Publishing/republishing data tables in HTML documents while maintaining formatting and functionality for restoring back the data tables

• US 6,691,281 B1
• Filed: 06/15/1999
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lowry, Kent R., Johnson, Russell S., Sorge, Terri L., Quan, May May, Dauphiny, John L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US09/333,816
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 707/504, 707/503, 707/516, 707/523, 707/515, 715/503, 715/509, 715/513, 715/516, 715/523
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines

Abstract

A spreadsheet program directly publishes a data table or chart into an HTML document. The table or chart is published to a predefined location within the HTML document and a user is enabled to readily update the published table or chart to include changes made in the spreadsheet program by republishing the data table or chart. Furthermore, the published or republished data can be imported back into the parent spreadsheet program from the HTML document without loss of functionality or formatting that it had in the parent spreadsheet program. In addition, the data may be published in a form that can be used by ActiveX web components in order to provide spreadsheet functionality from within the browser application. A unique marker tag or identification tag within the HTML document indicates where the data table or chart has been inserted.

Claims

1. A method for using an application program in which data having a format and a functionality specific to the application program are created, to publish a portion of the data into an HTML document such that when changes to the original data are made in the application program, those changes may be readily republished into the HTML document to replace the previously published data, and so that all data published into an HTML document retains any formatting information specific to the application program to enable any published data to be reintroduced into the application program with all its original format and functionality intact, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) using the application program to select the portion of the original data to be published;

(b) translating the original data selected into translated original data having an HTML compatible format, while preserving parameters that define the format and functionality of the data within the application program used to create the data and including a unique identifier (ID) tag so that all of the translated original data may be readily located within the HTML document;

(c) automatically inserting the translated original data selection into the HTML document;

(d) modifying the original data selection within the application program, to be republished into the HTML document;

(e) translating the modified data selection into translated modified data having an HTML compatible format, the translated modified data preserving parameters that define the format and functionality of the modified data within the application program used to create the data and including a unique ID tag so that all of the translated modified data may be readily located within the HTML document;

(f) parsing the HTML document until the unique ID tag for all of the translated original data that were published is found; and

(g) replacing all of the translated original data with all of the translated modified data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application program comprises a spreadsheet program and the data that are translated include one of a data table and a chart.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the translated original data are inserted into an existing HTML document immediately preceding the close body tag (<

/body>

) of the HTML document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the translated original data are inserted into an existing HTML document at a marker tag previously inserted into the HTML document.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the HTML document does not yet exist, and is created by the act of publishing the translated original data as a new HTML document.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of preserving the format of the translated original data comprises the step of storing formatting information for the translated original data within a style section of the HTML document.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of inserting the translated original data selection into the HTML document comprises the step of using the application program to insert tags into the HTML document to indicate a beginning and end of the translated original data inserted into the HTML document, and to indicate functional elements of said data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of preserving the format of the translated modified data comprises the step of storing formatting information for the translated modified data within a style section of the HTML document.

9. A method for enabling data from a spreadsheet to be published into an HTML document, and subsequently republished into the HTML document to include changes made in the data within the spreadsheet, comprising the steps of:

(a) specifying an original data selection that is to be published, within the spreadsheet;

(b) translating the original data selection into a translated data having an HTML compatible format, said translated data including a unique identifier (ID)) tag so that the translated data may be readily located within the HTML document;

(c) incorporating the translated data into the HTML document;

(d) modifying the original data selection within the spreadsheet, producing modified data that are to be republished into the HTML document;

(e) translating the modified data to produce translated republished data having an HTML compatible format, said translated republished data including the unique ID tag;

(f) parsing the HTML document until the unique ID tag for the translated data is found; and

(g) replacing the translated data with the translated republished data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of restoring either the translated data or the translated republished data back into the spreadsheet, wherein the steps of translating both the original data selection and modified data each further comprises the step of including information in the HTML document that enables the translated data and translated republished data, respectively, to retain their functionality when restored back into the spreadsheet.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of restoring comprises the step of retranslating the translated data or the translated republished data in the HTML document back into a format required by the spreadsheet.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the original data selection and the modified data comprise a chart.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the HTML document into which the translated data are incorporated is an existing HTML document, so that the translated data are appended to an end of the existing HTML document.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the unique ID tag comprises a randomly generated number.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the unique ID tag further comprises a parameter associated with the original data selection or modified data, which is associated with the spreadsheet.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the parameter is a workbook name.

17. A method for enabling data from a spreadsheet to be published into an HTML document, such that the data published into the HTML document are restorable back into the spreadsheet without loss of formatting and functionality within the spreadsheet, comprising the steps of:

(a) specifying a data selection within the spreadsheet that is to be published into the HTML document;

(b) translating the data selection into translated data having an HTML compatible format, but including information required for maintaining formatting and functionality of the data selection when the translated data are restored in the spreadsheet, said information being retained within a comment section of the HTML document; and

(c) automatically incorporating the translated data into the HTML document.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of creating the HTML document into which the translated data are published when the step of publishing occurs.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the translated data are inserted into an existing HTML document.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the translated data are appended to an end of the existing HTML document.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the translated data are identified by a unique ID tag that is maintained with the translated data and stored with the spreadsheet, said unique ID tag indicating a location within the HTML document at which the translated data are inserted.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:

(a) enabling a user to change the data selection within the spreadsheet after it has been published into the HTML document;

(b) translating the data selection as changed into translated republish data having an HTML compatible format; and

(c) using the unique ID tag to locate the translated data within the HTML document, replacing the translated data in the HTML document with the translated republish data.

23. An article of manufacture adapted for use with a computer, comprising:

(a) a memory media; and

(b) a plurality of machine instructions stored on the memory media, said plurality of machine instructions, when executed by a computer, implementing a plurality of functions, including;

(i) enabling a user to specify an original data selection to be published as original translated data into an HTML document;

(ii) translating the data selection into the original translated data having an HTML compatible format, said original translated data including a unique identifier (ID) tag so that the original translated data may be readily located within the HTML document;

(iii) incorporating the original translated data into the HTML document in association with the unique ID tag;

(iv) translating a modification of the original data selection into translated republished data having an HTML compatible format, said translated republished data including the unique ID tag;

(v) parsing the HTML document until the unique ID tag for the original translated data is found; and

(vi) replacing the original translated data with the translated republished data.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the application program is a spreadsheet program and the data selection comprises one of a data table and a chart.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the original translated data are inserted into the HTML document at a predefined location.

26. A system for enabling an application program having no HTML editing capability to directly publish a data selection into an HTML document, such that the data published into the HTML document are restorable back into the application program without loss of formatting and functionality within the application program, comprising:

(a) a memory in which a plurality of machine instructions defining the application program are stored;

(b) a display; and

(c) a processor that is coupled to the memory to access the machine instructions and to the display, said processor executing said machine instructions to implement a plurality of functions, including;

(i) enabling a user to specify the data selection to be published into the HTML document;

(ii) translating the data selection into translated data having an HTML compatible format, said translated data including information required for maintaining formatting and functionality of the data selection if the translated data are restored into the application program, said information being retained within a comment section of the HTML document; and

(iii) inserting the translated data into the HTML document so that the translated data are viewable on the display.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the application program comprises a spreadsheet program and the data selection comprises one of a data table and a chart.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to enable changes in the data selection to be republished into the HTML document, by translating the data selection that has been changed into translated republish data having an HTML compatible format, and replacing the translated data with the translated republish data in the HTML document.