Persisting state across navigations in a navigation-based application and responding to navigation-related events throughout an application

• US 7,552,451 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goodwin, Margaret, Alcazar, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoang; Phuong N
• Application Number:
  US10/716,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20040205782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,044 Days
• Field of Search: 719/316, 719/320, 719/328, 717/116, 707/10
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

Described is a mechanism for persisting state across navigations in a navigation-based application so that the state is accessible by each resource of a app. The invention provides an object (a “NavigationApplication object”) that persists across navigations. The NavigationApplication object allows developers to directly persist state by setting properties on that object and to trap navigation events. Enabling run-time state to be persisted in object form on the client not only improves performance, but makes it possible to develop navigation-based applications that can be run either online or offline. The NavigationApplication object makes it easier to persist state on the client across navigations.

Claims

1. A computing device for executing a navigation-based web application at the computing device, the computing device comprising:

a processor;

a first set of application programming interfaces, implemented and executed by the computing device, configured to support execution of the navigation-based web application within the software architecture,

wherein the navigation-based web application comprises;

multiple web pages expressed in declarative languages and hyperlinked together;

a plurality of resources distributed to the multiple web pages, the plurality of resources each having state information reflecting its current state; and

one or more business logic within an extent of the navigation-based web application, the one or more business logic being applied to the multiple web pages and the plurality of resources of the navigation-based web application; and

wherein the first set of application programming interfaces comprises a ShutDown method that, when called, is operative to cause the state information of each of the plurality of resources to be saved when the navigation-based web application is shut down;

a second set of application programming interfaces, implemented and executed by the computing device, configured to support navigation-related activities of the navigation-based web application, wherein;

the navigation-related activities are activities arising from navigation among the multiple pages of the navigation-based web application;

a navigation-based web application object is created after the navigation-based web application is launched at the computing device, the navigation-based web application object residing in a runtime execution environment of the computing device; and

the state information of each of the plurality of resources of the navigation-based web application is;

persisted within the navigation-based web application object;

made accessible to the plurality of other resources within the navigation-based web application; and

modified according to the one or more business logic in response to an occurrence of the navigation-related activities during a session of the navigation-based web application.

2. The computing device recited in claim 1, wherein the first set of application programming interfaces further comprises a StartingUp method that includes executable instructions that are executed to load the state information of each of the plurality of resources of the navigation-based web application when the navigation-based web application is being launched.

3. The computing device recited in claim 1, wherein the first set of application programming interfaces further comprises a Windows collection in which is stored information that identifies one or more windows that are used in connection with the navigation-based web application.

4. The computing device recited in claim 1, wherein the first set of application programming interfaces further comprises a Resources property that specifies the plurality of resources that apply to the multiple pages within an extent of the navigation-based web application.

5. The computing device recited in claim 1, wherein the second set of application programming interfaces comprises a Properties collection in which is stored information about a state of the navigation-based web application during execution.

6. The computing device recited in claim 1, wherein the second set of application programming interfaces comprises a StartUpURI property that specifies the plurality of resources to which the navigation-based web application navigates upon being launched.

7. The computing device recited in claim 6, wherein the plurality of resources comprise an executable resource.

8. The computing device recited in claim 1, wherein the second set of application programming interfaces comprises a set of events related to an occurrence of a navigation by the navigation-based web application.

9. The computing device recited in claim 8, wherein the set of events comprises a Navigating event indicative of an initiation of the navigation.

10. The computing device recited in claim 8, wherein the set of events comprises a Navigated event indicative of completion of the navigation.

11. The computing device recited in claim 8, wherein the set of events comprises a NavigationError event indicative of an occurrence of an error during the navigation.

12. The computing device recited in claim 8, wherein the set of events comprises a NavigationProgress event that is raised periodically during the navigation to enable information about the navigation to be discerned.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable components for supporting execution of a navigation-based web application, the components comprising:

an application programming interface exposed by the navigation-based web application, the navigation-based web application comprising;

multiple web pages expressed in declarative languages and hyperlinked together;

a plurality of resources distributed to the multiple web pages, the plurality of resources each having state information reflecting its current state; and

one or more business logic within an extent of the navigation-based web application, the one or more business logic being applied to the multiple web pages and the plurality of resources of the navigation-based web application;

the application programming interface including;

an OnStartingUp method including executable instructions to be executed to load states of the navigation-based web application when it is being launched;

an OnShutDown method including executable instructions that are executed when the navigation-based web application is being shut down; and

a ShutDown method that, when called, is operative to cause the states of the navigation-based web application to be saved before it is shut down,

wherein;

a navigation-based web application object is created after the navigation-based web application is executed at the computing device, the navigation-based web application object;

residing in a runtime execution environment of the computing device; and

state information of each of the plurality of resources of the navigation-based web application is;

persisted in the navigation-based web application object;

made accessible to the plurality of other resources of the navigation-based web application; and

modified according to the one or more business logic during a session of the navigation-based web application.

14. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 13, wherein the application programming interface further comprises a Windows collection in which is stored information that identifies one or more windows that are used in connection with the navigation-based web application.

15. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 13, wherein the application programming interface further comprises a Resources property that specifies resources that apply to pages within an extent of the navigation-based web application.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable components for supporting the execution of a navigation-based web application at a computing device, the components comprising:

an application programming interface exposed by the navigation-based web application, the navigation-based web application comprising;

multiple web pages expressed in declarative languages and hyperlinked together;

a plurality of resources distributed to the multiple web pages, the plurality of resources each having state information reflecting its current state; and

one or more business logic within an extent of the navigation-based web application, the one or more business logic being applied to the multiple web pages and the plurality of resources of the navigation-based web application,

the application programming interface including;

a Properties collection that stores state information of the plurality of resources of the navigation-based web application during execution; and

a StartUpURI property that specifies the resources to which the navigation-based web application navigates upon being launched,

wherein;

a navigation-based web application object is created after the navigation-based web application is launched at the computing device, the navigation-based web application object;

residing in a runtime execution environment of the computing device; and

the state information of the resources in the Properties collection of the navigation-based web application is;

persisted within the navigation-based web application object;

made accessible to the plurality of other resources within the navigation-based web application; and

modified according to the one or more business logic during a session of the navigation-based web application.

17. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 16, wherein the plurality of resources further comprise an executable resource.

18. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 16, wherein the application programming interface further comprises a set of events related to an occurrence of a navigation by the navigation-based web application.

19. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 18, wherein the set of events comprises a Navigating event indicative of an initiation of the navigation.

20. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 18, wherein the set of events comprises a Navigated event indicative of completion of the navigation.

21. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 18, wherein the set of events comprises a NavigationError event indicative of an occurrence of an error during the navigation.

22. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 18, wherein the set of events comprises a NavigationProgress event that is raised periodically during the navigation to enable information about the navigation to be discerned.