Method for categorizing and installing selected software components

• US 6,370,686 B1
• Filed: 09/21/1998
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Larsson, Jeffrey E., Parulekar, Chetan A., Haar, Malcolm S., Delo, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZHEN, WEI Y
• Application Number:
  US09/157,695
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 395/712, 717/11, 707/3, 707/6
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A generic way of publishing globally available functionality that can be shared across applications. Utilizing an Installer Registry, an Installer, Descriptors and a Publish Component Table, related components can be retrieved using an qualifier. A request for a listing of related components, which includes a qualifier, is received from an application. The installer retrieves all the related components, matching the qualifier, from the Publish Component Table. The installer then retrieves the features associated with the components and presents the list of components to the application. The application then selects a specific component and the installer then determines the product associated with the selected component by using the feature and component information retrieved from the Publish Component Table. Once the product information is retrieved, the present invention searches the Installer Registry, using the product, feature and component information as a token, and returns a keypath for that token. If the keypath does not exist, the Installer installs the feature and associated component and then returns the keypath of the installed component.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a keypath associated with a component to an application, wherein the keypath is the location where the component is installed, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from the application for the keypath associated with the component;

searching an installation registry containing the component to determine whether the keypath associated with the component exists;

in the event the associated keypath exists, transmitting the keypath to the application; and

in the event the associated keypath does not exist for the application, generating a keypath by establishing a smallest possible installable unit of the component, wherein the component is accessible by the application, and transmitting the generated keypath to the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a request from an application comprises:

receiving a request from the application for a list of components having a specified criteria;

transmitting to the application the list of components matching the specified criteria; and

receiving a request from the application for the keypath associated with the component selected from the list of components.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the specified criteria includes a category associated with the component.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

associating a character string for each component in the list of components; and

transmitting each character string to the application along with the list of components matching the specified criteria.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the component is performed by installing a feature associated with the component.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the component is performed by configuring an existing component.

7. A method of transmitting a keypath associated with a component to an application, wherein the keypath is the location where the component is installed, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from the application for a list of components having a specified criteria;

transmitting to the application the list of components matching the specified criteria;

receiving a request from the application for the keypath associated with one of the components contained in the list;

associating a product and a feature with the component;

searching an installation registry using the product, feature and component to find whether the keypath associated with the component exists;

in the event the associated keypath exists, transmitting the keypath to the application; and

in the event the associated keypath does not exist for the application, generating a keypath by establishing a smallest possible installable unit of the component, wherein the component is accessible by the application, and transmitting the generated keypath to the application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the specified criteria includes a category associated with the component.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of establishing the component is performed by installing a feature associated with the component.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

associating a character string for each component in the list of components; and

transmitting each character string to the application along with the list of components matching the specified criteria.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of establishing the component is performed by configuring an existing component.

12. A method of transmitting a keypath associated with a component to an application, wherein the keypath is the location where the component is installed, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for the keypath;

retrieving a feature associated with the component from a table;

retrieving a product associated with the feature and the component from a descriptor table, wherein the descriptor table associates related products, features and components;

searching a registry to determine whether a keypath exists for the component associated with the feature and product;

in the event the associated keypath exists, transmitting the keypath to the application; and

in the event the associated keypath does not exist for the application, generating a keypath by establishing a smallest possible installable unit of the component, wherein the component is accessible by the application, and transmitting the generated keypath to the application.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of receiving a request from an application comprises:

receiving a request from the application for a list of components having a specified criteria;

transmitting to the application the list of components matching the specified criteria; and

receiving a request from the application for the keypath associated with the component selected from the list of components.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

associating a character string for each component in the list of components; and

transmitting each character string to the application along with the list of components matching the specified criteria.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the specified criteria includes a category associated with the component.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of establishing the component is performed by installing a feature associated with the component.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the table is a Publish Component Table.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the registry is an Installer Registry.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of establishing the component is performed by configuring an existing component.

20. A method of communicating between an application and an installer in a computer system, comprising the steps of:

issuing, by the application, a provide qualified component call having a plurality of call parameters comprising a category ID and a qualifier, wherein the category ID indicates a common function among software components, the software components identifying a collection of resources that are installed or uninstalled as a unit;

receiving, by the installer, the provide qualified component call and parsing the call to retrieve the parameters, wherein, upon reception of the provide qualified component call, the installer is operative to return a location of a component associated with the category ID and the qualifier; and

issuing, by the installer, a provide qualified component acknowledgment having a plurality of parameters comprising the category ID and the qualifier.

21. A method of communicating between an application and an installer in a computer system, comprising the steps of:

issuing, by the application, an enumerate component qualifiers call having a plurality of call parameters comprising a category ID and a qualifier, wherein the category ID indicates a common function among software components, the software components identifying a collection of resources that are installed or uninstalled as a unit;

receiving, by the installer, the enumerate component qualifiers call and parsing the call to retrieve the parameters, wherein, upon reception of the enumerate component qualifiers call, the installer process is operative to return a component matching the qualifier parameter; and

issuing, by the installer, an enumerate component qualifiers acknowledgment having a plurality of parameters comprising the category ID and the qualifier.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the enumerate component qualifiers further comprises an AppData parameter that associates a string to the category ID.