Markup Editor Grammar Inference for Editing Assistance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing markup document editors fail to provide effective editing assistance when a grammar document is unavailable, incomplete, or inaccurate, leading to disabled assistance features and user inconvenience, especially when dealing with non-standard grammars.

Innovation Solution

The solution involves inferring a grammar from the current content of the markup document in real-time, allowing for automatic updating of grammatical assistance, even if a real grammar is not specified or is unavailable, thereby enabling continuous and accurate editing support.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If existing markup document editors rely on grammar documents for editing assistance, then grammatical assistance can be provided when grammar is available, but assistance features become disabled or inaccurate when grammar is unavailable, incomplete, or inaccurate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveavailability of grammatical assistanceVSAvoiduser convenience
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The editor performs self-service by automatically inferring grammar from the markup document content itself without requiring external grammar documents. The system analyzes the document structure, element patterns, and hierarchical relationships to generate grammar rules dynamically, enabling assistance features to remain functional regardless of external grammar availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The editor performs preliminary grammar inference action before editing begins, establishing a baseline grammar model from the existing document content. This preliminary grammar is continuously updated as the user edits, ensuring assistance is available from the start without requiring pre-configured grammar documents.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If users manually create or obtain grammar documents, then proper grammatical assistance can be obtained, but the process becomes cumbersome and requires user expertise

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of grammatical assistanceVSAvoidcomplexity of grammar document maintenance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system eliminates the need for manual grammar document creation by automatically inferring grammar from document content. The editor serves itself by analyzing markup patterns, element relationships, and structural hierarchies to generate accurate grammar rules without user intervention or external expertise.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The grammar model transitions from static pre-defined documents to dynamic inference-based generation. The grammar automatically adapts and updates in real-time as document content changes, eliminating the complexity of manual grammar document maintenance while maintaining accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If grammar documents are updated to reflect document changes, then grammatical assistance remains accurate, but maintaining updated grammar documents is still cumbersome

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveup-to-date status of grammarVSAvoidtime for maintaining grammar documents
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The grammar inference process is dynamic and continuous, automatically detecting document changes and updating the grammar model in real-time during the editing session. This eliminates the need for separate grammar update operations and ensures the grammar remains synchronized with document content without user effort.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The grammar inference and updating process operates continuously throughout the editing session, maintaining accurate grammatical assistance without interruption. The system continuously monitors document changes and regenerates grammar rules as needed, ensuring uninterrupted and up-to-date assistance functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS7437709B2Providing assistance for editing markup document based on inferred grammar
Publication Date: 2008.10.14 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION
  • US7437709B2 patent drawing
  • US7437709B2 patent drawing
  • US7437709B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Methods and apparatus are provided for assisting a user who is editing a markup document on a computer. The user is presented with the markup document on a display of the computer for editing and provided with grammatical assistance based on a grammar inferred from current content of the markup document. The grammar may be inferred and updated automatically after the markup document is loaded or edited. The assistance provided may be based on a combination of an inferred grammar and a real grammar. The markup document can be an extensible markup language (XML) document.