System and method for making user interface elements known to an application and user

• US 20040070612A1
• Filed: 05/17/2003
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McKeon, Brendan, Burns, Heather S., Reid, Paul J., Wagoner, Patricia M., Sinclair, Robert E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,490,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Control patterns are used to describe functionality that may be exposed by one or more types of elements or controls. Functionality that is common among two or more types of elements is described by the same control pattern. Certain predefined methods, structures, properties, and/or events may be associated with a particular control pattern. Elements that support the control pattern, when queried, return an interface that describes those methods, structures, properties, and/or events. Control patterns are mutually exclusive in the functionality they represent, so they may be combined in arbitrary ways to expose the complete set of functionality offered by a particular control.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for programmatically manipulating a user interface element, the method comprising:

requesting from the element whether the element supports a control pattern, the element being of a particular element type, the control pattern describing basic functionality exposed by a plurality of types of elements; and

if the element supports the control pattern, manipulating the element using at least one method exposed by the element that corresponds to the control pattern,

whereby the element is manipulated based on its support of the control pattern without reference to the element'"'"'s type.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the basic functionality comprises one or more of predefined methods, structures, properties, or events.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the element supports a plurality of different control patterns.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the element is manipulated by an automation utility.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the automation utility comprises an assistive technology product, commanding utility, automated test script, macro recorder, speech or dictation software, or command and control utility.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the basic functionality describes a behavior of the element and the functionality it provides to the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting from the element a plurality of properties that can be used by an automation utility to gather information deemed to be important to the user; and

conveying that information to the user.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the control pattern is at least one of a list comprising:

ApplicationWindow, Calendar, Commands, DescriptiveInformation, Dock, ExpandCollapse, Graphic, Grid, GridItem, HierarchyItem, Invoke, Multimedia, MultipleView, RangeValue, Rotation, Scroll, Selection, SelectionItem, Sort, Split, Table, TableItem, Text, Value, VisualInformation, Window, Zoom.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

10. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for manipulating an element, comprising:

an automation utility configured to gather information about an element, the information being stored within a property of the element, the automation utility being further configured to manipulate the element by querying whether the element supports a control pattern, and if so, manipulating the element in accordance with the control pattern.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the control pattern comprises a means for describing the behavior of an element.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the control pattern defines structure, properties, events, and methods supported by the element.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the element supports a plurality of control patterns.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the automation utility manipulates the element through an interface associated with the control pattern, the interface being returned by the element in response to the query whether the element supports the control pattern.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the element information comprises human-readable text stored within a plurality of properties, the human-readable text referring to an attribute of the element.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the attribute of the element comprises information about the element that, if conveyed to the user, informs the user about the element.

17. A computer-readable medium encoded with an element, comprising:

a plurality of properties identifying information about the element, the properties being capable of being conveyed to the user by an automation utility; and

a second field identifying one or more control patterns, each control pattern being associated with a particular behavior of the element.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the properties comprise human-readable text strings.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the human-readable text strings further comprise information that describes the element such that the conveyance of this information informs a user about the element.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein each control pattern describes structure, properties, events, and methods supported by the element.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the control pattern comprises a means for describing basic functionality of an element.