Method and apparatus for applying locale behaviors to regions of a form

A computer readable medium having computer readable code thereon for applying locale behaviors to a form, the medium comprising:

• instructions for identifying a form, the form having a form template and including at least one object;
• instructions for assigning a locale property definition for the at least one object of the form;
• instructions for storing the locale property definition within the form template;
• and
• instructions for rendering the form via a form rendering application supported in an environment providing an ambient locale property definition, wherein the at least one object of the form is rendered in accordance with the locale property definition stored within the form template,
• wherein the form template includes a parent object hierarchically arranged with respect to a first child object and at least a second child object, the first child object positioned in a first area of the form template the second child object positioned in a second area of the form template
• wherein instructions for rendering the form template via the form rendering application includes:
• instructions for detecting a first requirement that the first child object inherit the locale property definition utilized by the parent object;
• instructions for detecting a second requirement that the second child object utilize the ambient locale property definition;
• instructions for formatting content associated with the first child object according to the locale property definition utilized by the parent object;
• and
• instructions for formatting content associated with the second child object according to the ambient locale property definition,
• wherein instructions for detecting the first requirement that the first child object inherit the locale property definition utilized by the parent object includes:
• instructions for determining an association between the parent object and the locale property definition needs to be created;
• instructions for creating the association between the parent object and the locale property definition;
• instructions for formatting content associated with parent object according to the locale property definition;
• and
• via a hierarchical relationship between the parent object and the first child object, instructions for passing the locale property definition to the first child object as the second child object formats content according to the ambient locale property definition.

A computer system comprising:

• a memory;
• a processor;
• a communications interface;
• an interconnection mechanism coupling the memory, the processor and the communications interface;
• and
• wherein the memory is encoded with an application that when performed on the processor, provides a process for applying locale behaviors to a form, the process causing the computer system to perform the operations of:
• identifying a form, the form having a form template and including at least one object;
• assigning a locale property definition for the at least one object of the form;
• storing the locale property definition within the form template;
• and
• rendering the form via a form rendering application supported in an environment providing an ambient locale property definition, wherein the at least one object of the form is rendered in accordance with the locale property definition stored within the form template,
• wherein the form template includes a parent object hierarchically arranged with respect to a first child object and at least a second child object, the first child object positioned in a first area of the form template the second child object positioned in a second area of the form template,
• wherein rendering the form template via the form rendering application includes:
• detecting a first requirement that the first child object inherit the locale property definition utilized by the parent object;
• detecting a second requirement that the second child object utilize the ambient locale property definition;
• formatting content associated with the first child object according to the locale property definition utilized by the parent object;
• and
• formatting content associated with the second child object according to the ambient locale property definition,
• wherein detecting the first requirement that the first child object inherit the locale property definition utilized by the parent object includes:
• determining an association between the parent object and the locale property definition needs to be created;
• creating the association between the parent object and the locale property definition;
• formatting content associated with parent object according to the locale property definition;
• and
• via a hierarchical relationship between the parent object and the first child object, passing the locale property definition to the first child object as the second child object formats content according to the ambient locale property definition.