U.S. patent application number 11/562287 was filed with the patent office on 2007-07-19 for method and apparatus for publishing hypermedia documents over wide area networks.
This patent application is currently assigned to AMERICA ONLINE, INC.. Invention is credited to Karen Brady, James G. Davidson, Linda T. Dozier, Dave Long, Douglas M. McKee, George W.V Williams.
Application Number | 20070168355 11/562287 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23635286 |
Filed Date | 2007-07-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070168355 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dozier; Linda T. ; et
al. |
July 19, 2007 |
Method and Apparatus for Publishing Hypermedia Documents Over Wide
Area Networks
Abstract
The present invention addresses the critical needs of publishers
seeking to create and publish hypermedia content in electronic form
across the wide area networks ("WAN's") such as the World Wide Web.
Toward this end, a client-server development platform is provided
for handling the important functions of document authoring,
content-based indexing and retrieval of documents, management and
control of proprietary assets, and a support for developing
form-driven interactive services, all in a manner that is uniquely
and seamlessly WAN-integrated.
Inventors: |
Dozier; Linda T.; (Goleta,
CA) ; Williams; George W.V; (Santa Barbara, CA)
; Long; Dave; (Santa Barbara, CA) ; McKee; Douglas
M.; (Santa Barbara, CA) ; Davidson; James G.;
(Santa Barbara, CA) ; Brady; Karen; (Woodside,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FISH & RICHARDSON P.C.
P.O. BOX 1022
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55440-1022
US
|
Assignee: |
AMERICA ONLINE, INC.
22000 AOL Way
Dulles
VA
20166
|
Family ID: |
23635286 |
Appl. No.: |
11/562287 |
Filed: |
November 21, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10097418 |
Mar 15, 2002 |
7139812 |
|
|
11562287 |
Nov 21, 2006 |
|
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|
09204745 |
Dec 2, 1998 |
6393469 |
|
|
10097418 |
Mar 15, 2002 |
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08412981 |
Mar 28, 1995 |
5870552 |
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09204745 |
Dec 2, 1998 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 ; 707/999.01;
707/E17.116 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/958 20190101;
G06F 16/10 20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
707/010 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/30 20060101
G06F017/30 |
Claims
1. a method for editing electronic documents located remote from
but accessible to a: client computer, the method comprising:
browsing from a client computer to a document located remote from
but accessible to the client computer; using the client computer to
edit the document; and saving the document, as edited, to a
location remote from but accessible to the client computer.
2. The method as in claim 1 wherein: browsing from the client
computer includes browsing from the client computer to the document
located on a server on a wide area network; and saving the document
includes saving the document, as edited, to the server.
3. The method as in claim 1 wherein using the client computer to
edit the document includes dragging and dropping content from
another document into the document being edited.
4. The method as in claim 3 wherein the dragged and dropped content
includes one or more hypermedia links.
5. The method as in claim 1 wherein using the client computer to
edit the document includes copying and pasting content from another
document into the document being edited.
6. The method as in claim 5 wherein the copied and pasted content
includes one or more hypermedia links.
7. The method as in claim 1 wherein using the client computer to
edit the document includes cutting and pasting content from another
document into the document being edited.
8. The method as in claim 7 wherein the cut and pasted content
includes one or more hypermedia links.
9. The method as in claim 1 wherein browsing from the client
computer to the document includes opening the document located
remote from but accessible to the client computer.
10. The method as in claim 1 wherein: browsing from the client
computer to the document includes browsing from the client computer
to a first document containing a hypermedia link located remote
from but accessible to the client computer and selecting the
hypermedia link to access a second document; using the client
computer to edit the document includes using the client computer to
edit the second document; and saving the document includes saving
the second document, as edited, to the location remote from but
accessible to the client computer.
11. The method as in claim 1 wherein browsing from the client
computer to the document and using the client computer to edit the
document enable a user of the client computer to seamlessly browse
and edit documents located remote from but accessible to the client
computer.
12. The method as in claim 1 wherein saving the document includes
saving the document, as edited, to the location such that the
document, as edited, is immediately accessible from the location
remote from but accessible to the client computer.
13. The method as in claim 1 further comprising publishing the
document, as edited, to the location remote from but accessible to
the client computer.
14. A computer program residing on a computer-readable medium, for
editing electronic documents located remote from but accessible to
a client computer, the computer program comprising instructions for
causing a computer to: browse from a client computer to a document
located remote from but accessible to the client computer; use the
client computer to edit the document; and save the document, as
edited, to a location remote from but accessible to the client
computer.
15. The computer program of claim 14 wherein. the instructions for
causing the computer to browse from the client computer include
instructions for causing the computer to browse from the client
computer to the document located on a server on a wide area
network; and the instructions for causing the computer to save the
document include instructions for causing the computer to save the
document, as edited, to the server.
16. The computer program of claim 14 wherein the instructions for
causing the computer to use the client computer to edit the
document include instructions for causing the computer to drag and
drop content from another document into the document being
edited.
17. The computer program of claim 16 wherein the dragged and
dropped content includes one or more hypermedia links.
18. The computer program of claim 15 wherein the instructions for
causing the computer to use the client computer to edit the
document include instructions for causing the computer to copy and
paste content from another document into the document being
edited.
19. The computer program of claim 18 wherein the copied and pasted
content includes one or more hypermedia links.
20. The computer program of claim 15 wherein the instructions for
causing the computer to use the client computer to edit the
document include instructions for causing the computer to cut and
paste content from another document into the document being
edited.
21. The computer program of claim 20 wherein the cut and pasted
content includes one or more hypermedia links.
22. The computer program of claim 15 wherein the instructions for
causing the computer to browse from the client computer to the
document include instructions for causing the computer to open the
document located remote from but accessible to the client
computer.
23. The computer program of claim 15 wherein: the instructions for
causing the computer to browse from the client computer to the
document include instructions for causing the computer to browse
from the client computer to a first document containing a
hypermedia link located remote from but accessible to the client
computer and select the hypermedia link to access a second
document; the instructions for causing the computer to use the
client computer to edit the document include instructions for
causing the computer to use the client computer edit the second
document; and the instructions for causing the computer to save the
document include instructions for causing the computer to save the
second document, as edited, to the location remote from but
accessible to the client computer.
24. The computer program of claim 15 wherein the instructions for
causing the computer to browse from the client computer to the
document and to use the client computer to edit the document enable
a user on the client computer to seamlessly browse and edit
documents located remote from but accessible to the client
computer.
25. The computer program of claim 15 wherein the instructions for
causing the computer to save the document include instructions for
causing the computer to save the document, as edited, to the
location such that the document, as edited, is immediately
accessible from the location remote from but accessible to the
client computer.
26. The computer program of claim 15 further comprising
instructions that cause the computer to publish the document, as
edited, to the location remote from but accessible to the client
computer.
27. A system for editing electronic documents located remote from
but accessible to a client computer, comprising: means for browsing
from a client computer to a document located remote from but
accessible to the client computer; means for using the client
computer to edit the document; and means for saving the document,
as edited, to a location remote from but accessible to the client
computer.
28. The system of claim 27 wherein: the means for browsing includes
means for browsing from the client computer to the document located
on a server on a wide area network; and the means for saving the
document includes means for saving the document, as edited, to the
server.
29. The system of claim 27 wherein: the means for browsing from the
client computer to the document includes means for browsing from
the client computer to a first document containing a hypermedia
link located remote from but accessible to the client computer and
means for selecting the hypermedia link to access a second
document; the means for using the client computer to edit the
document includes means for using the client computer to edit the
second document; and the means for saving the document includes
means for saving the second document, as edited, to the server.
30. The system of claim 27 wherein the means for saving the
document includes means for saving the document, as edited, to the
location such that the document, as edited, is immediately
accessible from the location remote from but accessible to the
client computer.
31. The system of claim 27 further comprising means for publishing
the document, as edited, to the location remote from but accessible
to the client computer.
32. A computer program, residing on a computer-readable medium, for
publishing electronic documents comprising one or more servers,
said computer program for use by a user having a client computer
operably coupled to a first server, said computer program
comprising instructions for causing a computer to: access a source
document located on a source server, the source document including
at least one link addressing a target document located on a target
server; access the target document by signaling the link using a
cursor control device; edit the target document; and save the
target document as modified on a destination server, wherein the
foregoing instructions are performed regardless of whether the
first, source, target, and destination servers are the same or
different servers.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/204,745, filed Dec. 2, 1998, which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/412,981, filed
Mar. 28, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,552, both of which are
incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of authoring,
publishing, and managing electronic hypermedia documents across
distributed, wide area networks such as the World Wide Web.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The distribution of information is being revolutionized
before our very eyes. Wide area networks ("WAN's"), notably the
Internet, are assuming the role of "information superhighways" and
are distributing electronic embodiments of mail, textbooks,
magazines, advertisements, and even audio and video clips around
the world. Herein, the term "document" denotes and includes any and
all such electronic content, generically.
[0004] FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates the basic architecture of a
"client-server" WAN like the Internet. Servers 10a-n form the
backbone of the WAN. The servers are interconnected by a
telecommunications infrastructure and exchange information in the
form of one or more recognized protocols, such as protocol 30. For
example, in the case of the Internet, network protocols include
FTP, for file transfer, and Telnet, for remote log-in. Each server
effectively represents and services its one or more "clients."
Basically, the clients are the ultimate sources and targets of
underlying information, while the servers dispatch and receive
messages across the WAN in compliance with network protocols. Each
client may correspond to a single user's computer, or may itself be
hierarchically complex and may comprise a further sub-network or
collection of numerous computers, such as the well-known,
proprietary sub-networks of America Online, CompUServe, and
Prodigy. In this way, information of any kind can be distributed
worldwide in electronic form at telecommunications speeds.
[0005] One of the most rapidly expanding aspects of the Internet is
the World Wide Web (the "Web"). The Web is comprised of those
Internet 'servers (and their clients) able to support the
Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol, better known as "http." The Web
allows documents and graphical materials to be interlinked by means
of "hypertext" (or more generally, hypermedia) document elements.
When a user utilizes a cursor control device to select and "click"
on a hypermedia item in one document, a related document will
automatically be accessed as identified by that link. For example,
FIG. 2 illustrates a simple example of a popular Web document known
as a "home page." Home page 40 includes title 42, graphic image 44,
instructional text 48, and list of bullet items 46a-c. Selections
46a-c are each hypertext. A Web hypermedia item is actually encoded
with a Uniform Resource Locator ("URL") tag, which literally
addresses a document located on a remote network server. If a
client of a Web server is equipped with suitable "browser"
software, then a user of that client can point and click on any one
of the hypermedia items within home page 40, and an http request to
view the associated, linked content residing elsewhere on the
Internet will automatically be generated and dispatched by the
client's server to the appropriate Internet server which "hosts"
the linked document. The linked material will then automatically be
retrieved and ultimately displayed on the client. Http further
includes the Hyper-Text Markup Language ("html"), which may be used
to specify a certain layout structure for Web documents, e.g.,
specifying subsections of the document as a title, image, list,
etc. Html specifications are interpreted by a client's browser,
resulting in an appropriate display on the particular client's
computer platform. A survey and discussion of many popular Web
browsers is provided in the Feb. 7, 1995, issue of PC Magazine ("PC
Magazine"), at pages 173-196.
[0006] An important challenge that must be addressed, especially in
light of the burgeoning expansion and popularity of the Internet
and the Web, is how best to facilitate the authoring and publishing
of hypermedia documents on the Web. Many large and small publishers
of content--such as newspaper and magazine publishers, for
example--wish to make their content available in on-line form to
subscribers. However, this opportunity presents a major bottleneck,
because high-quality development platforms and authoring tools have
not yet been developed that adequately facilitate the authoring and
publishing of hypermedia on a distributed WAN like the Web. A
summary of the primary limitations of current Internet and Web
publishing tools follows:
[0007] 1. Current publishing tools are typically not fully
network-integrated. Browsers or other "cruiseware" help users view
existing WAN content, but do not generally support authoring of new
WAN content. Current authoring tools, on the other hand, are
typically either "stand-alone" local products, or at best offer a
limited bridge to WAN access such that authoring and WAN navigation
remain fundamentally non-integrated processes.
[0008] For example, in order to publish a document on a WAN, it is
typically necessary to edit documents in a local storage context
using authoring tools, and thereafter manually copy the documents
to a WAN server. Manual copying is often tedious and inconvenient,
especially where a publisher frequently publishes a large quantity
of content from diverse sources, including text files, graphics
images, video and sound clips, etc. Yet, current authoring tools
generally provide little assistance with this chore.
[0009] The non-integrated nature of current authoring tools
presents other difficulties and limitations as well. For example,
it is not generally possible to "open" multiple WAN documents for
editing and to transfer text, images, and URL's among those
documents in the seamless fashion as is presently done with typical
word processors for local computer documents. As another example,
current Web authoring tools generally do not provide full WYSIWYG
("What You See Is What You Get") feedback as to html markups and
hypermedia links. In other words, the creation and editing of
documents is typically performed in a purely local context; html
and URL codes must then be separately tested in a serial fashion,
by loading the document into a WAN browser or the like. This
serial, iterative process is highly inefficient.
[0010] 2. Current WAN Publishing tools provide little assistance
with managing collections of documents. Although the World Wide Web
is famous for supporting hypermedia document links, current tools
provide scant support for maintaining and operating on collections
of related documents as a group. Much progress is needed in this
area. For example, an integrated publishing environment should
preferably allow users to visually navigate through collections of
interconnected documents; to upload, download, and transport
collections of documents from one WAN location to another as a
group; and to set access privileges or other attributes for a WAN
collection as a group. Current tools generally fall far short of
these objectives.
[0011] 3. Current publishing tools provide little assistance with
content-based indexing and retrieval. Current navigational tools,
such as browsers, provide very little assistance with
systematically organizing and searching the information content
contained within the numerous sites comprising a network like the
Internet. Clearly, as the volume of both information and traffic on
the Internet continues to explode, publishers need to be able to
make their content available to subscribers in an intelligently
organized fashion that facilitates uniform, content-driven search
and access.
[0012] 4. Current Publishing tools provide little assistance with
asset management. For commercial publishers of proprietary material
like newspapers or periodicals, asset management is critical. In
other words, publishers need to be able to control and limit access
to their WAN documents, and to keep track of usage for billing and
other purposes. Yet, currently available tools for WAN publishing
generally ignore this area almost completely.
[0013] 5. Current publishing tools do not address the creation of
application programs. For on-line network publishing to realize its
full potential, publishers will want to do more than simply dump
passive, one-way content onto the Internet. They will want to
provide application programs allowing network users to take
advantage of interactive on-line services such as subscribing to a
publication, registering for a conference, or perhaps even more
exotic applications like participating in multi-player games
contests. Current network publishing and authoring tools largely
ignore this area.
[0014] Accordingly, there is a great need for a new development
platform for distributed publishing that overcomes the various
limitations described above. This need is especially pronounced and
important in view of the rapid expansion of interest in the
Internet and the Web, and the tremendous economic opportunities
presently available to publishers if a suitable development
platform can be provided. Recently, authoring tools have begun to
emerge, which attack some of the foregoing problems in piecemeal
fashion. See PC Magazine at pp. 110-196. However, there remains a
great need for a comprehensive solution to the problems described,
and especially for an authoring/publishing tool that is truly and
fully network-integrated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] We disclose herein a development platform technology for
publishing hypermedia documents across wide area networks
("WAN's"). This technology supports key publishing functions
including document authoring, management and publishing of document
collections, and support for database operations and interactive
application program development. These functions are supported in a
uniquely and fully WAN-integrated manner, as described further
below.
[0016] In one feature of the present invention, a WAN document
residing on a WAN server may be accessed via a hypermedia link,
edited, and stored to the same server or any other WAN server,
using a client computer coupled to the same server or any other WAN
server. The processes of accessing, editing, and storing may be
performed using a seamless user interface on the client computer.
By "seamless" user interface we mean that users are not required to
request additional steps such as intermediate copying or storage of
the document being edited, or to switch back and forth among
distinct "modes" or interfaces. Thus, browsing and editing of WAN
documents is truly integrated. A related feature of the invention
allows convenient transfers of content and/or hypermedia links
among a plurality of WAN documents, such as by "cut and paste" or
"drag and drop" copying. Another related feature provides immediate
execution and feedback for any display instructions added to the
document using a standard WAN mark-up language.
[0017] In another feature of the present invention, at least two
WAN documents residing on the same or different WAN servers are
accessed, and a hypermedia link addressing one of the document s is
inserted into another. Once again, the processes of accessing and
editing are performed using a seamless user interface on a client
computer. In a related feature of the invention, a list of
suggested target hypermedia links is automatically generated using
statistical language processing techniques, and the link to be
inserted is interactively chosen from that list.
[0018] Another feature of the present invention provides a method
for publishing and managing a collection of related documents on a
WAN. The related documents to be included in the collection are
specified, and a desired operation (such as setting access controls
or changing location) may then be performed collectively on each
document in the collection, simply by interactively issuing a
single command corresponding to the operation. A related feature
includes hypermedia links between documents of the collection,
which address target documents relatively to source documents;
i.e., each link address does not specify an absolute address for
the target independently of the source. In another related feature,
elements of the collection including documents and hypermedia links
are graphically depicted using icons and connecting lines, thereby
facilitating convenient, visual navigation and organization of the
collection.
[0019] In a further feature, the present invention includes a
method for providing form-driven interactive services on a WAN. A
form-driven service is developed by creating a template form
comprising one or more informational fields, as well as one or more
hypermedia links addressing a database system or other utility
program stored on an application server. The form-driven service is
utilized by filling in the informational fields, and "clicking" or
otherwise signalling on the hypermedia link when ready. In
response, the application server is sent an appropriate WAN
message, and processes the form. These steps (except the last step)
are performed using a seamless user interface environment, so there
is once again no need for users to switch interfaces or request any
intermediate copying in order to perform the process of creating
and filling in a template form and signalling when the form is
ready for processing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a basic, high-level architecture for a
typical client-server WAN such as the Internet or the World Wide
Web.
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a simple example of a typical "home page"
document on the World Wide Web.
[0022] FIG. 3 broadly outlines a client-server architecture in
accordance with the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates a preferred document editor environment
in accordance with the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 5a illustrates a flow diagram for a scenario in which
WAN hypermedia documents are created and edited in accordance with
the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 5a illustrates a flow diagram for a second scenario in
which WAN hypermedia documents are created and edited in accordance
with the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 6 illustrates a preferred set of interactive commands
for working with a collection of interrelated hypermedia
documents.
[0027] FIG. 7 illustrates a preferred graphical interface for
organizing and working with a collection of interrelated hypermedia
documents.
[0028] FIG. 8a is a screen image illustrating use of the preferred
"NaviLinks" facility to generate suggested hypermedia links.
[0029] FIG. 8b is a screen image further illustrating use of the
preferred "NaviLinks" facility to generate suggested hypermedia
links.
[0030] FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram for developing and running
WAN-based, form-driven, interactive application programs in
accordance with the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 10a illustrates a preferred interface form for adding a
customer feedback table to an indexed database, in accordance with
the present invention.
[0032] FIG. 10b illustrates a default template form for adding a
particular customer, feedback to an indexed database, in accordance
with the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 10c illustrates a modified template form for adding a
particular customer's feedback to an indexed database, in
accordance with the present invention.
[0034] FIG. 10d illustrates a template form for searching an
indexed database for particular customer feedback, in accordance
with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Introduction
[0035] FIG. 3 provides a broad outline of a client-server
architecture in accordance with the present invention, for use in
the context of a VAN such as illustrated in FIG. 1. User's client
machine 20d preferably includes digital computer facilities
including CPU 68, user I/O peripherals 66, and storage device 64
(including internal and external memory) storing operating system
62 and client software 60. WAN server lad, preferably coupled to
client 20d through a high-speed local connection, is equipped with
digital computer facilities analogous to those of client 20d, and
also with server software 50.
[0036] As described in much greater detail below, client software
60 and server software 50 preferably share the responsibility for
providing advantageous and innovative electronic publishing
capabilities in accordance with the present invention. Note that a
user of client computer 20d seeking the benefits of the present
invention need only have client software 60 available on client
computer 20d, and all or part of server software 50 available on
server 10d (depending on the particular features desired). The user
can then advantageously access and publish documents to and from
the remainder of the WAN in accordance with the present invention,
even though other computer systems on the WAN have not been
similarly modified or upgraded.
[0037] The inventors are, as of this writing, in the process of
developing a preferred embodiment of the present invention
including client software 60 called "NaviPress" and server software
50 called "NaviServer." As a supplement to the detailed description
provided below, an Appendix is provided herewith which contains
illustrative source code, architectural specifications entitled
"NaviPress and NaviServer: A Client-Server Publishing System for
the World-Wide Web" (hereinafter "White Paper"), and excerpts from
a draft User Manual for NaviPress and NaviServer. The reader is
referred to the Appendix for more details regarding this preferred
embodiment, and the Appendix materials are incorporated herein in
their entirety by this reference.
Network-Integrated Editing
[0038] The present invention enables users to access, edit, and
store documents distributed throughout a WAN, in the advantageous
manner of state-of-the-art, private computer or local area network
word processing tools. In accordance with the present invention,
the basic process framework by which WAN documents are accessed,
edited, and stored is seamless and is substantially the same as if
all steps occurred locally on a private computer. In particular,
users are not required to perform any intermediary downloading or
copying steps, or to switch back and forth among distinct "modes"
or interfaces in order to access and browse WAN documents, to edit
them, and to store them.
[0039] As a more concrete illustration of this capability, FIG. 4
illustrates a preferred, menu-driven document editor in accordance
with the present invention. Typically, menu bar 70 would be
displayed continually at the top of a computer display "window" in
which a particular document is being edited. "Pull-down" menus,
such as "file" menu 72, are displayed when a user selects a
corresponding item from command bar 70, preferably using a cursor
control device. For example, file menu 72 includes commands to
"open" existing documents for editing, and to "save" such documents
as revised, etc. This general, menu-driven methodology is of course
by now familiar to those of ordinary skill in the relevant arts.
The present invention enables these capabilities to be applied
seamlessly across a wide area network. In other words, a user can
conveniently access, edit, and save any WAN document in much the
same way as the user has been accustomed to doing with respect to
documents residing locally on the user's private, personal
computer. Consider a scenario in which multiple WAN hypermedia
documents are being worked upon. As indicated in FIG. 4, edit menu
74 includes "cut and paste" commands allowing text and other
information to be transferred conveniently between multiple WAN
documents. "Cut" and "copy" commands will typically post to a
"clipboard" (i.e., temporary storage) selected content from any
document being edited, while the "paste" command will insert
whatever content is currently held in the clipboard into a
different document at a point of insertion selected by the
user.
[0040] The present invention provides further advantages in the
context of hypermedia WAN documents, as illustrated by the
scenarios described in the flow charts of FIGS. 5a and 5b. With
respect to FIG. 5a, at step 80 the user of client computer 20d
invokes file menu 72 to access a source document, such as by
"opening" an existing document located on any WAN server. In this
example, the source document contains a hypermedia link addressing
a target document, located on the same or any other WAN server. At
step 82 the user accesses the target document by "clicking" on the
hypermedia link using a cursor control device which immediately
opens the target document for editing in accordance with menu bar
70, preferably in a separate document window.
[0041] At step 84, the user can immediately edit and revise the
accessed target document. This step preferably includes use of a
markup language recognized on the WAN, such as html; elements menu
76 and format menu 77 in FIG. 4 provide convenient tools for
creating and editing html content with immediate WYSIWYG feedback.
The editing step also preferably includes interactively
transferring or copying any selected portion of the source document
to the target document (or vice versa), such as by "cutting and
pasting" or by "dragging and dropping" the selected portion using a
cursor control device. Moreover, the copied portion may include
hypermedia links (URL's) or other mark-up codes, and any such
mark-up codes will immediately be active as soon as inserted into
the target document. Because the browsing and editing environment
is seamless in accordance with the present invention, these editing
tasks can now be performed without requiring users to switch
between separate interface modes or to temporarily download
documents into local storage, as was traditionally necessary.
[0042] Finally, at step 86, the target document is saved as revised
to any WAN server by using the "save" or "save as" commands of file
menu 72. Note that server 10d, the source server, target server,
and the ultimate destination server of the target document may all
be the same server, or may all be different.
[0043] In the scenario described in FIG. 5b, at steps 90 and 92 the
user of client computer 20d accesses a source document and a target
document, such as by invoking file menu 72. The source and target
may originally be located on any wan servers. At step 94, the "copy
URL" command of edit menu 74 is used to post a hypermedia pointer
addressing the target document onto a clipboard for temporary
storage. (Recall that "URL" is the term for a hypermedia link on
the World Wide Web, as discussed earlier in the Background
section.) At step 96, the "paste URL" command of edit menu 74 is
used to paste the stored hypermedia link onto a selected "anchor"
item of content within the source document. At step 98, this new
document, including the new hypermedia link, may be "published" by
storing it to any WAN server, simply by using the "save" commands
of file menu 72. Thus, in accordance with the present invention,
publishing hypermedia content across a WAN is achieved in a highly
advantageous manner that fully and seamlessly integrates hypermedia
browsing and editing.
[0044] As briefly noted above, the WAN-integrated editing
environment is enhanced by elements menu 76 and format menu 77
which provide WYSIWYG feedback for html markup authoring without
any need for users to separately launch a browser program or upload
the document being edited. Other, preferred features of the editing
environment depicted in FIG. 4 include WAN browser menu 78, display
options and preferences, and access to help. Menu bar 70 further
provides access to various WAN tools and services discussed further
below, including "NaviLinks" link generation; form-driven database
update and search, and asset administration services.
[0045] In summary, prior art technology has traditionally separated
between WAN "browsing" on one hand, in which WAN documents are
accessed and mark-up codes are interpreted and executed, and
document editing on the other hand, in which documents are
modified. Conventionally, users must manually switch between
distinct browsing and editing environments or "modes," and/or
perform intermediate steps in which WAN documents of interest are
downloaded to the user's private local storage, thereafter edited,
and thereafter uploaded back to the WAN. The present invention now
enables users to access WAN documents, copy content (including
hypermedia links and other mark-up codes) among multiple WAN
documents, and execute WAN mark-up codes, all in a seamless fashion
without requiring intermediate steps. Moreover, these capabilities
require only the user's computer system to include software
implementing the browsing and editing environment, and do not
require any modification of other WAN computers.
[0046] For more details on an exemplary embodiment of the WAN
document editing and browsing environment, the user is referred to
the Appendix, and especially to the draft User Manual at Chapters
2, 3, and Appendix A. Exemplary source code for use in implementing
this unique environment is also included in the Appendix.
Working With Collections of WAN Documents
[0047] Another aspect of the present invention is the ability to
publish, maintain, and otherwise operate on collections of
multiple, related documents as a group. This is an especially
valuable capability in the context of hypermedia collections, where
there are explicit links between specific, related portions of
documents.
[0048] FIG. 6 illustrates a preferred, menu-driven authoring
environment called " the MiniWeb" for working with collections of
related documents in accordance with the present invention.
Typically, menu bar 100 is displayed continually at the top of a
computer display "window" in which a particular collection is being
operated on. Many of the basic operations provided by the pull-down
menus available through menu bar 100 are performed collectively
upon the current document collection (or "miniweb"); in other
words, a single command will be applied to all members of the
collection, as a group. For example, pull-down "file" menu 102
includes commands to "save" a miniweb to any specified location in
the WAN. When invoked, the command automatically stores all
documents and objects in the collection to the desired new (or old)
storage site. Preferably, edit menu 104 includes commands to
globally search and replace a common portion of content, such as an
updated company logo or URL, shared by many or all documents in the
collection, although this particular command option is not
explicitly shown in FIG. 6. Similarly, tools menu 106 performs
administrative tasks, such as setting access controls (i.e., costs
and security privileges), for collections as a group.
[0049] A related aspect of this invention involves the ability to
transport collections of documents interrelated by hypermedia links
in a convenient manner. Those of skill in the art recognize that
when the target reference of a hypermedia link is moved, the link
is thereby "broken," much like the address on a letter to a
recipient who has moved and left no forwarding address. Thus,
moving a collection of documents interrelated by numerous
hypermedia links has been extremely onerous using prior art
technology, since the hypermedia links must manually be "fixed" to
address new locations.
[0050] In accordance with the present invention, one or more
relative hypermedia links are preferably created among the
documents of a collection. A "relative" link only addresses its
target document relative to the source document's address. In other
words, only a portion of the full target address is given, namely,
a portion sufficient to locate the target relative to the source.
Preferably, a specification of a hierarchical directory structure
for each collection is maintained in a separate file along with the
collection, so that only the topmost page in the collection need be
tied to an absolute address, while other hypermedia links within
the collection can be made relative and still be interpreted
properly. Sample listings for such a specification are included on
the following pages. Because the links are relative, they do not
need to be modified when the collection is moved. TABLE-US-00001
navidoc 1.0 graph=1 nametype=0 title= style= template= Pages:
"top.htm" Up="" Style="" Title="The NaviServer Documentation" 1 94
467 "install.htm" Up="" Style="" Title="Installing the NaviServer"
1 "startup.htm" Up="" Style="" Title="Starting up the NaviServer" 1
"security.htm" Up="" Style="" Title="Security on the NaviServer" 1
"costs.htm" Up="" Style="" Title="Charging money for access" 1
"search.htm" Up="" Style="" Title="Searching the NaviServer" 1
"srchdata.htm" Up="" Style="" Title="Searching Database Tables" 1
"srchpage.htm" Up="" Style="" Title="Searchirig for Pages" 1
"hitlist.htm" Up="" Style="" Title="Hitlists and Hittables" 1
"hilite.htm" Up="" Style="" Title="Hiliting and MoreLikeThis" 1
"under.htm" Up="" Style="" Title="Coming Soon!" 1 "entup.htm" Up=""
Style="" Title="Entering Data and Updating It" 1 "smartlnk.htm"
Up="" Style="" Title="SmartLinking" 1 "describe.htm" Up="" Style=""
Title="Describing Pages" 1 "custom.htm" Up="" Style=""
Title="Customizing Entry, Update and Search Forms" 1 "archive.htm"
Up="" Style="" Title="Archive Versioning" 1 "logging.htm" Up=""
Style="" Title="Logging" 1 "ops.htm" Up="" Style=""
Title="NaviServer URL Reference" 1 "maktable.htm" Up="" Style=""
Title="Creating.and Dropping Tables" 1 "tables.htm" Up="" Style=""
Title="NaviServer System Tables" 1 "page21.htm" Up="" Style=""
Title="Please title this page. (Page 21 in servdocs)" 1
"sumobanr.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1 "sumoguy1.gif" Up=""
Style="" Title="" 1 "sumoguy2.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1
"sumoguy3.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1 "sumoguy4.gif" Up=""
Style="" Title="" 1 "sumoguy5.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1
"sumoguy6.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1 "sumochar.gif" Up=""
Style="" Title="" 1 "sumoleaf.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1
"sumoguy7.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1 "sumoguy8.gif" Up=""
Style="" Title="" 1 "fujibrch.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1
"fujimt.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1 "sumobboo.gif" Up=""
Style="" Title="" 1 "sumofeet.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1
"sumohnds.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1 "sumoarm.gif" Up=""
Style="" Title="" 1 "cthulhu.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1
"iceman.gif" Up="" Style="" Title="" 1 "sumochr2.gif" Up=""
Style="" Title="" 1 Ghosts: Refs: "top.htm" 0 "install.htm" 0
"startup.htm" 0 "security.htm" 0 "costs.htm" 0 "search.htm" 0
"under.htm" 0 "entup.htm" 0 "smartlnk.htm" 0 "describe.htm" 0
"custom.htm" 0 "archive.htm" 0 "logging.htm" 0 "ops.htm" 0
"maktable.ht$$ 0 "tables.htm" 2 "sumobanr.gif" 0 "srchpage.htm" 0
"http://www.yahoo.com/Computers/World_Wide_Web/Databases_and_Searching-
/" "install.htm" 0 "startup.htm" 2 "sumoguy1.gif" "srartup.htm" 4
"costs.htm" 4 "archive.htm" 4 "logging.htm" 2 "sumoguy2.gif"
"security.htm" 0 "/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_users" 0
"/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_groups" 0 "/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_groups2users"
0 "/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_permissions" 0
"/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_methods" 2 "sumoguy3.gif" "costs.htm" 0
"security.htm" 4 "startup.htm" 2 "sumoguy8.gif" 0
"/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_costs" 0 "/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_charges" 0
"/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_total_charges" "search.htm" 1
"/NS/GetSearchFormPicker" 1 "srchdata.htm" 1 "srchpage.htm" 1
"hitlist.htm" 1 "hilite.htm" 2 "sumoguy4.gif" 1
"/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_permissions" 1 "/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_users"
"srchdata.htm" 8 "http://www.navisoft.com/STUB" 2 "sumoguy5.gif"
"srchpage.htm" 2 "sumoguy6.gif" 8 "http://www..navisoft.com/STUB" 0
"/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_default_collection" "hitlist.htm" 0
"/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_default_collection" 0
"http://www.navisoft.com/STUB" 0
"http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/XMosaic/help-on-version-2.5b5.h-
tml" 0 "http://www.netscape.com/info/newsrelease16.html" 0
"http://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/Arena/" 0
"NS/GetSerchForm/ns_total_charges" 2 "sumochar.gif" "hilite.htm" 0
"NS/MoreLikeThis/?Url=%2fservdoc%2ftop.htm" 0 "/servdoc/top.htm" 0
"/NS/GetLHP/?Url=%2fservdoc%2ftop.htm&terms=cool" 2
"sumoleaf.gif" "under.htm" 2 "cthulhu.gif" "entup.htm" 8
"http://www.navisoft.com/STUB" 2 "sumoguy7.gif" 0
"/NS/GetEntryForm/ns_permissions" "Smartlnk.htm" 2 "fujibrch.gif"
"describe.htm" 8 "http://www.navisoft.com/STUB" 2 "fujimt.gif"
"custom.htm" 2 "sumofeet.gif" 1 "/NS/GetSearchForm/ns_columns"
"archive.htm" 4 "startup.htm" 2 "sumohnds.gif" 0
"http://navisoft.com:8001/NS/ArchiveVersions/index.html" 0
"http://navisoft.com:8001/index.html" 0
"http://navisoft.com:8001/NS/Archive/19950222000000/index.html"
"logging.htm" 4 "startup.htm" 2 "sumoarm.gif" "ops.htm" 2
"iceman.gif" 1 "/NS/GetSearchFormPicker" 1 "/NS/Admin" 1
"/NS/About" 1 "/NS/GetNewTableForm" "maktable.htm" 0
"/NS/GetDropTableForm" 0 "/NS/GetCreateTableForm" 2 "sumobboo.gif"
"tables.htm" 2 "sumochr2.gif" "page21.htm" "sumobanr.gif"
"sumoguy1.gif" "sumoguy2.gif" "sumoguy3.gif" "sumoguy4.gif"
"sumoguy5.gif" "sumoguy6.gif" "sumochar.gif" "sumoleaf.gif"
"sumoguy7.gif" "sumoguy8.gif" "fujibrch.gif" "fujimt.gif"
"sumobboo.gif" "sumofeet.gif" "sumohnds.gif" "sumoarm.gif"
"cthulhu.gif" "iceman.gif" "sumochr2.gif"
[0051] A preferred embodiment of the MiniWeb facility that has been
described includes an advantageous, graphical front-end for viewing
and navigating within a collection of hypermedia documents. FIG. 7
illustrates an example of such a miniweb interface. Display icons
110a-n each represent corresponding documents located anywhere on
the WAN, or anywhere within the user's local storage. Arrow icons
112a-n indicate hypermedia links between documents, in the
direction indicated by the arrows. Thus, the miniweb display
provides an intuitive, graphical view of the relationship among a
collection of hypermedia documents.
[0052] The graphical interface of FIG. 7 is preferably displayed in
a separate window of client computer 20d, alongside document
editing windows in accordance with FIG. 4. Users can preferably use
the miniweb window as a short-cut to access desired documents
within a collection by simply "double-clicking" on the
corresponding icon in the miniweb, or by "dragging and dropping" an
icon from the miniweb onto a document editing window. Moreover, the
precise appearance of icons and connecting arrows preferably
indicates the nature or state of the corresponding document or
link. For example, icon 110i represents a sound file, while icon
110b is a hypermedia "web" document, as suggested by the appearance
of those two icons. Further, the color and shading of icons and
arrows may indicate such states as a modified and unsaved document,
or a relative or absolute address link. For more details regarding
the graphical interface of FIG. 7 and its preferred uses, the
reader is referred to the draft User Manual in the Appendix, and
particularly chapters 4 Appendix B thereto. Once again, source code
included in the Appendix provides exemplary means for implementing
the miniweb facility we have described.
Automated Authoring of WAN Hypermedia: "NaviLinks"
[0053] Most content on the world Wide Web is not originally created
as hypermedia. For example, news articles, product brochures, and
other literature originally created for non-interactive
environments do not initially contain any hypermedia links to other
documents. Such links must be creatively defined and implemented. A
preferred feature of the present invention provides assistance in
the authoring of hypermedia WAN documents, by facilitating and
partially automating the creation of useful hypermedia links. This
facility, which we call "NaviLinks" herein, uses statistical
language processing algorithms to generate automatically a list of
suggested, possible hypermedia links between a source document and
a collection of potential target documents. A human author can then
review the suggestions in a convenient manner, and choose to
incorporate, modify, or discard them.
[0054] The NaviLinks facility is preferably integrated along with
the publishing tools described above, and as illustrated in the
"screen shots" of FIGS. 8a and 8b. Both figures depict document
editing window 120, including menu bar 70 in accordance with the
teachings of FIG. 4 and the earlier discussion herein. A document
entitled "Wild Rice Risotto" (evidently a recipe) is currently open
within window 120. In the example shown, the user has already
invoked the NaviLinks facility for assistance in creating
hypermedia links from the recipe document to related documents.
NaviLinks window 124 is thus shown overlapping on document editing
window 120. Window 124 displays list 126 of suggested anchor items.
An "anchor" item is an item of content within a source document
encoded as a hypermedia link; users "click" on anchor items to
bring up linked target documents. Thus, the highlighted entry in
list 126 corresponds to item 122 in the recipe document, namely,
the recipe author's name (Carey Schnell-Wright). NaviLinks window
124 also displays list 128 of potential target documents for the
currently highlighted anchor item. The lists of suggested anchor
items and potential targets are generated automatically, preferably
using statistical language processing techniques such as provided
in the Xerox Lexical Technology ("XLT") package commercially
available from the Xerox corporation.
[0055] Because of the integrated nature of the tools described
herein in accordance with the present invention, the process of
exploring and selecting among the suggested anchor items and
corresponding hypermedia links shown in FIG. 8a can be performed
very conveniently. For each anchor item in list 126, a suggested
link in list 128 can be encoded directly onto the anchor item in
the source document by pressing "Apply" button 132; or, the target
document addressed by the suggested link can itself be accessed and
edited in yet another editing window, by pressing "Show Page"
button 130. FIG. 8b illustrates the results of pressing these
buttons. The visual appearance of anchor item 122 is updated to
indicate that it is now encoded as an URL (i.e., a hypermedia
link), as a result of the user "applying" a suggested link. In
addition, as a result of the user selecting a "Show Page" request,
document editing window 134 has been created overlapping on windows
120 and 124, and displays an open WAN document containing another
recipe by the same author and entitled "Marjoram Potato
Casserole."
WAN-Integrated, Form-Driven, Interactive Services
[0056] A hypermedia publishing platform should preferably support
not only the authoring and distribution content, but also a variety
of form-driven interactive services, such as content-based indexing
of documents, and controlled access to proprietary WAN documents.
Preferably, application developers and end-users should be able to
generate and store new forms, retrieve existing forms, fill out
forms, and submit them for appropriate processing, all in a
convenient and seamless manner utilizing an integrated editing and
browsing environment such as described earlier in connection with
FIGS. 4-7.
[0057] A great many, desirable, interactive WAN services are
database-oriented. For example, a service might involve a
particular database "view" (i.e., a specified set of indices) for
indexing WAN documents, for managing historical versions of WAN
documents, for collecting and reviewing customer feedback, or for
relating specified access controls (such as security restrictions
and access costs, perhaps of a hierarchical nature) to specific,
proprietary WAN documents. Therefore, the form-driven interface
environment of the present invention is preferably integrated not
only with editing and browsing tools as previously described, but
also with a database management system such as the Illustra object
relational database management system.
[0058] FIG. 9 illustrates a sample process flow diagram for
developing and utilizing form-driven, interactive, database
services in accordance with the present invention. At step 140, a
developer user begins the process of setting up a new interactive
service by using client computer 20d to create a new database table
for the service, preferably using an integrated authoring
environment such as window 160 in FIG. 10a. As shown, window 160
includes menu bar 70, and the seamless browsing and editing
facilities described earlier herein. The table created in step 140
will include a plurality of data fields 162a-n. As illustrated in
FIG. 10a, each one of data fields 162a-n preferably may be
associated with various specifications such as a required-data
type, and whether or not database entries in the table will be
indexed (and hence searchable) using that field. As indicated by
comment 164 in FIG. 10a, step 140 is completed by pressing a
"create table" button or the like. The "create table" button is
actually just a special kind of hypermedia link which transmits a
requested operation for processing by a target WAN server on which
server software 50 is available, as will be described in greater
detail further below. In this case, clicking on a "create table"
button sends a network message formally registering the new
database table with server 10d or another selected WAN server
(hereinafter, the "application server") on which server software 50
including a database management system is available.
[0059] Once a database table is created, at step 142 template forms
are generated for interactively updating and searching the database
described by the new table. Updating, such as by adding a new
database entry, may interactively be performed using a form as
illustrated in FIG. 10b, in which informational fields 166a-n
correspond to the data fields 162a-n specified in the database
table. Thus, a user who accesses the entry form at step 144 can
then describe the database attribute values for a new entry at step
146 simply by filling in informational fields 166a-n. Analogous
comments apply with regard to forms for submitting a specific
database search or query, such as the form of FIG. 10d which
includes corresponding information fields 174a-n.
[0060] Because description and search forms are integrated with the
authoring environment previously described, as indicated by the
presence of menu bar 70 in FIG. 10b, 10c, and 10d, users can
seamlessly take full advantage of the editing capabilities of that
environment in the course of filling out description or search
forms. For example, while a WAN document is being accessed and
edited by the user in one display window, the user can fill out a
corresponding description form or access control form in another
window, concurrently. Moreover, users can even modify and customize
the style and appearance of entry or search forms, by using the
editing facilities of menu bar 70, such as the html mark-up
commands of the Elements and Format menus (as discussed previously
in connection with FIG. 4). For example, FIG. 10c depicts an edited
version of FIG. 10b that still corresponds to the database table of
FIG. 10a. Thus, fields 170a-n of FIG. 10c map directly onto fields
166a-n of FIG. 10b, but are merely displayed in a somewhat
different appearance.
[0061] Thus, the steps of generating and filling in new tables,
entry forms, and search forms are seamlessly integrated with the
editing and browsing environment previously described. Moreover,
even the step of submitting a completed form to the application
server for processing may likewise be performed in seamless fashion
together with the preceding steps. Thus, at step 148, a user who
has completed a database entry or search form submits the form to
the application server by pressing a hypermedia "enter" button or
the like using a cursor control device as indicated by comments 168
(on FIG. 10a) and 172 (on FIG. 10b), akin to the "create table"
button described above in connection with FIG. 10a. Entry and
search forms are thus "live," meaning that completing a form and
interactively signalling a hypermedia link included in the form
will automatically send an appropriate message to the application
server, causing server software 50 to initiate appropriate database
actions at step 150. The user need not invoke a separate interface,
copy any files, or compose any database scripts. Thus, to enjoy
interactive database services, users can simply fill out forms
using the same environment they use to access and edit
documents.
[0062] Note that a WAN document referenced in a database may
preferably be located anywhere in the WAN in accordance with the
present invention, and need not be local to the application server.
From the standpoint of server software 50 the database tables
reference and index WAN-compatible URL's, (i.e., WAN address
pointers), and so need not store documents locally. Note also that,
multiple tables and hence multiple indexing views and forms
covering the same documents are possible. For example, an
administrator might systematically index all documents on a server,
while individual users might create their own indexing schemes for
documents and criteria of special interest.
[0063] For more details regarding various menu-driven interactive
services provided by a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the reader is referred to the Appendix, and especially
to chapter 5 of the draft User Manual and chapter 3.3 of the White
Paper. Details regarding a preferred architecture and
implementation for server software 50 in support of menu-driven
interactive database services will now be described.
[0064] Preferred embodiments of client software 60 ("NaviPress")
and server soft ware 50 ("NaviServer") communicate through a WAN
hypermedia protocol such as http. All requests and responses
between client and server are accomplished through http. Thus,
NaviPress sends requests to NaviServer using GET, PUT, POST,
BROWSE, and DELETE methods, and NaviServer returns results using
standard http return codes, as well as some special content types
in accordance with the present invention. Both NaviPress and
NaviServer are thus "open" in the sense that any http-compliant
client computer can access most services provided My NaviServer,
and NaviPress can be used with any http-compliant WAN server.
[0065] NaviPress requests for services from NaviServer may contain
ordinary URL's, but sometimes contain special URL's that map to
server functions. If a request is not immediately
serviceable--e.g., GET a page for browsing--NaviServer checks to
see if the URL contains a special data field encoding a registered
operation that maps to server-specific processing code. For
example, NaviServer preferably includes about twenty pre-installed
operations, listed in Table 1, for implementing common server
functions such as publishing, administration, information
retrieval, and document management functions. These special URL's
take the general form of "/prefix/operation/arguments," where the
"arguments" are an arbitrarily long string that is passed to the
"operation." The NaviServer looks for registered prefixes and
recognized operations, and then passes the request to the
appropriate utility program or process. NaviServer is designed so
that custom services can be added easily. Application developers
can register new operations with their own unique prefixes. Since a
standard, open protocol is used for communications between client
and server, even vendors of other authoring tools can write
interfaces that advantageously publish content to a server running
NaviServer software. TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 1 Examples of Naviserver
operations GetSearchFormPicker Get list of links to a variety of
search forms installed on the server. Examples include problem
report forms, customer comments, permissions. GetSearchForm Get a
specific search form for specifying search criteria.
SearchQueryByForm Search via query by form. GetLocalHilitedPage Get
a local highlighted page, where highlights identify the terms in
the page that met the selection criteria GetRemoteHilitedPage get a
remote highlighted page, where highlights identify the terms in the
page that met the selection criteria MoreLikeThis search via "more
like this" (find similar documents by using terms in the target
page) NaviLink generate anchor terms and phrases GetEntryForm get
form for database entry GetUpdateForm get form for database update
GetUpdateOrEntryForm get update (existing data) or entry (new data)
form as appropriate GetMeta Tables get list of entry tables Admin
administrative controls and views for access (permissions and
costs), tables (view, add, drop), users and groups (view, add,
assign), and usage (raw or by user) About gets information about
server (name, version, host, port, database, archiving charging)
ArchiveVersions archive a version of a page or document
GetNewTableForm get a new table form, for creating a new table
CreateTable create a table
[0066] For more details on this subject, the reader is referred to
the Appendix hereto, especially the White Paper at chapter 4, and
sample source code for the server software and related code.
Other Variations
[0067] The fully integrated client-server environment illustrated
herein represents a very powerful and flexible platform for
authoring hypermedia content. Detailed illustrations have been
provided for the edification of those of ordinary skill in the art,
and not as any kind of limitation on the scope of the invention.
Numerous variations and modifications within the spirit of the
present invention will of course occur to those of ordinary skill
in the art in view of the preferred embodiments that have now been
disclosed. Such variations, as well as any other systems embodying
any of the following claims, all remain within the scope of the
present invention:
* * * * *
References