Patent ID: 7028255

Claim:
A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to perform operations comprising: receiving a page layout template, the template including a hierarchy of boxes, the hierarchy including an exterior bounding box for the template and one or more interior boxes contained within the exterior bounding box, the exterior bounding box forming the topmost level of the hierarchy, the one or more interior boxes forming one or more lower levels of the hierarchy, each lower level including one or more interior boxes, the exterior bounding box having one or more variable dimensions that have an undefined size specification, at least one of the interior boxes having one or more metrics that are variable in the same dimensions as the exterior bounding box, each metric specifying a size for the interior box, a distance between the interior box and another box, or both, the size or distance each being defined as two values, a first value specifying a nominal value, and a second value specifying a range of permissible values around the nominal value, the other box being another box on the same level or on a different level of the hierarchy; converting the one or more variable dimensions of the exterior bounding box into one or more fixed dimensions, each having a defined size specification; and adjusting the metrics of the interior boxes based on the fixed dimensions.