System and method for parsing a text buffer using a graphical user interface

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions executable on a processor to perform operations comprising:

• displaying first text data stored in a text buffer using a graphical user interface, the first text data comprising a plurality of text characters;
• receiving a first user selection of a first set of characters in the first text data selected via the graphical user interface;
• receiving a first user request to define the selected first set of characters in the first text data as a must token, wherein the first user request includes user selection of a must type from a plurality of token types via graphical user interface;
• and
• receiving a second user selection of a second set of characters in the first text data selected via the graphical user interface;
• receiving a second user request to define the selected second set of characters in the first text data as a property token, wherein the second user request includes user selection of a property from the plurality of token types via the graphical user interface and designation of a property name corresponding to the selected second set of characters;
• and
• defining an expression including the defined must token and defined property token, wherein the must type identifies that the first selected set of characters in the first text data must be included within other text data evaluated against the expression and the property type identifies that other text portions corresponding to the second selected set of characters in other text data evaluated against the expression correspond to a value in a property name/value pair.

A system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• at least one computer-readable memory device storing data including text data;
• and
• a text parsing tool coupled to retrieve text data from the at least one computer-readable memory device, wherein the text parsing tool is configured to:
• load first text data into a text buffer, the first text data comprising a plurality of text characters;
• present the first text data in a graphical user interface;
• receive a first user selection of a first set of characters in the first text data selected via the graphical user interface;
• receive a first user request to define the selected first set of characters in the first text data as a must token, wherein the first user request includes user selection of a must type from a plurality of token types via the graphical user interface;
• receive a second user selection of a second set of characters in the first text data selected via the graphical user interface;
• receive a second user request to define the selected second set of characters in the first text data as a property token, wherein the second user request includes user selection of a property from the plurality of token types via the graphical user interface and designation of a property name corresponding to the selected second set of characters;
• and
• define an expression including the defined must token and defined property token, wherein the must type identifies that the first selected set of characters in the first text data must be included within other text data evaluated against the expression and the property type identifies that other text portions corresponding to the second selected set of characters in other text data evaluated against the expression correspond to a value in a property name/value pair.

A method comprising:

• loading first text data into a text buffer;
• presenting the first text data in a graphical user interface;
• receiving a first user selection of a first portion of the first text data selected via the graphical user interface;
• receiving a first user request to define the selected first portion of the first text data as a must token, wherein the first user request includes user selection of a must type from a plurality of token types via the graphical user interface;
• receiving a second user selection of a second portion of the first text data selected via the graphical user interface;
• receiving a second user request to define the selected second portion of the first text data as a property token, wherein the second user request includes user selection of a property from the plurality of token types via the graphical user interface and designation of a property name corresponding to the selected second portion;
• defining an expression including the defined must token and defined property token, wherein the must type identifies that the first selected portion of the first text data must be included within other text data evaluated against the expression and the property type identifies that other text portions corresponding to the second selected portion in other text data evaluated against the expression correspond to a value in a property name/value pair;
• presenting a first graphical effect to the first portion of the presented first text data in response to the first user request, the first graphical effect identifying the first portion as having been selectively defined as a must token;
• and
• presenting a second, different graphical effect to the second portion of the presented first text data in response to the second user request, the second graphical effect identifying the second portion as having been selectively defined as a property token.