System and method for dynamically verifying the compatibility of a user interface resource

• US 7,178,142 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2001
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ye, Shenghua, Lin, Yung-Shin, Bennett, Julie D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, CHIH CHING
• Application Number:
  US10/020,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20020052910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,933 Days
• Field of Search: 715/703, 715/500, 717/178, 717/168, 717/175, 709/220, 709/203, 707/203, 711/133, 705/8
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation

Abstract

In a computer operating system having a user interface, a resource loader, and a registry resource database, a method for dynamically verifying whether the resource content of a resource module is compatible with the most current version of the operating system. Upon obtaining a request for a resource, the resource loader verifies that the resource modules remain compatible with the operating system prior to loading a resource from an alternate resource module. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the operating system has a multilingual user interface and utilizes resource modules that are language specific.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for dynamically verifying resource compatibility with an operating system, the method comprising:

obtaining a request to load a resource from an alternate resource module, wherein the alternate resource module corresponds to a selected language-specific interface of an operating system;

obtaining a first resource content of a default resource module from which the alternate resource module was localized;

obtaining a second resource content of a current default resource module;

determining whether the alternate resource module is compatible with the operating system based on comparing the first resource content and the second resource content; and

loading the requested resource from the alternate resource module if the alternate resource module is compatible with the operating system, including when the first resource content is the same as the second resource content as determined from comparing a representation of each of the default resource module and the current default resource module, wherein the representation is a unique number, the unique number is a checksum calculated using an MD5-message digest algorithm, and if the alternate resource is incompatible, the method terminates execution.

2. A computer-implemented method for dynamically verifying resource compatibility with an operating system, the method comprising:

obtaining a request to load a resource from an alternate resource module, wherein the alternate resource module corresponds to a selected language-specific interface of an operating system;

obtaining a first resource content of a default resource module from which the alternate resource module was localized;

obtaining a second resource content of a current default resource module;

obtaining version information of the alternate resource module;

obtaining version information of the current default resource module;

determining whether the alternate resource module is compatible with the operating system based on the first resource content and the second resource content, including comparing the version information of the alternate resource module and the current default resource module; and

loading the requested resource from the alternate resource module if the alternate resource module is compatible with the operating system, including loading the requested resource from the alternate resource module when the version information of the alternate resource module and the current default resource module are the same, and if the alternate resource is incompatible, the method terminates execution.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether the current default resource module or alternate resource module has been updated if the respective version information is not the same;

obtaining compatibility information for the current default resource module and the alternate resource module if no update has occurred; and

loading the requested resource based on the compatibility information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein loading the requested resource based on the compatibility information includes loading the requested resource from the alternate resource module if the compatibility information indicates tat the current default resource module is compatible with the alternate resource module.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein loading the requested resource based on the compatibility information includes loading the requested resource from the current default resource module if the compatibility information indicates that the current default resource module is not compatible with the alternate resource module.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the current default resource module or alternate resource module has been updated includes searching an information store holding compatibility information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the current default resource module or alternate resource module has been updated includes determining that the current default resource module or alternate resource module has not been updated if searching the information store holding compatibility information reveals an absence of compatibility information.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising creating a record in the information store corresponding to the version information of the current default resource module and the alternate resource module if the current default resource module or alternate resource module has been updated.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the compatibility information is obtained from an information store used for tracking compatibility information.

10. A computer-implemented method for dynamically verifying resource module compatibility with an operating system, wherein the resource modules include language-specific data such that a default resource module corresponds to a default interface language and one or more alternate resource modules correspond to a selected interface language, the method comprising:

obtaining a request to load a language-specific resource from an alternate resource module;

obtaining version information of the alternate resource module;

obtaining version information of a current default resource module;

comparing the version information of the alternate resource module and the current default resource module;

determining that the version information of the current default resource module and the alternate resource module are not the same;

obtaining a first resource content of a default resource module from which the alternate resource module was localized;

obtaining a second resource content of the current default resource module;

comparing the first resource content and the second resource content; and

loading the requested language-specific resource from the alternate resource module if the first resource content is the same as the second resource content, and if the first resource content is different from the second resource content, the method terminates execution.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining that the version information of the alternate resource module and the current default resource module is the same, and loading the requested language-specific resource from the alternate resource module.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising tracking compatibility information by the version information of the alternate resource module and the current default resource module, the compatibility information indicating whether the first resource content is the same as the second resource content by comparing checksums of the respective first and second resource content.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising obtaining compatibility information previously tracked for the version information of the current default resource module and the alternate resource module and, based on the compatibility information, loading the requested language-specific resource.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein loading the requested language-specific resource based on the compatibility information includes loading the requested language-specific resource from the alternate resource module if the compatibility information indicates that the first resource content is the same as the second resource content, and loading the requested language-specific resource from the current default resource module if the compatibility information indicates that the first resource content is not the same as the second resource content.

15. A computer system for dynamically verifying that resource module is compatible with an operating system, the computer system comprising:

a processor;

a resource loader for loading a resource in a selected language-specific interface from a resource module in an operating system;

a current default resource module including at least one resource, wherein the current default resource module has a first resource content; and

an alternate resource module including one or more resources localized from a default resource module, wherein the default resource module has a second resource content from which the one or more resources included in the alternate resource module were localized;

wherein the resource loader loads the one or more resources from the alternate resource module when the alternate resource module is compatible with the operating system, including when the second resource content is the same as the first resource content by comparing checksums of the respective first and second resource content.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the first and second resource contents are represented as unique numbers.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the operating system includes a plurality of alternate resource modules.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the alternate resource module is selected by the user.

19. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising a registry resource version database holding compatibility information of the current default resource module and the alternate resource module, wherein the resource loader utilizes the compatibility information to determine whether the alternate resource module is compatible with the operating system.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules, comprising:

a resource loader module for loading a resource from a resource module in an operating system, wherein the resource is a language-specific interface;

a current default resource module including at least one resource having a first resource content;

an alternate resource module including one or more resources localized from a default resource module having a second resource content form which the one or more resources in the alternate resource module were localized;

a registry resource version database holding version information of the current default resource module, version information of the default resource module from which the one or more resources of the alternate resource module were localized, and compatibility information for the respective version information of the current default resource module and the alternate resource module; and

wherein the resource loader utilizes the respective version information to obtain the compatibility information to load the resource from the alternate resource module when the alternate resource module is determined to be compatible with the operating system, including when the second resource content is the same as the first resource content.