External resource files for application development and management

• US 7,152,221 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2005
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Andrew, Felix G. T. I., Ellison-Taylor, Ian M., Carroll, Mark S., Colleran, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US11/102,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 717/100, 717/103, 717/105, 717/143, 717/102, 717/163, 717/109, 707/104.1, 709/204, 709/223, 345/619, 715/513
• US Class Current: 717/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method and system are provided for efficient development of software application programs with user interfaces. Customarily, several specialists, including designers and developers, cooperate during the development stage of an application program. The invention teaches a strategy for making resource files external to the other compiled executable files in an application such that the information from the resource file may be obtained at runtime as needed without the need for compilation. Furthermore, the external resource file may be edited at runtime to allow designers to modify the look and feel for an application'"'"'s interface without having to depend on developers to implement changes in the interface.

Claims

1. A computer software application development system comprising:

a first group of system users responsible for modifying one or more external resource files written in a markup language, at least one of the external resource files comprising at least one extensible markup language tag associated with at least one of a plurality of platform namespaces;

a second group of system users responsible for writing computer software code corresponding to a compiled application program corresponding to the one or more external resource files, the one or more external resource files being external to the compiled application program, the one or more external resource files being configured such that information from the one or more external resource files is obtainable at runtime of the compiled application program without need for compilation of the one or more external resource files;

a graphical control locator for locating the one or more external resource files; and

a parser for identifying a requested parameter stored in the one or more external resource files at runtime of the corresponding compiled application program.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one system user in the first group of system users cannot access the computer software code directly without authorization.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one system user in the second group of system users cannot access the one or more external resource files without authorization.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more external resource files are generated dynamically.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein different ones of at least some of the plurality of platform namespaces correspond to different computing platforms.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein different ones of at least some of the plurality of platform namespaces correspond to different computing platform versions.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein different ones of at least some of the plurality of platform namespaces correspond to different graphical user interface (GUI) implementations.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a plurality of graphical control locators and each graphical control locator corresponds to at least one of the plurality of platform namespaces.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each graphical control locator corresponds to different ones of the plurality of platform namespaces.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of graphical controls; and

a runtime tree built from the one or more external resource files in response to a resource request that references at least one of the plurality of graphical controls.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the external resource files comprises a plurality of extensible markup language tags, the plurality of extensible markup language tags comprising:

at least one extensible markup language tag recognized by the graphical control locator; and

at least one extensible markup language tag not recognized by the graphical control locator.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the system further comprises an application, the application comprising at least one graphical control; and

at least some of the information contained in the at least one extensible markup language tag recognized by the graphical control locator is supplied to at least one of the at least one graphical control.

13. A method for enhancing security in a computer software application development environment, the method comprising:

creating one or more external resource files for storing data in a markup language for implementing resources, at least one of the external resource files comprising at least one extensible markup language tag associated with at least one of a plurality of platform namespaces, the one or more external resource files corresponding to an application program, the one or more external resource files being external to the application program, the one or more external resource files being configured such that information from the one or more external resource files is obtainable at runtime of the application program without need for compilation of the one or more external resource files;

using a graphical control locator for retrieving the information from the one or more external resource files in response to a request for a resource;

providing a first user with authority to modify the one or more external resource files and execute the application program associated with the one or more external resource files; and

restricting the first user from accessing and modifying source code for the application program.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the method further includes restricting a second user from accessing and modifying the one or more external resource files.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein restricting the first user comprises using a password to determine whether the first user should be allowed access to the source code.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more external resource files are generated dynamically.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for carrying out a method for enhancing security in a computer software application development environment, the method comprising:

creating one or more external resource files for storing data in a markup language for implementing resources, at least one of the external resource files comprising at least one extensible markup language tag associated with at least one of a plurality of platform namespaces the one or more external resource files corresponding to an application program, the one or more external resource files being external to the application program, the one or more external resource files being configured such that information from the one or more external resource files is obtainable at runtime of the application program without need for compilation of the one or more external resource files;

using a graphical control locator for retrieving the information from the one or more external resource files in response to a request for a resource;

providing a first user with authority to modify the one or more external resource files and execute the application program associated with the one or more external resource files; and

restricting the first user from accessing and modifying source code for the application program.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the method further comprises restricting a second user from accessing and modifying the one or more external resource files.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein restricting the second user comprises restricting a text evaluator from accessing and modifying the one or more external resource files.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the one or more external resource files are generated dynamically.

21. A method for developing a computer software application, the method comprising:

modifying one or more external resource files written in a markup language, at least one of the external resource files comprising at least one extensible markup language tag associated with at least one of a plurality of platform namespaces;

writing computer software code corresponding to a compiled application program corresponding to the one or more external resource files, the one or more external resource files being external to the compiled application program, the one or more external resource files being configured such that information from the one or more external resource files is obtainable at runtime of the compiled application program without need for compilation of the one or more external resource files;

locating the one or more external resource files; and

identifying a requested parameter stored in the one or more external resource files at runtime of the corresponding compiled application program.