Patent ID: 7380207

Claim:
A process for constructing a layout of an edition of a document, comprised the steps of: storing in a database information relative to structure, arrangement and content of a layout of plural sheets of a document to be printed, the sheets including plural visual elements, the information being stored in the database in fields that are interconnected by connections and including first fields that store a description of a content of the visual elements and second fields that store a description of an arrangement and presentation of the visual elements and a structure of the layout; displaying a visual representation of the layout on a first display based on the information in the database; displaying the visual representation of the layout on a second display separate from the first display, the first and second displays being connected to the database by a network; automatically controlling in real time spatial relationships between the visual elements on the sheets based on predefined rules and graphic criteria so that a modification of one of the visual elements affects the other visual elements on the sheets, the predefined rules being based on at least one of a nature of the document, presentation standards, and a design of the sheets, and the graphic criteria taking into account at least one of hierarchical position of the visual elements and a visual impact of the visual elements relative to one another; automatically controlling the first and second displays and the database so that all modifications of the layout made on the first display and on the second display are automatically made in the database and on the other of the first and second displays in real time and so that all modifications of the layout made in the database are automatically displayed on the first and second displays in real time; and modifying the visual representation of the layout in one of the first display, the second display and the database by modifying at least one of the description of the content of at least one visual element, the arrangement and presentation of the visual elements, and the structure of the layout.