Method and apparatus for form pooling

• US 20060161510A1
• Filed: 01/20/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pahl, Shannon
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

A form pooling system allows efficient management of various forms used by a computer application. The form pooling system provides a close form module and an open form module to manage closing and opening various forms related to the application. The form pooling system significantly reduces form load time for complex forms by not having to re-create a form each time a client requests a form. The form pool may contain various types of previously used modeless forms and manages an upper limit of the number of forms that may be pooled to limit memory overhead. A form used in the form pooling system may be designed in a manner such that the form performs an unbinding operation when it is placed in a form pool and it performs a rebinding operation every time that form is retrieved from the form pool.

Claims

1. A method of managing forms, the method comprising

receiving a request for closing a first form;

determining if the first form is to be saved in a form pool; and

if the first form is to be saved in the form pool then;

hiding the first form, and

placing the first form in the form pool; and

if the first form is not to be saved in the form pool then closing the first form.

2. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for opening the first form;

determining if the first form is in the form pool;

if the first form is in the form pool then retrieving the first form from the form pool; and

if the first form is not in the form pool then opening a new instance of the first form.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein placing the first form in the form pool further comprises unbinding various data related to the first form.

4. A method of claim 2, wherein retrieving the first form from the form pool further comprises:

(1) binding various data related to the first form; and

(2) setting various controls related to the first form.

5. A method of claim 2, wherein placing the first form in the form pool further comprises:

(1) determining if the form pool is full;

(2) selecting a form from the form pool based on a first criteria; and

(3) removing the selected form from the form pool.

6. A method of claim 2, wherein the form pool comprises a plurality of lists;

each of the plurality of lists containing forms of a particular type.

7. A method of claim 2, wherein the form pool is stored on a random access memory of a computing device.

8. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

reviewing a plurality of forms in the form pool;

determining if one of the plurality of forms has been in the form pool for longer than a predetermined period of time; and

removing the one of the plurality of form from the form pool.

9. A form pooling system, comprising:

a closing request receive module adapted to receive a request for closing a first form;

a closing evaluation module adapted to determine if the first form is to be saved in a form pool;

a form saving module adapted to hide the first form and to place the first form in the form pool if the closed form is to be saved in the form pool; and

a form closing module adapted to close the first form if the first form is not to be saved in the form pool.

10. A form pooling system of claim 9, further comprising:

an opening request receive module adapted to receive a request to open the first form;

an opening evaluation module adapted to determine if the first form is in the form pool;

a pooled form opening module adapted to open the first form from the form pool if the fist form is in the form pool; and

a new form opening module adapted to open a new instance of the first form if the first form is not in the form pool.

11. A form pooling system of claim 10, wherein the first form is further adapted to unbind various data related to the first form upon being placed in the form pool.

12. A form pooling system of claim 10, wherein the first form is further adapted to (1) bind various data related to the first form upon being opened from the form pool;

and (2) set various controls related to the first form upon being opened from the form pool.

13. A form pooling system of claim 10, wherein the form saving module is further adapted to:

(1) determine if the form pool is full;

(2) select a form from the form pool based on a first criteria; and

(3) remove the selected form from the form pool.

14. A form pooling system of claim 10, wherein the form pool comprises a plurality of lists, each of the plurality of lists containing forms of a particular type.

15. A form pooling system of claim 10, wherein the form pool is stored on a random access memory of a computing device.

16. A form pooling system of claim 10, further comprising an inactive form detection module adapted to:

(1) review a plurality of forms in the form pool;

(2) determine if one of the plurality of forms has been in the form pool for longer than a pre-determined period of time; and

(3) remove the one of the plurality of form from the form pool.

17. A form pooling system comprising:

a form opening module adapted to;

(1) receive a request for a form;

(2) to send a form retrieve request to a form pool if the form is in the form pool; and

(3) to open a new instance of the form if the form is not in the form pool; and

a form closing module adapted to;

(1) receive a request to close the form;

(2) to determine if the form needs to be saved in the form pool;

(3) to save the form in the form pool if it determined that the form needs to be saved in the form pool; and

(4) to close the form without saving it in the form pool if it is determined that the form does not need to be saved in the form pool.

18. A form pooling system of claim 17, wherein the form pool comprises a plurality of lists, each of the plurality of lists containing forms of a particular type.

19. A form pooling system of claim 17, wherein the form pool is stored on a random access memory of a computing device.

20. A form pooling system of claim 17, further comprising an inactive form detection module adapted to:

(1) review a plurality of forms in the form pool;

(2) determine if one of the plurality of forms has been in the form pool for longer than a pre-determined period of time; and

(3) remove the one of the plurality of form from the form pool.