Host controlled user interface

• US 20080256469A1
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jain, Manoj, Das, Archan
• Granted Patent: US 7,770,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Described herein is technology for, among other things, a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface is made up of multiple user interface components. The multiple user interface components are hosted by a host user interface, which encapsulates and exposes the user interface components together to present a unified view of the user interface components as a single user interface. Moreover, the host user interface presents the capabilities of the user interface components as a whole.

Claims

1. A method of presenting an integrated user interface (UI), comprising:

initializing a host UI;

determining UI components that comprise said integrated UI;

said host UI creating a first instance of a first UI component;

said host UI creating a second instance of a second UI component;

said host UI interfacing with said first UI component and said second UI component; and

said host UI presenting said first UI component and said second UI component together as said integrated UI.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said first UI component is based on a first UI design and said second UI component is based on a second UI design that is different than said first UI design.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein determining said UI components that make up said integrated UI comprises:

analyzing a registry to determine which UI components are registered with said host UI.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

removing said first UI component from said integrated UI without recompiling other UI components and without recompiling said host UI.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

adding a new UI component to said integrated UI without recompiling other UI components and without recompiling said host UI.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein adding said new UI component comprises:

registering said new UI component with said host UI.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

changing said first UI component without recompiling other UI components and without recompiling said host UI.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

said first UI component creating a third instance of a third UI component;

said first UI component creating a fourth instance of a fourth UI component, wherein said third and said fourth UI components are based on different UI designs; and

said first UI component presenting said third UI component and said fourth UI component together as an integrated sub-UI.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of said first UI design and said second UI design is selected from the group consisting of C++, C++ Microsoft Foundation Class, C++ non-Microsoft Foundation Class, Visual Basic, and Avalon.

10. A graphical user interface (UI) comprising:

a first UI component, said first UI component being based on a first UI design;

a second UI component, said second UI component being based on a second UI design;

a host UI configurable to interface with said first UI component and said second UI component, said host UI further configurable to present said first UI component and said second UI component together as a single integrated UI.

11. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 10 wherein said first UI component comprises a first sub-UI component and a second sub-UI component.

12. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 11 wherein said first sub-UI component and second sub-UI component are based on different UI designs from each other, and wherein further said first UI component is configurable to present said first sub-UI component and said second sub-UI component to said host UI as a single integrated sub-UI.

13. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 10 wherein said host UI is configurable to request said first UI component and said second UI component to search for a string within said first UI component and said second UI component respectively, wherein further said first UI component and said second UI component are configurable to return references to said string provided said string is found in said first UI component and said second UI component respectively.

14. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 13 wherein said first UI component comprises a first sub-UI component and a second sub-UI component, wherein further said first UI component is configurable to request said first sub-UI component and said second sub-UI component to search for said string within said first sub-UI component and said second sub-UI component respectively, wherein further said first sub-UI component and said second sub-UI component are configurable to return to said first UI component said references to said string that correspond to said first sub-UI component and said second sub-UI component provided said string is found in said first UI component and said second UI component respectively.

15. The graphical user interface as recited in claim 10 wherein said first UI component is reused from another graphical user interface.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of providing a user interface (UI), said method comprising:

interfacing with a plurality of UI objects, wherein at least one of said UI objects is built on a first UI design that is different from a second UI design on which another of said UI objects is built;

loading said UI objects;

assembling UIs associated with said UI objects to form a single unified UI; and

providing said unified UI for displaying.

17. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 16 further comprising:

enabling a user to cycle focus in said unified UI through items associated with said UI objects by performing an action.

18. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17 wherein enabling said user to cycle focus comprises:

requesting a first UI object to cycle focus to a next item; and

provided said first UI object contains said next item, said first UI object cycling focus to said next item;

or

provided said first UI object does not contain said next item, requesting a second UI object to cycle focus to said next item.

19. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17 wherein enabling said user to cycle focus comprises:

determining cycle-able controls of said UI objects;

creating a list of said cycle-able controls; and

provided said action is performed, cycling through said cycle-able controls in said list, wherein the item associated with a current cycle-able control in said list has focus in said unified UI.

20. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17 wherein a particular UI object comprises a first sub-UI object and a second sub-UI object, and wherein further determining said cycle-able controls comprises:

said particular UI object determining said cycle-able controls corresponding to said first sub-UI and said second sub-UI; and

said particular UI object returning an array comprising said cycle-able controls corresponding to said first sub-UI and said second sub-UI.