System and method for parameterizing documents for automatic workflow generation

• US 9,058,315 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Burr, Brandon, Pundle, Akshay, Simler, Kevin, Miyake, Nick
• Primary Examiner(s): Padmanabhan, Kavita
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCINTOSH, ANDREW T
• Application Number:
  US14/265,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20140237354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 715/255
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 first 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;

generating the new workflow based on evaluating the second document by performing the one or more functions in the second document based on the first value associated with the first node to produce an evaluated second document in response to determining the second node is associated with the first node in the parameter tree;

wherein the method is performed using one or more computers.

2. The method of claim 1 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, and the method comprising determining that the first variable is modified;

in response, modifying the value associated with the first node and the value associated with the third node accordingly.

10. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a user interface configured to receive input from a user;

a tree generator configured to generate 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;

a parameterization module configured to;

modify a first value associated with a first node included in the parameter tree based on an input from the user interface through the user interface, 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;

a workflow generator configured to generate a new workflow based on evaluating the second document by performing the one or more functions in the second document based on the first value associated with the first node to produce an evaluated second document in response to determining the second node is associated with the first node in the parameter tree.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the parameterization module is configured to modify a second value associated with the first parameter to equal the first value associated with the first node.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the parameterization module is configured to evaluate the second document comprises by 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 computer system of claim 12, wherein the second document comprises a top-level document associated with the current workflow, and the workflow generator is configured to generate the new workflow to include only one document corresponding to the second document.

14. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the parameterization module is configured to modify a third value associated with the second parameter included in the second document based on the second value associated with the first parameter.

15. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the tree generator is configured to traverse the first document;

extract each parameter included in the first document to generate the parameter tree.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the tree generator is configured to, for each extracted parameter, set a value associated with a node included in the parameter tree and corresponding to the extracted parameter based on a value of the parameter.

17. The computer system of claim 10, wherein a third parameter included in a third document associated with the current workflow matches the first parameter, and the parameterization module is configured to modify a value associated with a third node in the parameter tree that corresponds to the third parameter based on the input from the user interface.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the first node and the third node are bound to a first variable and the parameterization module is configured to determine that the first variable is modified;

in response, modify the value associated with the first node and the value associated with the third node accordingly.