Patent ID: 6411960
Filing Date: 2002-06-25
Classification: G06F,G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of generating an information page in a computer system, said computer system including a database stored therein, said database having a set of templates and a set of data tables, each table containing a set of data items, the set of templates including a set of first order templates each for defining an overall format of an information page, and a set of second order templates each for defining a format of a part of an information page, wherein the overall format of an information page includes at least one specified area whose format is to be defined by a second order template, and wherein the database has control information associating each table or each data item with at least one second order template, said method including the steps of:selecting a first order template; performing a search on said database using at least one input parameter to retrieve a set of data items; using the control information in the database to select at least one second order template associated with the retrieved set of data items; retrieving the selected second order template(s); using the first order template and the second order template(s) to create an information page containing a representation of the data items retrieved in the search; selecting at least one third order template, the or each third order template being subordinate to an associated second order template; and the or each third order template defining the format of a portion of a part of the information page defined by its associated second order template.