Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Rajeev S Misra

Kevin Joseph Fischer

Anna Timasheva

Terri L Sorge

Juha P Niemisto

Robert Wayne Coffen

Russell S Johnson

Ramakrishnan NataraJan

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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Rajeev S Misra