Method and system for stylesheet execution interactive feedback

Abstract

A method (and structure) for displaying mapping relationships defined by a plurality of instruction elements, each instruction element providing a relation between zero or more source elements and zero or more result elements, where each source element includes one of a plurality of source elements and each result element includes one of a plurality of result elements, including providing a user a representation including a portion of the mapping relationships and including one or more of the plurality of source elements, the plurality of instruction elements, and the plurality of result elements. The user is provided a method to select one of the elements in the representation. The selected element is highlighted in the representation and the highlighting can be propagated to any other elements related by the mapping that are displayed in the representation.

1 .- 7 . (canceled)  
   
   
       8 . A data processing system for displaying mapping relationships wherein each said mapping relationship maps a result element a source element and an instruction element that are related to each other and a display of said mapping relationship comprising a plurality of source elements and a plurality of instruction elements said mapping relationships defined by a plurality of instruction element, the data processing system comprising: 
 a bus,    a display device connected to the bus;    a communications unit connected to the bus;    a storage device connected to the bus wherein the storage device includes computer usable program code; and    a processor unit connected to the bus, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program code to provide a representation comprising a portion of said mapping relationships and including at least one of said plurality of source elements, said plurality of instruction elements, and said plurality of result elements; responsive to selecting one of said result elements in said representation, form a selected result element, primary highlighting said selected result element in said representation, wherein the primary highlighting indicates elements that are directly related to said selected result element; responsive to said selected result element being primary highlighted, automatically highlight other elements related by one of said mapping relationships that are displayed in said representation, wherein automatically highlighting further comprises:    the processor unit executing the computer usable program code to primary highlight a source element and an instruction element that are directly related to said selected result element by the one of said mapping relationships as defined in the mapping relationship corresponding to said selected result element, forming a directly related source element and a directly related instruction element; responsive to primary highlighting the directly related instruction element, secondary highlight other source elements and result elements that are related to the directly related instruction element as defined in other said mapping relationships associated with the directly related instruction element, wherein the secondary highlighting indicates elements that are related to the source elements and the instruction elements that are directly related to said selected result element by the other said mapping relationships; and wherein said plurality of instruction elements comprises an XSLT (eXtensible Style Language Transformations) stylesheet said plurality of source elements comprises XML (eXtensible Markup Language) source elements and said plurality of results elements comprises XML result elements.    
   
   
       9 . The data processing system of  claim 8 , further comprising: 
 the processor unit executing the computer usable program code to provide an input to cause an execution of a transformation process that defines said mapping relationships, said input causing said source elements to become an input into at least one of said instruction elements to produce at least one of said result elements.    
   
   
       10 . The data processing system of  claim 9 , further comprising: 
 the processor unit executing the computer usable program code to establish a mapping file providing a correspondence between said plurality of source elements, said plurality of instruction elements, and said plurality of result elements, based upon said source elements having been processed by said plurality of instruction elements in said transformation process.    
   
   
       11 . The data processing system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor executing the computer usable program code to automatically highlight comprises: 
 the processor unit executing the computer usable program code to determine from said mapping file which of said source elements, said instruction elements match the at least one of said source elements, and which of said result elements are outputs of the matching correspond to said selected element; and secondary highlight the at least one of said source elements and any of said corresponding instruction elements that match the at least one of said source elements currently visible on said representation said representation being user-controlled.    
   
   
       12 . The data processing system of  claim 11 , further comprising: 
 an input device for providing a user an input command to request said propagation determination to occur.    
   
   
       13 . (canceled)  
   
   
       14 . (canceled)  
   
   
       15 . A computer program product comprising: 
 a computer recordable medium having computer usable program code for displaying mapping relationships, wherein each said mapping relationship maps a result element, a source element, and an instruction element that are related to each other and a display of said mapping relationship comprising a plurality of source elements and a plurality of instruction elements, said mapping relationships defined by a plurality of instruction elements the computer program product comprising:    computer usable program code for providing a representation comprising a portion of said mapping relationships and including at least one of said plurality of source elements, said plurality of instruction elements, and said plurality of result elements;    computer usable program code responsive to selecting one of said result elements in said representation forming a selected result element for primary highlighting said selected result element in said representation wherein the primary highlighting indicates elements that are directly related to said selected result element; and    computer usable program code, responsive to said selected result element being primary highlighted, for automatically highlighting other elements related by one of said mapping relationships that are displayed in said representation, wherein the automatically highlighting step comprises:    computer usable program code for primary highlighting a source element and an instruction element that are directly related to said selected result element by the one of said mapping relationships as defined in the mapping relationship corresponding to said selected result element, forming a directly related source element and a directly related instruction element;    computer usable program code, responsive to primary highlighting the directly related instruction element, for secondary highlighting other source elements and result elements that are related to the directly related instruction element, as defined in other said mapping relationships associated with the directly related instruction element, wherein the secondary highlighting indicates elements that are related to the source elements and the instruction elements that are directly related to said selected result element by the other said mapping relationships; and    wherein said plurality of instruction elements comprises an XSLT (eXtensible Style Language Transformations) stylesheet said plurality of source elements comprises XML (eXtensible Markup Language) source elements and said plurality of results elements comprises XML result elements.    
   
   
       16 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 computer usable program code for providing an input to cause an execution of a transformation process that defines said mapping relationships, said input causing said source elements to become an input into at least one of said instruction elements to produce at least one of said result elements.    
   
   
       17 . The computer program product of  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 computer useable program code for establishing a mapping file providing a correspondence between said plurality of source elements, said plurality of instruction elements, and said plurality of result elements, based upon said source elements having been processed by said plurality of instruction elements in said transformation process.    
   
   
       18 . The computer program product of  claim 17 , wherein the computer useable program code for automatically highlighting comprises: 
 computer useable program code for determining from said mapping file which of said source elements, said instruction elements match the at least one of said source elements, and which of said result elements are outputs of the matching correspond to said selected element; and    computer useable program code for secondary highlighting the at least one of said source elements and any of said corresponding instruction elements that match the at least one of said source elements currently visible on said representation said representation being user-controlled.    
   
   
       19 . The computer program product of  claim 18 , further comprising: 
 computer useable program code for providing a user an input as a command to request said determination to occur.    
   
   
       20 . (canceled)