Systems and methods for controlling the display of tools based on document state

A computer program product having a tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium embodying computer program logic, said computer program product comprising:

• code which, when executed by a computing system, causes the computing system to display a utility for selecting, from a plurality of tool configurations, a tool configuration to be associated with a document;
• code which, when executed by the computing system, causes the computing system to receive a selected tool configuration and determine a document state corresponding to the selected tool configuration, wherein the document state is one or more of a plurality of different document states that the document can be in at a given time specific to a respective stage of finality of the document, wherein the respective stage of finality relates to at least one of document creation, document editing, document review, waiting for the document to be filled, or the document being posted;
• code which, when executed by the computing system, causes the computing system to create an association between said document and said selected tool configuration by saving data within the document identifying the document state corresponding to the selected tool configuration;
• code which, when executed by the computing system, causes the computing system to present a prompt to a user that asks the user to select a new document state for a recipient who will receive the document;
• code which, when executed by the computing system, causes the computing system to receive a selection of the new document state for the recipient who will receive the document;
• and
• code which, when executed by the computing system, causes the computing system to associate a new toolbar with the document by saving additional data within the document indicating the new document state for the recipient who will receive the document.

A computer-implemented method comprising:

• receiving a request to open a document using an application;
• in response to said request, accessing information associated with the document to determine an arrangement of tools to be displayed by the application;
• opening said document with the application;
• displaying the arrangement of tools with said document,
• wherein determining the arrangement of tools to be displayed comprises accessing data associated with the document and identifying a document state specific to a user role for the document, wherein the arrangement of tools corresponds to the identified document state, the data associated with said document and identifying the document state is included in said document;
• presenting a prompt to a user that asks the user to select a new document state for a recipient who will receive the document;
• receiving a selection of the new document state for the recipient who will receive the document;
• and
• associating a new toolbar with the document by saving additional data within the document indicating the new document state for the recipient who will receive the document.

A computer program product having a tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium embodying computer program logic, said computer program product comprising:

• code which, when executed by a computing system, causes the computing system to access a file including a document;
• code which, when executed by the computing system, causes the computing system to read information within said file including the document, said information specifying a document state specific to a stage of finality of the document or a user role for the document;
• and
• code which, when executed by the computing system, causes the computing system to determine the document state, determine an arrangement of tools corresponding to the document state from a plurality of potential arrangements of tools, each potential arrangement corresponding to a particular document state, and open said document,
• wherein opening the document comprises displaying the determined arrangement of tools;
• code which, when executed by the computing system, causes the computing system to present a prompt to a user that asks the user to select a new document state for a recipient who will receive the document;
• code which, when executed by the computing system, causes the computing system to receive a selection of the new document state for the recipient who will receive the document;
• and
• code which, when executed by the computing system, causes the computing system to present associating a new toolbar with the document by saving additional data within the document indicating the new document state for the recipient who will receive the document.