Method and system for managing user interface messages

• US 20060101034A1
• Filed: 11/05/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Walter, Murphy, Shawn M., Brown, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 7,657,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system, method, data structures and computer-accessible medium is provided for storing, managing, and tracking the development of messages for computer program products. Message and message-related data for messages which computer program products display to users as part of the product'"'"'s user interface are centralized in a message catalog. A message catalog schema describes the attributes of a message separately from the attributes of one or more conditions for which a message should be displayed. Interfaces are provided for creating, localizing, documenting, maintaining, displaying, and supporting messages and message-related data in a message catalog consistent with the message catalog schema. Notifications to owners of the messages and conditions is performed periodically or whenever a change has been detected.

Claims

1. In a computer system that is network connectable along with one or more other computer systems to a network, a method for managing user interface messages using a message catalog, the method comprising:

creating message data in a message catalog, the message data describing resources used to develop a message, including resources used to display the message to a user of a product with which the message is associated;

creating condition data in the message catalog, the condition data describing at least one condition for which the message is displayed to the user of the product;

compiling the message catalog into a format that is accessible to the product; and

displaying the message to the user when the condition occurs during use of the product, wherein displaying is performed using the resources described in the message data.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the message data describes an audience to which the user of the product belongs, and further comprising localizing the message and condition data to at least one of a level of expertise and a language of the audience.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein localizing the message and condition data to the level of expertise of the audience includes changing the resources used to display the message to the user.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein localizing the message and condition data to the language of the audience includes translating a text portion of the resources used to display the message to the user to the language of the audience.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the resources used to develop the message includes a status of the message and an owner of the message, and the condition data further describing a status of the condition, and an owner responsible for the condition

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising notifying the owners about their messages and conditions.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein notifying the owners about their messages and conditions is performed when the message and condition data changes.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein notifying the owners about their messages and conditions is performed periodically.

9. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein notifying the owners about their messages and conditions is performed when the status indicates that the owners have not yet approved their messages and conditions.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

locking the message and condition data in the message catalog after the owners have approved, wherein the locked data can no longer be edited; and

branching the message data and condition data in the message catalog for use with a new version of the product, wherein the branched data can be edited to reflect any changes in at least one of the message displayed to the user of the new version of the product, and the conditions for which the message is displayed.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the resources used to display the message to the user of the product include at least one of a message catalog display container representing the message as one of an error, a question, and informational, a text of the message to display in the message catalog display container, an icon to display in the message catalog display container, a button configuration for the message catalog display container, a message parameter representing parameters passed for the message, and a show again indicator of whether to display a show again user option in the message catalog display container.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the condition data is further describing a documentation data associated with the condition, the documentation data including at least one of a cause of the condition, a context of the condition, a workaround for the condition, and a resolution of the condition.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the documentation data is publicly available to the user of the product.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the documentation data is not publicly available to the user of the product.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, the documentation data further including at least one of a message ID identifying the message that is displayed when the condition occurs, a code symbol of the identified message, a feature of the product for which the condition occurs, a sub-feature of the product for which the condition occurs, a documentation status of the documentation data that is publicly available to the user of the product, an expected use of the message catalog when the condition occurs, a dependency list identifying one or more services and components that might cause the condition, and an escalation identifying at least one of an alias to which occurrences of the condition should escalate, and an action to take when the condition occurs.

16. The method as recited in claim 12, the documentation data further including an expected use, the expected use indicating whether to display the message using the message catalog display container or in-line.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the expected use further indicates whether to log the message to a support repository.

18. A method in a computer system for displaying on a display device an interface to a message catalog in which message data for products are stored, the method comprising:

receiving an input for creating a message, the message input specifying at least one condition for which the message is displayed to a user, at least one resource for developing the message, including at least one resource for displaying the message;

storing the message in a message catalog in response to receiving the message input;

receiving an input for creating a condition, the condition input specifying the message to display to the user when the condition occurs, an expected use for the condition, and a documentation of the condition;

storing the condition in a message catalog in response to receiving the condition input; and

displaying the message and any conditions for which the message is displayed to the user.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

receiving an input for associating the message and any condition for which the message is displayed with a version of a product, the version including one of an editable version and a non-editable version, the non-editable version representing a version of the product that has shipped.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the message input specifying at least one resource used to develop the message includes message input specifying a status of the message and an owner of the message, and the condition input further specifying a status of the condition, and an owner responsible for the condition

21. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

receiving an input for querying the message catalog to display those messages and conditions associated with one of the versions of the product.

22. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

receiving an input for querying the message catalog to display those messages and conditions associated with editable versions of the product.

23. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

receiving an input for querying the message catalog to display the conditions that occur most frequently.

24. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

receiving an input for querying the message catalog to display the messages owned by a particular owner.

25. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

receiving an input for querying the message catalog to display the conditions owned by a particular owner.

26. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

receiving an input for updating the message catalog to edit the message and any conditions;

rejecting the updating input when the version with which the message and any conditions are associated is non-editable; and

updating the message catalog in accordance with the updating input when the version with which the message and any conditions are associated is editable.

27. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

receiving an input for documenting a condition, the documenting input specifying at least one of a cause, condition, workaround, and resolution (CCWR) of the condition; and

displaying the CCWR of the condition.

28. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

receiving an input for approving the message, the approving input specifying whether to update the message status to indicate one of whether the message needs review, whether the message has been reviewed, and whether the text of the message has been finalized.

29. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

receiving an input for approving the condition, the approving input specifying whether to update the condition status to indicate one of whether the message needs review, whether the message has been reviewed, and whether the text of the message has been finalized.

30. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

receiving an input requesting a bulk edit the message catalog, the bulk edit request input specifying a global change to at least one of a message and condition, and a comment explaining the bulk editing;

displaying the messages and conditions for which bulk edit has been requested;

receiving a selection of a subset of the messages and conditions for which bulk editing has been requested, including a default selection of all of the messages and conditions for which bulk editing has been requested; and

updating the selected messages and condition with the specified global change.

31. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the global change is restricted to one of reassigning the selected messages and conditions to a new owner, approving the selected messages and conditions, updating the status of the selected messages and conditions, and deleting the selected messages and conditions.

32. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the at least one resource for displaying the message include at least one of a message catalog display container representing the message as one of an error, a question, and information, a text of the message to display in the message catalog display container, an icon to display in the message catalog display container, a button configuration for command buttons in the message catalog display container, a message parameter representing parameters passed for the message, and a show again indicator of whether to display a show again user option in the message catalog display container.

33. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure representing a user interface (UI) message, the data structure comprising:

a product attribute representing a product for which a UI message has been created;

a version attribute indicating that a version of the product to which the UI message pertains;

a language attribute indicating a dominant language of a user audience to whom the UI message is displayed;

an audience attribute indicating a selected one of a type of user audience to whom the UI message is displayed, the type of user audience including a level of expertise of the user audience;

an ID attribute uniquely identifying the UI message;

a type attribute indicating whether the UI message is displayed using one of an error display container, a question display container, and an informational display container;

a status attribute indicating a status of the UI message, the status indicating one of whether the message needs review, whether the message has been reviewed, and whether the text of the message has been finalized;

a modality attribute indicating a modality of the display container used to display the UI message, the modality being one of displaying the display container always on top or beneath another window;

an icon attribute identifying an icon to display in the display container used to display the UI message;

a show again indicator of whether the display container used to display the UI message includes a user option to not display the message again;

a text attribute containing a text of the UI message;

a parameter attribute containing a description of parameters passed for the UI message from the product for which this UI message has been created;

a button configuration attribute indicating a configuration of command buttons in the display container used to display the UI message;

a default button attribute indicating which command button in the display container used to display the UI message is the default;

a cancel button attribute indicating which command button in the display container used to display the UI message is activated when the display container is canceled;

at least one button text attribute containing a text of a command button in the display container used to display the UI message;

at least one owner attribute identifying an owner of the UI message; and

at least one signoff attribute indicating whether the owner of the UI message has one of approved and denied the UI message.

34. The one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure representing a UI message, as recited in claim 33, wherein the text attribute containing the text of the UI message includes at least one token that is resolved at run time.

35. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure representing a condition for which a user interface (UI) message is displayed to a user, the data structure comprising:

a product attribute representing a product for which a condition may occur;

a version attribute indicating that a version of the product to which the condition pertains;

a language attribute indicating a dominant language of a user audience to whom a UI message for the condition is displayed;

an audience attribute indicating a selected one of a type of user audience to whom the UI message for the condition is displayed, the type of user audience including a level of expertise of the user audience;

an condition ID attribute uniquely identifying the condition;

a type attribute indicating whether the UI message is displayed using a message catalog display container for one of an error, a question, and information;

a message ID containing a unique identifier of the UI message that is displayed for the condition;

a symbol attribute containing a code symbol used to identify the condition;

a feature attribute identifying a feature of the product for which the condition occurs;

a subfeature attribute identifying a subfeature of the product for which the condition occurs;

a status attribute indicating a status of the condition, the status indicating one of whether the condition needs review, whether the condition has been reviewed, and whether the text of the message associated with the condition has been finalized;

an expected use attribute indicating whether the UI message is one of displayed using the message catalog display container and displayed inline;

a dependency attribute containing a list of components that may cause the condition to occur, the list of components including at least one of a list of online services, online components, and local components;

a parameter attribute containing a description of parameters passed for the UI message from the product for which the condition occurs;

a documentation attribute containing a description of documentation for the condition;

at least one owner attribute identifying an owner of the condition; and

at least one signoff attribute indicating whether the owner of the condition has one of approved and denied the condition.

36. The one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure representing a condition, as recited in claim 35, wherein the documentation attribute containing documentation of the condition includes text describing at least one of a cause of the condition, a context of the condition, a workaround for the condition, and a resolution of the condition.

37. The one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure representing a condition, as recited in claim 36, wherein the documentation is described for the public.

38. The one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure representing a condition, as recited in claim 36, wherein the documentation is described for internal use.

39. The one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure representing a condition, as recited in claim 35, wherein the documentation attribute containing documentation of the condition includes text describing an alias to which occurrences of the condition should escalate.