Hosting an application in one of a plurality of execution environments

• US 20040172443A1
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Published: 09/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Alcazar, Mark A., Watt, Murray E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,475,408 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Described is a mechanism for executing a hosted application in either a browser-execution environment or as a standalone application. The invention provides a mechanism that enables hosting code in either of plural hosting environments. Briefly stated, code is created that executes in a common execution environment. That execution environment can be either owned by a browser or not. When the code is launched, a host sniffer component determines from an indicator within the code which hosting environment is appropriate. Based on that indicator, the code is launched in the appropriate hosting environment. The appropriate hosting environment may be either browser hosted or standalone.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components, comprising:

a body of code that includes a function call that operates to cause the body of code to be hosted in a first hosting environment, the absence of the function call being operative to cause the body of code to be hosted in a second hosting environment.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the function, when compiled, results in a byte signature within an executable code, the byte signature being indicative of the function call.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first hosting environment comprises a browser hosting environment.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the second hosting environment comprises a standalone hosting environment

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first hosting environment comprises a standalone hosting environment.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the function comprises a public static function that, when called, results in the body of code being hosted in the first hosting environment.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the public static function is called from within a public class included in the body of code.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the body of code comprises an executable file.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components, comprising:

an executable file, comprising;

a first portion including computer-executable instructions operative for performing operations; and

a second portion including a function call which, when invoked, is operative to cause the executable file to be executed in an alternative hosting environment.

10. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 9, wherein failing to invoke the function call is operative to cause the executable file to be executed in a default hosting environment.

11. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 10, wherein the alternative hosting environment comprises a browser hosted environment and the default hosting environment comprises a standalone hosting environment.

12. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 9, wherein the alternative hosting environment comprises a browser hosted environment.

13. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 9, wherein the alternative hosting environment comprises a standalone hosting environment.

14. A computer-executable method of hosting an executable file in a hosting environment, the method comprising:

providing a shell environment that is operative to launch the executable file in a default hosting environment common to other executable files; and

providing a function that, if called by the executable file, is operative to cause the executable file to be launched in an alternative hosting environment.

15. The computer-executable method recited in claim 14, wherein the default hosting environment comprises a standalone hosting environment.

16. The computer-executable method recited in claim 15, wherein the alternative hosting environment comprises a browser hosted environment.

17. The computer-executable method recited in claim 14, wherein the default hosting environment comprises a browser hosted environment.

18. The computer-executable method recited in claim 17, wherein the alternative hosting environment comprises a standalone hosting environment.

19. The computer-executable method recited in claim 14, wherein the function comprises a public static function.

20. The computer-executable method recited in claim 14, wherein the executable file is configured for execution in either the default hosting environment or the alternative hosting environment, and wherein the determination of whether to launch the executable file in either the default hosting environment or the alternative hosting environment is based substantially exclusively on the executable file being configured to call the function.