Hosting objects in a windowed environment

• US 6,522,343 B2
• Filed: 07/15/1998
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sharpe, Tracy C., Sobeski, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/115,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20020054124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 345/333, 345/335, 345/339, 345/762, 345/744, 345/764, 709/303, 709/305, 709/39
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4492 Inheritance

Abstract

Hosting objects within a windowed environment is disclosed. In one embodiment, a computerized system includes a first object and a second object. The first object is of a first type, and requires siting within a windowed environment. The second object is of a second type, and sites the first object within the windowed environment. The first object may be a Component Object Model (COM)-type object typically utilized with versions of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system, the windowed environment may be a Java windowed environment, and the second object may be a Java object, such as a Java bean.

Claims

1. A computerized system for siting an object not conforming to an object programming model type of a windowed environment, where said non-conforming object conforms to another object model programming type not otherwise compatible to the object programming model type of the windowed environment, the system comprising:

a display device;

a processor operating under control of an object execution operating program to create the windowed environment for presentation on the display device in which objects conforming to the object programming model type of the windowed environment are sited; and

the object execution operating program operating to create for said non-conforming object a container object conforming to the object programming model type of the windowed environment to wrap said non-conforming object such that said non-conforming object is interfaced with via the container object in the windowed environment.

2. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the object model programming type of the windowed environment is Java-compatible.

3. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the other object model programming type is Component Object Model (COM).

4. The computerized system of claim 3, wherein the object programming model type of the windowed environment lacks an interface required by the non-conforming object for siting within the other object programming model type of another windowing environment, the system comprising the object execution operating program creating the container object to include said required interface lacking from the windowed environment for use in siting the non-conforming object in the windowed environment.

5. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the object programming model type of the windowed environment lacks information required by the non-conforming object for siting within the other object programming model type of another windowed environment, the system comprising the object execution operating program creating the container object to include an interface and attribute for supplying said required information lacking from the windowed environment for use in siting the non-conforming object in the windowed environment.

6. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the non-conforming object comprises an early binding object having a set of interfaces that remain invariant subsequent to initial execution of said object.

7. The computerized system of claim 6, further comprising the object execution operating program further operating to query said non-conforming object upon execution thereof to discover interfaces and attributes thereof, to create a class file of the container object, and to create a static look-up table configured to map the discovered interfaces and attributes of the non-conforming object to corresponding interfaces and attributes of the container object.

8. The computerized system of claim 7, wherein the attributes comprise at least one attribute of the group essentially consisting of:

properties, methods, and events.

9. The computerized system of claim 1, wherein the non-conforming object comprises a late binding object having a set of interfaces accessible to clients that varies during execution.

10. The computerized system of claim 9, further comprising the object execution operating program further operating to query said non-conforming object upon execution thereof to discover interfaces and attributes thereof, to create a class file of the container object, and to create a dynamic look-up table configured to map the discovered interfaces and attributes of the non-conforming object to corresponding interfaces and attributes of the container object the object execution operating program further operating to discover differing interfaces and attributes of said non-conforming object made accessible to clients during said non-conforming object'"'"'s run-time, to create a sub-class of the class file taking into account the differing interfaces and attributes, and to dynamically update the dynamic look-up table to map the differing interfaces and attributes of the non-conforming object to corresponding interfaces and attributes of the container object.

11. The computerized system of claim 10, wherein the attributes comprise at least one attribute of the group essentially consisting of:

properties, methods, and events.

12. In a computer, a method of siting an object not conforming to an object programming model type of a windowed environment, where said non-conforming object conforms to another object model programming type not otherwise compatible to the object programming model type of the windowed environment, the method comprising:

under control of an object execution operating program running on the computer;

creating the windowed environment for presentation on a display device in which objects conforming to the object programming model type of the windowed environment are sited;

for said non-conforming object, creating a container object conforming to the object programming model type of the windowed environment to wrap said non-conforming object such that said non-conforming object is interfaced with via the container object in the windowed environment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the object programming model type of the windowed environment lacks an interface required by the non-conforming object for siting within the other object programming model type of another windowing environment, the method further comprising, under control of an object execution operating program running on the computer:

creating the container object to include said required interface lacking from the windowed environment for use in siting the non-conforming object in the windowed environment.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the object programming model type of the windowed environment lacks information required by the non-conforming object for siting within the other object programming model type of another windowed environment, the method further comprising, under control of an object execution operating program running on the computer:

creating the container object to include an interface and attribute for supplying said required information lacking from the windowed environment for use in siting the non-conforming object in the windowed environment.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the non-conforming object comprises an early binding object having a set of interfaces that remain invariant subsequent to initial execution of said object, the method further comprising, under control of an object execution operating program running on the computer:

querying said non-conforming object upon execution thereof to discover interfaces and attributes thereof;

creating a class file of the container object; and

creating a static look-up table configured to map the discovered interfaces and attributes of the non-conforming object to corresponding interfaces and attributes of the container object.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the non-conforming object comprises a late binding object having a set of interfaces accessible to clients that varies during execution, the method further comprising, under control of an object execution operating program running on the computer:

querying said non-conforming object upon execution thereof to discover interfaces and attributes thereof;

creating a class file of the container object;

creating a dynamic look-up table configured to map the discovered interfaces and attributes of the non-conforming object to corresponding interfaces and attributes of the container object;

discovering differing interfaces and attributes of said non-conforming object made accessible to clients during said non-conforming object'"'"'s run-time;

creating a sub-class of the class file taking into account the differing interfaces and attributes; and

dynamically updating the dynamic look-up table to map the differing interfaces and attributes of the non-conforming object to corresponding interfaces and attributes of the container object.

17. A computer-readable data carrying medium having carried thereon an object execution operating program for execution on a computer for siting an object not conforming to an object programming model type of a windowed environment, where said non-conforming object conforms to another object model programming type not otherwise compatible to the object programming model type of the windowed environment, the object execution operating program comprising:

program code instructions for creating the windowed environment for presentation on a display device in which objects conforming to the object programming model type of the windowed environment are sited;

program code instructions creating, for said non-conforming object, a container object conforming to the object programming model type of the windowed environment to wrap said non-conforming object such that said non-conforming object is interfaced with via the container object in the windowed environment.

18. The computer-readable data carrying medium of claim 17, wherein the object programming model type of the windowed environment lacks an interface required by the non-conforming object for siting within the other object programming model type of another windowing environment, the object execution operating program further comprising:

program code instructions for creating the container object to include said required interface lacking from the windowed environment for use in siting the non-conforming object in the windowed environment.

19. The computer-readable data carrying medium of claim 17, wherein the object programming model type of the windowed environment lacks information required by the non-conforming object for siting within the other object programming model type of another windowed environment, the object execution operating program further comprising:

program code instructions for creating the container object to include an interface and attribute for supplying said required information lacking from the windowed environment for use in siting the non-conforming object in the windowed environment.

20. The computer-readable data carrying medium of claim 17, wherein the non-conforming object comprises an early binding object having a set of interfaces that remain invariant subsequent to initial execution of said object, the object execution operating program further comprising:

program code instructions for querying said non-conforming object upon execution thereof to discover interfaces and attributes thereof;

program code instructions for creating a class file of the container object; and

program code instructions for creating a static look-up table configured to map the discovered interfaces and attributes of the non-conforming object to corresponding interfaces and attributes of the container object.

21. The computer-readable data carrying medium of claim 17, wherein the non-conforming object comprises a late binding object having a set of interfaces accessible to clients that varies during execution, the object execution operating program further comprising:

program code instructions for querying said non-conforming object upon execution thereof to discover interfaces and attributes thereof;

program code instructions for creating a class file of the container object;

program code instructions for creating a dynamic look-up table configured to map the discovered interfaces and attributes of the non-conforming object to corresponding interfaces and attributes of the container object;

program code instructions for discovering differing interfaces and attributes of said non-conforming object made accessible to clients during said non-conforming object'"'"'s run-time;

program code instructions for creating a sub-class of the class file taking into account the differing interfaces and attributes; and

program code instructions for dynamically updating the dynamic look-up table to map the differing interfaces and attributes of the non-conforming object to corresponding interfaces and attributes of the container object.