Transitory Editing Surface for Web Word Processing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Web-based word processing applications lack rich editing features and consistency across browsers, leading to a suboptimal user experience due to limited editing capabilities and high development efforts required for implementing low-level editing functionalities.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid editing model word processor program executed in a web browser, utilizing browser-provided editing features for low-level text editing, such as rendering and cursor movement, while maintaining a transitory editing surface for user input handling and reflow management, allowing for feature-rich editing comparable to stand-alone processors without extensive development.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If web browser editing features are used directly, then the application is small and fast with little development effort, but the editing features are limited and inconsistent across browsers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transitory editing surface as an intermediary layer between the web browser and the document content. This editing surface provides a consistent editing interface across different browsers while leveraging browser-native editing capabilities, thus resolving the contradiction between limited browser features and the need for rich editing functionality
2Adaptability or versatility
If a complete word processing program is implemented in browser-based runtime technology, then complete control over features is achieved, but the program is slow and requires considerable development effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the low-level editing functionality (rendering, cursor movement, reflow) from the browser-based runtime and delegates it to the native browser editing features. This allows the word processing program to maintain feature control while achieving native execution speed for editing operations
3Adaptability or versatility
If a complete word processing program is implemented in browser-based runtime technology, then complete control over features is achieved, but considerable development effort is required for low-level editing functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The transitory editing surface serves as a mediator that handles low-level editing operations using browser-native capabilities. This eliminates the need to implement complex rendering, cursor management, and text reflow logic in the browser-based runtime, significantly reducing development effort while maintaining feature control
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
Technologies are described herein for editing a document using a transitory editing surface. A word processing program displays a document in a window. Upon detection of the placement of an insertion pointer within a paragraph of text in the document, an editing surface is created overlaying the paragraph in the window and containing the contents of the underlying paragraph. User input is monitored by the word processing program while the editing of the contents is processed by the editing surface. When editing is complete, the modified contents of the editing surface are copied into the document and the editing surface is destroyed.