Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Anna Timasheva

Gaurav Sareen

Kanchan Mitra

Kenneth Lynn Crocker

Robert E Corrington

David V Gunter

Pratibha Permandla

Abhas Kumar

Deepak Shankar

Dipan Dewan

Robert G Hawking

Matthew Charles Gauthier

Kevin Joseph Fischer

Wentao Chen

Terri L Sorge

Tyson Murray

Rajeev S Misra

Juha P Niemisto

Robert Wayne Coffen

Russell S Johnson

Ramakrishnan NataraJan

Hien Anh Bui

Hein Anh Bui

Systems and methods for regularly updating portions of a merged index are provided. Initially, upon receiving an indication that modifications have occurred to content of web-based documents, dynamic update of index (DUI) objects that identify the documents and expose the modified content are composed by ascertaining relative positions of the modified content within the documents, and packaging identifiers of the documents, the relative positions, and metadata underlying the modified content into a message. The DUI objects are applied to an overloading index that maintains structured records of recent modifications. In particular, portions of the overloading index are targeted utilizing the document identifiers and the relative positions specified by the DUI object, thereby updating the targeted portions within the overloading index corresponding to the modified content without rewriting the entire overloading index. Periodically, an association process is invoked for grouping the merged index with the overloading index for search purposes.

Updating an inverted index in a real time fashion

The invention is a method for Web authors to include a redirection tag in an HTML data object tag that redirects an application program to an alternative source file that stores underlying data associated with an HTML data object that a user has selected to import into the application program. Typically, HTML data objects in Web page are stored in HTML format. However, when a user selects an HTML object to import, they generally expect to import the data in the format that it was originally created in, such as XML. The redirection tag 'redirects' the application program to an alternative source file where the underlying data is stored in a rich format, such as XML. The application program then imports the underlying data of the HTML data object from the alternative source file.

Method for redirecting the source of a data object displayed in an HTML document

A calculation engine processes user-definable formulas to generate calculation results. A calculation engine may use the following types of data structures: table, column, row, and field. A sub table may be embedded within a row. Operations may be performed at various levels, such as at: table, column, and field. A calculation engine may operate on a calculation table having columns, which may each have an ordered list of formulas. Formulas within such an ordered list may be evaluated in the order specified until one of the formulas is successfully evaluated. A hierarchy of formulas may be formed by a column's formula depending on another column or table. A graph of data dependencies may be prepared for determining an order in which operands and operations should be evaluated and performed.

Programmable calculation engine

The invention is a method for Web authors to include a redirection tag in an HTML data object tag that redirects an application program to an alternative source file that stores underlying data associated with an HTML data object that a user has selected to import into the application program. Typically, HTML data objects in Web page are stored in HTML format. However, when a user selects an HTML object to import, they generally expect to import the data in the format that it was originally created in, such as XML. The redirection tag &ldquo;redirects&rdquo; the application program to an alternative source file where the underlying data is stored in a rich format, such as XML. The application program then imports the underlying data of the HTML data object from the alternative source file.

A spreadsheet program saves data into a hypertext markup language (HTML) document that can be viewed with a browser program, but persists all of the information associated with that data necessary to maintain formatting and functionality of the data if reintroduced into the spreadsheet program. The HTML document can then be used both for displaying the data over the Internet or other network in a browser program, and also for opening the data in the spreadsheet program. The information necessary for preserving the format and functionality of the data in the spreadsheet program is incorporated into the HTML document using HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and Extended Markup Language (XML). HTML is used for expressing cell data information that is displayed in the browser program, CSS are used for expressing cell-level properties of the data, and XML is used for expressing information that is not displayed in the browser program, but which is necessary for some functionality of the data when used in the spreadsheet program. If any formatting of the data are changed to enable display of the data in the browser program as displayed in the spreadsheet program, the original formatting information is retained in a supporting file that is ignored by a browser program.

Storage of application specific data in HTML

A method for enabling data generated in a parent application to be translated into another format, such as hypertext markup language (HTML), so that formatting functionality unique to the parent application is retained, and so that the data reintroduced into the parent application from an HTML document has all its original formatting and functionality restored. As the data are translated into the other format, formatting information specific to the parent application is included with the data, but in such a manner that the formatting information is ignored by applications such as web browsers that are compatible with the other format. While translating the data into the other format, any formatting commands in the data that are not fully supported in the other format are identified, and if found, are translated so as to emulate the form of the data in the parent application. Included in the translated data is a marker identifying changes in the formatting commands. When the translated data are reintroduced to the parent application, the parent application ignores the non-identical formatting indicated by the marker and instead uses the original formatting information that was included in the translated data. The method can be used to reduce the size of an HTML file that includes translated spreadsheet data by abbreviating the HTML code for empty cells, while ensuring that when translated spreadsheet data are reintroduced into a parent spreadsheet application, the original formatting and functionality of the spreadsheet data are maintained.

Translating data into HTML while retaining formatting and functionality for returning the translated data to a parent application

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Anna Timasheva