Abstract: Instructions are received to open an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document. The XML document is searched to locate a processing instruction (PI) containing an entity. The entity, by example, can be a href attribute, a URL, a name, or a character string identifying an application that created an HTML electronic form associated with the XML document. A solution is discovered using the entity. The XML document is opened with the solution. The solution includes an XSLT presentation application and an XML schema. The XML document can be inferred from the XML schema and portions of the XML document are logically coupled with fragments of the XML schema. The XSLT presentation application is executing to transform the coupled portions of the XML document into the HTML electronic form containing data-entry fields associated with the coupled portions. Data entered through the data-entry fields can be validated using the solution.

Abstract: A system and method that enables a user to edit a data file offline is described. This system and method can enable a user to edit a data file without the user having to discover or deploy a solution application governing the data file. For security, this system and method can deploy a solution application within a sandbox, thereby limiting the operations the solution application can perform.

Abstract: Instructions are received to open an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document. The XML document is searched to locate a processing instruction (PI) containing an entity. The entity, by example, can be a href attribute, a URL, a name, or a character string identifying an application that created an HTML electronic form associated with the XML document. A solution is discovered using the entity. The XML document is opened with the solution. The solution includes an XSLT presentation application and an XML schema. The XML document can be inferred from the XML schema and portions of the XML document are logically coupled with fragments of the XML schema. The XSLT presentation application is executing to transform the coupled portions of the XML document into the HTML electronic form containing data-entry fields associated with the coupled portions. Data entered through the data-entry fields can be validated using the solution.

Abstract: Scalable object model design is described. In an embodiment, one or more objects corresponding to a form are instantiated in response to a request for the form from a first client device, and an events manager is instantiated through which the one or more objects register to process data manipulation events associated with the form. Data specific to the first client device is processed with the one or more objects that correspond to the form via a first processor thread. An additional request from a second client device is received and additional data specific to the second client device is processed with the one or more objects that correspond to the form via a second processor thread. The one or more objects are shared by the first client device and the second client device to process the data manipulation events associated with the form.

Abstract: Tool(s) enabling installation of a solution are described. These tool(s) may follow appropriate security precautions to contain possibly dangerous code in a data file's solution even when the solution is installed from a local source, such as when a user is offline. These tool(s) determine what level of security is appropriate for a data file's solution based on the original source of the solution. The tool(s) may also and/or instead enable a user to edit a data file without the user having to discover or deploy a solution application governing the data file.

Abstract: A data processing application uses a translation file to render a visual surface based on underlying structured data. The data processing application provides mapping between nodes associated with the visual surface and nodes associated with the structured data. The mapping is generated in two phases. In a first phase, the data processing application adds mapping functions to the translation file. In the second phase, the data processing application renders the visual surface on the basis of a specific instance of the structured data, and, in the process, executes the mapping functions within the translation file to provide specific pointer information that is embedded amongst the nodes associated with the visual surface.

Abstract: A data processing application uses a translation file to render a visual surface based on underlying structured data. The data processing application provides mapping between nodes associated with the visual surface and nodes associated with the structured data. The mapping is generated in two phases. In a first phase, the data processing application adds mapping functions to the translation file. In the second phase, the data processing application renders the visual surface on the basis of a specific instance of the structured data, and, in the process, executes the mapping functions within the translation file to provide specific pointer information that is embedded amongst the nodes associated with the visual surface. The pointer information points back to specific locations in the structured data, thus providing mapping between the visual surface and the structured data. The structured data can be formed using Extensible Markup Language (XML).

Abstract: A user can edit an XML data file offline without the user having to discover or deploy a solution for the XML data file. A processing instruction (PI) in the XML data file is read to determine the solution's origin. The PI contains an entity that can be a href attribute that points to a URL, a name, a target having a character string identifying the application that created an electronic form associated with the XML data file, or a href attribute and at least one of a PI version and a product version. Security precautions for executing the solution based on the solution's origin are determined and the solution is silently installed from a source other than the solution's origin within a sandbox enforcing the security precautions. Deployment within a sandbox limits the operations that the solution application can perform.

Abstract: A system and method that enables a user to edit a data file offline is described. This system and method can enable a user to edit a data file without the user having to discover or deploy a solution application governing the data file. For security, this system and method can deploy a solution application within a sandbox, thereby limiting the operations the solution application can perform.

Abstract: Validating data of and/or indicating errors of a structured data file using eXtensible Markup Language (XML) elements and/or XML Path (XPATH) expression are described.

Abstract: XML elements and related processes for validation of XML data files is disclosed. These elements are used to specify validation rules that are used by a real-time validation tool to validate data in a node of an XML data file. These elements also are used to specify error messages to be displayed when a node is found to be invalid. Further, they are used to associate executable code with a node that can be executed when the node is modified.

Abstract: Methods and systems of authoring XML using DHTML views and XSLT are described. Various user interfaces can be automatically or semi-automatically provided in a DHTML view that enable a user to interact with the DHTML view. The interfaces, some of which are termed “in document” interfaces, permit a user to interact with a DHTML view and have those interactions automatically made to a corresponding XML document that describes data that is associated with the DHTML view.

Abstract: A solution is described that declares elements, attributes, and values that define a hierarchical data file or a markup-language document. The declarations by the solution are within the solution and include a presentation application and a markup-language schema from which the markup-language document can be inferred as having a structure based on the markup-language schema. Portions of the markup-language document are logically coupled with fragments of the markup-language schema. The presentation application, when executed, forms an electronic form containing data-entry fields associated with the coupled portions. The solution can include a manifest of all files that can be used for representing the markup-language document in the electronic form. The files also allow a user in input data into the one or more data-entry fields and control the validation of the data that the user inputs into the one or more data-entry fields.

Abstract: Methods and systems of authoring XML using DHTML views and XSLT are described. Various user interfaces can be automatically or semi-automatically provided in a DHTML view that enable a user to interact with the DHTML view. The interfaces, some of which are termed “in document” interfaces, permit a user to interact with a DHTML view and have those interactions automatically made to a corresponding XML document that describes data that is associated with the DHTML view. Presentation of the various in document interfaces takes place by considering not only an XML schema (of which the XML document is an instance), but an XSL-T (XSLT transformation) that was utilized to transform the XML document into the DHTML view. In addition, the notion of a crystal is introduced and is used to map interactions with a DHTML view directly back to a corresponding XML document. A crystal, in a basic form, includes one or more behaviors and associated XSL-T. The crystals are used to transform XML into the DHTML views.

Abstract: Various embodiments can support a richly dynamic form environment that permits editing on the client side and can alleviate many of the server-imposed processing complexities that have existed in the past. In at least some embodiments, complex editing scenarios permit users to make complex editing changes on a form, and have those editing changes captured and rendered on the client side for later communication to the server. Particular aspects of at least some of the embodiments can permit scalability, and can, in at least some instances, be employed in the context of a wide variety of browsers having different levels of capability, e.g. “thin” and “thick” browsers.

Abstract: Systems and/or methods that enable an operation associated with an altered structure of a data instance of a network form without first altering the structure of the data instance are described. These systems and/or methods, in one embodiment, enable an operation of a network form eventually requiring alteration of a structure of a data instance of the network form without first performing a roundtrip with the network form's network computer. In another embodiment, the systems and/or methods approximate a view and editing experience associated with a structural change to a data instance of a network form without structurally changing the data instance.

Abstract: Scalable object model design is described. In an embodiment, one or more objects corresponding to a form are instantiated in response to a request for the form from a first client device, and an events manager is instantiated through which the one or more objects register to process data manipulation events associated with the form. Data specific to the first client device is processed with the one or more objects that correspond to the form via a first processor thread. An additional request from a second client device is received and additional data specific to the second client device is processed with the one or more objects that correspond to the form via a second processor thread. The one or more objects are shared by the first client device and the second client device to process the data manipulation events associated with the form.

Abstract: Various embodiments can efficiently utilize form server resources by, in at least some embodiments, acting only on one tree during the form editing process. Various embodiments can act on a form's data and not necessarily a representation of the form's view. The described embodiments can support various different presentation formats.

Abstract: A solution is described that declares elements, attributes, and values that define a hierarchical data file or a markup-language document. The declarations by the solution are within the solution and include a presentation application and a markup-language schema from which the markup-language document can be inferred as having a structure based on the markup-language schema. Portions of the markup-language document are logically coupled with fragments of the markup-language schema. The presentation application, when executed, forms an electronic form containing data-entry fields associated with the coupled portions. The solution can include a manifest of all files that can be used for representing the markup-language document in the electronic form. The files also allow a user in input data into the one or more data-entry fields and control the validation of the data that the user inputs into the one or more data-entry fields.

Abstract: XML elements and related processes for validation of XML data files is disclosed. These elements are used to specify validation rules that are used by a real-time validation tool to validate data in a node of an XML data file. These elements also are used to specify error messages to be displayed when a node is found to be invalid. Further, they are used to associate executable code with a node that can be executed when the node is modified.