Patent ID: 7934151
Filing Date: 2011-04-26
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: creating a form, wherein the creating the form includes specifying a table that includes a plurality of row objects and a plurality of non-row objects, wherein each of the plurality of non-row objects includes arbitrary formatting, and wherein the creating the form includes: specifying a first container in the table that includes a first set of one or more objects in the table using a processor, wherein specifying the first container includes specifying a first layout attribute associated with the first container that includes a row layout and indicates that the first set of one or more objects contained in the first container is formatted as a row object of the table; specifying a second container in the table that includes a second set of one or more objects in the table, wherein specifying the second container includes specifying a second layout attribute associated with the second container wherein the second layout attribute includes a position layout and is not associated with row formatting and indicates that the second set of one or more objects contained in the second container is formatted as a non-row object of the table; and specifying a third container in the table that includes a third set of one or more objects in the table, wherein specifying the third container includes specifying a third layout attribute associated with the third container that includes a row layout and indicates that the third set of one or more objects contained in the third container is formatted as a row object of the table, wherein the second set of one or more objects in the table are between the first set of one or more objects in the table and the second set of one or more objects in the table; wherein a common row formatting is applied to the objects associated with the row objects but not to the objects associated with the non-row objects, wherein the objects associated with the non-row objects of the table are immune to common column formatting changes and common row formatting changes applied to any of the objects associated with the row objects of the table, wherein the objects associated with the non-row objects of the table are contained within and flow with the table, and wherein formatting changes applied to the table are applied to the plurality of row objects and the plurality of non-row objects; wherein the table includes a plurality of columns, wherein the common row formatting is applied to the one or more columns, wherein the common row formatting includes formatting the width of each column, and wherein the objects associated with the row objects of the table are inferred as cells of the table, and wherein the common row formatting is applied such that each cell in each row of the objects associated with the row objects of the table has a uniform height and each cell in each column of the objects associated with the row objects of the table has a uniform width, and each of the cells of the table are formatted so that the rows and columns of the objects associated with the row objects of the table are automatically aligned in response to any formatting modifications.