DATABASE APPLICATION NAVIGATION

• US 20100299347A1
• Filed: 05/19/2009
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Andrew Robert, McMinn, Ryan, Lesser, Stephen, Karimov, Pavel R., Selca, Vitore, Covington, Clinton Dee, Tupaj, Konrad, Cooper, Robert Scott, Grewal, Amarinder Singh, Greenberg, Steven Miles
• Granted Patent: US 8,312,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

A database server application program is provided that is configured to provide a programmable interface into a database application by way of database services uniform resource locators (URLs). A database services URL utilized by the database application can be updated programmatically by program code executing within or under control of the database server application program. A macro action for use in conjunction with a database server application that provides functionality for displaying a database object, such as a form or report, in-place in a Web browser is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to:

receive a request for a database object, the request comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) having a first parameter identifying a path to a target subform control that loads the requested database object, a second parameter identifying a name of the database object, and a third parameter identifying a type for the database object; and

in response to receiving the request, identifying the database object using the parameters of the URL and causing the requested database object to be displayed in the subform control in response to the request.

2. The computer storage medium of claim 1, wherein the URL further comprises a fourth parameter identifying a page of the database object that should be made a current page.

3. The computer storage medium of claim 2, wherein the URL further comprises a fifth parameter identifying a data mode for the database object.

4. The computer storage medium of claim 3, wherein the data mode comprises an add mode, an edit mode, or a read-only mode.

5. The computer storage medium of claim 3, wherein the database object comprises a database form or a database report, and wherein the third parameter identifies whether the database object is a database form or a database report.

6. The computer storage medium of claim 3, wherein the URL further comprises a sixth parameter specifying a where condition for a record source of the database object.

7. The computer storage medium of claim 3, having further computer executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

receive a request to execute a macro action for opening a form; and

in response to the receiving the request, to open the form and to update the URL to reflect the opening of the form.

8. The computer storage medium of claim 3, having further computer executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

receive a request to execute a macro action to open a report; and

in response to the receiving the request, to open the report and to update the URL to reflect the opening of the report.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 3, having further computer executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

receive a request to execute a macro action for showing a record; and

in response to the receiving the request, to cause the record to be displayed and to update the URL to reflect the displaying of the record.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 3, having further computer executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

receive a request to execute a macro action for browsing to a database object in-place; and

in response to the receiving the request, to cause the database object to be displayed in-place and to update the URL to reflect the displaying of the database object.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 3, having further computer executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

receive a request from a user interface control to display a database object; and

in response to the receiving the request from the user interface control, to cause the database object to be displayed and to update the URL to reflect the displaying of the database object.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the user interface control comprises a navigation control.

13. A computer-implemented method for displaying a database object in-place, the method comprising performing computer-implemented operations for:

receiving a request to display a database object in-place, the request including a first parameter identifying a path to a target subform control that loads the requested database object, a second parameter identifying a name of the database object, and a third parameter identifying a type for the database object; and

in response to receiving the request, identifying the database object using parameters and causing the requested database object to be displayed in-place in the subform control in response to the request.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the request to display the database object in-place comprises a request to execute a macro action for displaying a database object in-place.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the request further comprises a fourth parameter identifying a page of the database object that should be made a current page when the database object is displayed in-place in the subform control.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the request further comprises a fifth parameter identifying a data mode for the database object.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the data mode comprises an add mode, an edit mode, or a read-only mode.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein the database object comprises a database form or a database report, and wherein the third parameter identifies whether the database object is a database form or a database report.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the request further comprises a sixth parameter specifying a where condition for a record source of the database object.

20. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to:

receive a request for a database object, the request comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) having a first parameter identifying a path to a target subform control that loads the requested database object, a second parameter identifying a name of the database object, a third parameter identifying the database object as a form or report, a fourth parameter identifying a page of the form or report that should be made a current page, a fifth parameter identifying a data mode for the form or report, and a sixth parameter specifying a where condition for a record source of the form or report; and

in response to receiving the request, generating the form or report using the parameters of the URL and causing the requested form or report to be displayed in the subform control in response to the request, and wherein the URL is updated in response to the execution of a macro action for opening a form, opening a report, showing a record, or browsing to a form or a report.