Server-side control objects for processing client-side user interface elements

• US 20050050164A1
• Filed: 10/14/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: David S. Ebbo, Gary S. Burd, Kenneth B. Cooper, Mark T. Anders, Scott D. Guthrie, Stephen J. Millet, Ted A. Peters
• Inventors: Millet, Stephen J., Guthrie, Scott D., Ebbo, David S., Anders, Mark T., Peters, Ted A., Burd, Gary S., Cooper, Kenneth B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,321,918 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A server-side control object processes and generates a client-side user interface element for display on a web page. Multiple server-side control objects may be combined into a hierarchy of server-side control objects that cooperate to generate the resulting authoring language code, such as HTML, for display of a web page on a client. The operation of processing the client-side user interface element may include at least one of an event handling operation, a postback data handling operation, a data binding operation, and a state management operation. The state management operation relates to the state of a server-side control object.

Claims

1. A method for processing a client-side user interface element incorporated in a web page displayed on a client, the method comprising:

receiving a request referencing a resource;

reading a declaration from the resource;

generating a server-side control object programmed based on the declaration to provide functionality of the client-side user interface element;

processing the client-side user interface element using the server-side control object; and

generating authoring language data from the server-side control object for incorporating the client-side user interface element in the web page, subsequent to the processing operation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the resource is a server-side declaration datastore.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the authoring language data to the client; and

terminating the server-side control object, subsequent to the operation of generating authoring language data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing operation comprises:

handling postback data received from the user interface element using the server-side control object.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing operation comprises:

handling postback events received from the user interface element using the server-side control object.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing operation comprises:

saving a viewstate of the server-side control object; and

transmitting the viewstate to the client.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing operation comprises:

receiving a viewstate of the server-side control object from the client, the viewstate corresponding to the state of the server-side control object from a previous request; and

loading the viewstate to the server-side control object.

8. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave by a computing system and encoding a computer program for executing a computer process processing a client-side user interface element incorporated in a web page displayed on a client, the computer process comprising:

receiving a request referencing a resource;

reading a declaration from the resource;

generating a server-side control object programmed based on the declaration to provide functionality of the client-side user interface element;

processing the client-side user interface element using the server-side control object; and

generating authoring language data from the server-side control object for incorporating the client-side user interface element in the web page, subsequent to the processing operation.

9. One or more computer-readable media containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, implement a computer process processing a client-side user interface element incorporation in a web page displayed on a client, the computer process comprising:

receiving a request referencing a resource;

reading a declaration from the resource;

generating a server-side control object programmed based on the declaration to provide functionality of the client-side user interface element;

processing the client-side user interface element using the server-side control object; and

generating authoring language data from the server-side control object for incorporating the client-side user interface element in the web page, subsequent to the processing operation.

10. One or more computer-readable media including executable instructions that, when executed, implement a computer process that processes one or more client-side user interface elements incorporated in a web page on a client, the computer process comprising:

inputting one or more declarations from a server-side declaration datastore;

generating a hierarchy of server-side control objects programmed based on the declarations to provide functionality of the client-side user interface elements;

processing the client-side user interface elements using the hierarchy of server-side control objects; and

generating authoring language data from the hierarchy of server-side control objects for incorporating the client-side user interface elements in the web page.

11. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10 wherein the operation of generating a hierarchy of server-side control objects comprises:

generating a server-side container control object corresponding to a client-side user interface container element on the web page; and

generating one or more server-side children control objects corresponding to one or more client-side user interface child elements contained in the client-side user interface container element.

12. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10 wherein the operation of processing the client-side user interface elements comprises:

traversing the hierarchy of the server-side control objects to invoke individual processing by one or more of the server-side control objects.

13. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10 wherein the operation of processing the client-side user interface elements comprises:

registering one or more of the server-side control objects to handle a control object event generated by one of the server-side control objects;

generating the control object event from one or more of the server-side control objects; and

handling the control object event using one or more of the server-side control objects registered to handle the control object event.

14. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10 wherein the operation of processing the client-side user interface elements comprises:

loading a first viewstate to one or more of the server-side control objects;

handling postback data using one or more of the server-side control objects, subsequent to the operation of loading the first viewstate;

handling postback events using one of more of the server-side control objects, subsequent to the operation of handling postback data; and

saving a second viewstate from one or more of the server-side control objects, subsequent to the operation of handling postback events.

15. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14 wherein the operation of processing the client-side user interface elements further comprises:

resolving a databinding relationship established between a server-side control objects and a server-side datastore, subsequent to the operation of handling postback events.

16. A method for processing at least one client-side user interface element incorporated in a web page displayed on a client, the method comprising:

reading a declaration from a resource;

generating a plurality of concurrently existing server-side control objects that logically correspond to the client-side user interface element, based on the declaration;

processing the client-side user interface element using the concurrently existing server-side control objects; and

generating authoring language data from the concurrently existing server-side control objects for incorporating the client-side user interface element in the web page, subsequent to the processing operation.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the processing operation comprises:

raising a server-side event associated with a first server-side control object.

18. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave by a computing system and encoding a computer program for executing a computer process processing at least one client-side user interface element incorporated in a web page displayed on a client, the computer process comprising:

reading a declaration from a resource;

generating a plurality of concurrently existing server-side control objects that logically correspond to the client-side user interface element, based on the declaration;

processing the client-side user interface element using the concurrently existing server-side control objects; and

generating authoring language data from the concurrently existing server-side control objects for incorporating the client-side user interface element in the web page, subsequent to the processing operation.

19. One or more computer-readable media containing executable instructions that, when executed, implement a computer process processing at least one client-side user interface element incorporated in a web page displayed on a client, the computer process comprising:

reading a declaration from a resource;

generating a plurality of concurrently existing server-side control objects that logically correspond to the client-side user interface element, based on the declaration;

processing the client-side user interface element using the concurrently existing server-side control objects; and

generating authoring language data from the concurrently existing server-side control objects for incorporating the client-side user interface element in the web page, subsequent to the processing operation.