Native code exposing virtual machine managed object

• US 20040098731A1
• Filed: 11/19/2002
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lorton, Christopher W., Huynh, Tuan, Demsey, Seth M., Johnson, Bruce E., Krishnaswamy, Ramasamy, Sadeghi, Armin
• Granted Patent: US 7,546,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45537 Provision of facilities of other operating environments, e.g. WINE I/O emulation G06F13/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

Notifications are generated in managed and native environments and propagated to an interfacing abstraction layer of native code there between. The abstraction layer assesses each received notification to determine whether the notification, or a previously received collection thereof, should be transitioned across a boundary between the managed environment and the native environment. The managed environment includes a virtual machine in a managed code portion. The native environment includes an operating system that interfaces the abstraction layer which is at a boundary between the managed code portion and the operating system. A collection of notifications are those that have been batched and/or synthesized. The abstraction layer is configured with predetermined criteria to assess whether to form a collection of received notifications and/or to prevent a transition of a notification, or collection thereof, across the boundary.

Claims

1. A method comprising, in a computer environment including a virtual machine operating in a managed code portion, an abstraction layer operating in a native code portion, a boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion, and an operating system interfacing the abstraction layer:

receiving a notification in the abstraction layer from the virtual machine or from the operating system; and

assessing the notification at the abstraction layer as to whether the notification is to be transitioned across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the assessing the notification at the abstraction layer further comprises performing a result of the assessing selected from the group consisting of:

transitioning the notification across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion;

combining the notification with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer;

transitioning the notification as a combination with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion; and

discarding the notification.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the managed code portion receives the transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

4. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the operating system receives the transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the assessing the notification at the abstraction layer as to whether the notification is to be transitioned across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion further comprises combining said notification into a combination with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer; and

passing the combination in a transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification is a call for a resource selected from the group consisting of a user interface (UI) resource and a non-UI resource.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification is an event or a message generated by a call for a UI resource.

8. A computer readable medium having computer instructions thereon that, where executed by a computer, perform the method of claim 1.

9. A method comprising:

in a computer environment including;

a virtual machine having;

an application; and

a managed code portion having a base class library;

a native code portion having an abstraction layer operating in the native code;

a boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion; and

an operating system interfacing the abstraction layer and having a subsystem library;

receiving a notification in the abstraction layer from the base class library or from the subsystem library; and

assessing the notification at the abstraction layer as to whether the notification is to be transitioned across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the assessing the notification at the abstraction layer further comprises performing a result of the assessing selected from the group consisting of:

transitioning the notification across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion;

combining the notification with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer;

transitioning the notification as a combination with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion; and

discarding the notification.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the base class library receives the transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

12. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the subsystem library receives the transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

13. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein:

the assessing the notification at the abstraction layer as to whether the notification is to be transitioned across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion further comprises combining said notification into a combination with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer; and

passing the combination in a transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

14. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the notification is a call for a UI resource.

15. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the notification is an event or message with respect to a UI resource

16. A computer readable medium having computer instructions thereon that, where executed by a computer, perform the method of claim 9.

17. A method comprising:

generating events and/or messaging by calls for a UI resource from a managed code portion of a computer environment, wherein the computer environment includes an operating system, a native code portion having an abstraction layer in native code, and a boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion;

passing the events and/or messaging generated by the managed code portion to the abstraction layer;

evaluating the events and/or messaging at the abstraction layer against predetermined criteria, wherein a result of the evaluating is selected from the group consisting of;

transitioning the events and/or messaging across the boundary between the native and managed code portions to the operating system;

batching and/or synthesizing the events and/or messaging with prior events and/or messaging received by the abstraction layer;

transitioning the batched and/or synthesized the events and/or messaging events across the boundary between the native and managed code portions to the operating system; and

discarding the events and/or messaging.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the calls for a UI resource generate the events and/or messaging by interaction with a UI using the UI resource.

19. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the events and/or messaging manage the UI resource.

20. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the UI is an input device.

21. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein:

the UI is a touch sensitive menu screen; and

the computer environment is included in a personal digital assistant.

22. A computer readable medium having computer instructions thereon that, where executed by a computer, perform the method of claim 17.

23. A method comprising:

generating events and/or messaging by calls for a UI resource from a native code portion of a computer environment, wherein the computer environment includes;

an operating system;

the native code portion has an abstraction layer in native code; and

a boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion;

passing the events and/or messaging generated by the native code portion to the abstraction layer;

evaluating the events and/or messaging at the abstraction layer against predetermined criteria, wherein a result of the evaluating is selected from the group consisting of;

transitioning the events and/or messaging across the boundary between the native and managed code portions to the managed code portion;

batching and/or synthesizing the events and/or messaging with prior events and/or messaging received by the abstraction layer;

transitioning the batched and/or synthesized the events and/or messaging events across the boundary between the native and managed code portions to the managed code portion; and

discarding the events and/or messaging.

24. The method as defined in claim 23, wherein the calls for a UI resource generate the events and/or messaging by interaction with a UI using the UI resource.

25. The method as defined in claim 24, wherein the events and/or messaging manage the UI resource.

26. The method as defined in claim 23, wherein the UI is an input device.

27. The method as defined in claim 23, wherein:

the UI is a touch sensitive menu screen; and

the computer environment is included in a personal digital assistant.

28. A computer readable medium having computer instructions thereon that, where executed by a computer, perform the method of claim 23.

29. A method comprising:

interacting with a UI using a UI resource of a computer environment including an operating system, a native code portion having an abstraction layer, and a managed code portion, wherein the interacting generates events and/or messaging by calls for the UI resource that are passed from the managed code portion to the abstraction layer;

evaluating the events and/or messaging at the abstraction layer in the native code portion against a predetermined criteria; and

if the evaluation is;

favorable, passing the events and/or messaging to the operating system with or without previous said events and/or messaging passed to the abstraction layer;

unfavorable;

batching and/or synthesizing the events and/or messaging with prior events and/or messaging received by the abstraction layer;

or

disallowing the events and/or messaging from passing through to the operating system.

30. A computer readable medium having computer instructions thereon that, where executed by a computer, perform the method of claim 29.

31. An apparatus comprising:

a virtual machine operating in a managed code portion;

an abstraction layer operating in a native code portion;

a boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion;

an operating system interfacing the abstraction layer;

means for receiving a notification in the abstraction layer from the virtual machine or from the operating system; and

means for assessing the notification at the abstraction layer as to whether the notification is to be transitioned across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

32. The apparatus as defined in claim 31, wherein the means for assessing the notification at the abstraction layer further comprises means selected from the group consisting of:

means for transitioning the notification across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion;

means for combining the notification with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer;

means for transitioning the notification as a combination with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion; and

means for discarding the notification.

33. The apparatus as defined in claim 32, wherein the managed code portion receives the transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

34. The apparatus as defined in claim 32, wherein the operating system receives the transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

35. The apparatus as defined in claim 31, wherein:

the means for assessing the notification at the abstraction layer as to whether the notification is to be transitioned across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion further comprises means for combining said notification into a combination with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer; and

the apparatus further comprises means for passing the combination in a transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

36. The apparatus as defined in claim 31, wherein the notification is a call for a UI resource.

37. The apparatus as defined in claim 31, wherein the notification is an event or message with respect to a UI resource.

38. A computer environment comprising:

a virtual machine having;

an application; and

a managed code portion having a base class library;

a native code portion having an abstraction layer operating in the native code;

a boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion; and

an operating system interfacing the abstraction layer and having a subsystem library;

means for receiving a notification in the abstraction layer from the base class library or from the subsystem library; and

means for assessing the notification at the abstraction layer as to whether the notification is to be transitioned across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

39. The computer environment as defined in claim 38, wherein:

the means for assessing the notification at the abstraction layer further comprises means selected from the group consisting of;

means for transitioning the notification across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion;

means for combining the notification with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer;

means for transitioning the notification as a combination with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion; and

means for discarding the notification.

40. The computer environment as defined in claim 39, wherein the base class library receives the transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

41. The computer environment as defined in claim 39, wherein the subsystem library receives the transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

42. The computer environment as defined in claim 38, wherein:

the means for the assessing the notification at the abstraction layer as to whether the notification is to be transitioned across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion further comprises means for combining said notification into a combination with one or more notifications previously received by the abstraction layer; and

the means for passing the combination in a transition across the boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion.

43. The computer environment as defined in claim 38, wherein the notification is a call for a UI resource.

44. The computer environment as defined in claim 38, wherein the notification is an event or message with respect to a UI resource

45. An apparatus comprising:

an operating system;

a native code portion having an abstraction layer in native code;

a boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion;

means for generating events and/or messaging by calls for a UI resource from the managed code portion;

means for passing the events and/or messaging generated by the means for generating to the abstraction layer;

means for evaluating the events and/or messaging at the abstraction layer against predetermined criteria; and

means selected from the group consisting of;

means for transitioning the events and/or messaging across the boundary between the native and managed code portions to the operating system;

means for batching and/or synthesizing the events and/or messaging with prior events and/or messaging received by the abstraction layer;

means for transitioning the batched and/or synthesized the events and/or messaging events across the boundary between the native and managed code portions to the operating system; and

means for discarding the events and/or messaging.

46. The apparatus as defined in claim 45, wherein the interaction with the UI using the UI resource causes the means for generating to generate the events and/or messaging.

47. The apparatus as defined in claim 46, wherein the events and/or messaging manage the UI resource.

48. The apparatus as defined in claim 45, wherein the UI is an input device.

49. The apparatus as defined in claim 45, wherein:

the UI is a touch sensitive menu screen; and

the computer environment is included in a personal digital assistant.

50. A computer environment comprising:

an operating system;

a native code portion having an abstraction layer in native code;

a managed code portion;

a boundary between the managed code portion and the native code portion;

means for generating events and/or messaging by calls for a UI resource from the native code portion;

means for passing the events and/or messaging to the abstraction layer; and

means for evaluating the events and/or messaging passed to the abstraction layer against predetermined criteria so as to initiate a performance of means selected from the group consisting of;

means for transitioning the events and/or messaging across the boundary between the native and managed code portions to the managed code portion;

means for batching and/or synthesizing the events and/or messaging with prior events and/or messaging received by the abstraction layer;

means for transitioning the batched and/or synthesized the events and/or messaging events across the boundary between the native and managed code portions to the managed code portion; and

means for discarding the events and/or messaging.

51. The computer environment as defined in claim 50, wherein the calls for a UI resource generate the events and/or messaging by interaction with a UI using the UI resource.

52. The computer environment as defined in claim 51, wherein the events and/or messaging manage the UI resource.

53. The computer environment as defined in claim 50, wherein the UI is an input device.

54. The computer environment as defined in claim 50, wherein:

the UI is a touch sensitive menu screen; and

the computer environment is included in a personal digital assistant.

55. An apparatus comprising:

hardware including a UI;

an operating system;

a native code portion having an abstraction layer;

a managed code portion;

means for interacting with the UI using a UI resource to generate events and/or messaging by calls for the UI resource;

means for passing the generated events and/or messaging from the managed code portion to the abstraction layer;

means for evaluating the events and/or messaging at the abstraction layer in the native code portion against predetermined criteria to initiate a performance of means selected from the group consisting of;

means for passing the events and/or messaging to the operating system with or without previous said events and/or messaging passed to the abstraction layer;

means for batching and/or synthesizing the events and/or messaging with prior events and/or messaging received by the abstraction layer; and

means for disallowing the events and/or messaging from passing through to the operating system.

56. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

generating a native message in a native windowing system in a native code portion;

passing the native message with a message pump to an abstraction layer executing native code in the native code portion;

processing the native message at the abstraction layer by a process selected from the group consisting of;

transitioning the native message across a boundary from the native code portion to a managed code portion when the native message is favorable evaluated by predetermined criteria;

combining the native message with one or more native messages previously received by the abstraction layer as generated by the native windowing system; and

discarding the native message.

57. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 56, wherein the computer executable instructions for performing steps further comprise:

translating the native message received in the managed code portion for processing by the managed code portion;

routing the translated native message to one of;

a managed drawing library; and

a managed windowing library;

routing the translated native message to a managed application in the managed code portion from as received from one of;

the managed drawing library; and

the managed windowing library;

processing the translated native message with the managed application.

58. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

generating a managed message in a managed application executing in the managed code portion;

passing the managed message from the managed application to a managed library in the managed code portion;

passing the managed message from the managed library to an abstraction layer executing native code in a native code portion;

processing the managed message at the abstraction layer by a process selected from the group consisting of;

transitioning the managed message across a boundary from the managed code portion to the native code portion when the managed message is favorably evaluated by predetermined criteria;

combining the managed message with one or more managed messages previously received by the abstraction layer as generated by the managed application or by the managed library; and

discarding the managed message.

59. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 58, wherein the computer executable instructions for performing steps further comprise:

translating the managed message received in the native code portion for processing by the native code portion;

routing the translated managed message with a message pump to a native windowing system in the native code portion; and

processing the translated managed message with the native windowing system.

60. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 58, wherein the managed library is selected from the group consisting of a managed drawing library and a managed windowing library.