System and method for converting complex multi-file database structures to HTML

• US 7,565,371 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2005
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Zeller, Rudolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Hanh B
• Application Number:
  US11/225,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20070074103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/104.1, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/523, 715/234, 715/236, 715/239, 715/1.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/84 Mapping; Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to a system and method to convert multi-file database structures to Hypertext Markup Language (“HTML”). In particular, the disclosed embodiments convert multiple workbook files, generated by the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program, into HTML including converting inter-file references to appropriate functional hyperlinks. The disclosed embodiments perform a two-pass conversion process, the first of which converts each of the workbook files to HTML and generates a list identifying all of the inter-file links/references which are not converted An HTML equivalent hyperlink is also generated which is stored in the list in association with the identified link/reference. On the second pass, each of the newly created HTML files is processed to replace the unconverted link/reference with the generated HTML equivalent hyperlink. The resulting HTML files are fully converted and properly linked.

Claims

1. A method for converting each of a plurality of related files, to one or more corresponding hypertext markup language (“

HTML”

) documents, at least one of the plurality of related files containing at least one reference to another of the related files, the method comprising;

(a) converting each of the plurality of related files to at least one HTML file corresponding thereto using a first process, wherein the first process is incapable of converting at least one of the at least one reference to a HTML equivalent thereof;

(b) identifying, automatically by a second process different than the first process, each of the at least one reference not converted to the HTML equivalent thereof in each of the plurality of related files;

(c) generating, automatically by the second process, the HTML equivalent corresponding to each of the identified at least one reference; and

(d) replacing, automatically by the second process, for each of the at least one reference not converted to the HTML equivalent thereof in the particular at least one HTML file, the at least one reference with the generated HTML equivalent corresponding thereto, wherein the HTML equivalent comprises a reference from the at least one HTML file corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of files to the at least one HTML file corresponding to the other of the related files referred to by the at least one reference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the related files comprises an excel file including of at least one worksheet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating further comprises creating a list of each of the identified at least one reference and the corresponding HTML equivalent thereto.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the replacing further comprises replacing the at least one reference with the generated HTML equivalent corresponding thereto based on the list.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the generating further includes reformatting the at least one reference to remove non-standard elements therefrom.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the creating further includes ordering each of the at least one reference and the corresponding HTML equivalent thereto in the list on adjacent lines of the list.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting results in one HTML file for each of the plurality of related files, the identifying, generating and replacing being performed on all of the HTML files.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of files comprise a model of a workflow, each file including a portion of the model wherein the at least on reference relates at least one element of the portion of the model with another element of another portion of the model.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one HTML file comprises an interactive representation of the model.

10. A system for converting each of a plurality of related files, to one or more corresponding hypertext markup language (“

HTML”

) documents, at least one of the plurality of related files containing at least one reference to another of the related files, the system comprising;

a processor configured to convert each of the plurality of related files to at least one HTML file corresponding thereto using a first process wherein the first process is incapable of converting at least one of the at least one reference to a HTML equivalent thereof, the processor further configured to use a second process different from the first process to automatically identify each of the at least one reference not converted to the HTML equivalent thereof in each of the plurality of related files and, using the second process, to automatically generate an HTML equivalent corresponding to each of the identified at least one reference; and

the processor being further configured to, using the second process, automatically replace, for each of the at least one reference not converted to the HTML equivalent thereof in the particular at least one HTML file, the at least one reference with the generated HTML equivalent corresponding thereto, wherein the HTML equivalent comprises a reference from the at least one HTML file corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of files to access the at least one HTML file corresponding to the other of the related files referred to by the at least one reference.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the related files comprises an excel file including of at least one worksheet.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to create a list of each of the identified at least one reference and the corresponding HTML equivalent thereto.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the link corrector is further operative to replace the at least one reference with the generated HTML equivalent corresponding thereto based on the list.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to reformat the at least one reference to remove non-standard elements therefrom.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to order each of the at least one reference and the corresponding HTML equivalent thereto in the list on adjacent lines of the list.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to create one HTML file for each of the plurality of related files, the link identifier, link generator and link corrector being performed on all of the HTML files.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of files comprise a model of a workflow, each file including a portion of the model wherein the at least on reference relates at least one element of the portion of the model with another element of another portion of the model.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one HTML file comprises an interactive representation of the model.

19. A system for converting each of a plurality of related files, to one or more corresponding hypertext markup language (“

HTML”

) documents, at least one of the plurality of related files containing at least one reference to another of the related files, the method comprising;

means for converting each of the plurality of related files to at least one HTML file corresponding thereto using a first process wherein the first process is incapable of converting at least one of the at least one reference to a HTML equivalent thereof;

means for identifying, automatically by a second process different from the first process, each of the at least one reference not converted to the HTML equivalent thereof in each of the plurality of related files;

means for generating, automatically by the second process, the HTML equivalent corresponding to each of the identified at least one reference; and

means for replacing, automatically by the second process, for each of the at least one reference not converted to the HTML equivalent thereof in the particular at least one HTML file, the at least one reference with the generated HTML equivalent corresponding thereto, wherein the HTML equivalent comprises a reference from the at least one HTML file corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of files to access the at least one HTML file corresponding to the other of the related files referred to by the at least one reference.