Techniques to create structured document templates using enhanced content controls

• US 8,850,306 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2011
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sunderland, Mark, Davis, Tristan
• Primary Examiner(s): RIES, LAURIE ANNE
• Application Number:
  US13/240,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20120254730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 715/234, 715/235, 715/236, 715/237
• US Class Current: 715/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

Techniques to create structured documents and document templates using enhanced content controls are described. An apparatus may comprise an application to generate a document from a document template. The application may comprise a document template component operative to retrieve a document template comprising multiple document parts. The application may further comprise a content control component operative to manage a content control embedded in a document part of the document template. The content control may be associated with a data source arranged to store richly formatted content presented by the content control without necessarily requiring the data storage to be written in any particular way. The content control component may synchronize any changes to the formatted content between the content control and the data store. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a logic device; and

an application operative on the logic device to generate a document from a document template, the application comprising;

a document template component operative to retrieve the document template, the document template comprising multiple document parts;

a content control component operative to manage an enhanced repeating section content control embedded in a document part of the document template, the enhanced repeating section content control associated with a data store arranged to store formatted content presented by the enhanced repeating section content control, the content control component operative to synchronize changes to the formatted content between the enhanced repeating section content control and the data store, wherein the enhanced repeating section content control is placed around at least one of a;

paragraph, a row, and a table in a document part, and is operative to insert a cloned copy of the enhanced repeating section content control into the document part in response to receiving a control directive at the enhanced repeating section content control; and

a document generator component operative to generate the document from the document template with the enhanced repeating section content control.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the content control component operative to receive control directives to modify the formatted content, the control directives comprising instructions to modify a formatting option or a style option for the formatted content.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the content control component operative to receive control directives to modify the formatted content, the control directives comprising instructions to modify a font, a font style, a font size, a font color, an underline style, an underline color, an effect, a text effect, a text fill, a text outline, an outline style, a text shadow, a text reflection, a text glow, a text edge, or a text three dimensional format.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the content control component operative to receive control directives to modify the formatted content presented by the enhanced repeating section content control, present the modified formatted content in a presentation field of the enhanced repeating section content control, and send the modified formatted content to the data store.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the content control component operative to detect the formatted content stored in the data store has been modified, and send the modified formatted content to the enhanced repeating section content control for presentation in a presentation field of the enhanced repeating section content control.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the content control component operative to communicate the modified formatted content using a data schema different from a data schema of the formatted content stored in the data store.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the data store arranged to store the formatted content according to an extensible markup language (XML) data schema.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, the content control component operative to serialize extensible markup language (XML) elements of the formatted content to form a string of XML elements, remove reserved XML characters from the string of XML elements, and store any remaining text from the XML elements in the data store.

9. A method, comprising:

presenting a document template with an enhanced repeating section content control having formatted content in a presentation field of the enhanced repeating section content control, wherein the enhanced repeating section content control is placed around at least one of a;

paragraph, a row, and a table in a document part, and is operative to insert a cloned copy of the enhanced repeating section content control into the document part in response to receiving a control directive at the enhanced repeating section content control;

receiving control directives to modify the formatted content; and

synchronizing the modified formatted content between the content control and a data store associated with the enhanced repeating section content control.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising receiving control directives to modify the formatted content presented by the enhanced repeating section content control or stored in the data store.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising:

receiving control directives to modify formatted content presented by the enhanced repeating section content control;

presenting the modified formatted content in the presentation field of the enhanced repeating section content control; and

sending the modified formatted content to the data store.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising:

receiving control directives to modify formatted content stored in the data store;

sending the modified formatted content to the enhanced repeating section content control; and

presenting the modified formatted content in the presentation field of the content control.

13. The method of claim 9, comprising communicating the modified formatted content between the enhanced repeating section content control and the data store using a data schema different from a data schema of the formatted content stored in the data store.

14. The method of claim 9, comprising:

serializing extensible markup language (XML) elements of the formatted content to form a string of XML elements;

removing reserved XML characters from the string of XML elements; and

storing any remaining text from the XML elements in the data store.

15. An article of manufacture comprising a storage medium containing instructions that when executed cause a system to:

present an enhanced repeating section content control with formatted content in a document, wherein the enhanced repeating section content control placed around at least one of a;

paragraph, a row, and a table in a document part, and is operative to insert a cloned copy of the enhanced repeating section content control into the document part in response to receiving a control directive at the enhanced repeating section content control;

receive control directives to modify the formatted content; and

synchronize changes to the formatted content between the enhanced repeating section content control and a custom extensible markup language (XML) part associated with the document.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to receive control directives to modify the formatted content presented by the enhanced repeating section content control or stored in the XML part.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

receive control directives to modify formatted content presented by the enhanced repeating section content control;

present the modified formatted content by the enhanced repeating section content control; and

send the modified formatted content to the XML part.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

receive control directives to modify formatted content stored in the XML part;

send the modified formatted content to the enhanced repeating section content control; and

present the modified formatted content by the enhanced repeating section content control.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to send the modified formatted content to the XML part using a data schema different from a data schema of the formatted content stored in the XML part.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

serialize XML elements of the formatted content to form a string of XML elements;

remove reserved XML characters from the string of XML elements; and

store text from the XML elements in the XML part.