Form template refactoring

• US 9,613,089 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Lesage, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Leroux, Etienne
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLLAND, SHERYL L
• Application Number:
  US11/849,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20140032480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,500 Days
• Field of Search: 707739, 707999001, 707739999
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a command to update a form component within a set of one or more form templates. The method also includes receiving an alternative form component for the form component that is to be updated. The method includes performing a pattern matching across a number of form templates to identify the set of one or more form templates in the number of form templates. The method includes refactoring the set of one or more form templates. The refactoring includes changing a reference in the set of one or more form templates to reference the alternative form component.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an alternative form component for a starting form component included in each of a set of form templates of a plurality of form templates;

based on receiving a command to update the starting form component, performing a pattern matching across the plurality of form templates to identify the set of form templates in the plurality of form templates; and

using one or more processors, refactoring each form template of the set of form templates as identified by the pattern matching, the refactoring including changing each form template of the set to reference the alternative form component instead of the starting form component.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating the set of form templates prior to refactoring.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the validating comprises receiving validation from user input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the starting and alternative form components is at least one of a subform template, a form fragment template, a code fragment template, or a field.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing of the pattern matching comprises pattern matching based on at least one of at least a partial match of a name of the starting form component and at least a partial match of a type of data field in the starting form component.

6. A non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions which when executed by a machine causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a command to update a starting form component with an alternative form template, the starting form template included in each of a set of form templates of a plurality of form templates, the starting form component including at least one of a subform template, a form fragment template, or a field;

based on receiving the command, performing a pattern matching across the plurality of form templates to identify the set of form templates having the starting form component; and

refactoring the set of form templates, the refactoring including performing an update operation across the set of form templates, the update operation being at least one of converting a subform template to a form fragment template, updating a location in a template hierarchy for the starting form component, or updating a change of a name for the starting form component.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the updating of the location in the template hierarchy for the starting form component comprises separating a subform template or a code fragment template into two or more sub form templates or two or more code fragment templates, respectively.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the updating of the location in the template hierarchy for the starting form component comprises merging two or more subform templates or two or more code fragment templates.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the starting form component is at least one of a subform template, a form fragment template, a code fragment template, or a field.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the performing of the pattern matching comprises pattern matching based on at least one of at least a partial match of a name of the starting form component and at least a partial match of a type of data field in the starting form component.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6, further comprising validating the set of form templates prior to refactoring.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory machine-readable medium to store a plurality of form templates; and

a refactor template module, implemented by a processor, coupled to the non-transitory machine-readable medium, configured to;

pattern match across the plurality of form templates to identify a set of form templates in the plurality of form templates that include a form fragment template or a subform template, the form fragment template or the subform template being a starting form component of each form template of the set of form templates, each form template of the set referencing the starting form component; and

to refactor each form template of the set of form templates to change each form template of the set to reference an alternative form fragment template or to replace the subform template with an alternative subform template;

wherein the patter match occurs based upon receiving a command to update the form fragment template or the subform template.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the refactor template module is to validate the set of form templates prior to the refactor of the set of form templates.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the refactor template module is to validate using validation from user input.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the refactor template module is to pattern match based on a pattern match operation that comprises at least one of at least a partial match of a name of the form fragment template or the subform template and at least a partial match of a type of data field in the form fragment template or the subform template.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory machine-readable medium to store a plurality of form templates; and

a refactor template module, implemented by a processor, coupled to the non-transitory machine-readable medium, configured to;

locate a set of form templates within the plurality of form templates having a starting form component to be updated, the starting form component being a component of each form template of the set of form templates, each form template of the set referencing the form component; and

refactor each form template of the set of form templates by performing an update operation across the set of form templates, wherein the update operation includes at least one of an operation to replace the starting form component with an alternative form component, an operation to convert a subform template to a form fragment template, or an operation to update a location in a template hierarchy for the form component;

wherein locating the set of form components occurs based upon receiving a command to update the starting form component.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the operation to update the location in the template hierarchy for the starting form component comprises an operation to separate a subform template or a code fragment template into two or more sub form templates or two or more code fragment templates, respectively.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the operation to update the location in the template hierarchy for the starting form component comprises an operation to merge two or more subform templates or two or more code fragment templates.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the starting form component is at least one of a subform template, a form fragment template, a code fragment template, or a field.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the refactor template module is to locate the set of form templates based on a pattern match operation that comprises at least one of at least a partial match of a name of the starting form component and at least a partial match of a type of data field in the starting form component.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the refactor template module is to locate the set of form templates based on a dependency graph.