Schema Based User Interface Mechanisms

• US 20100262902A1
• Filed: 04/08/2009
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mediacell Licensing Corporation, Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Burns, Steven P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,560,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/838 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user

Abstract

A user interface may be generated from a schema and a rule template to create data usable by an application. The schema may define the broad constraints of the data acceptable to the application, and the rule template may include specialized knowledge or logic for selecting appropriate data values. An automated user interface generator may use default values or information in the rule template to generate a user interface. In one embodiment, a schema and rule template may be used to generate policies for managing computing devices in an enterprise environment. The rule template may include rules that reflect expert knowledge or recommendations for selecting settings, and may include complex rules that incorporate attributes or values from several different configurable parameters.

Claims

1. A method being performed on a computer processor, said method comprising:

receiving a schema comprising a first configurable parameter and a first attribute for said first configurable parameter;

receiving a rule template comprising a rule for said configurable parameter;

selecting a user interface tool based on said rule template, said user interface tool having a first limiting value;

creating a data object for said first configurable parameter;

causing said user interface tool to be displayed on a user interface;

binding said data object to said user interface tool;

receiving a data value from said user interface; and

storing said data value in said data object.

2. The method of claim 1, said first limiting value being defined in said rule.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

searching for a reference to said first limiting value in said rule;

not finding said reference in said rule; and

using said first attribute as said first limiting value.

4. The method of claim 1:

said schema comprising a second configurable parameter and a second attribute for said second configurable parameter;

said rule comprising a reference to said first attribute and a reference to said second attribute.

5. The method of claim 4, said rule comprising an arithmetic expression comprising said first attribute and said second attribute.

6. The method of claim 4, said rule comprising a conditional statement comprising said first attribute and said second attribute.

7. The method of claim 1, said rule template comprising a nested rule template.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying a style sheet to said user interface.

9. A system comprising:

a user interface device;

a library of user interface tools;

a user interface manager configured to use said library of user interface tools to create a user interface on said user interface device;

a computer processor configured to perform a method comprising;

receiving a schema comprising a first configurable parameter and a first attribute for said first configurable parameter;

receiving a first rule template comprising a first rule comprising a reference to said first configurable parameter;

selecting a first user interface tool from said library, said first user interface tool comprising a data input mechanism;

creating a binding between a data object and said data input mechanism;

causing said user interface manager to display said first user interface tool; and

receiving a data value from said data input mechanism.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising:

a rule library comprising predefined generic rules, said predefined generic rules comprising a reference to a second user interface tool.

11. The system of claim 10, said computer processor further configured to:

identify a rule type based on a second configurable parameter defined in said schema;

select one of said predefined generic rules based on said rule type; and

use said one of said predefined generic rules for said second configurable parameter to create a second binding and causing said user interface manager to display said second user interface tool.

12. The system of claim 9, said rule template comprising markup information defining at least one visual aspect of said user interface.

13. The system of claim 9, said rule template comprising a reference to a style sheet, said style sheet being used by said user interface manager to change a visual aspect of said user interface device.

14. The system of claim 9, said rule template comprising a reference to a second rule template.

15. The system of claim 14, said second rule template comprising a set of user interface tools being displayed within a user interface defined by said first rule template.

16. A method being performed on a computer processor, said method comprising:

receiving a schema comprising a first configurable parameter and a first attribute for said first configurable parameter, said first attribute comprising a first limit for said configurable parameter;

receiving a rule template comprising a rule for said configurable parameter, said rule comprising a second limit for said configurable parameter and a reference to a user interface tool;

creating a data object for said first configurable parameter;

causing said user interface tool to be displayed on a user interface, said user interface tool being displayed using said second limit;

binding said data object to a first element of said user interface tool;

receiving a data value from said user interface; and

storing said data value in said data object.

17. The method of claim 16 said second limit being different from said first limit.

18. The method of claim 16, said schema further comprising a second configurable parameter and a second attribute for said second configurable parameter, said method further comprising:

causing said user interface tool to be displayed using said second attribute as a third limit.

19. The method of claim 16, said schema being defined using XML.

20. The method of claim 19, said rule template being defined in XML.