XML Based Form Modification With Import/Export Capability

• US 20080065978A1
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Arellano Lopez, Ana Martha, Francker, Soren
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4493 Object persistence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A form user interface modification engine for use in customizing forms of an application is provided. The modification engine includes an export component which retrieves a first binary format form for customization. The export component deserializes the first binary format form and converts the first binary format form into a first XML format form. An import component of the modification engine receives a customized XML format form created using the first XML format form and serializes the customized XML format form. The customized XML format form is then stored as an XML layer with a reference to the associated binary format form.

Claims

1. A form user interface modification engine for use in customizing forms of an application, the form user interface modification engine comprising:

an export component which retrieves a first binary format form for customization, wherein the export component is configured to deserialize the first binary format form and to convert the first binary format form into a first XML format form; and

an import component which receives a customized XML format form created using the first XML format form, wherein the import component is configured to serialize the customized XML format form and to store the customized XML format form as an XML layer with a reference to the associated first binary format form.

2. The form user interface modification of claim 1, wherein the import component is configured to store the XML layer and the associated first binary format form in a form database associated with the application.

3. The form user interface modification engine of claim 2, wherein the export component retrieves the first binary format form for customization from the form database.

4. The form user interface modification engine of claim 1, wherein the import component is configured to serialize the customized XML format form and to store the customized XML format form as an XML layer on top of the associated first binary format form.

5. The form user interface modification engine of claim 4, wherein the XML layer includes XML code indicative of differences between the customized XML format form and the first XML format form.

6. The form user interface modification engine of claim 5, wherein the import component is configured to store the XML layer with a copy of the first binary format form.

7. The form user interface modification engine of claim 1, wherein the export component is configured to deserialize the first form and to export the first XML format form to an XML editor for use in creating the customized XML format form.

8. The form user interface modification engine of claim 7, wherein the import component is configured to receive the customized XML format form from the XML editor.

9. A form customization system comprising:

a database which stores a set of application user interface forms in binary format; and

a form user interface modification engine, the form user interface modification engine comprising;

an export component configured to retrieve a first form from the database and to convert the first form from binary format into a first XML format form to be used in form customization; and

an import component configured to receive a customized XML format form created using the first XML format form, the import component being further configured to store the customized XML format form in the database as an XML layer with the associated first binary format form.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the export component is further configured to deserialize the first form when retrieving the first form from the database.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the import component is further configured to serialize the customized XML format form before storing the customized XML format form as the XML layer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the import component is configured to store the customized XML format form as an XML layer with a reference to the associated first binary format form.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the XML layer includes XML code indicative of differences between the customized XML format form and the first XML format form.

14. The system (100) of claim 13, wherein the import component is configured to store the XML layer with a copy of the associated first binary format form.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the import component is further configured to receive the customized XML format form from an XML editor.

16. The system of claim 15, and further comprising the XML editor.

17. A computer-implemented method of customizing forms of an application, the method comprising:

retrieving a first form, in a binary format, for customization;

converting the first form from the binary format into an XML format;

receiving a customized XML format form created using the first form in XML format; and

storing the customized XML format form as an XML layer.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, and further comprising customizing the first form by editing the first form in XML format using an XML editor to generate the customized XML format form.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein converting the first form from the binary format into the XML format further comprises deserializing the first form.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein storing the customized ML format form as an XML layer further comprises serializing the customized XML format form.