Conflict Resolution

• US 20090271696A1
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Krout, Kelly Michael, Mizulo, Matthew Eric, Bernstein, Ethan Joseph, Bailor, Jonathan Beckett, Gordner, Jonathan Ian
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Embodiments of a collaborative authoring environment enable a user to resolve editing conflicts arising when synchronizing a user copy of a data file with a master copy of the data file. Content updates may be synchronized separately from metadata updates. Metadata updates may be synchronized automatically, whereas content updates may be synchronized only when any identified editing conflicts are resolved. When an editing conflict is identified, the user interface of the authoring application may be configured to toggle between displaying and hiding the identified editing conflicts.

Claims

1. A method of collaboratively authoring a data file comprising:

identifying at a first authoring application implemented on a first computing device an editing conflict existing between a user copy of the data file and a master copy of the data file;

merging the user copy of the data file and the master copy of the data file to generate a merged copy of the data file;

displaying the merged copy of the data file to the user of the first authoring application;

presenting to a user a toggle interface enabling the user to toggle between displaying the identified editing conflict and hiding the identified editing conflict, the toggle interface being presented when the editing conflict is identified and remaining until the identified editing conflict has been resolved, wherein the merged copy of the data file is freely editable by the user both when the identified editing conflict is displayed and when the identified editing conflict is hidden; and

providing a resolution interface enabling the user to provide resolution instructions for the identified editing conflict when the user toggles to displaying the identified editing conflict.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the user to provide resolution instructions comprises enabling the user to select whether to accept or reject the editing conflict.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying at the first authoring application a plurality of editing conflicts existing between the user copy of the data file and the master copy of the data file, wherein presenting the toggle interface to the user enables the user to toggle between displaying the editing conflicts and hiding the editing conflicts.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

displaying the identified editing conflicts when the user toggles to displaying the identified editing conflicts;

wherein the presented resolution interface enables the user to accept or reject any of the editing conflicts.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the identified editing conflict comprises displaying the identified editing conflict within context of non-conflicting content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein displaying the identified editing conflict comprises annotating the identified editing conflict to distinguish the identified editing conflict from the non-conflicting content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein annotating the identified editing conflict comprises displaying an origin of the identified editing conflict.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein hiding the identified editing conflict comprises removing any annotation from the identified editing conflict.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the first authoring application an update indicating a current state of the master copy of the data file to synchronize the user copy of the data file with the master copy.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising alerting the user when the editing conflict is identified.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving instructions to synchronize the user copy of the data file with the master copy;

generating a new copy of the data file based on the user copy, the new copy including the identified editing conflict, wherein editing the new copy of the data file does not trigger presentation of the toggle interface.

12. A computer readable storage medium storing executable instructions, which perform a method of resolving editing conflicts when executed by a computing device, the editing conflicts existing between a user copy of a data file and a master copy of the data file, the method comprising:

presenting a display window to a user of the computing device, the display window including an editing area, a summary area, and a resolution interface, wherein the resolution interface is configured to enable the user to provide resolution instructions for identified conflicting content selected by the user;

displaying any content locks and content of the user copy including any identified conflicting content within the editing area of the display window, wherein the user may edit the content of the user copy including the identified conflicting content freely in the editing area, the identified conflicting content being annotated to distinguish the identified conflicting content from non-conflicting content;

displaying the identified conflicting content and any identified conflicting content locks within the summary window; and

presenting a toggle interface to the user, wherein selection of the toggle interface by the user removes any annotations to the identified conflicting content within the editing area of the display window.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein election of the toggle interface by the user also removes the resolution interface from the display window.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising displaying an alert reporting to the user that the identified conflicting content exists.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the identified conflicting content includes only content that is inserted or deleted by the user to the user copy of the data file and that interferes with intervening changes to the master copy of the data file.

16. A system for collaboratively editing a data file comprising:

a storage device on which a master copy of the data file is stored, the master copy having master content and master locks;

a user device on which a user copy of the data file is stored, the user copy having user content and user locks, the user content being generated based on the master content and the user locks being generated based on the master locks;

an authoring application being implemented on the user device, the authoring application being configured to receive from the storage device master content updates indicating any changes to the master content and master lock updates indicating any changes to the master locks,

the authoring application also being configured to identify any editing conflicts between the user copy of the data file and the master content updates and between the user copy and the master lock updates, and

wherein the authoring application automatically instantiates any changes to the master locks when the changes to the master locks do not conflict with any changes to the user locks; and

wherein the authoring application automatically instantiates any changes to the master content only when no editing conflicts are identified by the authoring application.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the authoring application also is configured to send to the storage device user content updates indicating any changes to the user content only when no editing conflicts are identified by the authoring application.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the authoring application also is configured to send to the storage device user lock updates indicating any changes to the user locks whether or not editing conflicts are identified by the authoring application.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a resolution interface configured to be displayed by the authoring application, the resolution interface being configured to present the user copy of the data file including displaying the user locks and displaying the user content annotated to indicate any identified editing conflicts.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of user devices communicatively coupled to the storage device, wherein each user device is configured to obtain a user copy of the data file, to receive updates from the storage device at periodic intervals, and to send updates to the storage device when the identified editing conflicts are resolved.