Processing rich text data for storing as legacy data records in a data storage system

• US 8,930,808 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2011
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jaquinta, Joseph Moulton, Wolpert, Craig Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US13/188,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/205, 715/242, 715/248, 715/249, 715/256, 715/273, 715/234, 715/255, 707/602, 707/693, 707/756, 707/912, 707/917, 707/999.101
• US Class Current: 715/242
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for storing rich text data that comprises identifying plain text and rich text attributes from the rich text data, wherein the rich text attributes specify richness features of the plain text, storing the plain text in a first legacy data record, and storing the rich text attributes in a second legacy data record prefixed by a token, wherein the token is recognizable by an application capable of applying the rich text attributes to the plain text to present the rich text data.

Claims

1. A method for processing rich text data, comprising:

identifying plain text and rich text attributes from the rich text data, wherein the rich text attributes specify richness features of the plain text;

generating a first legacy data record comprising the plain text;

generating a second legacy data record comprising the rich text attributes;

compressing the second legacy data record; and

storing the first legacy data record and the compressed second legacy data record in a legacy data repository of a data storage system,

wherein the compressed second legacy data record is prefixed by a token, wherein the token includes a unique string of characters recognizable by a user and by an application capable of applying the rich text attributes to the plain text to present the rich text data, and

wherein the first legacy data record is separate from the second legacy data record so that the plain text appears without rich text, the plain text appearing in one or more plain text lines and the rich text appearing in one or more rich text lines prefixed by the token.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second legacy data record is stored inline with the first legacy data record in a legacy data storage system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising encoding the compressed second legacy data record in a readable text format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application processes the second legacy data record to apply the rich text attributes to the plain text when presenting the rich text data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to an application incapable of applying the rich text attributes to the plain text and not recognizing the token while processing the legacy data records, the application ignores the second legacy data record.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising encapsulating a portion of the rich text data with a marker designating a richness attribute to be applied to the portion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the richness features of the rich text data are encoded in the plain text, then the second legacy data record is not generated.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the richness features of the rich text data comprise at least one of text font, text size, text color, text style, and emphasis characteristics.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting the plain text and the rich text attributes from the rich text data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding each segment of plain text to a plain text output stream; and

adding each rich text segment to a rich text stream with an indicator specifying at what point of the plain text stream the rich text segment should be inserted by adding a numeric character position after first symbol of each rich text segment.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

merging the plain text stream and the rich text stream; and

outputting the merged data as records.

12. A computer readable hardware storage device medium storing computer program code for storing rich text data, the program code comprising:

program code configured to identify plain text and rich text attributes from the rich text data, wherein the rich text attributes specify richness features of the plain text;

program code configured to generate a first legacy data record;

program code configured to generate a second legacy data record;

program code configured to compress the second legacy data record; and

program code configure to store the first legacy data record and the compressed second legacy data record in a legacy data repository of a data storage system,

wherein the compressed second legacy data record is prefixed by a token, wherein the token includes a unique string of characters recognizable by a user and by an application capable of applying the rich text attributes to the plain text to present the rich text data, and

wherein the first legacy data record is separate from the second legacy data record so that the plain text appears without rich text, the plain text appearing in one or more plain text lines and the rich text appearing in one or more rich text lines prefixed by the token.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising program code configured to store the second legacy data record inline with the first legacy data record in a legacy data storage system.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising program code configured to encode the compressed second legacy data record in a readable text format.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the application processes the second legacy data record to apply the rich text attributes to the plain text when presenting the rich text data.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

program code configured to extract the plain text and the rich text attributes from the rich text data.

17. A system for storing rich text data, comprising:

a processor;

a plain text component operable by the processor to identify plain text in the rich text data and store the plain text in a first legacy data record;

a rich text attribute component operable by the processor to identify rich text attributes in the rich text data and generate a second legacy data record which comprises the rich text attributes, wherein the rich text attributes specify richness features of the plain text, and the second legacy data record is prefixed by a token which includes a unique string of characters recognizable by a user and by an application capable of applying the rich text attributes to the plain text to present the rich text data;

a record compressing component operable by the processor to compress the second data record, and

a record storing component operable by the processor to store the second legacy data record inline with the first legacy data record in a legacy data repository of a data storage system,

wherein the first legacy data record is separate from the second legacy data record so that the plain text appears without rich text, the plain text appearing in one or more plain text lines and the rich text appearing in one or more rich text lines prefixed by the token.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising an encoder to encode the compressed second legacy data record in a readable text format.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein in response to an application incapable of applying the rich text attributes to the plain text and not recognizing the token while processing the legacy data records, the application ignores the second legacy data record.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising an encapsulating component operable by the processor to encapsulate a portion of the rich text data with a marker designating a richness attribute applicable to the portion.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the richness features of the rich text data comprise at least one of text font, text size, text color, text style, and emphasis characteristics.

22. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a plain text extractor and a rich text attribute extractor operable by the processor to extract the plain text and the rich text attributes from the rich text data.