the data set based at least in part on the received input.

14. The method of claim 3 wherein:

the markup language comprises Wireless Markup Language.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein augmenting the markup language with a variable resolution functionality to support the variables further comprises:

providing a variable table for storing names and values of the variables, each variable of one of the plurality of data types; and

utilizing a syntax in the markup language for creating the variables by adding the variables to the variable table.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein each completed query comprises a node and the at least one rule associated with the markup language tag directs rendering of each node belonging to each completed query as a cell of a rendered table.

17. A computer program product for dynamically rendering data in a markup language document represented in a markup language, the computer program product comprising:

program code for identifying a symbol in the data in the markup language, the symbol indicating a query of a data set from a data source, the query associated with a markup language tag in the markup language document, the markup language document for rendering and the markup language tag specifying rendering of a portion of the markup language document, the query containing one or more variables;

program code for augmenting the markup language to support the variables by building a variable resolution functionality into the markup language, each variable resolving to two or more variable values;

program code for accessing the data set in order to generate a resolution to the query, wherein the one or more variables contained in the query are resolved as part of the generation of the resolution to the query;

program code for substituting the two or more variable values for each variable into the query to generate two or more completed queries;

program code for dynamically rendering the resolution to the two or more completed queries together as a part of rendering of the markup language document, according to at least one rule associated with the markup language tag;

program code for receiving input data for updating information rendered using the resolution to the query and storing the input data in the data source at a location determined using the resolution to the query; and

a computer readable medium on which the program codes are stored.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising:

program code for rendering the resolution according to a semantics of the markup language tag with which the query is associated.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising:

program code for generating a resolution to the query by retrieving a node set from a set of documents in Extensible Markup Language; and

program code for rendering each member of the node set.

20. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising:

program code for;

receiving an input from a user;

responsive to receiving the input, updating the data set based at least in part on the received input.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein each completed query comprises a node and the at least one rule associated with the markup language tag directs rendering of each node belonging to each completed query as a cell of a rendered table.

22. A computer system for dynamically rendering data in a markup language document represented in a markup language, the computer system comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium storing an executable computer program product comprising;

an identification module, for identifying a symbol in the data in the markup language document, the symbol indicating a query of a data set from a data source, the query associated with a markup language tag in the markup language document, the markup language document for rendering and the markup language tag specifying rendering of a portion of the markup language document, the query containing one or more variables, each variable of one of a plurality of data types, the markup language augmented with a variable resolution functionality to support the variables;

a data access module, for accessing the data set in order to generate a resolution to the query, wherein the one or more variables contained in the query are resolved as part of the generation of the resolution to the query, the data access module being coupled to the identification module, the data access module further adapted to substitute the two or more variable values for each variable into the query to generate two or more completed queries; and

a rendering module, for dynamically rendering the resolution to the two or more completed queries together as a part of rendering of the markup language document, according to at least one rule associated with the markup language tag, the rendering module being coupled to the data access module, the rendering module further adapted to receive input data for updating information rendered using the resolution to the query and storing the input data in the data source at a location determined using the resolution to the query.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein:

the rendering module is further for rendering the resolution according to a semantics of the markup language tag with which the query is associated.

24. The system of claim 22 further comprising:

a resolution generation module, for generating a resolution to the query by retrieving a node set from a set of documents in Extensible Markup Language, the resolution generation module being coupled to the data access module; and

the rendering module is further for rendering each member of the node set.

25. The system of claim 22 further comprising:

an updating module, for receiving an input from a user and responsive to receiving the input updating the data set based at least in part on the received input, the updating module being coupled to the rendering module.

26. The computer system of claim 22, wherein each completed query comprises a node and the at least one rule associated with the markup language tag directs rendering of each node belonging to each completed query as a cell of a rendered table.