Method, system, and apparatus for customizing web parts

• US 7,480,921 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Li, Simmons, Daniel, Lindquist, Joshua, Vigesaa, Eric B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Andy
• Application Number:
  US10/675,173
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: 719/310, 719/311, 719/313, 719/315, 719/316, 719/317, 719/318, 719/328, 719/330, 719/332, 709/201, 709/217, 709/219, 709/218, 718/104
• US Class Current: 719/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus for customizing web part objects. A web part object 28 that is capable of providing a presentation is accessed. Once the web part object is accessed, a specification file 38 associated with the web part object is also accessed. The specification file contains additional code, such as HTML, JAVA Script, or other code. The additional code is applied to a web part to modify the presentation of the web part. Thus, the presentation of the web part is modified in accordance with the specification file to provide a modified presentation.

Claims

1. A method, executing within a computer system having at least one processor, of providing a customized web part, the method comprising:

accessing a web part assembly which is capable of providing a presentation of a web part;

accessing a specification file associated with the web part, wherein the specification file comprises data indicating whether the web part should be modified and a pointer to an extensible markup language (XML) map, wherein the XML map is utilized, by the web part, to locate, retrieve, format, and display source data, the source data being stored at any location on a distributed computing network; and

modifying the presentation of the web part in accordance with the specification file and the data indicating whether the web part should be modified to provide a modified presentation as at least a portion of the customized web part.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the presentation of the web part in accordance with the specification file is performed by executing code embedded in the specification file.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the code embedded in the specification file is HTML code.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the code embedded in the specification file is JAVA script.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the web part consists essentially of compiled code and wherein the code embedded in the specification file has not been compiled.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the presentation of the web part in accordance with the specification file comprises adding an element to the web part.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the presentation of the web part in accordance with the specification file comprises changing a characteristic of an existing element of the web part.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the presentation of the web part in accordance with the specification file comprises deleting an element of the web part.

9. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a set of instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

10. A computer-controlled apparatus capable of performing the method of claim 1.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the specification file further comprises additional data indicating whether at least one object interface should be implemented for the web part.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the specification file defines an object interface implementation.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the specification file further comprises code for customizing the web part.

14. A system for providing a customized presentation of a web part, the system comprising:

a storage device adapted to store a web part assembly and a specification file, the web part assembly containing code for a web part presentation, the specification file comprising data indicating whether the web part should be modified and a pointer to an XML map, wherein the XML map is configured to be utilized, by the web part, to locate, retrieve, format, and display source data, the source data being stored at any location on a distributed computing network; and

a processing device responsive to the code in the web part assembly for providing the web part presentation, and responsive to the code and the data indicating whether the web part should be modified in the specification file for modifying the web part presentation.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the code imbedded in the specification file is HTML code.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the code imbedded in the specification file is JAVA script.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the code imbedded in the specification file is not compiled code.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the storage device comprises a first storage device for storing the web part assembly and a second storage device for storing the specification file.

19. A server operative to:

receive a request, from a requesting device, for a web page;

access a web part assembly which is capable of providing a presentation of a web part;

access a specification file associated with the web part, wherein the specification file comprises data indicating whether the web part should be modified and a pointer to an XML map, wherein the XML map is configured to be utilized, by the web part, to locate, retrieve, format, and display source data, the source data being stored at any location on a distributed computing network;

modify the presentation of the web part in accordance with the specification file and the data indicating whether the web part should be modified to provide a modified presentation as at least a portion of a customized web part;

render a web page representative of the modified presentation; and

send the rendered web page to the requesting device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the specification file further comprises additional data indicating whether at least one object interface should be implemented for the web part and code for customizing the web part, wherein the specification file defines implementation of an object interface.