Data-Driven Actions For Network Forms

Abstract

Systems and/or methods are described that enable a data-driven action associated with altering a data instance of a network form without altering and/or having access to the data instance. These systems and/or methods, in one embodiment, render a result of a data-driven action for a network form without transforming the network form's data instance. In another embodiment, the systems and/or methods map a data-driven action to a view-centric logical representation of the electronic form.

1 . One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a network computing device, cause the network computing device to perform acts comprising:
 obtaining a first relation for a data-driven action that maps the data-driven action to a data instance of a network form maintained by the network computing device;   acquiring a second relation to map the data-driven action to a view-centric logical representation of the electronic form;   sending the view-centric logical representation of the network form to a client device to enable the client device to render a result of the data-driven action   
   
   
       2 . One or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , further having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by the network computing device, cause the network computing device to perform acts comprising generating the view-centric logical representation based on the first relation and the second relation. 
   
   
       3 . One or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the view-centric logical representation is configured to enable the client device to render a result of the data-driven action without accessing or altering the network form's data instance that is maintained by the network computing device. 
   
   
       4 . One or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , further having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by the network computing device, cause the network computing device to perform acts comprising:
 receiving an event log that records the result of the data-driven action, the event log received by the network computing device from the client device subsequent to rendering of the result of the data-driven action by the client device; and   updating the network form's data instance to reflect changes based on the result of data-driven action recorded in the event log.   
   
   
       5 . One or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , further having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a network computing device, cause the network computing device to perform acts comprising:
 receiving the result of a data-driven action that is rendered at the client device using the view-centric logical representation of the network form; and   modifying the network form's data instance to reflect the result of the data-driven action that is rendered at the client device using the view-centric logical representation.   
   
   
       6 . One or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , further having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by the network computing device, cause the network computing device to perform acts comprising causing replacement of the first relation with the second relation to generate the view centric logical representation of the network form. 
   
   
       7 . One or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first relation comprises an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) path language (XPath) navigation path mapping the data-driven action to a node of the network form's data instance. 
   
   
       8 . One or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , further having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by the network computing device, cause the network computing device to perform acts comprising annotating the view-centric logical representation of the network form with the data-driven action based on the second relation. 
   
   
       9 . One or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , further having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by the network computing device, cause the network computing device to perform acts comprising extracting the first relation from the data-driven action. 
   
   
       10 . A method comprising using a network computing device configured to serve electronic forms to a client device to perform acts including:
 obtaining a first relation for a data-driven action that maps the data-driven action to an electronic form's data instance;   identifying a second relation to replace the first relation in a view-centric logical representation of the electronic form thereby mapping the data-driven action to the view-centric logical representation;   causing communication of the view-centric logical representation of the electronic form to a client device, the client device configured to enable the data-driven action locally using the view centric logical representation in lieu of accessing the data instance over a network.   
   
   
       11 . A method as recited in  claim 10 , wherein access to the electronic form's data instance is controlled by the network computing device. 
   
   
       12 . A method as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the network computing device is configured to replace the first relation with the second relation to generate the view-centric logical representation. 
   
   
       13 . A method as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the network computing device is configured to cause communication of data describing the second relation to the client device in conjunction with the view-centric logical representation to enable mapping of the data driven action to the view-centric logical representation by the client device. 
   
   
       14 . A method as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving an event log that records a result of the data-driven action, the event log received by the network computing device from the client device subsequent to rendering of the result of the data-driven action by the client device; and   updating the electronic form's data instance to reflect changes based on the result of data-driven action recorded in the event log.   
   
   
       15 . A method as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving a result of a data-driven action that is rendered at the client device using the view-centric logical representation of the electronic form; and   modifying the electronic form's data instance to reflect the result of the data-driven action that is rendered a the client device using the view-centric logical representation.   
   
   
       16 . A network computing device comprising:
 one or more processors; and   memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the network computing device to perform acts including:
 obtaining a view-centric logical representation of an electronic form having a data instance that is controlled under the influence of the network computing; 
 ascertaining a navigation path expression for a data-driven action that maps the data-driven action to the data instance of the electronic form; 
 causing replacement of the navigation path expression in the view-centric logical representation of the electronic form with a transformed path configured to map the data-driven action to the view-centric logical representation; 
 sending the view-centric logical representation of the electronic form having the transformed path to a client device, the client device configured to perform the data-driven action using the view-centric logical representation in lieu of accessing the data instance over a network. 
   
   
   
       17 . A network computing device as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the network computing device to perform acts including:
 updating the data instance to reflect a result of the data-driven action responsive to a communication of the result from the client device at a time subsequent to rendering of the result of the data driven action at the client device.   
   
   
       18 . A network computing device as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the network computing device to perform acts including:
 receiving a data log from the client device that describes multiple data-driven actions performed at the client device using the view-centric logical representation in lieu of accessing the data instance over a network; and   updating the data instance based on the received data log to reflect results of the multiple data-driven actions.   
   
   
       19 . A network computing device as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the transformed path maps the data-driven action to a node of the view-centric logical representation into which the result of the data-driven action is rendered. 
   
   
       20 . A network computing device as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the network computing device to perform acts including:
 annotating a node of the view-centric logical representation of the electronic form to indicate that a change to the node triggers the data-driven action.