Abstract:
A computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium encapsulate user interface components that collect data for a case management solution, while consistently enforcing metadata and constraints. Multiple types of interactive documents are supported, and a configuration indicates the type whose user interface components are to be encapsulated. A wrapper widget is created based on the interactive document type and implements an interface that enables it to interact externally with the case management environment and internally with the interactive document. The wrapper widget injects case property data values, metadata and/or constraints from the case management environment into the interactive document, which then enables editing of the case property data values and the effecting of the metadata and/or enforcing of the constraints. The wrapper widget is responsive to requests from the case management environment to validate and persist the interactive document to a case of the case management solution.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to managing and displaying casework data, and in particular, to a computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium for encapsulating diverse user interface components while consistently enforcing external metadata and constraints for the components. In addition, the present invention relates to the field of case management in which data is collected from one or more users according to a pattern orchestrated by a case solution. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    An industry solution is an information technology (IT) asset that helps solve an industry-specific problem and is easily reconfigurable to meet specific needs of each client. A solution often helps a client to reach out to and interact with their own customers or users. 
         [0005]    An important segment within industry solutions is called case management, which takes the view that a customer/user interaction pattern can be orchestrated by a case. The definition of a case includes data structure and data type definitions, metadata and validation constraint definitions, business process and user access rules, and other possible resources. Each piece of data in a case is called a case property, which consists of a name and a value. A case property can be part of the information collected for a case, and it may also be used in decision logic of business process rules. Metadata for a case property can include information about the case property such as whether it is read-only or hidden. A validation constraint may be as simple as requiring the case property value to be a particular data type, such as a number, or it could be a range constraint, such as an upper or lower numeric bound, on the case property value. 
         [0006]    Based on an initial request by a customer or user, the case management system instantiates the case definition, and the resultant case orchestrates the interaction to achieve the goal or goals implicit in the defined pattern. For example, a case management system could be used to orchestrate the means by which a customer makes and successfully completes a warranty claim for a defective product. The process would begin with collecting initial information about the defective product, about the defect, and about the purchase. The process would include determining the legitimacy of the warranty claim, providing basic support to qualify the defect and determine a course of action, and ultimately to effect a repair or replacement of the product. 
         [0007]    A case management user interface is a collection of interactive components that collect data from a user and store it in the data structure of a case (an instance of a case definition). The presentation of the user interface is also affected by the metadata of the case. A common piece of metadata is an enumeration of the valid values that a data item may take. If such a list is available, then it would be presented in a dropdown menu or list box, and the input would be collected via list selection rather than by free-form typing in a text entry field. Other common metadata includes Boolean flags such as for indicating whether a data node is read-only or required to fill in a step of the case processing. The user interface components would be affected by enforcing the read-only property or providing a sensory indication of the required property. Still other metadata can define validity constraints, such as a numeric data type or a minimum or maximum value or length. The user interface of a component associated with a data node would be affected by indicating whether the current data value is or is not valid according to the constraints. A case management asset would also typically forbid progress to the next step of the orchestrated pattern when the data associated with the current step contains invalid values. 
         [0008]    The term “case management solution” has been used to describe a software solution that supports the design, deployment, execution and reconfiguration of case management assets. As the field of case management matures, the term “advanced case management” has emerged as a way to characterize case management assets that have advanced feature requirements, such as the requirement to collect many dozens, scores or hundreds of fields of data. Some examples of advanced case management include: home or car insurance claims, credit card charge dispute resolution, citizen-facing ombudsperson cases, contagious disease outbreak tracking, and management of complex medical or psychological treatment cases. IBM Case Manager™ (ICM) is one product entry in the field of advanced case management solutions. 
         [0009]    A problem arises in advanced case management solutions with respect to the expected maturity of the user interface. The typical case management solution generates a user interface presentation layer (herein called a Case Data widget) for the data of a step using a simple linear columnar approach or a column of expandable stacks of related data values. The advantage of this approach is that it most easily adapts to a reconfiguration of the case management asset in which the data structure is amended to add or remove data nodes. 
         [0010]    However, there are a number of disadvantages to this approach. For one, it provides a one-size-fits-all approach to the user interface layout in which usability substantially degrades in quality as the size of the data set grows. As well, larger data sets tend to correlate to more advanced requirements in an overall solution that a case management asset simply cannot begin to address using only a simple user interface approach. 
         [0011]    Accordingly, a critical feature in the user interface is the ability to display and interact with data fields representing case properties or tasks. A variety of configurable field layout widgets is desired, where the designer of an end solution can select an appropriate tool for each user interface page based on the complexity of the interface (number of fields, interactions between fields, and so on), the complexity of external interactions (events between components, interactions with databases, interactions between field, etc.), and the flexibility needed in expressing the user interface including internal constraints (e.g., the number of fields, interactions between fields, layout of fields, ordering, dynamic elements, etc.). 
         [0012]    A form is a kind of interactive document that combines a data structure with a template describing interaction behavior rules and a comprehensive user interface definition. The document processor of a form is a software system that an end-user interacts with via the defined user interface and according to behavioral rules. Data from the end-user is collected with the user interface and stored in the data structure of the form. 
         [0013]    Forms documents focus on structured data collection. Examples include FileNet P8 eForms, IBM Forms, and PDF Forms. Other examples of interactive documents are spreadsheets and word processing documents, in proprietary formats or ODF (open document format). These documents can collect data in the context of “unstructured” content, such as fill-in-the-blanks components within the free-flowing text of a textual contract, or semi-structured content, such as spreadsheets that combine explanatory text cells with data input and calculations needed for expense reports or sales projections. 
         [0014]    In a prior release of an advanced case management solution, one version of a forms technology was incorporated into the case definition facility. The solution was the IBM Case Manager, and the forms technology was FileNet P8 eForms. By including a P8 eForm in the case management assets, it became possible to present a reasonably high-precision user interface layout for data collection, as an alternative to the default simple user interface approach. 
         [0015]    However, a disadvantage of this approach is that a number of advanced requirements could not be met using only the one interactive document technology because no single technology is intended to provide all the interactive document features that may be needed across the wide range of solutions that fit the general case management pattern. 
         [0016]    In the above mentioned incorporation of a forms technology into an advanced case management solution, a second disadvantage was that the focus of the incorporation was on providing an alternative means of defining the user interface layout. However, the metadata components of the case management asset were not accommodated, leading to duplication of interaction behavior rules in order to ensure consistent behavior between the form interface and the simple data user interface. 
         [0017]    In view of the above, there are two primary problems in the prior art. First is the development of a user interface abstraction that allows many diverse user interface tools to be applied. Second is a mechanism for consistently enforcing system behaviors that are expressed in the very complex environment that surrounds and backs the user interface. An important aspect of this is enforcing system constraints, such as allowed ranges, choice lists, and so on, where the user interface tools may or may not support the full set of system constraints. 
         [0018]    Existing solutions are generally purpose built, and are limited by system capabilities and the time available to build new components. For example, in ICM 5.0™ (available from the assignee of the present invention), a simple field layout widget was provided. This Case Data widget provides a good expression of the system constraints since it was designed with the overall ICM system in mind. However, the widget is very limited in its ability to interact with other systems or to provide a more customized user interface. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    Embodiments of the invention provide an abstract user interface widget (referred to herein as the Case Interactive Document Rendering widget) that interacts with the ICM provided environment externally, and with a variety of user interface design options internally. In embodiments of the invention, the Case Interactive Document Rendering widget can also be used as a direct replacement for the Case Data widget of a case management solution. Within the Case Interactive Document Rendering widget, different interactive document rendering technologies can be used (user configurable), such as P8 eForms and IBM™ Forms. P8 eForms and IBM™ Forms are electronic forms management applications that supply developers with out-of-the-box components that can be modified to create custom forms or workflows for use in custom web applications. Other interactive document formats can be rendered within the Case Interactive Document Rendering widget by using wrapper widgets that implement a common interface according to the specific interactive document format. 
         [0020]    Within the Case Interactive Document Rendering widget, case properties, metadata and constraints of a case management solution are fully supported. ICM provides a rich set of configurable metadata and constraints, such as whether a case property is read-only, hidden or of a particular data type. These metadata and constraints may or may not map to similar capabilities in the specific user interface technology applied (P8 eForms or IBM™ Forms in the example given). Some metadata and constraints of the system are directly transferred to the rendered user interface (UI), when possible, and others are maintained and enforced in the wrapping widget. This provides three key benefits: 
         [0021]    (1) A very high level of compliance is maintained with the case property metadata and constraints, even when the user interface definition is rendered outside of the case management system; 
         [0022]    (2) Where possible, the case property metadata and constraints are expressed directly in the user interface definition (such as a form) where the user will get the most immediate feedback during interactive rendition of the user interface; and 
         [0023]    (3) This blended approach allows case management solutions to exploit capabilities related to metadata and constraints that may be unique to either the user interface definition tool or the case management system. For example, the user interface definition tool may allow metadata and constraints to be computationally determined based on values of other case properties or data internal to the user interface definition. This capability could be exploited to create more dynamic user interface behaviors, while still effecting metadata and constraints transferred from the case management solution into the interactive rendition of the user interface. Similarly, new case management system capabilities can be invoked by the wrapper widget without impacting the interactive rendition behavior of the user interface definition in the interactive document. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]    Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout: 
           [0025]      FIG. 1  is an exemplary hardware and software environment used to implement one or more embodiments of the invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  schematically illustrates a typical distributed computer system using a network to connect client computers to server computers in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  illustrates the primary components used as well as key operational steps that occur while opening a form in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  illustrates the operation sequence that occurs when a data collection task is completed successfully with a form in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention; and 
           [0029]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the logical flow for encapsulating user interface components in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0030]    In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and which is shown, by way of illustration, several embodiments of the present invention. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
       Overview 
       [0031]    In general, embodiments of the invention provide the incorporation of any number of diverse interactive document technologies into a case management asset. When utilized with form technologies (e.g., the P8 eForms technology and/or the IBM Forms technology), the incorporation may be performed using a Case Interactive Document Rendering widget. 
         [0032]    One advantage of such an approach is that it allows unique features of a new or different interactive document technology to be exploited. For example, whereas P8 eForms may have been used in a case management solution, the ability to switch over to using IBM Forms enables the use of features unique to the IBM Forms technology, including the ability to dynamically hide any portion of the user interface and the ability to produce a “document of record” for the interaction represented by the case. Such a document could be digitally signed or printed, thereby enabling satisfaction of legal or auditability requirements. Another advantage is that the IBM Form template is instantiated as a document that contains the data collected, whereas P8 eForms are only templates whose connection to the data only occurs during execution of the form within the case management solution. Therefore, an IBM Form can be presented outside of the context of the original case management solution, where it can collect data needed to initiate a case. These are simply some of the specific features of an alternative interactive document technology that illustrate the advantage of being able to incorporate multiple such technologies to access the advanced features of each. 
         [0033]    In view of the above, embodiments of the invention provide for integrating a plurality of document technologies. Such integration may be performed with IBM Forms documents that are based on the XForms standard. Further, the XForms model component is also available in ODF wordprocessing and spreadsheet documents. The IBM Forms integration may also be based on the injection of both data and metadata into the XForms model of the IBM Forms, and therefore essentially the same machinery can activate ODF wordprocessing and spreadsheet documents within an advanced case management solution. 
         [0034]    In addition, embodiments of the invention overcome the disadvantages of prior systems. More specifically, embodiments of the invention are based on integration of not only the data layer but also the metadata layer so that the user interface provided by the interactive document technology has behaviors on par with the expectations laid out in the case management asset. 
       Hardware Embodiment Overview 
       [0035]      FIG. 1  is an exemplary hardware and software environment  100  used to implement one or more embodiments of the invention. The hardware and software environment includes a computer  102  and may include peripherals. Computer  102  may be a user/client computer, server computer, or may be a database computer. The computer  102  comprises a general purpose hardware processor  104 A and/or a special purpose hardware processor  104 B (hereinafter alternatively collectively referred to as processor  104 ) and a memory  106 , such as random access memory (RAM). The computer  102  may be coupled to, and/or integrated with, other devices, including input/output (I/O) devices such as a keyboard  114 , a cursor control device  116  (e.g., a mouse, a pointing device, pen and tablet, touch screen, multi-touch device, etc.) and a printer  128 . In one or more embodiments, computer  102  may be coupled to, or may comprise, a portable or media viewing/listening device  132  (e.g., an MP3 player, iPod™, Nook™, portable digital video player, cellular device, personal digital assistant, etc.). In yet another embodiment, the computer  102  may comprise a multi-touch device, mobile phone, gaming system, internet enabled television, television set top box, or other internet enabled device executing on various platforms and operating systems. 
         [0036]    In one embodiment, the computer  102  operates by the general purpose processor  104 A performing instructions defined by the computer program  110  under control of an operating system  108 . The computer program  110  and/or the operating system  108  may be stored in the memory  106  and may interface with the user and/or other devices to accept input and commands and, based on such input and commands and the instructions defined by the computer program  110  and operating system  108 , to provide output and results. 
         [0037]    Output/results may be presented on the display  122  or provided to another device for presentation or further processing or action. In one embodiment, the display  122  comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) having a plurality of separately addressable liquid crystals. Alternatively, the display  122  may comprise a light emitting diode (LED) display having clusters of red, green and blue diodes driven together to form full-color pixels. Each liquid crystal or pixel of the display  122  changes to an opaque or translucent state to form a part of the image on the display in response to the data or information generated by the processor  104  from the application of the instructions of the computer program  110  and/or operating system  108  to the input and commands. The image may be provided through a graphical user interface (GUI) module  118 . Although the GUI module  118  is depicted as a separate module, the instructions performing the GUI functions can be resident or distributed in the operating system  108 , the computer program  110 , or implemented with special purpose memory and processors. 
         [0038]    In one or more embodiments, the display  122  is integrated with/into the computer  102  and comprises a multi-touch device having a touch sensing surface (e.g., track pod or touch screen) with the ability to recognize the presence of two or more points of contact with the surface. Examples of multi-touch devices include mobile devices (e.g., iPhone™, Nexus S™, Droid™ devices, etc.), tablet computers (e.g., iPad™, HP Touchpad™), portable/handheld game/music/video player/console devices (e.g., iPod Touch™, MP3 players, Nintendo 3DS™, PlayStation Portable™, etc.), touch tables, and walls (e.g., where an image is projected through acrylic and/or glass, and the image is then backlit with LEDs). 
         [0039]    Some or all of the operations performed by the computer  102  according to the computer program  110  instructions may be implemented in a special purpose processor  104 B. In this embodiment, the some or all of the computer program  110  instructions may be implemented via firmware instructions stored in a read only memory (ROM), a programmable read only memory (PROM) or flash memory within the special purpose processor  104 B or in memory  106 . The special purpose processor  104 B may also be hardwired through circuit design to perform some or all of the operations to implement the present invention. Further, the special purpose processor  104 B may be a hybrid processor, which includes dedicated circuitry for performing a subset of functions, and other circuits for performing more general functions such as responding to computer program  110  instructions. In one embodiment, the special purpose processor  104 B is an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). 
         [0040]    The computer  102  may also implement a compiler  112  that allows an application or computer program  110  written in a programming language such as COBOL, Pascal, C++, FORTRAN, or other language to be translated into processor  104  readable code. Alternatively, the compiler  112  may be an interpreter that executes instructions/source code directly, translates source code into an intermediate representation that is executed, or that executes stored precompiled code. Such source code may be written in a variety of programming languages such as Java™, Perl™, Basic™, etc. After completion, the application or computer program  110  accesses and manipulates data accepted from I/O devices and stored in the memory  106  of the computer  102  using the relationships and logic that were generated using the compiler  112 . 
         [0041]    The computer  102  also optionally comprises an external communication device such as a modem, satellite link, Ethernet card, or other device for accepting input from, and providing output to, other computers  102 . 
         [0042]    In one embodiment, instructions implementing the operating system  108 , the computer program  110 , and the compiler  112  are tangibly embodied in a non-transient computer-readable medium, e.g., data storage device  120 , which could include one or more fixed or removable data storage devices, such as a zip drive, floppy disc drive  124 , hard drive, CD-ROM drive, tape drive, etc. Further, the operating system  108  and the computer program  110  are comprised of computer program  110  instructions which, when accessed, read and executed by the computer  102 , cause the computer  102  to perform the steps necessary to implement and/or use the present invention or to load the program of instructions into a memory  106 , thus creating a special purpose data structure causing the computer  102  to operate as a specially programmed computer executing the method steps described herein. Computer program  110  and/or operating instructions may also be tangibly embodied in memory  106  and/or data communications devices  130 , thereby making a computer program product or article of manufacture according to the invention. As such, the terms “article of manufacture,” “program storage device,” and “computer program product,” as used herein, are intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer readable device or media. 
         [0043]    Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that any combination of the above components, or any number of different components, peripherals, and other devices, may be used with the computer  102 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 2  schematically illustrates a typical distributed computer system  200  using a network  202  to connect client computers  204  to server computers  206 . A typical combination of resources may include a network  202  comprising the Internet, LANs (local area networks), WANs (wide area networks), SNA (systems network architecture) networks, or the like, clients  204  that are personal computers or workstations (as set forth in  FIG. 1 ), and servers  206  that are personal computers, workstations, minicomputers, or mainframes (as set forth in  FIG. 1 ). However, it may be noted that different networks such as a cellular network (e.g., GSM [global system for mobile communications] or otherwise), a satellite based network, or any other type of network may be used to connect client computers  204  and servers  206  in accordance with embodiments of the invention. 
         [0045]    A network  202  such as the Internet connects client computers  204  to server computers  206 . Network  202  may utilize ethernet, coaxial cable, wireless communications, radio frequency (RF), etc. to connect and provide the communication between clients  204  and servers  206 . Client computers  204  may execute a client application or web browser and communicate with server computers  206  executing web servers  210 . Such a web browser is typically a program such as MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER™, MOZILLA FIREFOX™, OPERA™, APPLE SAFARI™, etc. Further, the software executing on client computers  204  may be downloaded from server computer  206  to client computers  204  and installed as a plug-in or ACTIVEX™ component of a web browser. Accordingly, client computers  204  may utilize ACTIVEX™ components/component object model (COM) or distributed COM (DCOM) components to provide a user interface on a display of client computer  204 , or client computers  204  may simply use HTML, CSS and Javascript features of the web browser to provide a user interface on a display. The web server  210  is typically a program such as IBM WEBSPHERE APPLICATION SERVER™ or MICROSOFT&#39;S INTERNET INFORMATION SERVER™. 
         [0046]    Web server  210  may host a Java™ Servlet, an Active Server Page (ASP) or Internet Server Application Programming Interface (ISAPI) application  212 , which may be executing scripts. The scripts invoke objects that execute business logic (referred to as business objects). The business objects then manipulate data in database  216  through a database management system (DBMS)  214 . In embodiments of the present invention, a business object may implement a generic processor such as content engine  320  or process engine  322  (see description of  FIG. 3  below). 
         [0047]    Generally, these components  200 - 216  all comprise logic and/or data that is embodied in/or retrievable from device, medium, signal, or carrier, e.g., a data storage device, a data communications device, a remote computer or device coupled to the computer via a network or via another data communications device, etc. Moreover, this logic and/or data, when read, executed, and/or interpreted, results in the steps necessary to implement and/or use the present invention being performed. 
         [0048]    Although the terms “user computer”, “client computer”, and/or “server computer” are referred to herein, it is understood that such computers  102 ,  204 , and  206  may be interchangeable and may further include thin client devices with limited or full processing capabilities, portable devices such as cell phones, notebook computers, pocket computers, multi-touch devices, and/or any other devices with suitable processing, communication, and input/output capability. 
         [0049]    Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that any combination of the above components, or any number of different components, peripherals, and other devices, may be used with computers  102 ,  204 , and  206 . 
       Software Embodiment Overview 
       [0050]    Embodiments of the invention are implemented as a software application on a computer  102  (e.g., client computer  204  or server computer  206 ). Further, as described above, the client computer  204  or server computer  206  may comprise a thin client device or a portable device that has a multi-touch-based display. 
         [0051]    As described above, embodiments of the invention provide an abstract user interface widget referred to as the Case Interactive Document Rendering widget that interacts with a case management environment externally, and with a variety of user interface design options internally. 
         [0052]      FIG. 3  illustrates the primary components used as well as key operational steps that occur while opening a form in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. Similarly,  FIG. 4  illustrates the operation sequence that occurs when a data collection task is completed successfully with the form in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. As described above, a web browser  302  within a client computer  204  may communicate with a server computer  206  (e.g., a Case Management Environment Server  305 ). Further, to provide an interactive document, multiple different technologies may be used. One such technology is that of FileNet P8 eForms. To enable the use of IBM Forms as an alternative interactive document technology, the web browser  302  may provide a Case Management Environment Client  304  that is used to interact with a servlet equipped with the IBM Forms Webform Server (WFS) framework  306 . Details regarding the different components and methods illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4  are described below. 
         [0053]    1. Common Components 
         [0054]    Each form platform (e.g., P8 eForms, IBM™ Forms, or others) uses its own servlet  307  (e.g., executing within Case Management Environment Server  305 ) to render and manage form state. A common FormService class may be provided to manage common operations such as the retrieval or persistence of form content or the parsing and injection of case properties, metadata and constraints into the form. The delegation pattern is applied to allow each form platform to handle form injection events in a manner appropriate to the platform. 
         [0055]    Embodiments of the invention create an AbstractForm dijit class as an abstraction of the various form-related operations. As used herein, dijit is a user interface library that provides widgets and functionality for a developer to create a user interface. Among other features, the AbstractForm dijit class interface supports “open”, “inject” and “validate” methods each triggered directly or indirectly by ICM events. Additional common methods are provided to manage the parsing and injection of form data and metadata (or external constraints). The delegation pattern is applied to allow each form platform to handle form data and metadata injection or validation events in a manner appropriate to the platform. 
         [0056]    2. Initial Rendering 
         [0057]    A user may first be presented with a web browser  302  that contains a toolbar  308  or other buttons/menu options. The process begins when a user selects an “open” button to open/create a form. The Case Management Environment Client  304  determines the interactive document type to open based on the configuration of the case management solution being presented. Hereafter in this description, it is assumed that the case management solution is configured to open an IBM Forms document. At  350 , the selection of the “open” button creates a wrapper widget for the interactive document to be opened. In one embodiment, the wrapper widget is implemented with Form Dijit  310  and a Form iframe  316  (e.g., Form iframe). The Case Management Environment Client  304  invokes the open( ) method of the wrapper widget. The invocation includes a request  352  for the form that is transmitted to the servlet  307  that executes within the Case Management Environment Server  305 . In this regard, for the extended Form Dijit  310 , the “open” method includes the case properties, metadata and constraints in the parameters passed  352  to the servlet  307  for the initial form rendering. (It may be further noted that the Case Management Environment Client  304  previously obtained the case properties, metadata and constraints from the Case Management Environment Server  305 , where they are stored in content engine  320  [and where some case properties may be stored as business process variables in process engine  322 ]). At the server  305 , the FormService component (i.e., servlet  307 ) also determines the interactive document type to open based on the configuration of the case management solution. The FormService component (i.e., servlet  307 ) parses the case data, metadata and constraints and fires server-side injection events for each value, metadata and constraint into the interactive document being initialized for rendition. In the case of an IBM Forms document, for each metadata and constraint, an XForms “bind” object is created to effect that metadata or enforce that constraint within the XForms model. Accordingly, at  354 , the open( ) method executing in servlet  307  initializes the IBM Forms document by opening an XFDL (XML format of an IBM Form) form, injecting data, choice lists, metadata and constraints into the form, serializing the XFDL to output a stream  356 , and destroying the run-time instance of the XFDL form in servlet  307 , (which is no longer needed as the information is serialized into the output stream  356 ). 
         [0058]    If the web browser  302  is equipped with an IBM Forms Viewer module, such as a plug-in or ACTIVEX™ component, then the XFDL serialization is returned  358  to the output stream. The servlet base class implementation of WFS framework  306  delivers  360  the output stream content (the XFDL) to the IBM Form dijit  310 . Otherwise, if the web browser  302  in not equipped with an IBM Forms Viewer module, then the XFDL on the output stream is then passed, at  356 , to the WFS Translator  312 . The WFS Translator  312  instantiates the XFDL form within its collection of Form run-time instances  314 , and then replaces  358  the XFDL on the servlet  307  output stream with one page of HTML (hypertext markup language). The WFS framework  306  then passes  360  the HTML for one page of XFDL to the Form Dijit  310  executing the open( ) operation. 
         [0059]    The form  316  is then rendered (e.g., the XFDL or HTML is sent  362  to an iframe  316  for user interaction). 
         [0060]    For the P8 eForms wrapper widget, as implemented by the extended FilenetForm dijit  310 , the “open” method omits the case properties, metadata and constraints from the parameters passed  352  to the server, opting instead to inject them in the client implementation (see below). The form  316  is simply rendered without the case data and metadata. After the form  316  is rendered, the case properties, metadata and constraints are injected into the form via the “inject” method (see below). 
         [0061]    3. Dynamic Injection 
         [0062]    The “inject” method is called to inject  354  at least one of a new case property list, a new case property metadata list and a new case property constraint list into the form  316  after its initial rendering. 
         [0063]    For the IBM Forms wrapper widget, the extended IBMForm dijit  310  has an “inject” method that is invoked, the implementation of which depends on whether or not the web browser  302  is equipped with the IBM Forms Viewer. If web browser  302  is equipped with the IBM Forms Viewer, then its dynamic injection method is invoked. Otherwise, if web browser  302  is not equipped with the IBM Forms Viewer, then the inject method performs an AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript™ and XML [extensible markup language]) call to the IBM Forms servlet  307  running within server  305 . The handler in servlet  307  for the AJAX call invokes a dynamic injection method of WFS Translator  314  on the XFDL form within the IBM Forms Run-time Instances  314 . The dynamic injection method creates or updates data elements in XForms “instance” objects to change case property values based on the values in the new case property list and choice list metadata based on updated choice list in the new case property metadata list, and it creates or updates XForms “bind” objects in the XFDL form to effect other new metadata settings from the new case property metadata list and to enforce new constraints from the new case property constraint list. If the dynamic injection method of the WFS Translator  314  was invoked, then the WFS Translator  314  formulates a JSON representation of the changes resulting from the injection and returns the JSON representation as the result of the AJAX call. The IBMForm dijit  310  uses the JSON representation of the changes to update the form  316  rendering. 
         [0064]    For the P8 eForms wrapper widget, as implemented by the extended FilenetForm dijit  310 , the “inject” method  356  invokes the common data and metadata injection method and provides handlers for the various injection events. These event handlers cache event metadata (see below) and call the P8 eForms JavaScript API to update the form state as required. It may be noted that certain external constraints, such as minValue, maxValue, maxLength and hidden may not be supported. 
         [0065]    4. Validation 
         [0066]    Once the data collection task is completed successfully with the form  316 , there is a need to validate the form and persist the data in the form.  FIG. 4  illustrates such a process. Accordingly, if a “complete” button on toolbar  308  is selected, persist( ) and close( ) methods may be invoked if the form is determined to be valid (i.e., if a validate( ) method is true). 
         [0067]    Accordingly, once the form is complete, a determination is made at  402  regarding whether the form is valid. To perform such a determination  402 , the “validate” method is called to determine the valid state of the form  316 . The validate method may be called to determine the initial view/edit state of the form  316 . The validate method is always called prior to a completion save operation (i.e., persisting the case property data values responsive to a user indicating completion of a business process step of the case management solution). The validate method may or may not be called prior to an intermediate save operation (i.e., persisting the case property data values responsive to a user indicating a termination of the data collection experience without completion of a business process step, such as for the purpose of continuing at a later time or date). The “validate” method reports the list of case properties validated, the valid state and an optional error message. 
         [0068]    For the extended IBM Form Dijit  310 , the “validate” method  402  ensures that the value in the focused user interface element of IBM Form  316  is committed to the XFDL form run-time instance, which is either in the IBM Forms Viewer or in IBM Form Run-time instances  314 . In both cases, the committed value triggers a notification to the Case Management Environment Client  304  that provides the new value for the case property associated with the focused user interface element. If the web browser  302  is equipped with the IBM Forms Viewer, then its validation method is invoked. Otherwise, IBM Form Dijit  310  performs an AJAX call to the validation method of the IBM Form servlet  307  to inquire the valid status of the XFDL form in IBM Form Run-time Instances  314 . In both cases, the IBM Forms validation method evaluates each non-hidden form field against the current set of “bind” objects that represent constraints to determine the valid status. The Case Management Environment Client  304  may also validate constraints on the values of case properties that are hidden by form  316 . 
         [0069]    For the extended FilenetForm dijit  310 , the “validate” method  402  commits the current cell and calls the P8 eForms JavaScript API to determine the valid state of the form  316 . Since the P8 eForms JavaScript API may only support a subset of the defined external constraints, additional validation may be performed against the remaining constraints by the Case Management Environment Client  304 . 
         [0070]    The result of the validation method is a list of case properties that have invalid values. The form  316  is valid if the invalid case property list is empty. In this case, if the web browser  302  is equipped with the IBM Forms Viewer, then the XFDL serialization is obtained  452  from the IBM Forms Viewer (i.e., from the viewer rendered within the iframe  316 ). Thereafter, the persist( )method of the wrapper widget, i.e. Form Dijit  310 , is invoked. In an exemplary embodiment, the wrapper widget has at all times a case property list containing the name and latest value of all case properties changed within the interactive document. The wrapper widget implementation does this by setting up a change listener on the interactive document to receive a change event for each case property value change, if the interactive document technology supports change listeners. In an alternative embodiment, the wrapper widget can construct a resultant case property list by requesting the latest value of each case property from the interactive document. In an alternative embodiment, the resultant case property list is filtered to remove case properties that are identical in name and value to a case property in the originally injected case property list. The wrapper widget then invokes  454  the persist method of the servlet  307 , passing it the resultant case property list. 
         [0071]    The persist method invocation  454  may also include the XFDL serialization in the POST data if it was obtained from the IBM Forms Viewer (not WFS  306 ). If there is no XFDL in the POST data, then the servlet  307  may call  456  WFS  306  to retrieve the XFDL. The XFDL form may then be stored/persisted  458  in a content engine  320 . Finally, in an exemplary embodiment, the Case Management Environment Client  304  also commits the case property value changes from the resultant case property list to the content engine  320 . 
         [0072]    Once persisted/saved  458 , any “dirty” flag for the form may be cleared  460  by the Form Dijit  310 . In addition, step  460  may also include the Case Management Environment Client  304  calling the inject method (e.g., to further update the form with changes made by another user using another client computer  204 ) or the Case Management Environment Client  304  may invoke  460  the close operation on the form. 
       Logical Flow 
       [0073]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the logical flow for encapsulating user interface components in a case management environment in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. 
         [0074]    At step  502 , a wrapper widget is created that is appropriate to a type of indicated interactive document. The wrapper widget is an implementation of an abstract user interface widget definition. The abstract widget definition provides an interface that enables the case management environment and wrapper widget to each delegate appropriate functionality to the other side of the system. In other words, the wrapper widget is equipped to render the document within the case management environment. In addition, the wrapper widget is equipped to pass a first case property list and at least one of a case property metadata list and a case property constraint list from the case management environment to the interactive document. The wrapper widget is further equipped to pass at least one of a second case property list and an invalid case property list from the document to the case management environment. The first and second case property lists may be different (e.g., if a case property and/or value has changed) or may be the same (e.g. if the user has not changed anything in the list). 
         [0075]    At step  504 , the wrapper widget is used to pass a first case property list and at least one of a case property metadata list and a case property constraint list from the case management environment to the indicated interactive document. Such a case property (within the case property list) may have a value that reflects a step of a business process workflow. Further, the document may impose a dynamic rule for a metadata value or a constraint that is associated with the passed case property. In one embodiment, if a metadata value or constraint is also passed to the document, the document may combine the effects, such as ensuring that all constraints are satisfied or that the user interface element behaves in a read-only manner unless both the case management environment and the document&#39;s dynamic rule indicate a false read-only metadata value. An alternative embodiment may dynamically inject the first case property list and the at least one of a case property metadata list and a case property constraint list only after initial rendition; this alternative can be regarded as equivalent to providing, in step  504 , an empty list for the first case property list and an empty list or lists for the at least one of a case property metadata list and a case property constraint list. 
         [0076]    At step  506 , the wrapper widget is used to render and enable interaction with the interactive document. The user is enabled to edit the case property values using the user interface components of the interactive document. The user interface components in the document rendition are responsive to at least one of the effects of the case property metadata list and the case property constraint list. In an exemplary embodiment, the interactive document technology supports dynamic injection of at least one of a case property list, a case property metadata list and a case property constraint list subsequent to the initial rendering. 
         [0077]    At step  508 , responsive to a user request to save the case work or complete the data collection session, the wrapper widget is used to pass at least one of a second case property list (either the same or different from the first case property list) and the invalid case property list from the indicated interactive document to the case management environment. Thereafter, the case management environment may persist, in a content engine or database, the case properties (from the list) subsequent to receiving, from the wrapper widget, an empty invalid case property list. In addition, when the indicated interactive document produces an invalid case property list, at least one property constraint is not enforced (by the interactive document). However, the case property constraint is enforced by the wrapper widget by adding the case property to the invalid case property list (obtained from the interactive document). 
         [0078]    In one or more embodiments, the wrapper widget is substituted for a data widget in a case solution of the case management environment. In such a case, the interactive document rendered in the wrapper widget is used to edit the case property values, but the interactive document itself is not persisted, responsive to completion of the data collection session. 
         [0079]    Steps  504  and  508  may further provide for a case property value change made from within the interactive document at step  506 . In such an exemplary case, a case property having a first value (e.g., X=A) is passed from the case management environment to the interactive document. The interactive document changes the value of the case property to a second value (e.g., from A to B) and then passes the case property with the new value (e.g., X=B) back to the case management environment. 
         [0080]    In addition to the above, a digital signature may be created for the interactive document at step  506 . Thereafter, the interactive document and digital signature may be persisted within a case of the case management solution. In such an embodiment, the modifiability of a case property is restricted, responsive to the creation of the digital signature, if the digital signature includes in its signed information the form data element associated with the case property. 
       CONCLUSION 
       [0081]    This concludes the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention. The following describes some alternative embodiments for accomplishing the present invention. For example, any type of computer, such as a mainframe, minicomputer, or personal computer, or computer configuration, such as a timesharing mainframe, local area network, or standalone personal computer, could be used with the present invention. In summary, embodiments of the invention unify the run-time operation of at least one interactive document with the run-time operation of a case solution. At a defined point in the operation of a case solution, an interactive document is presented to the user. At least one case property value (i.e. a data value of the case) is injected into the document. Various behavioral descriptors or metadata settings of the case, if any, are also injected and are expected to be enforced by the interactive document processor. This can include data type and data value constraint expressions, as well as requiredness and read-only indicators or conditional expressions, and show/hide indicators or conditional expressions. The interactive document may express further behavioral descriptors that are expected to be merged with those injected from the case solution. 
         [0082]    In view of the above, in embodiments of the invention, data value changes and the merged results of the behavioral descriptors are reflected back to the case solution at the key points of the interaction lifecycle, such as when the user attempts to save the document or completes a task of the case solution. Further advantages can be derived from the additional features that an interactive document format brings to the case solution, such as the ability to provide a printable document of record for the transaction represented by the case or the ability to digitally sign the document of record for increased auditability of the case solution as the system of record. The digital signature aspect allows a further advantage related to the restriction of future modifiability of case property values covered by at least one signature. 
         [0083]    In summary, embodiments of the invention provide for the creation of a manager that can manage interaction of a customizable set of user interface components with external constraints (such as events between components, interactions with data bases, etc.) as well as internal constraints (such as the number of fields, interactions between fields, etc.). 
         [0084]    The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.