System and method for exposing a child list

• US 7,610,258 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2004
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cote, Antoine, Yuknewicz, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones; Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adams; Charles D
• Application Number:
  US10/768,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20050171925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,097 Days
• Field of Search: 715/853, 715/854, 717/101, 700/121, 345/853
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

An interface may be provided that enables the user to select a parent list, to view a set of available child lists corresponding to the selected parent list, and to select a particular child list from the set of available child lists. The set of available child lists may be automatically compiled in response to the selection of the parent list. Another interface may be provided that enables the user to select a particular portion of the parent list for which to view corresponding child data. The corresponding child data may be automatically identified and displayed in a running application.

Claims

1. A method for exposing a child list that is related to a parent list, the method comprising:

displaying a form in a designer interface within a development environment, wherein the development environment provides a data source interface for accessing a remote data source stored remotely from the development environment, the remote data source having a remote data source schema stored at the remote data source;

binding a parent list to the form by displaying the parent list in the data source interface, dragging the parent list from the data source interface, and dropping the parent list onto the form in the designer interface;

receiving a request to add a child list to the form;

responsive to the request;

identifying the parent list bound to the form;

identifying a set of available child lists related to the parent list by examining a data source schema that is stored at the development environment and by querying the remote data source schema to identify a child list that is not included in the data source schema that is stored at the development environment;

providing a user interface that enables a user to select the child list from the set of available child lists and to select a portion of the parent list for which to view a corresponding portion of the child list;

Identifying the corresponding portion of the child list at least in part by;

a) determining query parameters based on the selected portion of the parent list;

b) generating parameterized code including the query parameters; and

c) querying the child list with the parameterized code;

examining a first schema that is stored locally and that comprises at least a portion of the remote data source schema to determine whether a schema for the selected child list is locally available;

using the designer interface to generate code as a function of the first schema;

upon determining that the schema for the selected child list is locally available, providing the schema for the child list to a display device for display on the display device;

upon determining that the schema for the selected child list is not locally available;

a1) retrieving the schema for the selected child list from a second schema that is stored at the remote data source;

b1) merging the schema for the selected child list with the first schema;

c1) in response to merging the schema for the selected child list with the first schema, causing the designer interface to regenerate code that the designer interface generated as a function of the first schema; and

d1) providing the merged first schema including the schema for the child list to a display device for display on the display device;

providing a parent selection interface for selecting a parent record from the parent list;

receiving, via the parent selection interface, a selection of a parent record;

identifying a plurality of child data records that correspond to the selected parent record;

generating a child record display interface for displaying the child data records that correspond to the selected parent record, code required to retrieve the child data records from the remote data source, and a component required to retrieve the child data records from the remote data source;

receiving a modification of a child data record; and

propagating the modification of the child data record to the remote data source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the set of available child lists comprises examining the first schema to identify the set of available child lists.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the set of available child lists comprises querying the second data source schema to identify the set of available child lists.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the corresponding portion of the child list further comprises:

defining the relationship between the parent list and the child list; and

identifying the corresponding portion of the child list based on the defined relationship.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving the corresponding portion of the child list from the remote data source.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the corresponding portion of the child list in a running application.

7. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

displaying a form in a designer interface within a development environment, wherein the development environment provides a data source interface for accessing a remote data source stored remotely from the development environment, the remote data source having a remote data source schema stored at the remote data source;

binding a parent list to the form by displaying the parent list in the data source interface, dragging the parent list from the data source interface, and dropping the parent list onto the form in the designer interface;

receiving a request to add a child list to the form;

responsive to the request;

identifying the parent list bound to the form based on context information;

identifying a set of available child lists related to the parent list by examining a data source schema that is stored at the development environment and by querying a remote data source schema to identify a child list that is not included in the data source schema that is stored in the development environment;

providing a user interface that enables a user to select the child list from the set of available child lists and to select a portion of the parent list for which to view a corresponding portion of the child list;

identifying the corresponding portion of the child list at least in part by;

a) determining query parameters based on the selected portion of the parent list;

b) generating parameterized code including the query parameters; and

c) querying the child list with the parameterized code;

examining a first schema that is stored locally and that comprises at least a portion of the remote data source schema to determine whether a schema for the selected child list is locally available;

using the designer interface to generate code as a function of the first schema;

upon determining that the schema for the selected child list is not locally available;

a1) retrieving the schema for the selected child list from a second schema that is stored at the remote data source;

b1) merging the schema for the selected child list with the first schema;

c1) in response to merging the schema for the selected child list with the first schema, causing the designer interface to regenerate code that the designer interface generated as a function of the first schema;

d1) providing the merged first schema including the schema for the child list to a display device for display on the display device;

providing a parent selection interface for selecting a parent record from the parent list;

receiving, via the parent selection interface, a selection of a parent record;

identifying a plurality of child data records that correspond to the selected parent record;

generating a child record display interface for displaying the child data records that correspond to the selected parent record, code required to retrieve the child data records from the remote data source, and a component required to retrieve the child data records from the remote data source;

receiving a modification of a child data record; and

propagating the modification of the child data record to the remote data source.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein identifying the set of available child lists comprises examining the first schema to identify the set of available child lists.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein identifying the set of available child lists comprises querying the second data source schema to identify the set of available child lists.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein identifying the corresponding portion of the child list further comprises:

defining the relationship between the parent list and the child list; and

identifying the corresponding portion of the child list based on the defined relationship.