Method and system for querying and executing commands of an application program

• US 6,446,135 B1
• Filed: 03/05/1996
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hodges, C. Douglas, Koppolu, Srinivasa R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fourson, Gary Scott
• Application Number:
  US08/611,209
• Time in Patent Office: 2,373 Days
• Field of Search: 707/515, 707/516, 395/680, 395/682, 395/683, 709/328, 709/315, 709/313
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

A method and system for querying and executing commands of an application program are provided. A caller application program may dispatch a request for status information to a callee application program for one or more commands. That is, the caller application program can determine which commands a callee application program provides and determine the status of each of those commands. In particular, the caller application program may request a bit representation of the status of a command, may request a textual representation of a status of the command, or may request a textual representation of the name of a command. In addition, the caller application program may dispatch a request to execute a command to the callee application program. Moreover, the caller application program may specify whether the callee application program should request user input before executing the command. Furthermore, the caller application program may request that the callee application program provide help information for the command rather than execute the command. Additionally, predefined commands are provided and application defined commands can be defined.

Claims

1. In a data processing system, a method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

providing a first stand alone application program;

providing a second stand alone application program, the second stand alone application program having a plurality of commands, each of the commands representing an action that is performable by the second stand alone application program and having a status that indicates a current condition of that command;

requesting at the first stand alone application program through a command dispatch protocol that supports a command based interface the status of one of the commands of the second stand alone application program;

under control of the second stand alone application program and through the command dispatch protocol,

determining the status of the requested one of the commands;

forwarding the status of the requested one of the commands to the first stand alone application program; and

receiving the status of the requested one of the commands at the first stand alone application program from the second application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the commands is a command defined by the second stand alone application program.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting at the first stand alone application program from the second stand alone application program a status of a plurality of commands;

under control of the second stand alone application program and through the command dispatch protocol,

determining the status of each of the requested commands; and

forwarding the status of each of the requested commands to the first stand alone application program; and

receiving the status of each of the requested commands at the first stand alone application program from the second application.

4. In a data processing system having an operating system and a user interface, a method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

providing a first stand alone application program, the first application having a plurality of commands, each of the commands from the first stand alone application program representing an action that is performable by the first stand alone application program;

providing a second stand alone application program, the second stand alone application program having a plurality of commands, each of the commands from the second stand alone application program representing an action that is performable by the second stand alone application program;

in a user interface, displaying one of the plurality of commands from the first stand alone application program as executable and one of the plurality of commands from the second stand alone application program as executable, simultaneously in a common toolbar;

requesting at the first stand alone application program and through a command dispatch protocol that supports a command based interface a name of one of the displayed commands from the second stand alone application program, the name providing a textual representation of one of the commands;

under control of the second stand alone application program and through the command dispatch protocol,

determining the name of the requested one of the commands; and

forwarding the determined name of the requested one of the commands to the first stand alone application program; and

receiving the determined name of the requested one of the commands at the first stand alone application program from the second stand alone application program.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the commands from the second stand alone application program is a command defined by the second stand alone application program.

6. In a data processing system having an operating system and a user interface, a method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

providing a first stand alone application program, the first stand alone application program having a plurality of commands, each of the commands from the first stand alone application program representing an action that is performable by the first stand alone application program;

providing a second stand alone application program, the second stand alone application program having a plurality of commands, each of the commands from the second stand alone application program representing an action that is performable by the second, stand alone application program and having a status that indicates a current condition of that command;

in a user interface, displaying one of the plurality of commands from the first stand alone application program as executable and one of the plurality of commands from the second stand alone application program as executable, simultaneously;

requesting at the first stand alone application program and through a command dispatch protocol that supports a command based interface a textual representation of the status of one of the commands displayed from the second stand alone application program;

under control of the second stand alone application program and through the command dispatch protocol,

determining the status of the requested one of the commands;

determining the textual representation of the status of the requested one of the commands; and

forwarding the determined textual representation of the status of the requested one of the commands to the first stand alone application program; and

receiving the determined textual representation of the status of the requested one of the commands at the first stand alone application program from the second stand alone application program.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the commands from the second stand alone application program is a command defined by the second stand alone application program.

8. In a data processing system having a processor running a first stand alone application program, a method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

providing a first stand alone application program with associated commands, where each of the associated commands represents an action that is performable by the first stand alone application program;

providing a second stand alone application program with associated commands, where each of the associated commands represents an action that is performable by the second stand alone application program and having a status that indicates the current condition of that command;

providing a command dispatch protocol that supports a command based interface for performing command queries and command execution;

displaying one of the commands associated with the first stand alone application program as being executable and one of the commands associated with the second stand alone application program as being executable, simultaneously in a common toolbar;

under control of the first stand alone application program, receiving a request to execute one of the associated commands of the second stand alone application program; and

under control of the second stand alone application program, executing the requested command.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein after the step of under control of the second stand alone application program, executing the requested one of the associated commands, returning to the first stand alone application program an indication of whether the action was performed successfully.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of under control of the first stand alone application, receiving a request to execute one of the associated commands of the second stand alone application program further comprises the first stand alone application program providing the second stand alone application program with an execution option through the command dispatch protocol which indicates whether to prompt a user for input prior to performing the action represented by the executed one of the associated commands.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of under control of the first stand alone application program, receiving a request to execute one of the associated commands of the second stand alone application program further comprises the first stand alone application program providing the second stand alone application program with an execution option through the command dispatch protocol which indicates whether to perform the action represented by the executed one of the associated commands or provide help information for the executed one of the associated commands.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the associated commands is a command defined by the second stand alone application program.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein each of the associated commands has a status indicating a current condition of that command and wherein the step of under control of the second stand alone application program, executing the requested one of the associated commands further comprises:

determining at the second stand alone application program through the command dispatch protocol whether the status of the requested one of the associated commands indicates that the requested one of the associated commands is executable; and

when the requested one of the associated commands is executable, performing the action represented by the executed one of the associated commands.

14. In a data processing system having an operating system and a user interface, a method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

providing a first stand alone application program, the first stand alone application program providing a compound document, the compound document being a word processing document that contains data in different formats, including server data which is data in a server format, the first stand alone application program having a first command that represents an action which is performable by the first stand alone application program on the compound document;

providing a second stand alone application program, the second. stand alone application program for viewing and editing the server data contained in the compound document provided by the first stand alone application program, the second stand alone application program having a second command not defined to the first application which represents an action that is performable by the second stand alone application program on the server data;

providing a command dispatch protocol that supports a command based interface for performing command queries and command execution;

in the user interface, displaying the first command as executable and the second command as executable, simultaneously in a common toolbar;

under the control of the first stand alone application program,

receiving a selection for the first command;

performing the action represented by the first command on the compound document;

receiving a selection for the second command;

initiating a request from the first stand alone application program to the second stand alone application program through the command dispatch protocol to execute the second command on the server data in the compound document.

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

when the second stand alone application program receives the request for the second command, the second stand alone application program executing the second command on the server data contained in the compound document provided by the first stand alone, application program; and

returning control to the first stand alone application program.

16. In a data processing system having a video display and a processor running a first stand alone application program and a second stand alone application program, the first stand alone application program having a first object and a first window environment, the second stand alone application program having a second object which is contained within the first object, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

providing a first command defined to the first stand alone application program representing an action that is performable by the first stand alone application program on the first object;

providing a second command defined to the second stand alone application program and not defined to the first stand alone application program representing an action that is performable by the second stand alone application program on the second object;

providing a command dispatch protocol that supports a command based interface;

displaying the first object within the first window environment on the video display;

displaying the second object within the first object in the displayed first window environment on the video display;

displaying the first command as executable and the second command as executable on the video display, simultaneously; and

under the control of the first stand alone application program,

when the displayed first command is selected by a user, the first stand alone application program performing the action requested by the displayed first command on the first object; and

when the displayed second command is selected by the user the object oriented command dispatch protocol interface receiving a request from the first stand alone application program, and the second stand alone application program performing the action represented by the displayed second command on the second object in accordance with the request forwarded to the second stand alone application program by the command dispatch protocol.

17. In a data processing system, a method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

providing a processor that runs a first stand alone application program and a second stand alone application program, the second application having associated commands, each of the associated commands representing an action that is performable by the second stand alone application program and having a status that indicates the current condition of that command;

providing a command dispatch protocol that supports a command based interface which is executable by the first stand alone application program to obtain status information on one of the associated commands, the first stand alone application program specifying one of the associated commands;

executing at the first stand alone application program the command dispatch protocol, specifying one of the associated commands; and

providing at the second stand alone application program status information on the specified one of the associated commands, upon the first application executing the command dispatch protocol.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the associated commands is a command defined by the second stand alone application program.

19. A data processing system comprising:

a processor that runs a first stand alone application program and a second stand alone application program, the second stand alone application program having associated commands, each of the associated commands representing an action that is performable by the second stand alone application program and having a status that indicates a current condition of that command;

a video display for displaying each of the associated commands;

a command dispatch protocol that supports a command based interface that includes;

a status message generator for determining status information about one of the associated commands of the second stand alone application program, the status message generator comprising;

a status message receiver for receiving from the first stand alone application program a request for status information about one of the associated commands of the second stand alone application program, the request specifying one of the associated commands;

a status message source for retrieving from the second stand alone application program the requested status information about the specified one of the associated commands; and

a status message provider for returning to the first stand alone application program the requested status information about the specified one of the associated commands.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the requested status information is a name of one of the commands, the name providing a textual representation of one of the commands.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the requested status information is a textual representation of a status of one of the commands.

22. A data processing system comprising:

a processor that runs a first stand alone application program and a. second stand alone application program, the second stand alone application program having associated commands, each of the associated commands representing an action that is performable by the second stand alone application program and having a status that indicates the current condition of that command;

a video display for displaying each of the associated commands;

a command dispatch protocol that supports a command based interface, that includes a command executing mechanism for executing one of the associated commands of the second stand alone application program, the command executing mechanism comprising;

a command receiver for receiving from the first stand alone application program a request to execute one of the associated commands of the second stand alone application program, the request specifying one of the associated commands; and

a command performer for performing the action represented by the specified one of the associated commands at the second stand alone application program.