System and method of format specification

• US 20060005127A1
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ferguson, Kevin M., Wu, Xu
• Granted Patent: US 8,904,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154

Abstract

A value formatting system for determining format specifications in reports is provided. The value formatting system comprises a format collection unit for collecting data value attributes and patterns for a data item in a report, and a format merging unit for merging the collected data value attributes and patterns into a format specification for the data item.

Claims

1. A value formatting system for determining format specifications in reports, the value formatting system comprising:

a format collection unit for collecting data value attributes and patterns for a data item in a report; and

a format merging unit for merging the collected data value attributes and patterns into a format specification for the data item.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a format analysis unit for analysing and ordering the collected data value attributes and patterns into a hierarchy.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a format repository for storing the data value attributes and patterns.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a rendering unit for rendering the data item to a report using the format specification.

5. A value formatting system for determining format specifications in reports, the value formatting system comprising:

a conditional formatting resolution unit for processing conditional formatting styles set in a reporting application;

a format merging unit for merging format specifications;

an inherited format classification unit for classifying inherited format specifications;

a defined format classification unit for classifying defined format specifications;

a defined format selection unit for selecting a defined format specification from the classifying defined format specifications;

a format association unit for associating the selected defined format specification to a corresponding inherited format specification; and

a format association unit for applying the associated format specification to the data item value.

6. A method of formatting data item values in reports, the method comprising the steps of:

collecting data value attributes and patterns for a data item in a report; and

merging the collected data value attributes and patterns into a format specification for the data item.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the steps of analysing and ordering the collected data value attributes and patterns into a hierarchy.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of storing the data value attributes and patterns.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step of rendering the data item to a report using the format specification.

10. A method of formatting data item values in reports, the method comprising the steps of:

processing conditional formatting styles set in a reporting application;

merging format specifications in the reporting application;

classifying inherited format specifications in the reporting application;

classifying defined format specifications in the reporting application;

selecting a defined format specification from the classified defined format specifications;

associating the selected defined format specification to a corresponding inherited format specification; and

applying the associated format specification to the data item value.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of classifying inherited format specifications includes the step of gathering and merging the inherited format specifications.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of classifying defined format specifications includes the step of gathering and merging the defined format specifications.

13. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of formatting data item values in reports, the method comprising the steps of:

collecting data value attributes and patterns for a data item in a report; and

merging the collected data value attributes and patterns into a format specification for the data item.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for use in the execution in a computer of a method of formatting data item values in reports, the method comprising the steps of:

collecting data value attributes and patterns for a data item in a report; and

merging the collected data value attributes and patterns into a format specification for the data item.

15. A computer program product for use in the execution in a computer of a value formatting system for determining format specifications in reports, the computer program product comprising:

a format collection unit for collecting data value attributes and patterns for a data item in a report; and

a format merging unit for merging the collected data value attributes and patterns into a format specification for the data item.