Automated document formatting tool

• US 8,832,543 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2010
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Broman, Paul, Frankel, Glenn, Taboada, Roberto C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUDWIG, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US12/795,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20100251093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 715/250, 715/255, 715/724, 715/770, 715/217, 715/227, 715/256
• US Class Current: 715/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A formatting tool enables “smart” copy and paste functions. The “smart” copy and paste functions can be invoked in a context-sensitive manner, depending on the conditions under which the copy and paste functions are implemented. The present invention will automatically include in a selection a paragraph marker at the end of a selected paragraph, if every other textual character in the paragraph has been selected. The present invention will discard a paragraph mark that is included in pasted text if the pasted text is pasted into the middle of another paragraph, indicating that the user prefers the formatting of the pasted-into paragraph. The present invention also reduces inconsistencies in formatting styles that may exist between source and target documents automatically redefining a style in the target document to conform to a corresponding style in the source document. The present invention also automatically adjusts paragraph spacing, in response to text being pasted into a target document. In response to various scenarios, the present invention will determine the most likely paragraph spacing intended by the user and will apply the most probable paragraph spacing to the pasted paragraph. The present invention also automatically adjusts list, table, and spreadsheet formatting, in response to such document elements being pasted into a differently-formatted target document. Finally, the present invention provides a convenient recovery dialog that may be invoked to alter any automatically-implemented formatting decisions.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium device having a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for automated document formatting, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

determining a selection of a document element in a source document;

determining a paste point in a target document;

comparing source formatting properties associated with the document element to target formatting properties associated with the target document in order to determine intended formatting properties for the document element when included in the target document;

pasting the document element in the target document with the intended formatting properties;

determining whether the paste point is adjacent to a target list item in an existing target list in the target document;

displaying a recovery action user interface comprising a selectable action for pasting the document element at the paste point as a new independent list in the target document;

receiving the recovery action selection for pasting the document element at the paste point as the new independent list in the target document;

removing the pasted document element from the existing target list; and

pasting the document element at the paste point as the new independent list in the target document, in response to receiving the recovery action selection.

2. The computer-readable storage medium device of claim 1, wherein comparing the source formatting properties associated with the document element to the target formatting properties associated with the target document comprises:

determining whether source style properties of the source document have been at least one of;

used or modified in the target document,

in response to a determination that the source style properties have been at least one of;

used or modified in the target document, setting target style properties as the intended formatting properties, and

in response to a determination that the source style properties have not been at least one of;

used or modified in the target document, setting the source style properties as the intended formatting properties.

3. A method for formatting a table in a target document, the method comprising:

determining a selection of a document element from a source table in a source document;

determining a paste point in a target document;

determining whether the paste point is adjacent to a target table in the target document;

comparing source formatting properties associated with the document element to target formatting properties associated with the target table in order to determine intended formatting properties for the document element as to be applied in the target table;

determine if the document element and the target table have a same number of columns when the paste point is adjacent to the target table in the target document, and

merge the document element with the target table with the intended formatting properties when the document element and the target table have the same number of columns.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

displaying a recovery user interface comprising a selectable action for pasting the document element at the paste point with formatting of the source document; and

pasting the document element at the paste point with the formatting of the source document in response to receiving the selected action from the recovery user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

if the document element and the target table do not have the same number of columns, pasting the document element at the paste point with formatting of the source table.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

if the paste point is not adjacent to the target table in the target document, determining if the paste location is within the target table in the target document; and

if the paste location is within the target table in the target document, pasting the document element at the paste point as a nested table as formatted in the source document.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying a recovery user interface comprising a selectable action for merging the document element with the target table; and

merging the document element with the target table such that the document element is formatted in accordance with the target table in response to receiving the selected action from the recovery user interface.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying a recovery user interface comprising a selectable action for inserting the document element as at least one new row in the target table; and

inserting the document element as the at least one new row in the target table in response to receiving the selected action from the recovery user interface.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

overwriting cells selected in the target table with the document element in response to determining that the selected merging action from the recovery user interface has not been selected.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

if the paste location is not within the target table in the target document, determining whether the document element is a single table cell; and

if the document element is a single table cell, pasting the document element as a non-table text item.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein comparing the source formatting properties associated with the document element to the target formatting properties associated with the target document comprises:

determining whether source style properties of the source document have been at least one of;

used or modified in the target document,

in response to a determination that the source style properties have been at least one of;

used or modified in the target document, setting target style properties as the intended formatting properties, and

in response to a determination that the source style properties have not been at least one of;

used or modified in the target document, setting the source style properties as the intended formatting properties.

12. A computer system for formatting a table in a target document, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, the processing unit being configured to;

determine a selection of a document element from a source table in a source document,

determine a paste point in a target document,

determine whether the paste point is adjacent to a target table in the target document,

compare source formatting properties associated with the document element to target formatting properties associated with the target table in order to determine intended formatting properties for the document element as to be applied in the target table,

determine if the document element and the target table have a same number of columns when the paste point is adjacent to the target table in the target document, and

merge the document element with the target table with the intended formatting properties when the document element and the target table have the same number of columns.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

display a recovery user interface comprising a selectable action for pasting the document element at the paste point with formatting of the source document; and

paste the document element at the paste point with the formatting of the source document in response to receiving the selected action from the recovery user interface.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is further configured to paste the document element at the paste point with formatting of the source table when the document element and the target table do not have the same number of columns.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine if the paste location is within the target table in the target document when the paste point is not adjacent to the target table in the target document; and

paste the document element at the paste point as a nested table as formatted in the source document when the paste location is within the target table in the target document.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

display a recovery user interface comprising a selectable action for merging the document element with the target table; and

merge the document element with the target table such that the document element is formatted in accordance with the target table in response to receiving the selected action from the recovery user interface.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

display a recovery user interface comprising a selectable action for inserting the document element as at least one new row in the target table; and

insert the document element as the at least one new row in the target table in response to receiving the selected action from the recovery user interface.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the processing unit is further configured to overwrite cells selected in the target table with the document element in response to determining that the selected merging action from the recovery user interface has not been selected.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine whether the document element is a single table cell when the paste location is not within the target table in the target document; and

past the document element as a non-table text item when the document element is a single table cell.

20. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the processing unit being configured to compare the source formatting properties associated with the document element to the target formatting properties associated with the target document comprises the processing unit being further configured to:

determine whether source style properties of the source document have been at least one of;

used or modified in the target document;

set target style properties as the intended formatting properties in response to a determination that the source style properties have been at least one of;

used or modified in the target document; and

set the source style properties as the intended formatting properties in response to a determination that the source style properties have not been at least one of;

used or modified in the target document.