Compound document management system and compound document structure managing method

A compound document structure managing method of managing a structure of a compound document in which data of different formats such as text and image is embedded, comprising the steps of:

• generating a schema object including a structuring rule table in which structuring rules defining a possible structure of relations between objects are accumulated,
• checking, using rule search means, a possibility/impossibility of relating a data object with reference to said structuring rule table and a schema file and a relation object, the schema file and relation object comprising a list of structuring rules, for initialization of the schema object, and applying the schema object to a compound document object accommodating various kinds of data objects held in compound document object holding means, and
• when newly relating a data object to said compound document object, inquiring of said rule searching means whether relating of data objects in a desired manner is possible or not and, only when the relating is possible, relating the data objects in question, and
• wherein said schema object comprises:
• a structuring rule table in which said structuring rules defining a relation between data objects are accumulated, said structuring rules expressing a combination of a first object that is the target of relating, a second object to be related, and a relation object relating said first and second objects, and
• wherein initialization of the schema object includes writing into the structuring rule table a list of structuring rules composed of names of two data objects applied as a schema file and a relation object.

A computer readable memory storing a compound document structure management program for controlling a compound document management system which manages a structure of a compound document in which data of different formats such as text and image is embedded, said compound document structure management program comprising the steps of:

• generating a schema object including a structuring rule table in which structuring rules defining a possible structure of relations between objects are accumulated,
• checking, using rule search means, a possibility/impossibility of relating a data object with reference to said structuring rule table and a schema file and a relation object, the schema file and relation object comprising a list of structuring rules, for initialization of the schema object, and applying the schema object to a compound document object accommodating various kinds of data objects held in compound document object holding means, and
• when newly relating a data object to said compound document object, inquiring of said rule searching means whether relating of data objects in a desired manner is possible or not and, only when the relating is possible, relating the data objects in question, and
• wherein said schema object comprises:
• a structuring rule table in which said structuring rules defining a relation between data objects are accumulated, said structuring rules expressing a combination of a first object that is the target of relating, a second object to be related, and a relation object relating said first and second objects, and
• wherein initialization of the schema object includes writing into the structuring rule table a list of structuring rules composed of names of two data objects applied as a schema file and a relation object.

A compound document management system for managing a structure of a compound document in which data of different formats such as text and image is embedded, comprising:

• a compound document object holding unit for holding a compound document object which accommodates various kinds of data objects, and
• a schema object generating unit for generating a schema object which manages a structure of relations between data objects accommodated in a compound document object and applying the schema object to the compound document object in question, wherein
• said schema object comprises:
• a structuring rule table in which structuring rules defining a possible structure of relations between objects are accumulated, said structuring rules expressing a combination of a first object that is the target of relating, a second object to be related, and a relation object relating said first and second objects, and
• a rule searching unit for checking a possibility/impossibility of relating of a data object with reference to said structuring rule table, and
• said compound document object, when newly relating to other data objects, inquires of said rule searching unit whether relating of the data objects in a desired manner is possible or not and, only when the relating is possible, said schema object relates the data objects in question,
• wherein said schema object generating unit generates a schema file and a relation object, the schema file and relation object comprising a list of structuring rules, for initialization of the schema object, and
• wherein initialization of the schema object includes writing into the structuring rule table a list of structuring rules composed of names of two data objects applied as a schema file and a relation object.