Method for notifying client applications of events in a shared application in a computer system

• US 5,805,886 A
• Filed: 12/19/1996
• Issued: 09/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Elliott, John D., Skarbo, Rune A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberley, Alvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): COURTENAY III, ST JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/769,574
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 395/680, 395/683, 395/685
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method for notifying a client application program of an event in a shared application program in a computer system is disclosed. A client application program executing in the computer system registers a callback function during startup. The shared application program senses the event and maps the event to one of a set of registered client application programs. The callback function of the appropriate client application program is then invoked such that the callback function passes parameters for the event to the client application program.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

registering a callback function for each of one or more client application programs executing on a computer system;

sensing an event in a shared application program;

checking whether a client application program of the one or more client application programs is registered for a type indicator which maps to the event;

invoking the callback function of the client application program if the client application program is registered for the type indicator, wherein the callback function passes a parameter for the event to the client application program if the client application program is registered for the type indicator; and

launching a default client application program for the type indicator if no client application program is registered for the type indicator, and invoking a callback function of the default client application program after the default client application program registers a callback function.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the registering a callback function comprises invoking a register function call to a shared service library.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising invoking a notify function call to the shared service library.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the invoking the callback function of the client application program comprises invoking the callback function of the client application program from the shared service library in response to the notify function call.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the default client application program for the type indicator is specified in a shared application information file.

6. An apparatus comprising:

first logic to register a callback function for each of one or more client application programs executing on a computer system;

second logic to sense an event in a shared application program, and to check whether a client application program of the one or more client application programs is registered for a type indicator which maps to the event,

third logic to invoke the callback function of the client application program if the client application program is registered for the type indicator, wherein the callback function passes a parameter for the event to the client application program if the client application program is registered for the type indicator, and to launch a default client application program for the type indicator if no client application program is registered for the type indicator, and invoking a callback function of the default client application program after the default client application program registers a callback function.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first logic is also to invoke a register function call to a shared service library.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second logic is also to invoke a notify function call to the shared service library.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the third logic is also to invoke the callback function of the client application program from the shared service library in response to the notify function call.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the default client application program for the type indicator is specified in a shared application information file.

11. A method for sending notification messages from a shared address book dynamic link library application to a collection of client applications, said method comprising:

registering a callback function for one of said collection of client applications running on a computer system;

sensing an event in said shared address book dynamic link library application;

checking whether a client application of the collection of client applications is registered for a type indicator which maps to the event;

invoking said callback function of said client application if said client application is registered for the tape indicator, wherein said callback function passes a parameter for said event to said client application; and

launching a default client application for the type indicator if no client application is registered for the type indicator and invoking a callback function of the default client application after the default client application registers a callback function.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one of said client applications is a fax application program.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein one of said client applications is an address book applications program.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein one of said client applications is an E-mail application program.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a machine-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, executable by a processor, to implement a function to register a callback function for each of one or more client applications executing on a computer system, to sense an event in a shared application, to check whether a client application of the one or more client applications is registered for a type indicator which maps to the event, to invoke the callback function of the client application if the client application is registered for the type indicator, wherein the callback function passes a parameter for the event to the client application if the client application is registered for the type indicator, and to launch a default client application for the type indicator if no client application is registered for the type indicator, and invoking a callback function of the default client application after the default client application registers a callback function.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the default client application for the type indicator is specified in a shared application information file.