Cascading style sheets (CSS) prototype pointer chaining in object-oriented environment

摘要

A method, system, and computer program product for providing an application include representing a plurality of hierarchical rules as a plurality of objects in a prototype pointer chain, and providing a function to search the rules for a desired style by traversing the prototype pointer chain. An exemplary method provides a user interface or application with one or more visual objects. The visual appearances of the visual objects is affected by style information retrieved by traversing a prototype pointer chain to search for style-related rules. A compiled file can include code that describes rules as objects and creates class inheritance relationships between those objects and code that describes a style-finding function. A displaying program instantiates the objects arranged in a prototype pointer chain and uses its own inheritance logic to traverse the chain according to the style-finding function.