Integrated form document editor with form descriptor table, background bitmap, graphics editor and text editor, composite image generator and intelligent autofill

In a computer system including a memory for form documents to be operated upon, a processor for operating on the form documents and a display for displaying the form documents, each form document containing at least one page, a form document editor for editing a page of a from document comprising:

• a form document data structure, including
• a form descriptor table defining editable graphics and text areas of the page,
• a background bitmap image of a background of the page,
• a graphics bitmap image of graphics appearing in a graphics area of the page, and
• a text buffer of text appearing in a text area of the page,
• a graphics editor responsive to an analog user input device and to the form descriptor table and having an output to the graphics bitmap image for editing only the bitmap image of graphics,
• a text editor responsive to a user keyboard input device and to the form descriptor table and having an output to the text for editing only the text in the text buffer,
• a composite image generator responsive to the form descriptor table and connected from the background bitmap image, the graphics bitmap image and the text buffer for
• receiving the background bitmap image, the graphics bitmap image, and the text buffer,
• generating a composite bitmap image of the page wherein the composite bitmap image is comprised of the background bitmap image, the graphics bitmap image and the text buffer, and
• providing the composite bitmap image of the page to the mass storage device for storage as a new background bitmap image of the page for a next editing of the document, wherein
• the new background bitmap image of the page incorporates all text and graphics data entered by a user in a present editing of the document and is unchangeable in any subsequent editing of the document, wherein
• the new background bitmap image is provided to the form document editor as the background bitmap image of the page when the page is retrieved from the mass storage device for editing and the graphics editor can edit only the graphics bitmap image and the text editor can edit only the text buffer.

In a computer system including a memory for form documents to be operated upon, a processor for operating on the form documents and a display for displaying the form documents, each form document containing at least one page, a method for editing a page of a form document, comprising the steps of:

• storing a form document data structure, including
• a form descriptor table defining editable graphics and text areas of the page,
• the form descriptor table including a definition entry for each graphics image and text area of the page, each definition entry including
• a location of the area on the page,
• an extent of the area on the page,
• a definition of when the area is to contain a graphic image and when the area is to contain text, and
• when the area is to contain text, a definition of the line spacing and character size of the text,
• a background bitmap image of a background of the page,
• a graphics bitmap image of graphics appearing in a graphics area of the page, and
• a text buffer of text appearing in text area of the page,
• editing the graphics bitmap image by operation of a graphics editor responsive to an analog user input device and to the form descriptor table and having an output to the graphics bitmap image.
• editing the text buffer by operation of a text editor responsive to a user keyboard input device and to the form descriptor table and having an output to the text buffer, and
• generating a composite page image by receiving the background bitmap image, the graphics bitmap image and the text buffer and responsive to the form descriptor table combining the background bitmap image, the graphics bitmap image and the text buffer into a composite page image to the display, and
• inserting autofill data including user entered data into an area of the page by
• inserting a reference to the autofill data into the description entry corresponding to the page area including the autofill data, and
• inserting a user data import indicator into the autofill data,
• the user data import indicator indicating that user data is to be entered into the autofill data by the user, and
• being located in the autofill data at the location the user data is to be entered by the user, and
• by operation of the graphics and text editors in response to the description entry reference to the autofill data,
• retrieving the autofill data, and
• inserting the autofill data into the area of the page containing the autofill data, including,
• by operation of an autofill data parser
• reading the autofill data to the text editor to be entered into the text buffer by the text editor,
• detecting the presence of a user import data indicator,
• halting the reading of the autofill data to the text editor for entry of the user data by the user, and
• resuming reading of the autofill data to the text editor when the user has entered the user data.

In a computer system including a memory for form documents to be operated upon a processor for operating on the form documents and a display for displaying the form documents, each form document containing at least one page, a method for editing a page of a form document, comprising the steps of:

• storing a form document data structure including,
• a form descriptor table defining editable graphics and text areas of the page,
• a background bitmap image of a background of the page,
• a graphics bitmap image of graphics appearing in a graphics area of the page, and
• a text buffer of text appearing in a text area of the page,
• editing the graphics bitmap image by operation of a graphics editor responsive to an analog user input device and to the form descriptor table and having an output to the graphics bitmap image,
• editing the text buffer by operation of a text editor responsive to user keyboard input device and to the form descriptor table and having an output to the text buffer, and
• generating a composite image of the page by
• receiving the background bitmap image, the graphics bitmap image appearing in a graphics area of the page, and the text buffer appearing in a text area of the page,
• generating a composite bitmap image of the page, and
• providing the composite bitmap image of the page to mass storage device for storageas a new background bitmap image of the page for a next editing of the document, wherein
• the new background bitmap image of the page incorporates all text and graphics data entered by a user in a present editing of the document and is unchangeable in any subsequent editing of the document, wherein
• the new background bitmap image is provided to the form document editor as the background bitmap image of the page when the page is retrieved from the mass storage device for editing and the graphics editor can edit only the graphics bitmap image and the text editor can edit only the text buffer.