Patent ID: 7769773

Claim:
A method for displaying one or more rules associated with a selected element of a hierarchical document, said method comprising: displaying a list of display rules expressly associated with said selected element; displaying a second list of display rules associated with each ancestor of said selected element, wherein each display rule of said list of display rules and second list of display rules comprises a rule name and a set of properties; determining one or more display rules of said list of display rules and second list of display rules and one or more properties of at least one display rule of said list of display rules and said second list of display rules that do not apply to said selected element; displaying said one or more properties, wherein said one or more properties are displayed associated with said each display rule that said one or more properties are related to; and rendering a visual marker for said one or more display rules of said list of display rules and second list of display rules and for said one or more properties indicating non-applicability to said selected element.