Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
  • G06F16/10—File systems; File servers
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F40/00—Handling natural language data
  • G06F40/10—Text processing
  • G06F40/166—Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Definitions

• This invention relates to apparatus and a method for editing and
• hypertext links which are
• network access terminals e.g. personal computers
• network access terminals e.g. personal computers
• hypertext communications client programs (popularly referred to as "browsers")
• Such client programs are arranged to communicate, via a telecommunications channel (typically including an end user link such as a local telephone line and a
• program request for a particular file and, on receipt of the file, are arranged to
• control character strings in the form of commands which are interpreted by the
• program may run on many different types of terminal computer, with different
• format of the document display is determined by the browser together with the
• hypertext command comprises the specification of an
• a word or a picture acts as a "soft button" which may be selected by a user
• a user interface comprising, for example, a mouse or other pointing device
• document i.e. the first displayed portion
• Items in the list of headings in the index each comprise a hyperlink
• ftp file transfer protocol
• hypertext documents such as subscription documents or
• the form typically requests the insertion of
• LAN local area network
• An aim of the present invention is to make a document development
• HTML documents at present are typically developed and edited on a
• terminal computer such as a personal computer
• server such as a server
• the HTML documents may be created and edited directly, using a
• Some such programs can be used with a browser program, so that the result of
• connectionless the effect of increased traffic is to statistically increase the delay
• the present invention provides a document
• section to be edited is transferred in an HTML form, which can be interpreted
• Figure la is a structural block diagram illustrating the hardware present
• Figure lb is a functional block diagram illustrating the program
• Figure 2 (comprising Figures 2a & 2b) is a flow diagram illustrating the
• FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the document
• Figure 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the document editing process of Figure 2;
• FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the document
• Figure 6 is a flow diagram illustrating the
• FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the document
• invention comprises a host computer 20 such as a SUN webserver including a
• CPU 21 CPU 21; communication port 22 and memory /storage 25 configured to act as a
• the computer 20 is connected, via the Internet 105, to a conventional
• GUI such as a GUI (and, for example, comprising Windows 3.1 (TM) or Windows
• input means 12 comprising a keyboard and pointer device such as a
• user output means 13 such as display on a visual display unit (not
• a port 16 e.g. a modem
• a document store 155 Further provided at the server computer 110 are a document store 155
• the document management program 112 comprises a document creator
• subprogram 115 a document issuer subprogram 120; a document editor
• manager subprogram 135 a document parser subprogram 140; a lock manager
• the server 110 is a conventional httpd
• the document management program 112 is, in this case, a cgi-bin
• the embodiment permits a user of the terminal computer 10 to create,
• documents are accessed via the document manager program 112,
• the document manager program 102 reconverts the document to
• step 200 the prospective author asks for access to a particular
• the URL may be typically of the form: httpd://(host computer)/(name of document management program
• step 205 the
• server program 110 determines, in conventional fashion, whether the identified
• step 210 access is refused an the process terminates.
• step 215 the server
• program 110 causes the server computer 20 to transmit back a signal asking for
• step 220 the user name and password of the user.
• server program 110 determines whether the user name and password are valid
• step 210) access is refused (step 210) and the process terminates. If the user is
• step 225 the document version manager
• subprogram ( 135) is called.
• the document version manager 135 causes the server computer 20 to
• the document version manager 135 generates, from these records, a list
• the browser program 100 causes the user
• step 240 select (step 240) one of the documents from the document list contained in
• the displayed page (e.g. by positioned in the cursor on the desired document
• step 245) the document version manager subprogram 135 accesses the
• This HTML document is transmitted by the server program 110 via the
• the user may be content to view the contents for information purposes,
• the user may select one of the buttons displayed which
• the browser program 100 causes the terminal computer 10 to transmit
• step 250 the user has signalled
• the document is
• step 260 If (step 260), the user has selected the document edit button, the browser
• program 100 causes the terminal computer 10 to transmit a URL via the Internet
• step 265 to be discussed in greater detail hereafter.
• step 270 If (step 270), the user has selected the document issuer button, the
• browser program 100 causes the terminal computer 10 to transmit a URL via
• subprogram 120 (step 275) to be discussed in greater detail hereafter.
• step 280 If (step 280), the user has selected the document delete button, the
• browser program 100 causes the terminal computer 10 to transmit a URL via
• subprogram 130 (step 285) to be discussed in greater detail hereafter.
• the document creator subprogram creates a hypertext
• HTML interactive forms are well known.
• the document filename field may likewise follow the same format (i.e.
• the document template field may comprise a text area allowing the user
• ⁇ /TEXTAREA> (which, in this example, creates a field 8 lines high by 80
• the template may be provided as a selection from a list of
• the document creator subprogram 115 reviews the submitted document
• the document creator views the file name to see whether it
• step 315) the document creator subprogram 115 supplies a failure report
• step 320 the document creator
• program 115 accesses the document database 150 to determine whether any
• subprogram 115 causes the addition of a new record to the document database
• the new document is then written into the document store 155 (step 1).
• server program 110 for transmission to the terminal computer 20.
• document store includes a new document, comprising a template setting forth
• the document URL includes the URL specifying the document
• the document editor subprogram accesses the document store 155 to
• step 400 the document editor subprogram 125 calls the
• document parser subprogram 140 which reviews the document and locates all
• step 402 the document editor program 125 edits the document
• the hypertext link specifies an inline image which, when reproduced, displays an icon which may be selected by a user to edit the text of the following section.
• One further such editing icon is inserted at the beginning of the
• the document thus edited is sent (step 402) to the server program 110
• command inserted specifies the position within the document (e.g. the label)
• the document editor subprogram 125 invokes the lock
• step 406 it is determined whether the lock manager
• subprogram 145 records that the document is already being edited (and is
• the lock manager subprogram 145 sets a flag in the document
• the lock manager 145 generates a message including details of the
• terminal computer 20 which is displayed by the browser program 100.
• the message comprises an HTML document including a displayed
• step 408 the editor process terminates.
• step 408 the lock manager sets a
• 125 creates a new hypertext document including an editable form portion, and copies into the editable form (e.g. in a ⁇ TEXTAREA>) default text consisting
• the editable form is sent (step 418) to the computer 10, and displayed
• the user may also interchange the order of the section headings, delete a
• the browser program 100 cause the edited form to be returned via the
• the document editor subprogram 125 causes the version
• manager subprogram 135 to create a new version number for the document
• HTML document reflects the new order of headings in the form.
• the edited document is then stored Vvithin the document store 155 as the
• step 414 the document editor 125 again calls the lock manager 145 to follow the steps denoted as step 410, in which steps 430, 432 and 434
• step 436 the document lock manager
• button command is also included within the form.
• the user may then (step 438) edit the text, either to change the text
• step 444 the document editor 125 retrieves the
• step 446 the document is unlocked as in
• the terminal computer only returns the form
• the means of editing the editable form may, of course, include the use
• version manager subprogram 135 to determine whether the current version of a document is also an issue (i.e. whether no edits have been performed since the
• step 510 the document issuer generates a message for
• step 505 the document version manager reports that the current
• step 515) causes the document version manager to renumber the
• the document version manager 135 appends the current issue or version
• This function may also be performed after editing the document when the
• step 520 the document issuer subprogram 120 supplies to the
• server program 110 a message for transmission back to the terminal computer
• the document lock manager 145 is invoked in steps 600 and
• step 605 the document
• deleter 130 passes a message for transmission to the terminal computer 10
• the browser program 100 sends back a URL
• the document version manager functions as described above.
• version index page listing current (i.e. highest numbered) versions of those
• index pages also list the dates of creation, and authors, of the corresponding issues/versions, providing an
• a user may decide that an edited version of a document should be
• subprogram 147 will now be disclosed in greater detail.
• the document is locked and, if so, whether the user wishes to override the lock.
• step 710 the document version manager is asked for the user name of the
• step 715 it is determined that the two user names are
• step 720 the subprogram sends a hypertext document back to
• the message indicates that the user cannot undo any changes made by
• version manager subprogram 135 is invoked to determine whether the latest
• step 730 the document rollback subprogram generates a
• step 735 the
• subprogram 147 generates a message for transmission back to the user as a
• the message document includes two hyperlink button icons; one
• step 745 the subprogram passes to the
• server program 110 a message which indicates that the previous version of the
• version manager subprogram 135 is then invoked to remove (i.e. delete) the
• step 750 The process then terminates.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
• Data Mining & Analysis (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Artificial Intelligence (AREA)
• Audiology, Speech & Language Pathology (AREA)
• Computational Linguistics (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Information Retrieval, Db Structures And Fs Structures Therefor (AREA)
• Information Transfer Between Computers (AREA)
• Document Processing Apparatus (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10801649

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

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• 1996
  • 1996-10-18 GB GBGB9621763.3A patent/GB9621763D0/en active Pending
• 1997
  • 1997-10-20 JP JP51911098A patent/JP2001507829A/ja active Pending
  • 1997-10-20 EP EP97909457A patent/EP1012746A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1997-10-20 WO PCT/GB1997/002887 patent/WO1998018087A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1997-10-20 AU AU47138/97A patent/AU4713897A/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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