System and method for generating task-embedded documents

Abstract

A method and system are provided for processing a document comprising a plurality of content portions. The document includes code identifying tasks corresponding to at least one content portion of the document, and code defining an associated user interface element. When the user interface element is activated to invoke the task, tasks to be executed by a remote system are executed by the remote system using a remotely stored copy of the associated content portion, while tasks to be executed by a local system are executed by the local system using a locally stored copy of the content portion. Changes to at least certain portions of the document are synchronized between the local and remote servers. The tasks can include a consistency-checking task for verifying consistency of certain content within the document, and display of results with optional suggested corrections to permit manual or automatic correction of detected discrepancies.

1 . A method implemented in a user data processing system, the method comprising:
 receiving, from a remote data processing system:
 a document generated from an originating document, the document comprising a plurality of content portions, at least some of the content portions being associated with at least one corresponding task of a plurality of tasks; 
 code defining at least one user interface element for presentation in association with each of the content portions and the at least one task corresponding to the content portion; 
   rendering and presenting the document and the at least one user interface element at the user data processing system;   in response to activation of one of the at least one user interface element to initiate a corresponding task,
 when the corresponding task is to be executed by the remote data processing system, transmitting a request to execute the corresponding task to the remote data processing system and receiving a result of the task from the remote data processing system, the remote data processing system executing the task on a copy of the corresponding content portion stored at the remote data processing system; 
 when the corresponding task is to be executed by the user data processing system, executing the task on a copy of the content portion stored at the user data processing system to obtain a result of the task; and 
   presenting a result of the task at the user data processing system.