System and method in a data table for creating recursive scalable template instances

1. A method for creating a recursive scalable template instance (RSTI) in a multi-dimensional electronic data table having a first data table dimension (D 1 ) and a second data table dimension (D 2 ), said method comprising:

selecting a recursive scalable template (RST) associated with the RSTI such that the RSTI is to be structured in accordance with the RST;

a processor of a computer system creating, in a memory of the computer system, a plurality of contiguous recursive element instances (REIs) of the RSTI, said REIs ordered and aligned along the dimension D 1 , at least two REIs having a different size along the dimension D 1 , each REI having a same size along the dimension D 2 , each REI comprising at least one scalable template instance (STI), said creating comprising structuring each REI according to a recursive element (RE) defined for the RST such that the RE includes at least one scalable template (ST), said creating comprising instancing each ST of the RE to generate an associated scalable template instance (STI) of an REI of the plurality of REIs;

aligning a first dimension and a second dimension of each STI of each REI along the dimension D 1 and along the dimension D 2 , respectively, wherein the RST comprises a header part and/or a footer part, the header part and/or the footer part of the RST comprising at least one recursive meta-elements (RME), wherein each RME comprises at least one ST; and

generating a header part and/or a footer part of the RSTI, wherein the header part and/or the footer part of the RSTI corresponds to the header part and/or the footer part of the RST, wherein the header part and/or the footer part of the RSTI comprises at least one REI of the plurality of REIs of the RSTI.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:

structuring a first REI of the plurality of REIs according to a first RME of the at least one RME of the header part and/or the footer part of the RST.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the method comprises:

adjusting a size of the first REI along the dimension D 1 according to a size of a largest STI in the first REI.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the total number STs in the at least one RME is equal to the total number STs in the RE.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:

determining whether the RSTI being created would corrupt an existing RSTI in the data table.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multidimensional electronic data table is an electronic spreadsheet having a plurality of dimensions and comprising a plurality of cells identified by a cell address along each dimension of the plurality of dimensions, and wherein the plurality of dimensions comprises the dimension D 1 and the dimension D 2 .

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each STI associated with an ST of the RE of the RST comprises contiguous elements of a same size ordered and aligned along the dimension D 1 or D 2 , wherein each ST is defined as a range of cells, wherein the method comprises:

specifying for each ST of the RE, an element format (EF) and/or an element profile (EP), said EF defining for each cell within each element of each ST at least one format attribute, said EP defining a cell content for each cell within each element of each ST; and

structuring each element of the contiguous elements of each STI according to the EF and/or EP specified in each associated ST of the RE.

8. The method of claim 7 , said EP defining a cell destination for each cell within each element of the first ST, said cell destination specifying whether the cell is an input cell for receiving an entry or an output cell for producing a result.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one format attribute is selected from the group consisting of at least one background attribute, at least one alignment attribute, at least one font attribute, at least one line attribute, at least one protection attribute, and combinations thereof.

10. A computer system comprising a processor and a computer readable memory unit coupled to the processor, said memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method for creating a recursive scalable template instance (RSTI) in a multi-dimensional electronic data table having a first data table dimension (D 1 ) and a second data table dimension (D 2 ), said method comprising:

selecting a recursive scalable template (RST) associated with the RSTI such that the RSTI is to be structured in accordance with the RST;

creating, in a memory of the computer system, a plurality of contiguous recursive element instances (REIs) of the RSTI, said REIs ordered and aligned along the dimension D 1 , at least two REIs having a different size along the dimension D 1 , each REI having a same size along the dimension D 2 , each REI comprising at least one scalable template instance (STI), said creating comprising structuring each REI according to a recursive element (RE) defined for the RST such that the RE includes at least one scalable template (ST), said creating comprising instancing each ST of the RE to generate an associated scalable template instance (STI) of an REI of the plurality of REIs;

aligning a first dimension and a second dimension of each STI of each REI along the dimension D 1 and along the dimension D 2 , respectively, wherein the RST comprises a header part and/or a footer part, the header part and/or the footer part of the RST comprising at least one recursive meta-elements (RME), wherein each RME comprises at least one ST; and

generating a header part and/or a footer part of the RSTI, wherein the header part and/or the footer part of the RSTI corresponds to the header part and/or the footer part of the RST, wherein the header part and/or the footer part of the RSTI comprises at least one REI of the plurality of REIs of the RSTI.

11. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein the method comprises:

structuring a first REI of the plurality of REIs according to a first RME of the at least one RME of the header part and/or the footer part of the RST.

12. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein the method comprises:

adjusting a size of the first REI along the dimension D 1 according to a size of a largest STI in the first REI.

13. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein the total number STs in the at least one RME is equal to the total number STs in the RE.

14. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein the method comprises:

determining whether the RSTI being created would corrupt an existing RSTI in the data table.

15. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein the multidimensional electronic data table is an electronic spreadsheet having a plurality of dimensions and comprising a plurality of cells identified by a cell address along each dimension of the plurality of dimensions, and wherein the plurality of dimensions comprises the dimension D 1 and the dimension D 2 .

16. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein each STI associated with an ST of the RE of the RST comprises contiguous elements of a same size ordered and aligned along the dimension D 1 or D 2 , wherein each ST is defined as a range of cells, wherein the method comprises:

specifying for each ST of the RE, an element format (EF) and/or an element profile (EP), said EF defining for each cell within each element of each ST at least one format attribute, said EP defining a cell content for each cell within each element of each ST; and

structuring each element of the contiguous elements of each STI according to the EF and/or EP specified in each associated ST of the RE.

17. The computer system of claim 16 , said EP defining a cell destination for each cell within each element of the first ST, said cell destination specifying whether the cell is an input cell for receiving an entry or an output cell for producing a result.

18. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one format attribute is selected from the group consisting of at least one background attribute, at least one alignment attribute, at least one font attribute, at least one line attribute, at least one protection attribute, and combinations thereof.

19. A computer readable storage device comprising a computer program stored therein, said computer program comprising instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer system implement a method for creating a recursive scalable template instance (RSTI) in a multi-dimensional electronic data table having a first data table dimension (D 1 ) and a second data table dimension (D 2 ), said method comprising:

selecting a recursive scalable template (RST) associated with the RSTI such that the RSTI is to be structured in accordance with the RST;

creating, in a memory of the computer system, a plurality of contiguous recursive element instances (REIs) of the RSTI, said REIs ordered and aligned along the dimension D 1 , at least two REIs having a different size along the dimension D 1 , each REI having a same size along the dimension D 2 , each REI comprising at least one scalable template instance (STI), said creating comprising structuring each REI according to a recursive element (RE) defined for the RST such that the RE includes at least one scalable template (ST), said creating comprising instancing each ST of the RE to generate an associated scalable template instance (STI) of an REI of the plurality of REIs;

aligning a first dimension and a second dimension of each STI of each REI along the dimension D 1 and along the dimension D 2 , respectively, wherein the RST comprises a header part and/or a footer part, the header part and/or the footer part of the RST comprising at least one recursive meta-elements (RME), wherein each RME comprises at least one ST; and

generating a header part and/or a footer part of the RSTI, wherein the header part and/or the footer part of the RSTI corresponds to the header part and/or the footer part of the RST, wherein the header part and/or the footer part of the RSTI comprises at least one REI of the plurality of REIs of the RSTI.

20. The storage device of claim 19 , wherein the method comprises:

structuring a first REI of the plurality of REIs according to a first RME of the at least one RME of the header part and/or the footer part of the RST.

21. The storage device of claim 20 , wherein the method comprises:

adjusting a size of the first REI along the dimension D 1 according to a size of a largest STI in the first REI.

22. The storage device of claim 19 , wherein the total number STs in the at least one RME is equal to the total number STs in the RE.

23. The storage device of claim 19 , wherein the method comprises:

determining whether the RSTI being created would corrupt an existing RSTI in the data table.

24. The storage device of claim 19 , wherein the multidimensional electronic data table is an electronic spreadsheet having a plurality of dimensions and comprising a plurality of cells identified by a cell address along each dimension of the plurality of dimensions, and wherein the plurality of dimensions comprises the dimension D 1 and the dimension D 2 .

25. The storage device of claim 19 , wherein each STI associated with an ST of the RE of the RST comprises contiguous elements of a same size ordered and aligned along the dimension D 1 or D 2 , wherein each ST is defined as a range of cells, wherein the method comprises:

specifying for each ST of the RE, an element format (EF) and/or an element profile (EP), said EF defining for each cell within each element of each ST at least one format attribute, said EP defining a cell content for each cell within each element of each ST; and

structuring each element of the contiguous elements of each STI according to the EF and/or EP specified in each associated ST of the RE.

26. The storage device of claim 25 , said EP defining a cell destination for each cell within each element of the first ST, said cell destination specifying whether the cell is an input cell for receiving an entry or an output cell for producing a result.

27. The storage device of claim 25 , wherein the at least one format attribute is selected from the group consisting of at least one background attribute, at least one alignment attribute, at least one font attribute, at least one line attribute, at least one protection attribute, and combinations thereof.