Apparatus and method for improving efficiency of content rule checking in a content management system

A computer-implemented method for a content management system to check content in a document against a plurality of content rules, wherein the document identifies in the document at least one corresponding content rule for each element to which one of the plurality of content rules applies, the method comprising the steps of:

• (A) determining whether content in the document needs to be checked against the plurality of content rules;
• (B) if content in the document needs to be checked against the plurality of content rules, determining from the document each element that has at least one corresponding content rule identified in the document;
• and
• (C) for each element determined in step (B), checking the element against all corresponding content rules identified in the document.

A computer-implemented method for a content management system, the method comprising the steps of:

• (A) reading a plurality of content rules;
• (B) reading a schema for a document that includes a plurality of elements;
• (C) modifying the schema to indicate which of the plurality of content rules, if any, apply to each element in the schema;
• (D) sending the modified schema and the plurality of content rules to a document editor on a client computer system;
• (E) the document editor performing the steps of:
• as an element is added to a selected document, the editor determines from the modified schema whether a corresponding content rule exists for the element;
• if a corresponding content rule exists for the element, adding an indication in the selected document that identifies all corresponding content rules for the element;
• (F) after the selected document has been generated in the editor and saved, checking each element in the selected document against all corresponding content rules identified in the selected document;
• (G) writing metadata to the selected document to indicate the selected document has been checked against the corresponding content rules identified in the selected document;
• (H) initiating the checking in of the document into a repository managed by the content management system;
• (I) the content management system reading the metadata in the selected document written in step (G);
• (J) the content management system not checking the plurality of elements in the selected documents against the corresponding content rules identified in the selected document;
• and
• (K) the content management system checking the selected document into the repository.

An article of manufacture comprising:

• (A) a content management system comprising:
• a rule checking mechanism that determines whether content in a document needs to be checked against a plurality of content rules, and if so, the rule checking mechanism checks each element in the document that has a corresponding content rule identified in the document against all corresponding content rules for the element;
• and
• (B) computer-readable media bearing the content management system.