System and method for directly accessing functionality provided by an application

• US 7,543,238 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2003
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vellanki, Kusuma P., Alcazar, Mark A., Goodwin, Margaret L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadesse
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAUDHURI, ANITA
• Application Number:
  US10/348,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20040141013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,324 Days
• Field of Search: 715/762, 715/760, 715/513, 715/763, 715/764, 715/234, 715/239, 717/120, 717/165, 717/104, 717/106
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

Described is a system and method for directly accessing functionality provided by an application, such as via the Web or an operating system Shell. The functionality of an application is separated into unique tasks. Each task has an associated entry point into the application. The associated entry point allows a computer user to invoke the specified task directly rather than to invoke the application and then navigate within the application to locate the specified task. Each task may be exposed to an operating system, such as by having an icon associated with the task appear in an activity center on the desktop. The present invention may operate within a desktop environment, a web-based environment, a browser environment, and others.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for allowing direct access to functionality provided by an application, the method comprises:

obtaining a description for each task that is provided by an application;

wherein each task relates to a unit of functionality provided by the application;

creating a task manifest using the description for each task;

wherein the task manifest describes the tasks provided by the application;

creating an executable for each of the tasks;

wherein the executable refers to code that is instantiated when the associated task entry point is invoked;

reading the task manifest to obtain task information;

registering the task information obtained from the task manifest into a task store;

exposing an entry point for each of the tasks in response to information registered in the task store;

wherein the entry point for each of the tasks launches the executable relating to the entry point for the task; and

when the entry point for one of the tasks is invoked by a direct command to invoke the task that is received independent of a user interface of the application;

launching the application when the application is not already running in response to a request to the invoke of the entry point; and

launching the task.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein creating the task manifest comprises compiling the description for each task.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein exposing the entry point includes creating an entry in a menu for each of the tasks, the menu being provided by an operating system shell.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein exposing the entry point includes creating an icon that appears on a computer display within an activity center.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein exposing the entry point includes listing a friendly name in an address field, the friendly name being associated with the entry point.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein exposing the entry point includes having a natural language search engine discover the entry point based on text that is input, the text describes an action to perform.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising declaratively describing the tasks.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein declaratively describing the tasks is based on an XML format.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering task information associated with the tasks in a task store when installing the application.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising consulting the task store to determine the application that is associated with the activated entry point.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry point is activated programmatically.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry point is activated through an operating system shell.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a plurality of pages as the task, and exposing the entry point includes assigning a URL of one of the plurality of pages as the entry point.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions for directly accessing functionality with an application, the instructions comprising:

in response to selecting an exposed entry point, consulting a task store to determine an application associated with the exposed entry point, the exposed entry point being associated with one out of a plurality of tasks provided by the application;

wherein a description is included for each task provided by an application in a task manifest;

wherein each task represents a user- centric activity and wherein a task manifest is created using the description for each task;

wherein the task store is created by reading the task manifest, which includes a description for tasks provided by the application, to obtain task information and registering the task information in the task store launching the application in response to a direct command to invoke a task object associated with the exposed entry point;

wherein the command is received independent of a user interface of the application;

and instantiating the task object associated with the exposed entry point, the task object locating a position within the application from where processing continues under user control to execute instructions associated with the one task.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the exposed entry point includes an icon on a computer display in an activity center.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the exposed entry point includes a menu item.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the exposed entry point includes a friendly name listed in an address field, the friendly name being associated with the entry point.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the exposed entry point includes output generated by a natural language search engine based on text that is input, the text describes an action to perform.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the exposed entry point includes a URL of one of a plurality of pages that are defined for the one task.

20. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with a data structure for declaratively describing a plurality of tasks provided by an application, the data structure comprising:

a first element for identifying a beginning and an ending for defining the plurality of tasks provided by the application;

wherein each task of the plurality of tasks represents a user- centric activity that is configured to be launched independent of the application by a direct command to invoke the task that is received independent of a user interface of the application;

a second element for identifying a beginning and an ending for defining one task out of the plurality of tasks;

a first attribute for providing a location associated with the one task;

a second attribute for providing an identifier associated with the one task; and

a third attribute for providing a class name associated with the one task;

wherein the second element, the first attribute, the second attribute, and the third attribute are used to create a task manifest.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the location include a uniform resource identifier (URI).

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the location is remote.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the location is local.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the data structure is XML-based.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, further comprising a fourth attribute for providing an icon associated with the one task, the icon providing an exposed entry point into instructions within the application related to the one task.

26. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon for providing multiple entry points into an application, comprising:

creating a task manifest using an XML description for each task;

wherein each task represents a user-centric activity;

creating an executable for each of the tasks;

wherein the executable refers to code that is instantiated when the associated task entry point is invoked by a direct command to invoke the task that is received independent of a user interface of the application; and

reading the task manifest to obtain task information;

registering the task information obtained from the task manifest into a task store;

exposing an entry point for each of the tasks in response to information registered in the task store;

wherein the entry point for each of the tasks launches the executable relating to the entry point for the task when invoked.

27. A system that provided multiple entry points into an application, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the memory being allocated for a plurality of computer-executable instructions which are loaded into the memory for execution by the processor, the computer-executable instructions performing a method comprising;

creating a task manifest using a description for each task;

wherein the task manifest describes the tasks provided by the application; and

wherein the task manifest includes a file that is configured to be downloaded;

reading the task manifest to obtain task information;

registering the task information obtained from the task manifest into a task store;

exposing an entry point as a favorite in a browser application for each of the tasks in response to information registered in the task store;

wherein the favorite is stored in associated with metadata containing the state of the task;

in response to selecting an exposed entry point using a browser application, consulting the task store to determine an application associated with the exposed entry point, the exposed entry point being associated with one out of a plurality of tasks provided by the application;

wherein each task of the plurality of tasks represents a user-centric activity;

launching the application in response to a direct command to invoke a task object associated with the exposed entry point favorite and in response to metadata stored in association with the favorite such that the application continues from its state when the favorite was created;

wherein the direct command is received independent of a user interface of the application;

instantiating the task object associated with the exposed entry point, the task object locating a position within the application from where processing continues under user control to execute computer-executable instructions associated with the one task;

displaying a page associated with the task object; and

when a page is selected for saving that is not an entry page, saving the entry page as the entry point such that it may be directly navigated to at a later point.