Systems and methods to efficiently and automatically effect population of custom controls onto a visual designer toolbox

• US 7,661,088 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2004
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Burke, Shawn P
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rampuria; Satish
• Application Number:
  US10/970,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20060101396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 717/104, 717/105, 717/109, 717120-123, 715/810, 715/841, 715/762, 715/763
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

The subject invention provides for a system and/or methodology that automatically effects populating a visual designer toolbox with predefined custom controls. In accordance with aspects of the subject invention, a user (or application) can program a binary definition of a desired custom control. The subject invention can scan the binary to identify the control and transfer the control onto the toolbox. Once populated onto the toolbox, a user can quickly and easily transfer (e.g., click and drag) the controls onto a form within a project as desired.

Claims

1. A tangible computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program for a system that adds components to a visual designer toolbox, the system comprising:

a tracking module that tracks a project system for an indication that a binary file has been compiled and which can receive an indication that the binary file has been compiled;

an inspection module that inspects the compiled binary file to determine if the compiled binary file comprises components that can be added to the visual designer toolbox; and

a population module that, upon the inspection module determining the compiled binary file comprises components that can be added to the visual designer toolbox, automatically adds the components to the visual designer toolbox;

wherein the population module includes a rule-based engine module that populates the visual designer toolbox in accordance with at least one rule,

the rule-based engine selecting rules from a set of rules,

the set of rules established in accordance with a specific form or design surface configuration, and the set of rules established to take into consideration specific characteristics of a design surface, space limitations, positioning, or coloring; and

wherein the population module further includes an artificial intelligence (AI) module that automatically infers at least one rule in determining at least one component to be populated on the visual designer toolbox.

2. The system of claim 1, the binary file is a binary program.

3. The system of claim 1, the binary file is application-generated code.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a notification module that generates the indication that the binary file has been compiled.

5. The system of claim 4, the notification module operates on a user defined timing sequence for determining if new controls are available for inspection.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an analyzing module that analyzes the component to determine a state of the component.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a load module that loads assembly code that instantiates the component as a function of the state.

8. The system of claim 7, the load module ensures that other components are not dropped from other projects if a project reference cannot be created.

9. The system of claim 1, the AI component comprises an inference component that infers the user action as a function of historical user criteria.

10. The system of claim 9, the inference component employs utility-based analyses in performing the inference.

11. The system of claim 1, the AI component employs a statistical-based analysis to infer an action that the user desires to be automatically performed.

12. The system of claim 1, the inspection module can determine that the component should be replaced in or removed from the visual designer toolbox.

13. The system of claim 1, the population module can remove the component from the visual designer toolbox based on a determination by the inspection component.

14. The system of claim 1, the population module can replace the component in the visual designer toolbox based on a determination by the inspection component of a change in component version number.

15. The system of claim 1, the population module further comprises an update module that prompts the user for confirmation before automatically updating the visual designer toolbox.

16. The system of claim 1, the predetermined rule comprises modifying the component before updating the visual designer toolbox with the component.

17. The system of claim 1, the tracking module can also track one of source, assembly and machine code for the indication.

18. A method of updating a visual designer toolbox, the method comprising:

tracking a project system for a prompt, the prompt indicating that a binary file has been compiled;

receiving the prompt indicating that the binary file has been compiled;

inspecting the compiled binary file to determine if the compiled binary file comprises components that can be added to the visual designer toolbox;

the inspection of the compiled binary file identifying components that can be added to the visual designer toolbox; and

a population module that, upon the inspection determined that the compiled binary file comprises components that can be added to the visual designer toolbox, automatically updates the visual designer toolbox with the identified components;

wherein the population module includes a rule-based engine module that populates the visual designer toolbox in accordance with at least one rule,

the rule-based engine selecting rules from a set of rules,

the set of rules established in accordance with a specific form or design surface configuration, and the set of rules established to take into consideration specific characteristics of a design surface, space limitations, positioning, or coloring; and

wherein the population module further includes an artificial intelligence (AI) module that automatically infers at least one rule in determining at least one component to be populated on the visual designer toolbox.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising programming the binary that specifies the component.

20. The method of claim 19, the act of programming is performed manually by a user.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising generating the prompt that indicates the binary has been built.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining a state of the component and loading the component as a function of the state.

23. The method of claim 18, the act of automatically updating the visual designer toolbox comprises implementing a predetermined rule that specifies an updating criteria.

24. The method of claim 18, the act of automatically updating the visual designer toolbox comprises inferring a user intention and updating the visual designer toolbox in accordance with the act of inferring.

25. The method of claim 18, the act of updating the visual designer toolbox comprises removing the component.

26. The method of claim 18, the act of automatically updating the visual designer toolbox with the component comprises replacing an existing component with a newer component based on component version number.

27. The method of claim 18, the act of automatically updating the visual designer toolbox with the component comprises prompting for confirmation before updating the component on the visual designer toolbox.