Method and system for merging menus of application programs

• US 5,706,458 A
• Filed: 03/05/1996
• Issued: 01/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Koppolu, Srinivasa R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KATBAB, ABDOLLAH
• Application Number:
  US08/611,208
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 395/352, 395/353
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A method and system for generating a merged menu list using a conflict resolution protocol. The conflict resolution (CR) protocol includes container menus of a container application and server menus of a server application. The container application has a container object and a container window environment, and the server application has a containee object which is contained within the container object. The CR protocol displays the container window environment and displays the containee object within the displayed container window environment. When the displayed containee object is selected, the CR protocol merges the container menus and the server menus into a merged menu list. In particular, when a container menu corresponds to a server menu, the CR protocol creates a combined menu and adds the combined menu to the merged menu list. Then, the CR protocol adds the container menu as a container sub-menu of the added combined menu in the merged menu list and adds the server menu as a server sub-menu of the added combined menu in the merged menu list. When a container menu does not correspond to any of the server menus, the CR protocol adds the container menu to the merged menu list. When a server menu does not correspond to any of the container menus, the CR protocol adds the server menu to the merged menu list. In addition, the CR protocol displays the merged menu list. When the combined menu is selected from the displayed merged menu list, the CR protocol displays the container sub-menu of the combined menu and the server sub-menu of the combined menu. When the displayed container sub-menu is selected, the CR protocol invokes the container application to process the container sub-menu, and when the server sub-menu is selected, the CR protocol invokes the server application to process the server sub-menu.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for generating a merged menu list for container menus of a container application and server menus of a server application, the container application having a container object and a container window environment, the server application having a containee object which is contained within the container object, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

displaying the container window environment;

displaying the containee object within the displayed container window environment;

activating the displayed containee object; and

in response to activating the displayed containee object,

when a container menu corresponds to a server menu,

generating a combined menu;

adding the generated combined menu to the merged menu list;

adding the container menu as a container sub-menu of the added combined menu in the merged menu list; and

adding the server menu as a server sub-menu of the added combined menu in the merged menu list;

when a container menu does not correspond to any of the server menus, adding the container menu to the merged menu list;

when a server menu does not correspond to any of the container menus, adding the server menu to the merged menu list; and

displaying the merged menu list, wherein when the combined menu is selected from the displayed merged menu list,

displaying the container sub-menu of the combined menu and the server sub-menu of the combined menu; and

when the displayed container sub-menu is selected, invoking the container application to process the container sub-menu, and when the server sub-menu is selected, invoking the server application to process the server sub-menu.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein, after displaying the container sub-menu of the combined menu and the server sub-menu of the combined menu, when the displayed container sub-menu or the displayed server sub-menu is selected, invoking the container application to process that sub-menu.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein, when the displayed container sub-menu is selected, the container application processes the container sub-menu.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein, when the displayed server sub-menu is selected, the container application invokes the server application to process the server sub-menu.

5. The method of claim 1 including, after the step of displaying the merged menu list, the step of removing the merged menu list.

6. A method in a computer system for merging a container menu of a container application with a server menu of a server application, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

determining whether the container menu corresponds to the server menu;

when the container menu corresponds to the server menu,

creating a combined menu;

adding the container menu as a sub-menu of the combined menu; and

adding the server menu as a sub-menu of the combined menu.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the container application has a container application name and the step of adding the container menu as a sub-menu of the combined menu further comprises generating a container sub-menu name for identifying the sub-menu based on the container application name.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the server application has a server application name and the step of adding the server menu as a sub-menu of the combined menu further comprises generating a server sub-menu name for identifying the sub-menu based on the server application name.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying the combined menu;

in response to a user selecting the displayed combined menu, displaying the container sub-menu of the combined menu and the server sub-menu of the combined menu; and

when the displayed container sub-menu is selected, invoking the container application to process the container sub-menu, and when the server sub-menu is selected, invoking the server application to process the server sub-menu.

10. A method in a computer system for merging a container menu of a container application and a server menu of a server application, the container application having a container object and a container window environment, the container application having an associated merged menu list, the server application having a containee object which is contained within the container object, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

displaying the container window environment;

displaying the containee object within the displayed container window environment;

activating the displayed containee object; and

in response to activating the displayed containee object,

generating a combined menu and adding the generated combined menu to the merged menu list;

adding the container menu as a container sub-menu of the combined menu and the server menu as a server sub-menu of the combined menu in the merged menu list; and

displaying the merged menu list.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in response to a user selecting the displayed combined menu in the displayed merged menu list, displaying the container sub-menu and the server sub-menu; and

in response to the user selecting the container sub-menu or the server sub-menu, invoking the container application to process that sub-menu.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein, in response to a user selecting the displayed container sub-menu, invoking the container application to process the container sub-menu.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein, in response to a user selecting the displayed server sub-menu, the container application invoking the server application to process the server sub-menu.

14. A method in a computer system for merging container menus of a container application with server menus of a server application into a merged menu list, the merged menu list having container menu groups and server menu groups, the container application having a container object and a container window environment, the server application having a containee object which is contained within the container object, the computer system having a menu merging protocol for enabling the container application to add container menus to the container menu groups of the merged menu list and for enabling a server application to add server menus to the server menu groups of the merged menu list, wherein when a container menu corresponds to a server menu, the menu merging protocol allows the server application to add its corresponding server menu to the merged menu list but does not allow the container application to add its corresponding container menu to the merged menu list, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

displaying the container window environment;

displaying the containee object within the displayed container window environment;

activating the displayed containee object; and

in response to activating the displayed containee object,

requesting at the server application that the container application add container menus to the merged menu list;

under control of the container application,

generating a combined menu;

adding the generated combined menu to the merged menu list;

adding the corresponding container menu as a container sub-menu of the added combined menu; and

adding container menus other than the corresponding container menu to the merged menu list;

under control of the server application,

determining whether the container application added a combined menu to the merged menu list;

when it is determined that the container application added a combined menu to the merged menu list, adding the corresponding server menu as a server sub-menu of the added combined menu in the merged menu list;

when it is determined that the container application has not added a combined menu to the merged menu list, adding the corresponding server menu to the merged menu list; and

adding server menus other than the corresponding server menu to the merged menu list;

requesting at the server application that the container application display the merged menu list;

under control of the container application,

determining whether the server application added the corresponding server menu as a server sub-menu to the combined menu;

when it is determined that the server application has not added a corresponding server menu as a server sub-menu to the combined menu,

removing the combined menu from the merged menu list; and

displaying the merged menu list;

when it is determined that the server application has added a server menu as a server sub-menu to the combined menu, displaying the merged menu list; and

installing dispatching code for processing a menu selection; and

after displaying the merged menu list, when the combined menu is selected from the displayed merged menu list,

displaying the container sub-menu of the combined menu and the server sub-menu of the combined menu;

when the displayed container sub-menu is selected, invoking the container application to process the selected container sub-menu; and

when the displayed server sub-menu is selected, invoking the server application to process the selected server sub-menu.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein after the step of displaying the container sub-menu of the combined menu and the server sub-menu of the combined menu, when the displayed container sub-menu or the displayed server sub-menu is selected, invoking the container application to process that sub-menu.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

when the displayed container sub-menu is selected, invoking the container application to process the container sub-menu; and

when the displayed server sub-menu is selected, the container application invoking the server application to process the server sub-menu.

17. A computer system for merging a container menu of a container application and a server menu of a server application, the container application having a container object and a container window environment, the container application having an associated merged menu list, the server application having a containee object which is contained within the container object, the system comprising:

means for displaying the container window environment;

means for displaying the containee object within the displayed container window environment;

means for activating the displayed containee object; and

means for, in response to activating the displayed containee object,

generating a combined menu and adding the generated combined menu to the merged menu list;

adding the container menu as a container sub-menu of the combined menu in the merged menu list;

adding the server menu as a server sub-menu of the combined menu in the merged menu list; and

displaying the merged menu list.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

when the displayed container sub-menu is selected, means for invoking the container application to process the container sub-menu; and

when the server sub-menu is selected, means for invoking the server application to process the server sub-menu.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising, when the removal of the merged menu list is requested, removing the merged menu list.

20. A method in a computer system for generating a merged menu list for container menus of a container application and server menus of a server application, the merged menu list having container menu groups and server menu groups, the container menus having container menu items, the server menus having server menu items, the container application having a container object and a container window environment, the server application having a containee object which is contained within the container object, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

displaying the container window environment;

displaying the containee object within the displayed container window environment;

activating the displayed containee object; and

in response to activating the displayed containee object,

when a container menu corresponds to a server menu,

generating a combined menu;

determining whether to add the generated combined menu to one of the container menu groups or one of the server menu groups;

adding the generated combined menu to the determined one of the menu groups in the merged menu list;

when it is determined that the combined menu is to be added to one of the container menu groups,

adding the container menu items in the container menu to the added combined menu in the merged menu list; and

adding the server menu as a server sub-menu of the added combined menu in the merged menu list; and

when it is determined that the combined menu is to be added to one of the server menu groups,

adding the server menu items in the server menu to the added combined menu in the merged menu list; and

adding the container menu as a container sub-menu of the added combined menu in the merged menu list.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

displaying the merged menu list;

determining that the combined menu is selected from the displayed merged menu list; and

when it is determined that the combined menu is selected from the displayed merged menu list,

when the combined menu was added to one of the container menu groups, displaying the container menu items and the server sub-menu of the combined menu in the merged menu list;

when the combined menu was added to one of the server menu groups, displaying the server menu items and the container sub-menu of the combined menu in the merged menu list;

when the displayed container sub-menu or one of the container menu items is selected, invoking the container application to process the selection; and

when the server sub-menu or one of the server menu items is selected, invoking the server application to process the selection.