Extensible user interface for viewing objects over a network

• US 6,501,491 B1
• Filed: 09/21/1998
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: De Vorchik, David G., Brown, Eric C., Harriger, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/157,773
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 707/103, 707/100, 707/104, 707/10, 345/702, 345/744, 345/764, 345/853
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

An extensible common data access user interface is disclosed. The interface operates by storing user interface information in a display database, preferably part of a directory services database, and then coupling that user interface information to the data it will display. The directory service database data to be displayed via the user interface information is in the form of data records of a predefined type stored on at least one of the servers. A second database, preferably part of the same directory service, is stored on the same or another server. The second database contains display records of display information that indicates how records of the predefined type are to be displayed. The predefined record type and the display record are coupled together, preferably by sharing a common naming convention, so that a workstation can display data records of the predefined type by locating the corresponding display record.

Claims

1. In a network comprising a plurality of computers coupled together, wherein at least one of the computers is a server and at least one of the computers is a client in communication with the server, a system for providing an extensible display interface to the client, comprising:

a plurality of data objects wherein the objects have a class selected from a plurality of data object classes, the plurality of data objects being stored on at least one of the plurality of computers;

a plurality of display specifiers, wherein each display specifier corresponds to one of the data object classes such that each display specifier defines the display of the corresponding data object, the plurality of display specifiers being stored on at least one of the plurality of computers; and

wherein each of the data object classes is linked to the corresponding display specifier so that a display specifier for a data object is retrievable by the client based on the data object class.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the link between a data object class and a corresponding display specifier comprises a name link such that a display specifier has a name as a function of the name of a corresponding data object class.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein each DS name comprises at least a portion of the name of its corresponding data object.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a schema wherein the link between a data object class and a corresponding display specifier comprises defining a pointer in the schema defining the data object class, the pointer pointing to the location of the corresponding display specifier.

5. The system as recited in claim 4 wherein the schema comprises a set of attributes for each of the data object classes.

6. The system as recited in claim 5 wherein the display specifier comprises an object and wherein the schema comprises a set of attributes for a display specifier type defining the display specifier object.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein each display specifier comprises a plurality of records and wherein each record defines a portion of the display.

8. The system as recited in claim 7 wherein each record comprises a pointer to display code for displaying a portion of the data object.

9. The system as recited in claim 7 wherein the pointer comprises a class identifier.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a directory service wherein the data objects are stored in the directory service.

11. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a directory service wherein the display specifiers are stored in the directory service.

12. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the display specifiers are objects in the directory service.

13. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of computers further define a domain, the domain comprising a directory service and wherein the data objects and the display specifiers are stored in the directory service.

14. The system as recited in claim 13 wherein the directory service is accessed via the server.

15. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of data object classes comprise a user object class.

16. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of data object classes comprise an administrator object class.

17. In a system comprising at least one client having a display coupled thereto, and a network coupling the client to a directory service that stores attributes of a plurality of system resources, a system for displaying the system resources on the client display, comprising:

a plurality of data objects, each object containing attributes for one of the system resources, wherein each of the data objects is identified as being categorized in one of a predefined set of object types; and

a plurality of display specifier (DS) objects, wherein each of the DS objects is identified as corresponding to one of the predefined set of object types, and wherein each of the DS objects contains information defining how a data object of the same type as the DS object is to be displayed.

18. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein the data objects and DS objects are stored in a DS container.

19. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein the DS container is stored in a container having a predefined name designating the location of the container.

20. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein each DS object is linked to data objects of the same type via a pointer.

21. The system as recited in claim 20 wherein the pointers are stored in a schema.

22. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein each DS object is linked to data objects of the same type via a predefined object naming convention.

23. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein each DS object is accessible via a directory service.

24. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein at least one DS object contains a pointer to computer readable instructions.

25. A method for providing a user interface to data objects in an extensible database, wherein the database is accessible to a plurality of clients over a computer network, comprising the steps of:

providing a hierarchical directory service on the computer network;

storing a schema in the directory service wherein data objects of a particular class are defined by a data object class;

storing a display specifier defining the display of the data objects; and

coupling the display specifier to the data objects by way of the data object class.

26. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein the coupling step further comprises the step of:

storing the display specifier in the schema as attributes of each particular object class.

27. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein the coupling step further comprises the step of:

storing a pointer to a display specifier as an attribute of each particular object class stored in the schema.

28. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein the coupling step further comprises the step of:

naming a display specifier with a name derived from the coupled object class name.

29. The method as recited in claim 28 wherein the display specifier name comprises the coupled object class name.

30. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein the display specifier name comprises one of a prefix and a suffix indicative of a display object.

31. The method as recited in claim 25 further comprising the steps:

storing computer readable instructions that display at least a portion of the user interface; and

coupling the computer readable instructions to the data objects by way of the display specifier.

32. The method as recited in claim 31 wherein the step of coupling the computer readable instructions comprises the step of:

providing a pointer to a plurality of computer readable instructions in the display specifier.

33. The method as recited in claim 32 further comprising the step of:

providing a plurality of computer readable instructions in a software database accessible to the plurality of clients.

34. The method as recited in claim 33 wherein said database comprises a class store.

35. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for providing a user interface to attributes of system resources stored in a directory service, said computer executable instructions performing the steps of:

(a) defining attributes of an object class for a system resource to be accessible via a directory service;

(b) defining display attributes for the object class; and

(c) linking the display attributes to the object class.

36. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 35 wherein step (c) comprises the step of:

storing the display attributes defined in step (b) in the object class defined in step (a).

37. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 35 wherein the step (c) comprises the steps of:

grouping the display attributes defined in step (b) into a display object; and

adding an attribute to the object class defined in step (a) for pointing to the display object defined in step (b).

38. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 35 wherein the step (c) comprises the steps of:

naming the object class defined in step (a)

grouping the display attributes defined in step (b) into a display object; and

naming the display object with a name as a function of the object class name.

39. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 38 wherein the naming function comprises the step of:

setting the display object to a name comprising the object class.

40. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 35 wherein the step (b) comprises the further steps of:

defining a plurality of computer readable display instructions for displaying at least some of the system attributes defined by the object class;

coupling the display instructions to the object class by way of at least one display attribute.

41. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 40 wherein the step of coupling the display instructions comprises the step of:

providing a pointer in the display attribute that points to the display instructions.