System and method of providing multiple installation actions

• US 6,744,450 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2000
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zimniewicz, Jeff A., Marino, Phillip J., Johnson, Crista
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/565,927
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: 345/841, 345/825, 345/810, 345/809, 345/808, 345/804-805, 345/853-854, 345/966-967, 345/704-705, 345/708-710, 717/175, 717/174, 717/176, 717/120-121, 717/168, 717/172, 717/169
• US Class Current: 715/841
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/966 Computer process, e.g. operation of computer

Abstract

A system and method are presented for a suite integration toolkit (SIT) allowing for the provision and display of a rich set of installation actions. The user interface (UI) provides a list box interface having pull down menus for the display and selection of component defined installation actions. Preferably the SIT is used to install a suite of applications having multiple components and sub-components. These components and sub-components are displayed in a tree structure in the UI with the install action selected and the disk space required displayed. Differential coloring, shading, and text display are all used to enrich the understanding of the installation. The UI also provides a summation of the required disk space of only those components that will actually be installed, taking into consideration and excluding from the summation required components that are already installed. An interface method is implemented by each of the components to expose a method to allow the SIT to query the component for its available installation actions and results. This allows maximum flexibility in the definition and provision of the install actions.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for displaying on a display device a component install action selection screen for an installation application, the installation application adapted to perform install actions for a plurality of constituent components of an application program suite, comprising the steps of:

displaying a first list of the plurality of constituent components;

obtaining a second list of install actions;

displaying one of the install actions in proximity to each of the plurality of constituent components of the first list; and

receiving an indication from a user that the second list of install actions is to be displayed for a given one of said plurality of constituent components;

displaying a drop-down menu having at least a portion of the second list displayed therein;

receiving an indication from a user of a selection of one of the at least a portion of the second list of install actions;

removing the drop-down menu; and

displaying the selection of one of the at least a portion of the second list of install actions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving an indication from a user that the second list of install actions is to be displayed comprises the steps of:

displaying a drop-down menu selection symbol in proximity to each of the install actions displayed; and

receiving an indication that a user has selected the symbol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of displaying a drop-down menu having at least a portion of the second list displayed therein comprises the steps of:

determining an installation state of the given one component;

determining, for each of the install actions in the second list, if said install action can be accomplished based on the installation state of the given one component; and

displaying the drop-down menu having only install actions that can be accomplished based on the installation state of the given one component.

4. A method in a computer system for displaying on a display device a component install action selection screen for an installation application, the installation application adapted to perform install actions for a plurality of constituent components of an application program suite, comprising the steps of:

displaying a first list of the plurality of constituent components;

obtaining a second list of install actions;

displaying one of the install actions in proximity to each of the plurality of constituent components of the first list; and

wherein said step of displaying one of the install actions in proximity to each of the plurality of constituent components of the first list comprises the steps of;

determining an installation state of each of the plurality of constituent components; and

displaying a symbol indicative that a component is installed and no action will be performed for components whose installation state indicates that they are installed.

5. A method in a computer system for displaying on a display device a component install action selection screen for an installation application, the installation application adapted to perform install actions for a plurality of constituent components of an application program suite, comprising the steps of:

displaying a first list of the plurality of constituent components;

obtaining a second list of install actions;

displaying one of the install actions in proximity to each of the plurality of constituent components of the first list; and

wherein said step of displaying one of the install actions in proximity to each of the plurality of constituent components of the first list comprises the steps of;

determining an installation state of each of the plurality of constituent components; and

displaying an install action indicative that a component is not installed and an install action will be performed for components whose installation state indicates that they are not installed.

6. A method in a computer system for displaying on a display device a component install action selection screen for an installation application, the installation application adapted to perform install actions for a plurality of constituent components of an application program suite, comprising the steps of:

displaying a first list of the plurality of constituent components;

obtaining a second list of install actions;

displaying one of the install actions in proximity to each of the plurality of constituent components of the first list;

displaying a disk space requirement for each of the plurality of constituent components;

determining an installation state of each of the plurality of constituent components;

determining the install action for each of the plurality of constituent components;

summing the disk space requirements for only the constituent components whose installation state indicates that they are not installed and whose install action indicates that they will be installed; and

displaying a result of said step of summing.

7. A method in a computer system for displaying on a display device a component install action selection screen for an installation application, the installation application adapted to perform install actions for a plurality of constituent components of an application program suite, comprising the steps of:

displaying a first list of the plurality of constituent components;

obtaining a second list of install actions;

displaying one of the install actions in proximity to each of the plurality of constituent components of the first list;

determining an installation state of each of the plurality of constituent components;

determining the install action for each of the plurality of constituent components;

displaying in a first manner a disk space requirement for each of the plurality of constituent components whose installation state indicates that they are not installed and whose install action indicates that they will be installed;

displaying in a second manner a disk space requirement for each of the plurality of constituent components whose installation state indicates that they are not installed and whose install action indicates that they will not be installed; and

displaying in the second manner a disk space requirement for each of the plurality of constituent components whose installation state indicates that they are installed.

8. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

obtaining a first list of a plurality of constituent components of a suite to be installed;

displaying the first list of the plurality of constituent components;

obtaining a second list of install actions;

displaying one of the install actions in proximity to each of the plurality of constituent components of the first list;

displaying a drop-down menu having at least a portion of the second list displayed therein in response to user input; and

displaying one of the at least a portion of the second list of install actions in response to user selection thereof.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein said step of displaying a drop-down menu comprises the steps of:

determining an installation state of the constituent component; and

displaying the drop-down menu having only install actions that can be accomplished based on the installation state of the constituent component.