Method and apparatus to dynamically create a customized user interface based on a document type definition

Abstract

A method on an information processing unit performing steps for creating a user interface (UI) to assemble a document that conforms to a particular document type definition. The method hides the specific syntax of document type definitions such as DTDs and schemas from the user. The method begins with a selection from a user for a document type or an existing document. Once the document type is selected or determined from the existing document the document type definitions are retrieved. The document type definitions include one or more elements. The method parses the elements which are subsequently mapped to one or more interface controls such as icons, pull-down menus, buttons, selection boxes, progress indicators, on-off checkmarks, scroll bars, windows, window edges for resizing the window, toggle buttons, forms, and UI widgets. UI can be GUIs or interactive voice response systems. A UI editor is presented by assembling the one or more interface controls without presenting specific document type definition syntax to a user. The UI editor permits the user to create and edit the content objects that are associated with the interface controls. The content objects are aggregated in an XML compatible format and ready to be checked in for further processing. The method permits specific UI interfaces to be created for specific publishing environments and at the same time permit the creation of reusable content objects.

Description

[0001] Not Applicable.PARTIAL WAIVER OF COPYRIGHT[0002] All of the material in this patent application is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and of other countries. As of the first effective filing date of the present application, this material is protected as unpublished material. However, permission to copy this material is hereby granted to the extent that the copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentation or patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.[0003] 1. Field of the Invention[0004] The present invention relates to the field of computerized publication of documents, and more particularly to a method for publishing documents using XML on networks such as the Word Wide Web and the ability to publish documents for different device types such as computers, PDAs, cel...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Presenting current information to the outside world without requiring an inordinate amount of human effort and computing power is a major technical challenge to Web site designers.

The XmetaL tool although useful has the problem that separate style sheets need to be used to support the editing vs. the publishing process.

In addition, one stylesheet may not include all of the elements that would be used on other platforms or for different uses.

However, its support of reusable fragments within the environment is rather limited and the publishing to viewable pages is performed using non-standard methods.

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