Representing extensible markup language (XML) as an executable having conditional authentication or policy logic

• US 8,799,770 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Morris, Cameron Craig, Muhlestein, Herrick Gordon, Burch, Lloyd Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): DYER, ANDREW R
• Application Number:
  US13/278,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20120042355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 715/234, 715/273, 726/27, 726/28, 726/29, 726/30
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

Techniques for representing extensible markup language (XML) in an executable format are presented. An XML document is parsed into its components and content. The components and content are packaged as an executable. Some portions of the executable include authentication logic or policy logic that is subsequently enforced when the executable is processed. The executable is subsequently distributed to recipient machines. The machines process the executable and produce memory loaded versions of the components and content representing the XML document on the machines. The memory loaded versions of the components and content include conditionally added authentication logic of policy logic.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

generating, by a first device, an executable that, when processed at a second device, reproduces one or more components and content associated with the one or more components as an in-memory data structure, wherein the one or more components and the content associated with the one or more components represent an extensible markup language (XML) document, the generating comprises providing the executable in a format used by the second device of a recipient, and the executable is in a particular program code format that comprises;

a machine-specific program code format, a byte-code format, a machine-independent program code format, or a combination thereof; and

configuring, by the first device, the executable with authentication logic, policy logic, and retrieval logic, and;

the authentication logic provides authentication for the recipient that attempts to access the XML document via the executable at the second device,

the policy logic enforces policy restrictions, the policy restrictions conditionally restrict how the one or more components and content associated with the one or more components of the XML document are subsequently populated to the in-memory data structure for the recipient at the second device, and

the retrieval logic permits an embedded reference to an external document within the XML document to be appropriately retrieved by the recipient at the second device, and

wherein the authentication logic, the policy logic, and the retrieval logic each include one or more instructions that are represented within the executable, such that when the executable is executed, the authentication logic, the policy logic, and the retrieval logic are processed with the executable, the authentication logic enforces identity verification when the recipient attempts to access the XML document at the second device, and the authentication logic and the policy logic together with the retrieval logic enforce conditional restrictions that determine whether the external document is to be retrieved and populated to the in-memory data structure for the recipient at the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating further includes identifying common logic included within the executable that is common with one or more other executables for one or more other XML documents.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said identifying further includes removing the common logic from the executable and providing a reference for the common logic within the executable to access a common library where the common logic can be acquired and processed with the executable.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said identifying further includes removing the common logic from the executable and the one or more other executables and creating a module within a common library for the common logic, and the executable and the one or more other executables are modified to reference the common logic from the common library.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating further includes providing logic within the executable that produces the in-memory data structure in a Document Object Model (DOM) format.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said configuring further includes configuring the executable to dynamically resolve conditions used with the authentication logic and the policy logic based on one or more processing environment variables associated with the second device of the recipient.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication logic enforces identity verification associated with an identity that identifies the recipient, an author, or a distributor of the executable.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy restrictions depend upon one or more dynamically determined conditions that exist when the recipient processes the executable.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more dynamically determined conditions include a condition determining that another resource is in use.

10. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to execute an extensible markup language (XML) compiler and an XML parser, wherein the XML parser is configured to;

parse an XML document into one or more components that each are associated with content, and

the XML compiler is configured to;

translate each component and the content associated with the component into an executable that, when subsequently processed on a machine, reconstructs the one or more components and the content associated with the one or more components as a data structure within an environment of the machine, wherein the executable is provided in a format used by the machine of a recipient, and the executable is in a particular program code format that comprises a machine-specific program code format, a byte-code format, a machine-independent program code format, or a combination thereof,

wherein at least a portion of the executable includes authentication logic, policy logic, and retrieval logic, the authentication logic provides authentication for the recipient that attempts to access the XML document via the executable, and the policy logic enforces policy restrictions,

wherein the policy restrictions conditionally restrict how the one or more components and content associated with the one or more components of the XML document are subsequently populated to the data structure for the recipient, and the retrieval logic permits an embedded reference to an external document within the XML document to be appropriately retrieved by the recipient, and

wherein the authentication logic, the policy logic, and the retrieval logic each include one or more instructions that are represented within the executable, such that when the authentication logic, the policy logic, and the retrieval logic are processed with the executable, the authentication logic enforces identity verification when the recipient attempts to access the XML document, and the authentication logic and the policy logic together with the retrieval logic enforce conditional restrictions that determine whether the external document is to be retrieved and populated to the data structure for the recipient.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a common library to represent one or more portions of the executable that overlap more than once within the executable or that overlap with one or more portions of one or more other executables, wherein the XML compiler is configured to bundle the common library with the executable or to insert one or more references to the common library within the one or more portions of the executable.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the policy logic is configured to conditionally present selective portions of the XML document based on processing of the authentication logic.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the policy logic is configured to report and log licensing conditions associated with the XML document.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the data structure is represented in a Document Object Model (DOM) format.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein a format of the executable produced by the XML compiler is machine-independent.

16. A computer implemented method, comprising:

processing, by a device, an executable to produce a loaded version of one or more components and content associated with the one or more components an extensible markup language (XML) document that is mapped to a data structure accessible from a memory of the device, wherein the executable is in a particular program code format, and said processing comprises;

recognizing the executable as being in the particular program code format and selecting an interpreter or driver service to process the executable, wherein the particular program code format comprises a machine-specific program code format, a byte-code format, a machine-independent program code format, or a combination thereof; and

processing, by the device, authentication logic, policy logic, and retrieval logic that are included within the executable, wherein;

the authentication logic provides authentication for a recipient that attempts to access the data structure,

the authentication logic provides the authentication based on the recipient, wherein selective portions of the content from the XML document are made available to the recipient based on the processing of the authentication logic, and

the policy logic enforces policy restrictions,

wherein the policy restrictions conditionally restrict how the one or more components and content associated with the one or more components of the XML document are subsequently populated to the data structure for the recipient, and the retrieval logic permits an embedded reference to an external document within the XML document to be appropriately retrieved by the recipient, and

wherein the authentication logic, the policy logic, and the retrieval logic each include one or more instructions that are represented within the executable, such that when the authentication logic, the policy logic, and the retrieval logic are processed with the executable, the authentication logic enforces identity verification when the recipient attempts to access the XML document, and the authentication logic and the policy logic together with the retrieval logic enforce conditional restrictions that determine whether the external document is to be retrieved and populated to the data structure for the recipient.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing, by the device, the data structure to XML-enabled applications processing on the device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said providing further includes providing the data structure as a Document Object Model (DOM) data structure.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said processing further includes interacting with the recipient to acquire credentials in response to the processing of the authentication logic.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the executable directly produces the data structure without a scanning and parsing pre-process operation being performed by an XML parser.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein said processing further includes dynamically enforcing the authentication logic and the policy logic based at least in part on one or more processing environment variables associated with the device, a processing environment associated with the recipient, and an identity of the recipient.