System and method for parameterizing documents for automatic workflow generation

• US 8,732,574 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Burr, Brandon Lawrence, Pundle, Akshay, Simler, Kevin D., Miyake, Nicholas Niki Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton, Jr., Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCINTOSH, ANDREW T
• Application Number:
  US13/218,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20130055264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 715/255
• US Class Current: 715/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2246 Trees, e.g. B+trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method for generating a new workflow for an application. The method includes generating a parameter tree related to a current workflow, wherein the parameter tree includes a different node corresponding to each parameter included in one or more documents associated with the current workflow, modifying a value associated with a first node included in the parameter tree based on an input, wherein the first node corresponds to a first parameter included in a first document associated with the current workflow, evaluating a second document associated with the current workflow based on the modified value associated with the first node, and generating the new workflow based on the evaluated second document.

Claims

1. A method for generating a new workflow for an application, the method comprising:

generating a parameter tree related to a current workflow, wherein the parameter tree includes a different node corresponding to each parameter included in a document of a plurality of documents associated with the current workflow, wherein each of the plurality of documents comprises one or more functions;

modifying a value associated with a first node included in the parameter tree based on an input, wherein the first node corresponds to a first parameter included in a first document associated with the current workflow;

wherein a second node included in the parameter tree corresponds to a second parameter included in a second document in the current workflow, and wherein the first node is associated with the second node based on the second parameter referencing the first document;

evaluating the first document to produce an evaluated first document by performing the one or more functions based on the value associated with the first node, which corresponds to the first parameter in the first document;

evaluating the second document to produce an evaluated second document, based on the evaluated first document associated with the first node in response to determining the second node is associated with the first node; and

generating the new workflow based on the evaluated second document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the value is a first value, and the method further comprising modifying a second value associated with the first parameter to equal the first value associated with the first node.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein evaluating the second document comprises modifying a third value associated with the second parameter included in the second document based on the second value associated with the first parameter.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second document comprises a top-level document associated with the current workflow, and the new workflow includes only one document corresponding to the second document.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the second value associated with the first parameter included in the first document, and then regenerating the second document based on the second value associated with the first parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the parameter tree comprises traversing the first document to extract each parameter included in the first document.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, for each extracted parameter, setting a value associated with a node included in the parameter tree and corresponding to the extracted parameter based on a value of the parameter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a third parameter included in a third document associated with the current workflow matches the first parameter, and further comprising modifying a value associated with a third node in the parameter tree that corresponds to the third parameter based on the input.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first node and the third node are bound to a first variable, wherein, when the first variable is modified, the value associated with the first node and the value associated with the third node are modified accordingly.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to generate a new workflow for an application, by performing the steps of:

generating a parameter tree related to a current workflow, wherein the parameter tree includes a different node corresponding to each parameter included in a document of a plurality of documents associated with the current workflow, wherein each of the plurality of documents comprises one or more functions;

modifying a value associated with a first node included in the parameter tree based on an input, wherein the first node corresponds to a first parameter included in a first document associated with the current workflow;

wherein a second node included in the parameter tree corresponds to a second parameter included in a second document in the current workflow, and wherein the first node is associated with the second node based on the second parameter referencing the first document;

evaluating the first document to produce an evaluated first document by performing the one or more functions based on the value associated with the first node, which corresponds to the first parameter in the first document;

evaluating the second document to produce an evaluated second document, based on the evaluated first document associated with the first node in response to determining the second node is associated with the first node; and

generating the new workflow based on the evaluated second document.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the value is a first value, and the method further comprising modifying a second value associated with the first parameter to equal the first value associated with the first node.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein evaluating the second document comprises modifying a third value associated with the second parameter included in the second document based on the second value associated with the first parameter.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising storing the second value associated with the first parameter included in the first document, and then regenerating the second document based on the second value associated with the first parameter.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein generating the parameter tree comprises traversing the first document to extract each parameter included in the first document.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising, for each extracted parameter, setting a value associated with a node included in the parameter tree and corresponding to the extracted parameter based on a value of the parameter.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein a third parameter included in a third document associated with the current workflow matches the first parameter, and further comprising modifying a value associated with a third node in the parameter tree that corresponds to the third parameter based on the input.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first node and the third node are bound to a first variable, wherein, when the first variable is modified, the value associated with the first node and the value associated with the third node are modified accordingly.

18. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured to;

generating a parameter tree related to a current workflow, wherein the parameter tree includes a different node corresponding to each parameter included in a document of a plurality of documents associated with the current workflow, wherein each of the plurality of documents comprises one or more functions;

modifying a value associated with a first node included in the parameter tree based on an input, wherein the first node corresponds to a first parameter included in a first document associated with the current workflow;

wherein a second node included in the parameter tree corresponds to a second parameter included in a second document in the current workflow, and wherein the first node is associated with the second node based on the second parameter referencing the first document;

evaluating the first document to produce an evaluated first document by performing the one or more functions based on the value associated with the first node, which corresponds to the first parameter in the first document;

evaluating the second document to produce an evaluated second document, based on the evaluated first document associated with the first node in response to determining the second node is associated with the first node, and generating the new workflow based on the evaluated second document;

generating the new workflow based on the evaluated second document.

19. A method comprising:

generating a parameter tree related to a current workflow comprising a plurality of nodes, wherein each node in the plurality of nodes corresponds to a parameter included in a document in a plurality of documents associated with the current workflow, wherein each document in the plurality of documents comprises one or more parameters and one or more functions, wherein a first parameter is included in a first document in the current workflow, wherein a second parameter is included in a second document in the current workflow, wherein the second parameter references the first document, and wherein a first node is associated with the first parameter and a second node is associated with the second parameter;

associating the second node with the first node in response to the second parameter referencing the first document;

modifying the first parameter based on an input to produce a modified first parameter;

evaluating the first document based on the modified first parameter to produce an evaluated first document;

determining that the second node is associated with the first node in the parameter tree;

evaluating the second document based on the evaluated first document in response to determining the second node is associated with the first node to produce an evaluated second document; and

generating the new workflow based on the evaluated second document;

wherein the method is performed using one or more computing devices.