Data Viewer Management

• US 20090287724A1
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mollicone, Laurent, Flynn, James R., Murray, Michael Charles, Jayadevan, Siddharth, Williams, Antony Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Embodiments described herein are directed to generating a customized data viewer, where the viewer is configured to display data at any level in a data model. In one embodiment, a computer system receives a user request indicating that portions of data are to be displayed in a user-customized manner using a data viewer. The computer system accesses the requested data portions that are to be displayed with the data viewer. The computer system generates a dynamic data viewer configured to display the accessed data portions in the user-customized manner indicated in the received user request. The computer system also applies the generated dynamic data viewer to the accessed data portions, such that the generated viewer displays the requested data portions in the user-customized manner.

Claims

1. At a computer system in computer networking environment, a method for generating a customized data viewer, the viewer being configured to display data at any level in a data model, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a user request indicating that one or more portions of data are to be displayed in a user-customized manner using a data viewer;

an act of accessing the requested data portions that are to be displayed with the data viewer;

an act of generating a dynamic data viewer configured to display the accessed data portions in the user-customized manner indicated in the received user request; and

an act of applying the generated dynamic data viewer to the accessed data portions, such that the generated viewer displays the requested data portions in the user-customized manner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated customized data viewer is a modified version of a default data viewer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising an act of copying the default data viewer to a viewer repository.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the default data viewer displays at least a portion of the requested data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested data corresponds to a data model.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

an act of displaying the model according to a first display view;

an act of receiving user input indicating the view is to be switched to a second display view, the input comprising one or more data viewer edits that are to be applied to the customized data viewer; and

an act of switching display views from the first display view to the second display view by dynamically editing the data viewer according to the received data viewer edits, the applied edits causing the display to be switched from the first view to the second view.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each view represents a different perspective of the data model.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of the user using the generated dynamic data viewer to modify one or more other data viewers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein any data subsequently accessed is displayed according to the user-customized view.

10. At a computer system in computer networking environment, a method for dynamically applying a modified data viewer at any level in a data model, the method comprising:

an act of accessing data that is to be displayed using an initial data viewer, the initial data viewer displaying data of various types according to one or more stored data type mappings;

an act of presenting the accessed data using the initial data viewer;

an act of receiving user input indicating that one or more stored data type mappings are to be changed;

an act of dynamically modifying the initial data viewer based on the received user input including the mappings changes while the data is being presented;

an act of assigning a name to the modified initial data viewer; and

an act of storing the named data viewer in a viewer repository, such that other users can access and use the named data viewer.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising dynamically applying the named viewer to the accessed data, such that at least one portion of data is displayed according to the mappings.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a second user accesses the repository and selects a customized viewer corresponding to a certain data type.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein only those viewers that correspond to the data type are available to the second user.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting an appropriate viewer for a model type based on the established mapping.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising an act of selecting an appropriate viewer for at least a portion of model data based on the context of the data portion.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the context of the data portion comprises at least one of:

top-level, embedded, collection, single and item in a list.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the act of storing the named viewer in a viewer repository comprises storing only the changes made to the initial viewer.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

an act of receiving a user input requesting to use a stored named viewer to display at least a portion of requested data; and

an act of displaying the requested data using the stored named viewer.

19. A computer program product for implementing a method for creating a customized view that is substitutable for a standard model view at any level in the model, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to perform the method, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a user request indicating that among a plurality of data portions corresponding to a data model, each data type in the model is to be displayed in a user-customized manner according to the data type using a data viewer;

an act of accessing the requested data portions of the model that are to be displayed with the data viewer;

an act of generating a dynamic data viewer configured to display each accessed data portion of the model according to the user-customized manner for the data type as indicated in the received user request; and

an act of applying the generated dynamic data viewer to the accessed data portions of each data type, such that the generated viewer displays each requested data portion in the user-customized manner according to the data type.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising an act of the user using the generated dynamic data viewer to modify one or more other data viewers.