Meta-document and method of managing

1. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with data for processing by a data processing system, said data comprising:

a meta-document for tracking and storing all information pertaining to actions performed by an application program on a document comprising document information during its entire lifetime, comprising a file structure including:

an object conveying document information,

processing information, and

metadata for indexing and retrieving the processing information; wherein all of which are stored on the meta-document and retrievable from the meta-document;

wherein the processing information comprises all information pertaining to each time the meta-document is processed by the application program being executed by the data processing system and any results of the processing during the entire life of the meta-document, the processing information being stored on the meta-document each time the meta-document is processed and being retrievable from the meta-document;

wherein the metadata comprises all associated metadata pertaining to each time the meta-document is processed by the application program being executed by the data processing system during the entire life of the meta-document, the metadata being stored on the meta-document each time the meta-document is processed and being retrievable from the meta-document;

wherein the meta-document is transmitted to a source and parsed at the source for extracting stored processing information and metadata;

wherein processing information is stored pertaining to transmitting and parsing at the source and associated metadata stored on the meta-document;

wherein the meta-document further comprises a first instruction, embedded on the object, responsive to processing of the meta-document, for generating and storing processing information and associated metadata on the meta-document, wherein the parsing is performed by the first instruction; and

wherein the meta-document further comprises a second instruction, embedded on the object, for parsing and extracting selected processing information stored on the meta-document, parsing the meta-document for extracting the selected processing information and associated metadata, and

distributing the extracted selected processing information to the source.

2. The meta-document of claim 1 , wherein processing information comprises information pertaining to transformation of the document information.

3. The meta-document of claim 1 , wherein the processing information comprises a user comment to the document information.

4. The meta-document of claim 1 , wherein the processing information comprises information pertaining to distribution of the meta-document.

5. The meta-document of claim 1 , wherein the application program is embedded on the meta-document.

6. In a data processing system, a computer-implemented method of managing a meta-document comprising:

storing a meta-document for tracking and storing all information pertaining to actions performed by an application program on a document comprising document information on a computer-readable storage medium, the meta-document, wherein the meta-document comprises a file structure including: an object conveying document information, processing information pertaining to processing of the meta-document, and metadata for indexing and retrieving the processing information, wherein all of which are stored on the meta-document and retrievable from the meta-document;

wherein the processing information comprises all information pertaining to each time the meta-document is processed by the application program being executed by the data processing system and any results of the processing during the entire life of the meta-document, the processing information being stored on the meta-document each time the meta-document is processed and being retrievable from the meta-document; and

wherein the metadata comprises all associated metadata pertaining to each time the meta-document is processed by the application program being executed by the data processing system during the entire life of the meta-document, the metadata being stored on the meta-document each time the meta-document is processed and being retrievable from the meta-document;

transmitting the meta-document to a source;

parsing the meta-document, at the source, for extracting stored processing information and metadata; and

storing processing information pertaining to transmitting and parsing at the source and associated metadata stored on the meta-document,

wherein the meta-document further comprises a first instruction, embedded on the object, responsive to processing of the meta-document, for generating and storing processing information and associated metadata on the meta-document, wherein the parsing step is performed by the first instruction, and

wherein the meta-document further comprises a second instruction, embedded on the object, for parsing and extracting selected processing information stored on the meta-document, and further comprising the step of:

parsing the meta-document for extracting the selected processing information and associated metadata; and

distributing the extracted selected processing information to the source.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the source comprises a tool, responsive to a processing of the meta-document, for generating and storing processing information and associated metadata on the meta-document, wherein the parsing step is performed by the tool.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the source further comprises a second tool for parsing and extracting selected processing information stored on the meta-document, and further comprising the step of:

parsing the meta-document for extracting the selected processing information and associated metadata; and

distributing the extracted selected processing information to the source.

9. A data processing system for managing document information comprising:

a memory storing a meta-document for tracking and storing all information pertaining to actions performed by an application program on a document comprising document information on a computer-readable storage medium, the meta-document, wherein the meta-document comprises a file structure including: an object conveying document information, processing information pertaining to processing of the meta-document, and metadata for indexing and retrieving the processing information, wherein all of which are stored on the meta-document and retrievable from the meta-document; wherein the processing information comprises all information pertaining to each time the meta-document is processed by the application program being executed by the data processing system and any results of the processing during the entire life of the meta-document, the processing information being stored on the meta-document each time the meta-document is processed and being retrievable from the meta-document; and wherein the metadata comprises all associated metadata pertaining to each time the meta-document is processed by the application program being executed by the data processing system during the entire life of the meta-document, the metadata being stored on the meta-document each time the meta-document is processed and being retrievable from the meta-document;

a processor for executing an application program for processing the meta-document; and

a plurality of sources, each source located at a different location,

wherein each time the meta-document is received by a source, processing information and its associated metadata is parsed and extracted from the meta-document at the source; and

processing information pertaining to transmitting the meta-document to the source and parsing at the source and associated metadata stored on the meta-document,

wherein the meta-document further comprises a first instruction, embedded on the object, responsive to processing of the meta-document, for generating and storing processing information and associated metadata on the meta-document, wherein the parsing step is performed by the first instruction, and

wherein the meta-document farther comprises a second instruction, embedded on the object, for parsing and extracting selected processing information stored on the meta-document, and farther comprising the step of:

parsing the meta-document for extracting the selected processing information and associated metadata; and

distributing the extracted selected processing information to the source.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein processing information comprises information pertaining to transformation of the document information.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing information comprises a user comment to the document information.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing information comprises information pertaining to distribution of the meta-document.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the source further comprises a tool, responsive to a processing of the meta-document, for generating and storing processing information and associated metadata on the meta-document.