Isolating, managing and communicating with user interface elements

• US 20080222622A1
• Filed: 03/09/2007
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation), Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Relyea, David P., Zhan, Weibing, Shetty, Ashish S., Lavoie, Lauren
• Granted Patent: US 8,079,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/153
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space

Abstract

Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that allow a user interface in a managed runtime environment to display content from two or more different partitioned process spaces. A software application having a user interface operates a managed runtime environment. A window handle allows a user interface of the application to display content from different partitioned process spaces at a same time. Information from the partitioned process spaces can be integrated within the user interface while preserving a level of isolation between the partioned process spaces. This is accomplished by providing a first portion of a content container for the user interface with a host control that contains the window handle and resides in a first partitioned process space of a main window. A second portion of the content container is provided with a source control that provides the window handle and resides in a second partitioned process space.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform steps comprising:

provide a particular software application that operates in a managed runtime environment, the particular software application having a user interface;

use a window handle to allow a user interface of the particular software application to display content from two or more different partitioned process spaces at a same time; and

allow information from the two or more partitioned process spaces to be integrated within the user interface of the software application operating in the managed runtime environment while preserving a level of isolation between the two or more different partitioned process spaces.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the window handle is a Windows HWND handle.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the managed runtime environment is a managed. NET Framework environment.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more partitioned process spaces are AppDomains in the managed runtime environment.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein a first one of the partitioned process spaces is operable to communicate with a second one of the partitioned process spaces by performing a marshal by reference process.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the marshal by reference process uses a MarshalByRefObjects process in a Windows operating system.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein a first one of the partitioned process spaces has a first portion of a content container for the user interface with a host control that contains a window handle;

and

wherein a second one of the partitioned process spaces has a second portion of the content container for the user interface with a source control that provides the window handle.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein a first security level that the first portion of the content container follows is different than a second security level that the second portion of the content container follows.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the second portion of the content container displays content from an untrusted source.

10. A method for integrating user interface content from different partitioned process spaces in a single user interface comprising the steps of:

providing a particular software application that operates in a managed runtime environment, the particular software application having a user interface;

providing a first portion of a content container for the user interface with a host control that contains a window handle and resides in a first partitioned process space of a main window;

providing a second portion of the content container for the user interface with a source control that provides the window handle and resides in a second partitioned process space of the main window, the second portion of the content container having content for display; and

allowing information from the first partitioned process space and the second partitioned process space to be integrated within the user interface of the software application operating in the managed runtime environment while preserving a level of isolation between the first portion and the second portion of the content container.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the managed runtime environment is a managed .NET Framework environment.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first partitioned process space and the second partitioned process space are AppDomains in the managed runtime environment.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the window handle is a Windows HWND handle.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein a first security level that the first portion of the content container follows is different than a second security level that the second portion of the content container follows.

15. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the steps recited in claim 10.

16. A method for integrating user interface content from different partitioned process spaces in a single user interface comprising the steps of:

providing a particular software application that operates in a managed. NET Framework environment, the particular software application having a user interface;

providing a first portion of a content container for the user interface with a host control that contains a Windows HWND handle and resides in a first partitioned process space of a main window; and

providing a second portion of the content container for the user interface with a source control that provides the Windows HWND handle and resides in a second partitioned process space of the main window, the second portion of the content container having content for display.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein by using the Windows HWND handle from the first portion of the content container and from the second portion of the content container, allowing information from more than one partitioned process space to be integrated within the user interface of the software application operating in the managed. NET Framework environment while preserving a level of isolation between the first portion and the second portion.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first partitioned process space and the second partitioned process space are AppDomains in the managed .NET Framework environment.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first partitioned process space is operable to communicate with a second partitioned process space by performing a MarshalByRefObjects process.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the steps recited in claim 16.