Method and apparatus for adapting web contents to different display area dimensions

Abstract

A method is disclosed to generate, while preserving text, image, transactional and embedded presentation constraint information, a minimum set of simplified and navigable web contents from a single web document that is oversized for targeted smaller devices. The method includes a parser, a content tree builder, a document tree builder, a document simplifier, a virtual layout engine, a document partitioner, a content scalar and a markup generator. The parser generates markup and data tags from an HTML source document. The builder constructs a content tree. The simplifier transforms the document tree into an intermediate one defined by a subset of XHTML tags and attributes. Layout constraints, including size, area, placement order, and column/row relationships, are calculated for partitioning and scaling the document tree into sub document trees with assigned navigation order and hierarchical hyperlinks. A simplified HTML document is then generated with the markup generator.

1 . A method for rectifying a markup document having one or more elements comprising: 
 selecting a first portion of the markup document;    partitioning a second portion of the markup document into one or more parts according to the first portion, the first portion being separate from the second portion;    building a document tree according to a content tree and one or more element trees, wherein the content tree corresponds to the first portion, and wherein each of the one or more element trees corresponds to one of the one or more parts; and    generating a rectified markup document in compliance with a markup language based on the document tree for a user interface presentation.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more elements include data elements, wherein each of the data elements corresponds to a physical partition of the presentation in the user interface.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the selection comprises: 
 determining if an element of the one or more elements is a data element, wherein each element of the first portion of the markup document is a data element.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the data elements include a table element corresponding to a table in the user interface presentation.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the first portion of the markup document includes a first data element associated with a tag name, wherein building the document tree comprises building the content tree based on the first portion of the markup document, wherein the content tree includes a first content tree node corresponding to the first data element and a first matching data element associated with the tag name, and wherein building the content tree comprises: 
 comparing the first data element with one or more of the data elements in the first portion of the markup document; and    determining the first matching data element based on the comparison.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the first portion of the markup document includes a second data element, wherein the content tree includes a second content tree node corresponding to the second data element, wherein one of the one or more parts is partitioned from the one or more elements of the markup document according to the first matching data element and the second data element.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more elements are associated with an order, wherein each of the one or more elements is associated with a position in the order, wherein the first matching data element is associated with a first position in the order, wherein the second data element is associated with a second position in the order, and wherein each element in the one of the one or more parts is positioned between the first position and the second position in the order.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein building the document tree further comprises: 
 building one of the element tress according to elements positioned between the first position and the second position in the order in the one or more elements.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the one or more elements include the first matching data element.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the one or more elements do not include the first matching data element and wherein the determination comprises: 
 generating the first matching data element; and    positioning the first matching data element among the one or more elements according to the order.    
   
   
       11 . A machine-readable storage medium having instructions therein, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform a method, the method comprising: 
 selecting a first portion of the markup document;    partitioning a second portion of the markup document into one or more parts according to the first portion, the first portion being separate from the second portion;    building a document tree according to a content tree and one or more element trees, wherein the content tree corresponds to the first portion, and wherein each of the one or more element trees corresponds to one of the one or more parts; and    generating a rectified markup document in compliance with a markup language based on the document tree for a user interface presentation.    
   
   
       12 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more elements include data elements, wherein each of the data elements corresponds to a physical partition of the presentation in the user interface.  
   
   
       13 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein the selection comprises: 
 determining if an element of the one or more elements is a data element, wherein each element of the first portion of the markup document is a data element.    
   
   
       14 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the data elements include an image element corresponding to an image in the user interface presentation.  
   
   
       15 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein the first portion of the markup document includes a first data element associated with a tag name, wherein building the document tree comprises building the content tree based on the first portion of the markup document, wherein the content tree includes a first content tree node corresponding to the first data element and a first matching data element associated with the tag name, and wherein building the content tree comprises: 
 comparing the first data element with one or more of the data elements in the first portion of the markup document; and    determining the first matching data element based on the comparison.    
   
   
       16 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the first portion of the markup document includes a second data element, wherein the content tree includes a second content tree node corresponding to the second data element, wherein one of the one or more parts is partitioned from the one or more elements of the markup document according to the first matching data element and the second data element.  
   
   
       16 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more elements are associated with an order, wherein each of the one or more elements is associated with a position in the order, wherein the first matching data element is associated with a first position in the order, wherein the second data element is associated with a second position in the order, and wherein each element of the one of the one or more parts is positioned between the first position and the second position in the order.  
   
   
       18 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more elements include the first matching data element.  
   
   
       19 . The machine-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more elements do not include the first matching data element and wherein the determination comprises: 
 generating the first matching data element; and    positioning the first matching data element among the one or more elements according to the order.    
   
   
       20 . An apparatus for rectifying a markup document having one or more elements, the apparatus comprising: 
 means for selecting a first portion of the markup document;    means for partitioning a second portion of the markup document into one or more parts according to the first portion, the first portion being separate from the second portion;    means for building a document tree according to a content tree and one or more element trees, wherein the content tree corresponds to the first portion, and wherein each of the one or more element trees corresponds to one of the one or more parts; and    means for generating a rectified markup document in compliance with a markup language based on the document tree for a user interface presentation.