Script-based user interface implementation defining components using a text markup language

• US 6,188,401 B1
• Filed: 03/25/1998
• Issued: 02/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Peyer, Sven
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US09/048,829
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 345/333-335, 345/339, 345/348, 345/357, 707/104, 707/501, 707/513, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/302-303
• US Class Current: 715/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

A computer system as described herein comprises a first browser instance that displays and navigates hyperlinked browsable content. A global script, in the JavaScript language, is responsible for user interface functions. The global script includes event handlers that respond to identified events. A supervisory application program calls the event handlers in response to the defined events. In addition, the supervisory application program exposes methods that allow the global script to open and close dialogs that are specified as HTML files. Such dialogs are displayed in a second browser instance. The global script uses this capability to create appropriate user interface displays in response to system events.

Claims

1. A computer program stored on one or more computer-readable storage media, the program comprising:

a hyperlink browser that displays and navigates hyperlinked browsable content from a network;

a plurality of graphical user interface components that are independent of the hyperlinked browsable content, each graphical user interface component comprising a document written in a text markup language;

a global script file that is specified to the computer program during execution of the computer program;

an open interface method that is callable from the global script file during execution of the computer program to render a specified one of the graphical user interface components in conjunction with the hyperlinked browsable content;

a close interface method that is callable from the global script file during execution of the computer program to close said specified one of the graphical user interface components;

wherein the global script file and the graphical user interface components expose methods and properties;

wherein the global script file can access the methods and properties exposed by the graphical user interface components; and

the graphical user interface components can access the methods and properties exposed by the global script file.

2. A computer program as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface components are specified to the open interface as uniform resource locators.

3. A computer program as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface components are specified to the open interface as file specifications.

4. A computer program as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the graphical user interface components includes a script.

5. A computer program as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the computer program calls event handlers of the script file in response to defined events;

the event handlers of the script file call the open and close interfaces to manage graphical user interface components.

6. A computer program as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the script file includes a plurality of event handlers;

wherein the computer program calls the event handlers in response to defined events; and

wherein the event handlers call the open and close interface methods to designate user interface components for rendering in conjunction with the hyperlinked browsable content.

7. A computer program as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

the script file comprising a plurality of event handlers;

wherein the computer program calls the event handlers in response to defined events; and

wherein the event handlers call the open and close interface methods to designate user interface components for rendering in conjunction with the hyperlinked browsable content.

8. A method of implementing a user interface in conjunction with hyperlinked browsable information content from a network, the method comprising:

executing a first browser instance to display and navigate hyperlinked browsable content;

executing a global script that is responsible for user interface functions, wherein the global script includes event handlers;

calling event handlers of the global script in response to defined events;

the event handlers specifying graphical user interface components, wherein each graphical user interface component comprises a document written in a text markup language;

executing a second browser instance to display the graphical user interface components in response to calls from the global scripts;

exposing methods and properties from the global script file and the graphical user interface components;

accessing the methods and properties of the graphical user interface components from the global script; and

accessing the methods and properties of the global script file from the graphical user interface components.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the global script is written in the JavaScript language.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the graphical user interface components are written in a form of SGML.

11. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the graphical user interface components are written in a form of HTML.

12. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the graphical user interface components are specified as uniform resource locators.

13. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the graphical user interface components are specified as file specifications.

14. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein at least one of the graphical user interface components includes a script.

15. A computer-readable storage medium containing instructions for performing the method recited in claim 8.

16. A computer system comprising:

one or more data processors;

a first browser instance that displays and navigates hyperlinked browsable content, wherein the one or more data processors execute the first browser instance;

a global script that is responsible for user interface functions, wherein the global script includes event handlers, and wherein the one or more data processors execute the global script;

a supervisory application program that calls event handlers of the global script in response to defined events, wherein the one or more data processors execute the supervisory application program;

a plurality of graphical user interface components comprising documents written in a text markup language;

wherein the global script calls the supervisory application program to display selected ones of the graphical user interface components in response to the defined events;

a second browser instance that displays the graphical user interface components in response to calls from the global script, wherein the one or more data processors execute the second browser instance;

the global script and the graphical user interface components exposes methods and properties;

the global script can access the methods and properties of the graphical user interface components; and

the graphical user interface components can access the methods and properties of the global script.

17. A computer system as recited in claim 16, wherein the global script specifies the graphical user interface components as uniform resource locators.

18. A computer system as recited in claim 16, wherein the global script specifies the graphical user interface components as file specifications.

19. A computer system as recited in claim 16, wherein at least one of the graphical user interface components includes a script.

20. A computer system as recited in claim 16, wherein the global script is written in the JavaScript language.

21. A computer system as recited in claim 16, wherein the graphical user interface components are written in a form of SGML.

22. A computer system as recited in claim 16, wherein the graphical user interface components are written in a form of HTML.

23. A computer-readable storage medium containing instructions for implementing a user interface in conjunction with hyperlinked browsable information content from a network, the instructions being executable by a computer to perform steps comprising:

executing a first browser instance to display and navigate hyperlinked browsable content;

executing a global script that is responsible for user interface functions, wherein the global script includes event handlers and exposes methods;

calling event handlers of the global script in response to defined events;

the global script specifying graphical user interface components in response to the defined events, wherein each graphical user interface component comprises a document written in a text markup language, and wherein at least some of the graphical user interface components exposes a method;

executing a second browser instance to display the graphical user interface components in response to calls from the global script;

accessing the methods of the global script from the graphical user interface components;

accessing the methods of the graphical user interface components from the global script.