LIGHT-WEIGHT MANAGED COMPOSITE CONTROL HOSTING

• US 20090259951A1
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Molina, Daniel A., Whitechapel, David Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,052,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A managed composite control can be directly (without intermediary hosting layers) hosted within an unmanaged hosting application. A managed control which can host managed composite controls is provided, the managed control being directly hostable within any unmanaged hosting control. An adapter (control) wraps the managed control content before the control content is moved into the unmanaged layer. Overloaded methods are provided that accept managed controls and manage communication between layers in such a way that instead of internal references expecting a user control, the internal references expect an object.

Claims

1. A system executed at least in part on a computer that directly hosts a managed composite control within an unmanaged hosting application, the system comprising:

a managed application that supplies a managed hosting control that can host a managed composite control, the managed hosting control directly hostable within an unmanaged hosting control; and

the managed hosting control.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the managed application is an integrated development environment add-in.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the managed application is an add-in to a suite of office programs.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a native, unmanaged window, wherein the native, unmanaged window is incapable of hosting managed controls.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the managed application is a windowing application.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the managed application provides an adapter that wraps the managed composite control, implements an interface and translates calls between hosting layers.

7. A method of hosting a managed composite control on an application window comprising:

providing a native window, the native window capable of hosting only unmanaged controls; and

providing a managed light-weight hosting control hostable by the native window, the managed light-weight hosting control hosting a managed composite control.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the managed composite control is a WPF control

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the managed light-weight hosting control is provided by a managed code add-in to an unmanaged application.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein an adapter wraps the managed composite control content and manages an interface between layers using a method overload.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein an adapter translates calls between the unmanaged window and the managed composite control.

12. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions which when executed cause a computing environment to:

provide an adapter, the adapter hosting a managed composite control, the adapter directly hosted by an unmanaged hosting application without intermediate hosting layers.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the computing environment to:

host a managed composite control.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the computing environment to:

host a managed composite control comprising a WPF control.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the computing environment to:

wrap the managed composite control content.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the computing environment to:

manage communication between layers to provide an object instead of a user control.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the computing environment to:

use the managed composite control as a container.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the computing environment to:

create an overload to accept the managed composite control.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the computing environment to:

implement COM interfaces.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, comprising further computer-executable instructions, which when executed cause the computing environment to:

translates COM calls.