Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for maintaining proposal objects in a digital container object. Each proposal object holds data representing a proposed transaction in an uncommitted state. The digital container object includes computer program instructions, embodied in a tangible medium, to: detect an introduction of a first proposal object into the digital container object; detect a removal of the first proposal object from the digital container object; perform one or more actions on the first proposal object in the digital container object in response to the detected introduction or removal of the first proposal object; and apply access control conditions to limit the actions that can be performed by a user on the proposal objects in the digital container object. A system for organizing information in proposal objects and digital container objects is also described.

Abstract: A proposal based architecture system that converts a transaction submission process into a generic object in a computer environment. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a tool set which allows the user to create a set of Proposal Specifications which define the structure of the possible components of a Proposal. The user defines the complete characteristics (meta-data) for any kind of Proposal which define the hierarchy of domain relationships, interaction modes, validation references, and assumptions. The actual Proposal instance is formed using the definitions in the Proposal Specifications. A Proposal allows a user to add, change, and annotate data, is self aware and navigates between pages and skips to appropriate fields automatically and supports n-level undo/redo.