Programmability for binding data

• US 20060195783A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Little, Robert A., Jones, Brian M., Davis, Tristan A., Sunderland, Mark, Taleghani, Ali, Sawicki, Marcin
• Granted Patent: US 7,945,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

An object model allows code to be developed using a programming environment to access the functionality of an application, in a word processing application, for example. The object model may be used to manipulate one or more data bindings in an application. Code may also be developed using a programming environment for reacting to changes, in either direction, of a content region or a node in XML data associated with one or more data bindings. Code may be developed to define data bindings between file content and content within data in a data store. Additionally, code may be developed that reacts to changes within a bound region of a file or within a data store, trapping or intercepting events, such as edits, additions, deletions, etc.

Claims

1. A method for using a data binding, the data binding linking a data store and a content region, the method comprising:

exposing a data binding interface,

using a method, property, or event associated with the data binding interface, wherein the method, property, or event returns an object allowing manipulation of the data binding, data, or other objects associated with the data binding.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a property to locate XML data associated with a particular data binding.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising using code to manipulate the XML data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a property to locate a target node within XML data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising using code to manipulate the target node of an associated data binding.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a method which returns an object for removing a particular data binding.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a property to determine whether a particular data binding is a dangling reference.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a method which returns an object for creating or changing a data binding on a content region.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing a target XML node for a particular link.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a method which returns an object representative of information used to create a data binding on a content region.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing an XPath and XML data for a link.

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, will cause the computer to expose a data binding interface, the data binding interface operative to expose a method, property, or event associated with the data binding interface, wherein the method, property, or event returns an object allowing manipulation of the data binding, data, or at least one object associated with the data binding.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the data binding interface is operable to return an object for locating XML data associated with a particular data binding.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the data binding interface is operable to return an object for locating a target node within XML data.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the data binding interface is operable to return an object for determining whether a particular data binding is dangling.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the data binding interface is operable to return an object for creating or changing a data binding on a content region.

17. A system operable to provide access to a link between a data store and a content region, the system comprising a data binding interface operable to expose a method, property, or event associated with the data binding interface, wherein the method, property, or event returns an object allowing manipulation of the data binding, data, or at least one object associated with the data binding.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the data binding interface is operable to return an object for locating a target node within XML data.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the data binding interface is operable to return an object for creating or changing a data binding on a content region.

20. The system of claim 17 further operable to provide an interface for developing code for operation in conjunction with an associated data binding.