Apple patents 'data-driven' page layout app
updated 11:20 am EDT, Thu November 1, 2007
Apple page layout patent
Apple has filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office for a "data-driven" page layout application. The filing notes that writing custom pages in languages like XML can often take time, even if using templates, since these still require building the code, and knowing enough to fix it if the template is somehow broken. Apple's technology instead suggests a way of producing pages based on previously created ones, pulling out structural objects and "relationships" from them, while still allowing users to edit the new pages in a graphical interface.
This permits the quick creation of pages with transposed means of representing data, while letting users customize this information by adding or deleting elements. Copied graphs, for instance, could have points inserted or removed, and their information changed. To this Apple suggests adding an assortment of possible stock objects, similar to those found in current WYSIWYG web editors, such as bars, buttons, dividers and tables.
As an example of the concept Apple has supplied a sketch of an "Island Music" website, in which the layout of the main page could be quickly replicated for each sub-page, data changing to reflect the albums and songs of a particular genre.










Will you guys EVER learn?
11/01, 12:12pm reply
An APPLICATION for a patent is NOT a patent. Apple hasn't "patented" anything yet. They have simply filed an application seeking a patent. They may or may not get one - filing an application is not a guarantee that you will actually get a patent.
Mrjinglesusa
Professional Poster
Joined: Feb 2002
iDatabase
11/01, 12:37pm reply
thats the new database "i" app for iwork
Bartman
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 1999
XML is not ideal
11/01, 12:50pm reply
They are already using XML for TextEdit, Pages, KeyNote and Numbers and I have noticed how readily the styling seems to fall apart.
This is really creating a house of cards and selling it as regular real estate to the unsuspecting.
rubaiyat
Dedicated MacNNer
Joined: Feb 2006
hey rubaiyat....
11/01, 04:21pm reply
what exactly do you mean the styling falls apart?
As for Text edit, Keynote, Pages and Numbers, my experience has been exceptional.
Using a non-clever analogy doesn't really state your case.
dwoodruff
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2006
re: xml is not ideal
11/01, 04:36pm reply
XML is an encoding format like any other. I'm not sure how it is a "house of cards" or how it is inherently more instable than a binary format. Less efficient, yes, but instable, how?
hayesk
Professional Poster
Joined: Sep 1999