EditLive! for XML is a forms-based authoring solution which allows for more effective and intelligent capturing of business data. The EditLive! for XML solution is based on XML standards. The solution allows for the capture of business data as an XML file which complies with a customer defined schema which can be developed in the Visual Designer.
The Visual Designer allows form designers to create a schema defining the layout and types of data to be captured. Through the Visual Designer, templates or "views" which define form layout can be developed for the data model. EditLive! for XML combines the schema and views from the Visual Designer to allow content contributors to create an XML document which complies with the schema.
As EditLive! for XML captures content as an XML document the output of EditLive! for XML can easily be used as an input for XML-enabled enterprise systems. If required, such systems can also easily be supplied with the schema generated by the Visual Designer.
The solution comprises of two in browser components; EditLive! for XML and the Visual Designer.
EditLive! for XML allows contributors to efficiently provide data through a form-based interface. The captured content is output as a XML document that complies with the supplied schema. Within EditLive! for XML a XML document can be displayed via several views which are similar to tabs in standard forms. This allows for the presentation of data to end users in various ways.
The Visual Designer allows for the design of schemas and views for use with EditLive! for XML. This allows form designers to designate the data which they wish to capture and add constraints on the data to be captured. These constraints may include the setting of data types in addition to value-range constraints. The Visual Designer also enables form designers to construct views for use in EditLive! for XML. A view controls the layout of the form as presented to users of EditLive! for XML. The Visual Designer also allows for the embedding of Intelligent Form Elements in a view, these elements include date and time pickers and action buttons which allow for elements to be easily added or removed from a form.
The EditLive! for XML solution consists of two components, the EditLive! for XML applet and the Visual Designer. To use EditLive! for XML most effectively it should be implemented such that the output of the Visual Designer is used as input for the EditLive! for XML applet. The Visual Designer provides both the schema and the views to use with an XML document loaded into EditLive! for XML.
Once the schema and views have been generated with the Visual Designer they can be used in EditLive! for XML in combination with an XML document that complies with the schema. EditLive! for XML is loaded with the schema, views and XML document allowing users to enter content. The content contributed via EditLive! for XML can then be submitted via the browser to a server for processing. As EditLive! for XML outputs an XML document the data captured by EditLive! for XML can easily be used within XML-enabled enterprise applications.
EditLive! for XML makes use of three types of files to effectively capture content from a user. The EditLive! for XML applet allows data to be captured as an XML document through a form constructed with the Visual Designer. Each form consists of one or more schemas and one or more views. The following provides a description of each file type, how it is used within the EditLive! for XML solution and how it is created for use with EditLive! for XML.
When used with EditLive! for XML an XSD provides the structure for the resulting XML document. In this way it specifies what content is captured by EditLive! for XML and also places constraints on the captured content. Such constraints can be used for form validation and ensure that a value is required, of a particular type or within a particular range of values.
The Visual Designer should be used to create an XSD for use with EditLive! for XML. The Visual Designer presents form designers with a document tree structure which they can add elements to. The tree structure represents the structure of the XML document provided by the XSD. The tree structure allows designers to add elements to an EditLive! for XML form and apply constraints to elements within the data structure.
The elements can then be drag-and-dropped into a view for use within EditLive! for XML. Once an element has been placed within a view it becomes accessible to content contribution interface of EditLive! for XML.
EditLive! for XML allows multiple views to be used with a single document. Each view is presented to users as a tab in the EditLive! for XML and stored as an XML style sheet (XSL). Through the Visual Designer form designers can dictate which form fields appear on which views for a single XML document. Designers can also designate the type of intelligent form element to be used with a particular field. In conjunction with this designers can add text to a view which gives users indications on how a form is to be filled out.
Designers may also add action buttons to a view in the Visual Designer. An action button is a button which is embedded within an intelligent form in EditLive! for XML and can be used to dynamically add or remove sections from an intelligent form.
EditLive! for XML captures content within an XML document. The XML document which is generated by EditLive! for XML complies with XSDs created with the Visual Designer. Furthermore, during the authoring process EditLive! for XML informs users if their XML document is invalid. It does this through real-time XML validation. Thus, users will be informed of any invalid content as it is entered.
The XML document within EditLive! for XML is rendered using the views created within the Visual Designer. Each view is presented to users as a tab within EditLive! for XML.
EditLive! for XML provides an architecture to easily capture content via a forms based interface. Form designers can create forms for use with EditLive! for XML using the Visual Designer. Each form created for use with EditLive! for XML includes an XML schema and at least one view. The XML schema determines the structure of the resulting XML document and any data constraints. Each view specifies how the data in the XML file should be presented to users. Views can include intelligent form elements and other user interface elements which enable users to easily contribute content via EditLive! for XML.
Through EditLive! for XML users may contribute content via a forms based interface, the content is then output as an XML document. While editing the form users are presented with views of the data as created within the Visual Designer. The XML document generated by EditLive! for XML complies with the XML schema created with the Visual Designer. The XML document created by EditLive! for XML can be used as an input to other enterprise systems, the relevant XSD may also easily be supplied to these systems should it be required.
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