Dynamic document and template previews

• US 7,469,380 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Issued: 12/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wessling, Cynthia Dahl, Ross, Benjamen Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSUI, WILSON W
• Application Number:
  US10/868,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20050278625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 715/502, 715/838, 715/211, 715/203, 715/273, 715/274, 715/277, 345/581
• US Class Current: 715/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for dynamically generating and displaying previews of documents or templates of interest to a user. As a user provides or selects customized designs or themes, including color themes, font types, images, and the like, previews of one or more documents or templates to which the user selected designs or themes are applied are dynamically generated and are displayed to allow the user to select an actual document or template for use.

Claims

1. A method of generating and displaying dynamic document previews, comprising:

providing a suite of applications, wherein each application of the suite of applications is different, wherein replaceable attributes of each application are identified by at least one tag that indicates that the attributes are replaceable;

displaying a document preview associated with a first document of one of the applications of the suite of applications, wherein the first document is renderable according to the application of the suite of applications, wherein the application includes dynamically updatable individual documents based on the replaceable attributes identified by the at least one tag, wherein each document preview is associated with a different design theme and includes common content;

receiving a selection of a design for application to the document preview associated with the first document;

applying the selected design to the suite of applications, wherein applying the selected design to the suite of applications includes identifying the at least one tag that indicates that the attributes are replaceable and replacing the attributes indicated by the tag with at least one attribute of the selected design;

automatically generating a bitmap dynamic document preview having the replaceable attributes replaced by the at least one attribute of the selected design, wherein automatically generating the bitmap dynamic document preview includes reducing the complexity of the bitmap dynamic document preview to optimize displaying resources by removing attributes of the application that are not implicated by the display of the bitmap dynamic document preview;

displaying the automatically generated bitmap dynamic document preview, wherein the bitmap dynamic document preview is rendered in a bitmap image format having less fidelity than the first document being renderable according to the application of the suite of applications;

displaying a second document preview associated with a second document of one of the applications of the suite of applications wherein the application includes dynamically updatable individual documents; and

automatically propagating the selected design to the second document preview of the second document to generate a second bitmap dynamic document preview.

2. The method of claim 1, whereby automatically generating a dynamic document preview includes:

populating the bitmap dynamic document preview with any user entered text or images; and

rendering the bitmap dynamic document preview for display.

3. The method of claim 1, whereby automatically generating a bitmap dynamic document preview includes:

storing a maximum target size for the bitmap dynamic document preview;

creating replacement tables for storing attributes of the design applied to the document preview associated with the first document and for storing attributes of the selected design;

creating a display record list for containing information associated with an object to be rendered in the bitmap dynamic document preview;

populating the display record list with information associated with attributes of the object contained in the document preview associated with the first document to be rendered in the bitmap dynamic document preview;

populating the replacement tables with attributes of the design applied to the document preview associated with the first document, and replacing a record in the replacement tables with corresponding attributes of the selected design;

populating the display records with attributes contained in the replacement tables; and

rendering each display record in order from bottom to top in an empty bitmap.

4. The method of claim 3, prior to rendering each display record in order from bottom to top in an empty bitmap, eliminating any display regions that are overlapped by other display regions at the maximum target size and that will not be displayed in the bitmap dynamic document preview.

5. The method of claim 3, prior to rendering each display record in order from bottom to top in an empty bitmap, reducing the complexity of any line paths identified in any display record by removing points in the any line paths whereby the removal of the points will not affect a visual appearance of a the displayed bitmap dynamic document preview containing the any line paths at the maximum target size.

6. The method of claim 3, prior to rendering each display record in order from bottom to top in an empty bitmap, reducing the complexity of regions identified in the display record by removing points in the regions, whereby the removal of the points will not affect a visual appearance of a the displayed bitmap dynamic document preview containing the regions at the maximum target size.

7. The method of claim 3, prior to rendering each display record in order from bottom to top in an empty bitmap, reducing the complexity of pictures identified in the display record, whereby reducing the complexity of the pictures includes:

rendering each of the pictures as a bitmap at a size needed to render the bitmap dynamic preview document at the maximum target size;

storing the rendered pictures in a lookup table; and

if any of the pictures stored in the lookup table are already rendered at a required size in the lookup table, referencing the previously rendered picture for rendering in the bitmap dynamic preview document instead of storing a new copy of the referenced picture.

8. The method of claim 1, whereby receiving a selection of a design for application to the document preview associated with the first document includes receiving a selection of a color scheme for application to the document preview associated with the first document.

9. The method of claim 1, whereby receiving a selection of a design for application to the document preview associated with the first document includes receiving a selection of at least one member of a group comprising:

a font size, a typeface, and attributes for application to text or images contained in the document preview associated with the first document.

10. The method of claim 1, whereby receiving a selection of a design for application to the document preview associated with the first document includes receiving a selection of pictures for application to the document preview associated with the first document.

11. The method of claim 1, whereby receiving a selection of a design for application to the document preview associated with the first document includes receiving a selection of a stylized object for application to the document preview associated with the first document.

12. A method of generating and displaying dynamic document previews, comprising:

providing a suite of applications, wherein each application of the suite of applications is different, wherein replaceable attributes of each application are identified by at least one tag that indicates that the attributes are replaceable;

displaying a document preview associated with a first document of one of the applications of the suite of applications, wherein the first document is renderable according to the application of the suite of applications, wherein the application includes dynamically updatable individual documents based on the replaceable attributes identified by the at least one tag, wherein each document preview is associated with a different design theme and includes common content;

receiving a selection of a design for application to the document preview;

applying the selected design to the suite of applications, wherein applying the selected design to the suite of applications includes identifying the at least one tag that indicates that the attributes are replaceable and replacing the attributes indicated by the tag with at least one attribute of the selected design;

populating a bitmap with attributes of the document preview;

in the bitmap, replacing attributes of a first design applied to the document preview with corresponding attributes of the selected design;

rendering the bitmap as a dynamic document preview of the document preview with applied attributes of the selected design; and

displaying the dynamic document preview.

13. The method of claim 12, prior to rendering the bitmap as a dynamic document preview of the document preview with applied attributes of the selected design, deleting attributes of the first design or the selected design that will not affect a visual appearance of the dynamic preview.

14. The method of claim 12, prior to rendering the bitmap as a dynamic document preview of the document preview with applied attributes of the selected design, eliminating display regions to be rendered in the bitmap that are overlapped by other display regions and that will not visually appear in the displayed dynamic document preview.

15. The method of claim 12, whereby receiving a selection of a design for application to the document preview includes receiving a selection of a color scheme for application to the document preview.

16. The method of claim 12, whereby receiving a selection of a design for application to the document preview associated with the first document includes receiving a selection of at least one member of a group comprising:

a font size, a typeface, and attributes for application to text or images contained in the document preview associated with the first document.

17. The method of claim 12, whereby receiving a selection of a design for application to the document preview includes receiving a selection of pictures for application to the document preview.

18. The method of claim 12, whereby receiving a selection of a design for application to the document preview includes receiving a selection of stylized objects for application to the document preview.

19. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method of generating and displaying dynamic document previews, the method comprising:

providing a suite of applications, wherein each application of the suite of applications is different, wherein replaceable attributes of each application are identified by at least one tag that indicates that the attributes are replaceable;

displaying a document preview associated with a first document of one of the applications of the suite of applications, wherein the first document is renderable according to the application of the suite of applications, wherein the application includes dynamically updatable individual documents based on the replaceable attributes identified by the at least one tag, wherein each document preview is associated with a different design theme and includes common content;

receiving a selection of a design for application to the document preview associated with the first document;

applying the selected design to the suite of applications, wherein applying the selected design to the suite of applications includes identifying the at least one tag that indicates that the attributes are replaceable and replacing the attributes indicated by the tag with at least one attribute of the selected design;

automatically generating a dynamic document preview having the replaceable attributes replaced by the at least one attribute of the selected design, wherein the dynamic document preview is rendered in a bitmap image format having less fidelity than the first document being renderable according to the application of the suite of applications; and

displaying the automatically generated dynamic document preview.

20. The method of claim 19, whereby automatically generating a dynamic document preview includes:

storing a maximum target size for the dynamic document preview;

creating replacement tables for storing attributes of a first design applied to the document preview associated with the first document and for storing attributes of the selected design;

creating a display record list for containing information associated with an object to be rendered in the dynamic document preview;

populating the display record list with information associated with attributes of an object contained in the document preview associated with the first document to be rendered in the dynamic document preview;

populating the replacement tables with attributes of the first design applied to the document preview associated with the first document, and replacing a record in the replacement tables with corresponding attributes of the selected design;

populating display records with attributes contained in the replacement tables; and

rendering each display record in order from bottom to top in an empty bitmap.

21. The method of claim 20, prior to rendering each display record in order from bottom to top in the empty bitmap, deleting display records that will not affect a visual appearance of the dynamic preview.

22. The method of claim 20, prior to rendering each display record in order from bottom to top in an empty bitmap, eliminating display regions that are overlapped by other display regions and that will not be displayed in the dynamic document preview.

23. The method of claim 20, prior to rendering each display record in order from bottom to top in an empty bitmap, reducing the complexity of line paths identified in the display record by removing points in the line paths whereby the removal of the points will not affect a visual appearance of a displayed dynamic preview containing the line paths.

24. The method of claim 20, prior to rendering each display record in order from bottom to top in an empty bitmap, reducing the complexity of the regions identified in the display record by removing points in the regions, whereby the removal of the points will not affect a visual appearance of a displayed dynamic preview containing the regions.

25. The method of claim 20, prior to rendering each display record in order from bottom to top in an empty bitmap, reducing the complexity of pictures identified in the display record, whereby reducing the complexity of the pictures includes:

rendering each of the pictures as a bitmap at a size needed to render the dynamic preview at the maximum target size;

storing the rendered pictures in a lookup table; and

if any of the pictures stored in the lookup table are already rendered at a required size in the lookup table, referencing the previously rendered picture for rendering in the dynamic preview bitmap instead of storing a new copy of the referenced picture.