Shell extensions for an operating system

• US 6,160,550 A
• Filed: 09/08/1999
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Nakajima, Satoshi, Chew, Chee H., Belfiore, Joseph D., Guzak, Christopher J., Pitt, George H. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/392,344
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 345/335, 709/304, 709/305, 709/306, 709/201, 709/229, 707/103, 364/DIG. 1, 364/280, 364/281.3, 364/281.7, 364/282.1
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

An operating system provides extensions through which application developers may extend the capabilities of a shell of the operating system. For example, application developers may add menu items to context menus for objects that are visible within an integrated system name space. In addition, developers may add property sheet pages for such objects. Application developers also have the option of providing per-instance icons for each instance of an object. Application developers may provide data object extension handlers for customizing data sources on a per-object class basis and may provide drop target extension handlers on a per-object class basis to customize drop target behavior. Developers may additionally provide copy-hook handlers to regulate file system operations on objects. Developers may also extend the functionality provided by the shell of the operating system by adding their own custom name spaces to the integrated system name space. The mechanism provided by the operating system to add such a name space is polymorphic and transparent to users.

Claims

1. A method of transferring a computer program product from a first computer to a second computer connected to the first computer through a communications medium, comprising:

(a) accessing, on the first computer, computer-executable instructions which, when run on a data processing system having an operating system with a shell that provides functionality, an application program installed under the operating system, and a class of objects related to the application program, said class of objects having an associated object class identifier, perform the steps of;

(1) providing a shell extension handler for the class of objects to extend the functionality of the shell relative to the class of objects, said shell extension handler provided by the application program when the application program is installed under the operating system and being independent of the operating system; and

(2) running the shell extension handler to extend the functionality of the shell for an object in the class of objects when the object class identifier is invoked through the shell; and

(b) transferring the computer-executable instructions from the first computer to the second computer through the communications medium.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the data processing system further comprises a registry, and wherein said computer-executable instructions further comprise registering the shell extension handler in the registry so that the shell is aware of the shell extension handler.