Framework for managing client application data in offline and online environments

• US 20060206583A1
• Filed: 03/10/2005
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hill, David P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

A multi-phase synchronization framework allows developers to develop smart client applications that can operate efficiently in offline and online modes. For example, a client application receives user input, and generates an object that includes the user input data, as well as some associated logic for one or more phases in the synchronization framework. The object can then be passed to the synchronization framework, which communicates a service request based on the object to a target application service only when the target application service is effectively online, generally as defined by the associated logic. Whether the target application service is effectively online can also be based on default settings. The synchronization framework handles state for the object, and communicates failure and/or success to the client application. As such, the functionality for treating failed or successful communication is handled generally by the synchronization framework, rather than necessarily the client application.

Claims

1. At a client application program in a computerized environment, wherein the client application is configured to work in an online mode with a target application service, and in an offline mode, a method of handling data produced through the client application so that the data is communicated with the target application service in an efficient manner, comprising the acts of:

receiving data from a user;

identifying a logic component to be associated with the data, the logic component including one or more elements that indicate how the data are to be treated in a synchronization framework; and

creating an object that includes the data received from the user, and the logic component that is associated with the data;

passing the object to the synchronization framework, such that the synchronization framework communicates a service request based on the object to a target application service in an efficient manner; and

receiving a response from the synchronization framework.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising creating an additional object based on additional received user input, wherein the object and the additional object are part of a batch.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the logic component includes logic elements related to a local execution phase, a synchronization phase, and a commit phase of the synchronization framework.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the synchronization phase element identifies one or more conditions under which the target application service is effectively online or effectively offline.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the synchronization phase element identifies that the target application service is effectively online or offline based on a number, type, or frequency of response from the target application service, such that the synchronization phase element determines a likelihood of success or failure of the service request.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the response from the target application service is received after sending to the target application service at least one of an RPC, DCOM, or web service call through the synchronization framework.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing a first indicator to the user through a user-interface indicating that the object is pending.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the first indicator is provided based on a local execution phase logic element of the logic component.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the response from the synchronization framework indicates that the service request based on the object was received and processed successfully by the target application service, the method further comprising providing a second indicator to the user through the user-interface that the object is completed.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the second indicator is provided based on a commit phase logic element of the logic component.

11. At a synchronization manager of an offline/online framework for a client application in a computerized environment, the synchronization manager configured to efficiently handle data generated through the client application in offline or online modes, a method of communicating the data to the target application service in an efficient manner, comprising the acts of:

accessing an object generated by a client application, the client application configured to operate in an online or an offline mode, the object including generated data and a logic component having one or more logic elements;

saving the object to a local store;

identifying a likelihood of successfully transmitting the object to a corresponding target application based on logic included in the logic component;

automatically sending a service request based on the object to a target application service over a network, such that the service request is communicated to the target application service when the target application service is effectively online; and

receiving a response from the target application service.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the response from the target application service includes an identifier of a success or failure result, the method further comprising passing the result to the client application.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the result is passed to the client application as a result of one of the synchronization manager interacting directly with the generated data of the object, and a component of a synchronization framework through which the synchronization manager interacts passing the success or failure result to the client application.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising identifying one or more state values associated with the object, and saving the state values for the object in a local state store.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising accessing a different object generated by the client application, and saving one or more different state values associated with the different object in the local state store.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the object and the different object comprise a batch, such that the synchronization manager determines whether to send the service request based on the object and a different service request based on the different object at the same time.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the object logic comprises a local execution phase logic element, a synchronization phase logic element, and a commit phase logic element.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein identifying the likelihood of transmission or of processing success by the target application service includes an act of determining that the target application service is effectively online or offline.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the synchronization manager determines whether the target application service is effectively online or offline based on the synchronization phase element, the synchronization phase element indicating a number, type, or frequency of response from the target application service, or a success parameter indicating the success or failure of the processing of the service request.

20. In a computerized environment in which a client application communicates data works in offline or online modes, a computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform a method of handling data produced through the client application so that the data is communicated with the target application service in an efficient manner, comprising the following:

receiving data from a user;

identifying a logic component to be associated with the data, the logic component including one or more elements that indicate how the data are to be treated in a synchronization framework; and

creating an object that includes the data received from the user, and the logic component that is associated with the data;

passing the object to the synchronization framework, such that the synchronization framework communicates a service request based on the object to a target application service in an efficient manner; and

receiving a response from the synchronization framework.