Electronic Document Modification

Abstract

Electronic document design methods and computer programs allowing a user to separately control and modify layout and the design components of an electronic document. A number of possible document layouts and possible document designs are stored. A document is based on the combination of one of the stored layouts and one of the stored designs. While the user is viewing the electronic document, controls are available to the user allowing the user to view and select among alternate layouts and designs for that document. Color schemes and font schemes for the document may also be separated controlled.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 non-transitory computer readable memory storing a database comprising a plurality of template components used to assemble a template image, the plurality of template components each associated with a respective different template component identifier and the plurality of template components categorized into a plurality of template component categories, said categories including at least a layout category and one or more of a design category, an image category, a text group category, a font scheme category, and a color scheme category, wherein template components belonging to the layout category specify at least size and positioning of all containers in the respective layout; and   one or more processors configured to assign a product description identifier to a user document, the product description identifier associated with a plurality of different template component identifiers from at least the layout category and at least one other different template component category and which in combination represents a document template.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more processors configured to obtain each of the template components identified by the template component identifiers and to combine them into a template image.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 one or more processors configured to display the template image on a user's display.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more processors configured to obtain each of the template components identified by the template component identifiers and to display them in combination as a template image on a user's display.   
     
     
         5 . A system comprising:
 one or more processors configured to obtain a user selection of a desired template for user editing, the desired template associated with a product description identifier, the one or more processors further configured to send the product description identifier to a server computer and to receive in response a plurality of different template components associated with the product description identifier and a user document identifier assigned to a user document and associated with the received plurality of different template components, the one or more processors further configured to combine the received plurality of different template components into the user document and to display the user document on a display screen together with active edit controls that allow the user to edit one or more of the received plurality of different template components of the user document, the one or more processors further configured to send the user document identifier and the received plurality of different template components associated with the user document identifier to the server upon receipt of indication that the user edits are complete.