GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE GENERATION THROUGH USE OF A BINARY FILE

• US 20100192167A1
• Filed: 01/28/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Feies, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,529,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/331
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 Trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

A system for generating and displaying a graphical user interface on a computer screen is described herein. The system includes a receiver component that receives a binary formatted file and a virtual machine that generates a graphical user interface based at least in part upon the binary formatted file. A display component causes the graphical user interface to be displayed on the computer screen.

Claims

1. A method comprising the following computer-executable acts:

receiving a binary formatted file;

using a virtual machine to build a graphical user interface based at least in part upon the binary formatted file; and

displaying the graphical user interface on a display screen of a computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the binary formatted file is based at least in part upon a markup file.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the binary formatted file comprises a header, wherein the header includes a signature, a version number, data indicating a size of the binary formatted file, and offsets to tables in the binary formatted file.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the tables in the binary formatted file is a string table that includes an index to one or more strings that are repeated in the markup file.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the tables in the binary formatted file is an element table that includes data pertaining to graphical elements that are included in the graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein one of the tables in the binary formatted file is a property table that includes an index of properties that describe one or more elements listed in the element table.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein one of the tables in the binary formatted file is a value table that includes an index to one or more values for one or more of the properties listed in the property table.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the tables in the binary formatted file is a markup table that includes an index to subtrees of a main tree corresponding to the graphical user interface.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the tables in the binary formatted file is a style table that includes an index to styles of one or more elements listed in the element table.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the tables in the binary formatted file is a script table that includes an index to actions corresponding to at least one element listed in the element table.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a dynamic linked library for the binary formatted file together with the binary formatted file.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the binary formatted file based at least in part upon an identification assigned to the binary formatted file.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a graphical user interface tree by parsing the binary formatted file.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a virtual machine stack and a virtual machine call stack to facilitate re-entrances.

15. A system that facilitates generating and displaying a graphical user interface on a computer screen comprising the following computer-executable components:

a receiver component that receives a binary formatted file;

a virtual machine that generates a graphical user interface based at least in part upon the binary formatted file; and

a display component that causes the graphical user interface to be displayed on the computer screen.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the binary formatted file is based at least in part upon a markup file.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the binary formatted file includes a header that comprises an index to a plurality of tables in the binary formatted file.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of tables include an elements table, a properties table, and a value table, wherein an element is an entity that is desirably displayed in the graphical user interface, and a property and value describe the element.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the markup file is received from an application server.

20. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the following acts:

receive a binary formatted file from an application server, wherein the binary formatted file includes a header that comprises an index to a plurality of tables, wherein the plurality of tables include an element table, a property table, and a value table, wherein an element listed in the element table is an entity desirably displayed on a graphical user interface, a property listed in the property table describes the element, and a value listed in the value table describes the property;

parse the binary formatted file to create a graphical user interface tree, wherein the graphical user interface tree includes a node that represents one of the element, the property, or the value; and

use a virtual machine to cause the graphical user interface to be displayed on a display screen of a computer device based at least in part upon the graphical user interface tree.