Providing a document preview

• US 20070297029A1
• Filed: 06/23/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Low, Aidan N., Gusmorino, Paul A., Hysom, Scott, Rosenberg, Jon, Sheldon, Mike
• Granted Patent: US 8,132,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/527
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing

Abstract

A system, apparatus, method, and computer-readable media are provided for generating a document preview. According to one method, a preview handler is provided that exposes interfaces that may be called by a host application to generate a document preview without launching the application program that created the document. The interfaces exposed by the preview handler provide a common framework that may be utilized by both operating system and application program hosts to provide document previews.

Claims

1. A method for providing a document preview, the method comprising:

providing a preview handler callable by a host program, the preview handler executed out-of-process from the host program and operative to expose a preview handler interface, the preview handler interface comprising a do preview method which, when called by the host program, will cause the preview handler to generate and display a document preview.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preview handler interface further comprises a set window method that may be called by the host program to identify a parent window in which a previewer window containing the document preview should be generated by the preview handler.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the preview handler interface further comprises a set rectangle method that may be called by the host program to specify a rectangle within the parent window in which the document preview should be displayed.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the preview handler interface further comprises an unload method which, when called by the host program, will cause the preview handler to cease rending the document preview.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the preview handler interface further comprises a set focus method which, when called by the host program, will cause the preview handler to set focus to itself.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the preview handler interface further comprises a query focus method which, when called by the host program, will cause the preview handler to return data indicating whether it has focus.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the preview handler is further operative to expose an initialize interface, the initialize interface comprising a method for receiving the identity of a file that should be utilized by the preview handler to generate the document preview.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the preview handler is further operative to expose an initialize interface, the initialize interface comprising a method for receiving the identity of an item that should be utilized by the preview handler to generate the document preview.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the preview handler is further operative to expose an initialize interface, the initialize interface comprising a method for receiving the identity of a stream that should be utilized by the preview handler to generate the document preview.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the preview handler is executed with a higher level of security than the host program.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the preview handler is further operative to expose a preview handler visuals interface, the preview handler visuals interface comprising a set background color method for changing a background color of the previewer window.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the preview handler visuals interface further comprises a set font method for changing a font of text within the previewer window.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the preview handler visuals interface further comprises a set text color method for changing the color of text within the previewer window.

14. A method for providing a document preview, the method comprising:

providing a preview handler callable by a host program, the preview handler operative to expose a preview handler interface to the host program, the preview handler interface comprising a do preview method which, when called by the host program, will cause the preview handler to generate and display a document;

receiving a window message at the preview handler;

determining if the window message should be provided to the host program; and

in response to determining that the window message should be provided to the host program, calling an interface on the host program for passing the window message to the host program.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining if the window message should be provided to the host program comprises:

receiving from the host program a list of window messages that should be provided to the host program;

determining if the received window message is identified in the list of window messages; and

if the received window message is identified in the list of window messages received from the host program, determining that the window message should be provided to the host program.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, will cause the computer to:

provide a preview handler for generating a document preview, the preview handler operative to expose a preview handler interface comprising a set window method for identifying a parent window in which a previewer window containing the document preview should be generated by the preview handler, a set rectangle method that may be called to specify a rectangle within the parent window in which the document preview should be displayed, and a do preview method which, when called by the host program, will cause the preview handler to generate and display the document preview within the previewer window.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the preview handler interface further comprises a set focus method which, when called, will cause the preview handler to set focus to itself, a query focus method which, when called, will cause the preview handler to return data indicating whether it has focus, and an unload method which, when called by the host program, will cause the preview handler to cease rending the document preview.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the preview handler is operative to expose a preview handler visuals interface comprising one or more methods for modifying the visual appearance of the contents of the previewer window.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the preview handler is operative to expose one or more initialize interfaces comprising methods for receiving the identity of a file, item, or stream that should be utilized by the preview handler to generate the document preview.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, comprising further computer executable instructions which, when executed by the computer, will cause the computer to:

receive at the preview hander a list of window messages that should be forwarded to the host program;

receive a window message at the preview handler;

determine whether the window message is identified in the list; and

to

forward the window message to the host program in response to determining that the window message is identified in the list.