PROVIDING CONTEXTUALLY SENSITIVE TOOLS AND HELP CONTENT IN COMPUTER-GENERATED DOCUMENTS

• US 20080046812A1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Broman, Paul, Reynar, Jeff, Yap, Joe
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method and system are provided for creation, implementation, and use of computer-generated “smart” documents to which functionality is attached for providing contextually sensitive tools, controls and help content to users of those documents. Portions of documents are annotated with Extensible Markup Language (XML) tags and structure so that when a user enters those portions, such as by placing a computer cursor in those portions, the user is provided contextually sensitive tools, controls and/or help content. A document tools pane may open on the user'"'"'s computer screen adjacent to the document being edited for providing the document tools, controls or help content related to the context of the text or data in which the cursor is located. If the user moves the cursor to another portion of the document, the user may obtain information associated with the context of the new portion of the document in which the cursor is located.

Claims

1-62. -62. (canceled)

63. A method to be executed at least in part in a computing device for providing contextually sensitive functionality to a computer-generated document, the method comprising:

attaching a schema to the document defining permissible data content, data type and data structure for the document;

structuring the document to associate the document with the schema;

associating a solution with the document structure, wherein the solution includes providing a user help content, document tools, and controls associated with content of the document for selection of at least one;

assembling a plurality of software components for providing the solution to the document;

listing the plurality of software components in a manifest of software components;

storing a property and instructions pointing to the manifest in a library of software components;

in response to receiving an indication of focusing document editing in a particular portion of the document when the document is being edited, generating a list of schema elements enclosing a position of the editing focus;

determining if any available solutions are associated with the list of schema elements; and

after determining if any available solutions are associated with the list of schema elements, calling each associated solution and obtaining each associated solution for use by the document.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein the schema includes a definition of permissible data content, data type and data structure for particular portions of the document.

65. The method of claim 63, wherein structuring the document includes structuring the particular portions of the document to associate the particular portions of the document with permissible data content, permissible data type, and permissible data structure for the particular portions of the document as defined by the schema.

66. The method of claim 63, wherein attaching a schema to the document includes attaching an Extensible Markup Language (XML) structure to the document, and wherein structuring the document further includes defining XML elements associated with particular portions of the document.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein defining XML elements comprises defining XML elements associated with a plurality of text strings in the document.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein defining XML elements comprises defining XML elements associated with a plurality of data elements in the document.

69. The method of claim 66, wherein at least one of the help content and document tools is associated with the XML structure.

70. The method of claim 69, wherein the at least one of the help content and document tools is associated with the XML elements comprising the XML structure.

71. The method of claim 66, wherein the controls are associated with the XML structure, and wherein associating controls with the XML structure includes associating radio buttons, check boxes or text boxes with the XML structure.

72. The method of claim 66, wherein determining if any available solutions are associated with the list of schema elements further comprises parsing a look-up table of solutions to determine if any available solutions are associated with any XML element in the XML structure.

73. The method of claim 63, further comprising:

determining whether any of the available solutions are dynamic by calling on each of a plurality of software components comprising the any available solutions.

74. The method of claim 63, wherein receiving an indication of focusing document editing in a particular portion of the document includes receiving an indication of placing a computer cursor within the particular portion of the document.

75. A computer-readable medium with computer-executable instructions stored thereon for providing contextually sensitive functionality to a computer-generated document, the instructions comprising:

attaching a markup language schema to the document defining permissible data content, data type and data structure for the document;

structuring the document to associate the document with the markup language schema;

associating a solution with the document structure, wherein the solution includes providing a user help content, document tools, and controls associated with content of the document for selection of at least one;

assembling a plurality of software components for providing the solution to the document;

listing the plurality of software components in a manifest of software components;

storing a property and instructions pointing to the manifest in a library of software components, wherein the library of software components is a markup language schema library;

in response to receiving an indication of focusing document editing in a particular portion of the document when the document is being edited, generating a list of markup language elements comprising the markup language schema enclosing a position of the editing focus;

determining if any available solutions are associated with the list of schema elements; and

after determining if any available solutions are associated with the list of schema elements, calling each associated solution and obtaining each associated solution for use by the document.

76. The computer readable medium of claim 75, wherein the instructions further comprise:

determining types of functionality associated with the available solutions that are to be displayed to a user of the document by calling on each of a plurality of software components comprising the available solutions.

77. The computer readable medium of claim 76, wherein the instructions further comprise:

in response to determining types of functionality associated with the available solutions that are to be displayed to a user, designating one of;

a help content a document tool, and a control for display to the user.

78. The computer readable medium of claim 75, wherein structuring the document includes annotating particular portions of the document with the markup language elements defined based on their association with the particular portions of the document.

79. A computing device capable of executing a software application for providing contextually sensitive functionality to a computer-generated document, the computing device comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor capable of performing actions that include;

attaching an XML schema to the document defining permissible data content, data type and data structure for the document;

structuring the document to associate the document with the XML schema by annotating particular portions of the document with the XML elements defined based on their association with the particular portions of the document;

associating a solution with the document structure, wherein the solution includes providing a user help content, document tools, and controls associated with content of the document for selection of at least one;

assembling a plurality of software components for providing the solution to the document;

listing the plurality of software components in a manifest of software components;

storing a property and instructions pointing to the manifest in a library of software components, wherein the library of software components is an XML schema library;

in response to receiving an indication of focusing document editing in a particular portion of the document when the document is being edited, generating a list of XML elements comprising the XML schema enclosing a position of the editing focus;

determining if any available solutions are associated with the list of XML elements; and

after determining if any available solutions are associated with the list of XML elements, calling each associated solution and obtaining each associated solution for use by the document.

80. The method of claim 79, further comprising:

launching a graphical user interface for displaying each help content or document action obtained for use by the document; and

displaying each help content or document action in the graphical user interface.

81. The method of claim 79, wherein assembling a plurality of software components includes retrieving a software component from a remote location in a distributed computing environment.

82. The method of claim 79, wherein the XML elements are associated with one of a plurality of text strings and a plurality of data elements within the document.