Method, system, and apparatus for providing access to workbook models through remote function calls

• US 20090235154A1
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Asnash, Liviu, Megiddo, Eran, Khen, Dan Y., Ellis, Charles D., Peyton-Jones, Simon, Levin, Ira
• Granted Patent: US 8,578,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus are provided for exposing and calling workbook models via remote function calls. According to the system, a client computer executes a spreadsheet program for creating a workbook model. The workbook model may be published to a server computer along with data defining a function name and the cells that should be used as inputs and outputs to the model. The system also includes a server computer that receives and responds to remote function calls directed toward workbook functions. When a function call is received at the server computer for a workbook function, the server computer populates the cells in the workbook identified as inputs with input parameters received with the function call and recalculates the workbook. The data contained in the output cells is then returned as a reply to the remote function call.

Claims

1. A method for accessing at least one workbook model through at least one remote function call, the method comprising:

providing a facility for defining a first workbook model;

associating metadata with a workbook function, the metadata comprising a description of the workbook function and a location for publishing the workbook function, wherein the description of the workbook function and the location for publishing the workbook function is received from a user and wherein the location for publishing identifies a publishing location at a server computer;

receiving a request to make the first workbook model available through a first remote function call, the request including data defining the workbook function;

publishing the first workbook model, the associated metadata, and the data defining the workbook function to the server computer operative to receive and respond to remote calls for the workbook function; and

providing a list of published functions comprising the workbook function and the associated metadata comprising the function description in response to a discovery request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data defining the workbook function comprises a name for the workbook function.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data defining the workbook function comprises the identity of a first set of workbook cells that are to be utilized as inputs to the workbook function and a name corresponding to each cell.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the data defining the workbook function comprises the identity of a second set of workbook cells that are to be utilized as outputs for the workbook function and a name corresponding to each cell.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising placing the first remote function call to the server computer with at least one input parameters and receiving from the server computer at least one output parameters.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a request to call a remote workbook function from within the context of a second workbook model;

in response to the request, receiving the identity of the remote workbook function to be called, the identities of a first set of cells in the second workbook to be used for inputs to the remote workbook function, and the identities of a second set of cells in the second workbook where outputs from the remote workbook function are to be placed;

making a second remote function call to the remote workbook function with the contents of the a first set of cells to be used for inputs;

in response to the call, receiving at least one output from the remote workbook function; and

placing the at least one output received from the remote workbook function in the second set of cells where outputs from the remote workbook function should be placed.

7. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, will cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

8. A computer-controlled apparatus capable of performing the method of claim 1.

9. A method for providing access to a workbook function through a remote function call, the method comprising:

receiving a workbook, a function definition for the workbook, and metadata describing the function and a location for publishing the function, wherein the description of the function and the location for publishing the function is received from a user, the function definition comprising a name of the workbook function, a description of a first set of cells in the workbook that are to be used as inputs for the workbook function, and a description of a second set of cells in the workbook that are to be used as outputs for the function;

providing a list of published functions comprising the workbook function and the associated metadata comprising the function description in response to a discovery request;

receiving the remote function call directed toward the workbook function, the remote function call including at least one input parameter;

loading the workbook;

populating the first set of cells in the workbook that are to be used as inputs for the workbook function with the at least one input parameter;

calculating the workbook;

retrieving the contents of the a second set of cells in the workbook that are to be used as outputs for the function; and

returning the contents as a reply to the remote function call.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising prior to calculating the workbook:

determining whether the workbook includes a reference to an external data source or another workbook function; and

in response to determining that the workbook includes a reference to an external data source or another workbook function, querying the data source for any referenced data and populating the workbook with the data.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, will cause the computer to perform the method of claim 9.

12. A computer-controlled apparatus capable of performing the method of claim 9.

13. A system for accessing a workbook model through a remote function call, the system comprising:

a client computer operative to provide a facility for defining the workbook model, to receive a request to make the workbook model available through the remote function call, the request including a function definition, and metadata associated with the function definition, the metadata comprising a description of the function and a location for publishing the function, wherein the description of the function and the location for publishing the function is received from a user and wherein the location for publishing identifies a publishing location at a server computer, the client computer being further operative to publish the workbook model, the metadata associated with the function definition, and the function definition to the server computer; and

the server computer being operative to receive the workbook model, the function definition, and the metadata comprising the description of the function associated with the function definition from the client computer, the server computer being further operative to provide a list of published functions comprising the workbook function and the associated metadata comprising the function description in response to a discovery request, receive the remote function call including at least one input parameter, to load the workbook, to populate cells specified in the function definition with the at least one input parameter, to calculate the workbook, to retrieve the contents of a first set of cells specified by the function definition that are to be used as outputs for the function, and to return the contents of the first set of cells as a reply to the remote function call.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the function definition a name for the function, the identity of a second set of workbook cells that are to be utilized as inputs to the function and a name corresponding to each cell, and the identity of the first set of workbook cells that are to be utilized as the outputs for the function and a name corresponding to each cell.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein prior to calculating the workbook, the server computer is further operative to:

determine whether the workbook includes a reference to an external data source; and

in response to determining that the workbook includes a reference to an external data source, to query the data source for any referenced data and populating the workbook with the data.