System and method for conversion of directly-assigned format attributes to styles in a document
View Patent ↗A method of formatting a computer-readable document including a plurality of objects having directly-assigned attributes includes detecting the objects having directly-assigned attributes, creating a conversion style element for every detected combination of directly-assigned attributes, and replacing the directly-assigned attributes by a reference to the corresponding conversion style element. A change of a particular attribute throughout the entire document can thus be carried out simply by changing the conversion style elements in which this attribute appears.
1. A method of formatting a computer-readable document comprising a plurality of objects having directly-assigned attributes, the method comprising:
detecting objects, in said computer-readable document, having directly-assigned attributes, wherein each attributes in said directly-assigned attributes was assigned individually to at least one object in said objects by a user while said user had said computer-readable document opened, and further wherein each of said directly assigned attributes specify individual formatting of one of said objects within said computer-readable document;
creating, automatically, a conversion style element for every detected combination of directly-assigned attributes in the computer-readable document; and
replacing directly-assigned attributes of each detected object by a reference to one conversion style element wherein said one conversion style element corresponds to said directly-assigned attributes in formatting of said each detected object, wherein an object, in said computer-readable document, having a directly assigned attribute is detected by said method, and a same object, in said computer-readable document, without a directly assigned attribute is not detected by said method.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said creating a conversion style element further comprises creating a conversion style element for each unique detected combination of directly-assigned attributes.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
opening said computer-readable document in a random access memory of a computer system prior to said detecting operation.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a request from a user to perform said detecting, creating and replacing operations.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-readable document comprises a text document.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
naming each conversion style element.
7. A method of formatting a computer-readable document comprising a plurality of objects having directly-assigned attributes, the method comprising:
receiving a request from a user to convert directly-assigned attributes to at least one conversion style element;
detecting objects, in said computer-readable document, having directly-assigned attributes, wherein each attribute in said directly-assigned attributes was assigned individually to at least one object in said objects by a user while said user had said computer-readable document opened, and further wherein each of said directly assigned attributes specify individual formatting of one of said objects within said computer-readable document;
creating, automatically, a conversion style element for every detected combination of directly-assigned attributes in the computer-readable document; and
replacing directly-assigned attributes of each detected object by a reference to one conversion style element wherein said one conversion style element corresponds to said directly-assigned attributes in formatting of said each detected object, wherein an object, in said computer-readable document, having a directly assigned attribute is detected by said method, and a same object, in said computer-readable document, without a directly assigned attribute is not detected by said method.
8. A computer system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing a method for formatting a computer-readable document comprising a plurality of objects having directly-assigned attributes, wherein upon execution of said method on said processor said method comprises:
detecting objects, in said computer-readable document, having directly-assigned attributes, wherein each attribute in said directly-assigned attributes was assigned individually to at least one object in said objects by a user while said user had said computer-readable document opened, and further wherein each of said directly assigned attributes specify individual formatting of one of said objects within said computer-readable document;
creating, automatically, a conversion style element for every detected combination of directly-assigned attributes in the computer-readable document; and
replacing directly-assigned attributes of each detected object by a reference to one conversion style element wherein said one conversion style element corresponds to said directly-assigned attributes in formatting of said each detected object, wherein an object, in said computer-readable document, having a directly assigned attribute is detected by said method, and a same object, in said computer-readable document, without a directly assigned attribute is not detected by said method.
9. The computer system of claim 8 wherein said creating a conversion style element further comprises creating a conversion style element for each unique detected combination of directly-assigned attributes.
10. The computer system of claim 8 wherein said method further comprises:
opening said computer-readable document in a random access memory of said memory prior to said detecting operation.
11. The computer system of claim 8 wherein said method further comprises:
receiving a request from a user to perform said detecting, creating and replacing operations.
12. The computer system of claim 8 wherein the computer-readable document comprises a text document.
13. The computer system of claim 8 wherein said method further comprises naming each conversion style element.
14. A computer program product having stored thereon a method of formatting a computer-readable document comprising a plurality of objects having directly-assigned attributes, the method comprising:
detecting objects, in said computer-readable document, having directly-assigned attributes, wherein each attribute in said directly-assigned attributes was assigned individually to at least one object in said objects by a user while said user had said computer-readable document opened, and further wherein each of said directly assigned attributes specify individual formatting of one of said objects within said computer-readable document;
creating, automatically, a conversion style element for every detected combination of directly-assigned attributes in the computer-readable document; and
replacing directly-assigned attributes of each detected object by a reference to one conversion style element wherein said one conversion style element corresponds to said directly-assigned attributes in formatting of said each detected object, wherein an object, in said computer-readable document, having a directly assigned attribute is detected by said method, and a same object, in said computer-readable document, without a directly assigned attribute is not detected by said method.
15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein said creating a conversion style element further comprises creating a conversion style element for each unique detected combination of directly-assigned attributes.
16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises:
receiving a request from a user to perform said detecting, creating and replacing operations.
17. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein said method further comprises:
naming each conversion style element.