System, method, and computer program for enabling text editing across multiple content blocks in a system

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a computer program, that, when executed by a computer system, enables the computer system to perform the following steps for enabling text editing across multiple content blocks in a system in which a workspace page comprises a plurality of hierarchical content blocks, the steps comprising:

• rendering a workspace page comprising a plurality of content blocks in a user interface of a client application, wherein each content block has (1) attributes that describe the content block itself including a unique identifier, a list of properties, and a type attribute that determines how the content block is displayed and (2) attributes that define the content block's relationships with other content blocks including an array of child blocks and a pointer to its parent block, wherein the workspace page is rendered according to a hierarchical tree derived from the parent and child attributes of the content blocks on the workspace page, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of content blocks has a text value field, and wherein rendering the workspace page comprises displaying the text value for the subset of content blocks;
• maintaining an in-memory selection state for text selection in the client application;
• receiving a user selection of text on the workspace page across a plurality of content blocks;
• updating the in-memory selection state to include a text selection range, wherein the text selection range comprises a start content block and a start text index value and an end content block and an end text index value;
• receiving a user edit to the selected text;
• identifying the plurality of content blocks within the text selection range;
• and
• applying the user edit to the content blocks within the text selection range.

A computer system for enabling text editing across multiple content blocks in a system in which a workspace page comprises a plurality of hierarchical content blocks, the system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• one or more memory units coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more memory units store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform the operations of:
• rendering a workspace page comprising a plurality of content blocks in a user interface of a client application, wherein each content block has (1) attributes that describe the content block itself including a unique identifier, a list of properties, and a type attribute that determines how the content block is displayed and (2) attributes that define the content block's relationships with other content blocks including an array of child blocks and a pointer to its parent block, wherein the workspace page is rendered according to a hierarchical tree derived from the parent and child attributes of the content blocks on the workspace page, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of content blocks has a text value field, and wherein rendering the workspace page comprises displaying the text value for the subset of content blocks;
• maintaining an in-memory selection state for text selection in the client application;
• receiving a user selection of text on the workspace page across a plurality of content blocks;
• updating the in-memory selection state to include a text selection range, wherein the text selection range comprises a start content block and a start text index value and an end content block and an end text index value;
• receiving a user edit to the selected text;
• identifying the plurality of content blocks within the text selection range;
• and
• applying the user edit to the content blocks within the text selection range.