Secure document creation from potentially unsecure source templates

• US 9,224,010 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2011
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pawlowsky, Marc A.
• Primary Examiner(s): ADAMS, CHARLES D
• Application Number:
  US13/224,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20130061126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/84 Mapping; Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures

Abstract

An illustrative embodiment of a computer-implemented method for generating secured documents using a source template is disclosed, in which a computer system receives the source template; converts the source template into a secured template comprising user-modifiable extension points, wherein the secured template is not user-modifiable outside of the user-modifiable extension points; receives a user input comprising one or more user-indicated modifications at one or more of the user-modifiable extension points; modifies the secured template into a custom document with modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points in accordance with the one or more user-indicated modifications; and transforms the custom document into a secured custom document that comprises the modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points and that is in a format that is executable using a source schema associated with the source template.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing system to generate secured documents using a source template, the method comprising:

receiving the source template that is configured in accordance with a first format compatible with a first computer program;

receiving a source schema associated with the source template, the source schema defining the first format;

converting the source template into a secured template, wherein the secured template is configured in accordance with a second format compatible with a second computer program, the second format being different than the first format, wherein the first format is incompatible with the second computer program, and wherein converting the source template into the secured template comprises;

determining, by the computing system and based on indications contained in the source schema, one or more parts of the source template where modification is permitted, the one or more parts of the source template comprising an element of the source template that references a common style of the source template, and

adding, by the computing system, user-modifiable extension points at the determined one or more parts of the source template to create the secured template, wherein adding the user-modifiable extension points comprises creating at least one child element of the element of the source template and copying at least a portion of the common style referenced by the element to the at least one child element,

wherein the secured template is not user-modifiable outside of the user-modifiable extension points;

receiving user input comprising one or more user-indicated modifications at one or more of the user-modifiable extension points;

modifying the secured template into a custom document with modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points in accordance with the one or more user-indicated modifications, wherein the custom document is compatible with the second computer program; and

transforming the custom document into a secured custom document that comprises the modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points and that is in a format executable using the source schema, wherein the secured custom document is compatible with the first computer program, and wherein transforming the custom document into the secured custom document comprises;

creating a respective at least one individualized style within the secured custom document; and

copying at least a portion of a style defined within the at least one child element to the respective at least one individualized style.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parts of the source template further comprise at least one user-modifiable element, and wherein adding the user-modifiable extension points further comprises adding an attribute to the at least one user-modifiable element indicating a property type of the element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adding the user-modifiable extension points further comprises replacing one or more attributes in the source template with one or more corresponding attribute definitions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adding the user-modifiable extension points further comprises replacing one or more attributes in the source template with one or more corresponding child elements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the source template into the secured template further comprises making one or more file paths in the source template non-user-modifiable in the secured template.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting, via a user interface of the second computer program, the secured template.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein outputting the secured template comprises providing options for a user with administrator authorization to change one or more of the user-modifiable extension points to non-user-modifiable for a user without administrator authorization.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying that property values of the user-indicated modifications are valid for an identified type for the user-indicated modifications, prior to transforming the secured template into the custom document that comprises the modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points in accordance with the user-indicated modifications.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting the source schema into a modified schema configured to validate the custom document comprising the modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

verifying that the custom document can be validated by the modified schema, prior to transforming the custom document.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying that the secured custom document can be validated by the source schema, after transforming the custom document.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, via the first computer program, a visualization chart based on the secured custom document.

13. A computer system to generate secured documents using a source template, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors and one or more computer-readable data storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more data storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to receive the source template that is configured in accordance with a first format compatible with a first computer program;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more data storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to receive a source schema associated with the source template, the source schema defining the first format;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more data storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to convert the source template into a secured template, wherein the secured template is configured in accordance with a second format compatible with a second computer program, the second format being different than the first format, wherein the first format is incompatible with the second computer program, and wherein the program instructions to convert the source template into the secured template comprise program instructions to;

determine, based on indications contained in the source schema, one or more parts of the source template where modification is permitted, the one or more parts of the source template comprising an element of the source template that references a common style of the source template, and

add user-modifiable extension points at the determined one or more parts of the source template to create the secured template, wherein adding the user-modifiable extension points comprises creating at least one child element of the element of the source template and copying at least a portion of the common style referenced by the element to the at least one child element,

wherein the secured template is not user-modifiable outside of the user-modifiable extension points;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more data storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to receive a user input comprising one or more user-indicated modifications at one or more of the user-modifiable extension points;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more data storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to modify the secured template into a custom document with modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points in accordance with the one or more user-indicated modifications, wherein the custom document is compatible with the second computer program; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more data storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to transform the custom document into a secured custom document that comprises the modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points and that is in a format that is executable using the source schema, wherein the secured custom document is compatible with the first computer program, and wherein the program instructions to transform the custom document into the secured custom document comprise program instructions to;

create a respective at least one individualized style within the secured custom document; and

copy at least a portion of a style defined within the at least one child element to the respective at least one individualized style.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to convert the source template into the secured template further comprise program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more data storage devices, to replace one or more attributes in the source template with one or more corresponding attribute definitions or child elements.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to convert the source template into the secured template further comprise program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more data storage devices, to make one or more file paths in the source template non-user-modifiable.

16. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising:

program instructions to convert the source schema into a modified schema configured to validate the custom document comprising the modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points; and

program instructions to verify that the custom document can be validated by the modified schema.

17. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising:

program instructions to verify that the secured custom document can be validated by the source schema.

18. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising:

program instructions to provide options for a user with administrator authorization to change one or more of the user-modifiable extension points to non-user-modifiable for a user without administrator authorization.

19. A computer program product for generating secured documents using a source template, the computer program product comprising:

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-readable program instructions stored thereon, the computer-readable program instructions comprising;

computer-readable program instructions to receive the source template that is configured in accordance with a first format compatible with a first computer program;

computer-readable program instructions to receive a source schema associated with the source template, the source schema defining the first format;

computer-readable program instructions to convert the source template into a secured template, wherein the secured template is configured in accordance with a second format compatible with a second computer program, the second format being different than the first format, wherein the first format is incompatible with the second computer program, and wherein the computer-readable program instructions to convert the source template into the secured template comprise computer-readable program instructions to;

determine, based on indications contained in the source schema, one or more parts of the source template where modification is permitted, the one or more parts of the source template comprising an element of the source template that references a common style of the source template, and

add user-modifiable extension points at the determined one or more parts of the source template to create the secured template, wherein adding the user-modifiable extension points comprises creating at least one child element of the element of the source template and copying at least a portion of the common style referenced by the element to the at least one child element,

wherein the secured template is not user-modifiable outside of the user-modifiable extension points;

computer-readable program instructions to receive a user input comprising one or more user-indicated modifications at one or more of the user-modifiable extension points;

computer-readable program instructions to modify the secured template into a custom document with modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points in accordance with the one or more user-indicated modifications, wherein the custom document is compatible with the second computer program; and

computer-readable program instructions to transform the custom document into a secured custom document that comprises the modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points and that is in a format that is executable using the source schema, wherein the secured custom document is compatible with the first computer program, and wherein the computer-readable program instructions to transform the custom document into the secured custom document comprise computer-readable program instructions to;

create a respective at least one individualized style within the secured custom document; and

copy at least a portion of a style defined within the at least one child element to the respective at least one individualized style.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program instructions to convert the source template into the secured template further comprise program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more data storage devices, to replace one or more attributes in the source template with one or more corresponding attribute definitions or child elements in the secured template.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program instructions to convert the source template into the secured template further comprise program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more data storage devices, to make one or more file paths in the source template non-user-modifiable.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program instructions further comprise:

computer-readable program instructions to convert the source schema into a modified schema configured to validate the custom document comprising the modifications to the one or more user-modifiable extension points; and

computer-readable program instructions to verify that the custom document can be validated by the modified schema.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program instructions further comprise:

computer-readable program instructions to verify that the secured custom document can be validated by the source schema.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program instructions further comprise:

computer-readable program instructions to make the user-modifiable extension points non-user-modifiable by a user with administrator authorization.