Sidebar engine, object model and schema

• US 7,665,032 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2005
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fisher, Oliver, Erickson, Paul, Amadio, Louis, Teutsch, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US11/206,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20070074126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/792, 715/804, 715/851, 715853-855, 715/769, 715/779, 715/802, 715712-713, 715/840, 715/975
• US Class Current: 715/779
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

An engine is provided for displaying an application for hosting a second application. The hosting application can be a sidebar on a display. The engine can contain a part or program which can include a manifest file, a definition file and/or a script file. The manifest file may contain a pointer to at least one of the definition file and the script file. The engine may also contain a loader that can locate the definition file and/or script file (e.g., via pointers in the manifest file) and load the definition file and/or script files of the part for processing. The engine may also execute script associated with the part and convert an object model into a user interface which can be displayed at a predetermined location on a display or docked onto a sidebar. The user interface can further be manipulated or relocated within the sidebar or removed (i.e., undocked) from the sidebar. The sidebar may be exploded or imploded with the corresponding parts on the sidebar displayed on the desktop or another application (exploded) or returned to the sidebar (imploded).

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a data structure for use with a host user interface associated with a host application, said data structure defining a representation of a secondary user interface of a secondary application within a sidebar area of the host user interface, said data structure comprising:

a plurality of part object parameters, each of said part object parameters representing a property of the secondary user interface, said property being selected from the group consisting of;

Activewindow;

Docked;

IslnOverflow;

ProcessGroup;

Settings;

View;

Id;

WidgetMenuButtonOffsetTop;

WidgetMenuButtonOffsetRiqht;

Hotkey;

LogEvents;

Shown; and

Visibility;

a part settings object parameter representing a configuration of the secondary user interface;

a display object parameter representing at least one of an event and a property associated with the secondary user interface;

a display screen object parameter representing at least one of a property and method of the secondary user interface; and

an element object parameter representing at least one of an event, method or property of the secondary user interface.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the part settings object parameter is selected from the group consisting of Read((String)PropertyName) and IWrite((String)PropertyName, (String)PropertyValue).

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the display object parameter represents an event associated with the secondary user interface and is selected from the group consisting of PrimaryScreenChanged( ), ScreenChanged( ), and TerminalServerChanged.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the display object parameter represents a property associated with the secondary user interface and is selected from the group consisting of IsDragFullWindows, IsHighContrast, IsDropShadowEnabled, IsTerminalServerSession, and PrimaryScreen.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the display screen object parameter represents a property of the secondary user interface and is selected from the group consisting of Height, Lee, Top, Width, WorkingHeight, WorkingLeR, WorkingTop, Workingwidth, DPI, BitsPerPixel, Resolution, DeviceName, and PrimaryScreen.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the display screen object parameter represents a method of the secondary user interface and is selected from the group consisting of GetBounds( ) and GetWorkingArea( ).

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the element object parameter represents an event of the secondary user interface and is selected from the group consisting of Drag Enter, Drag Leave, Drop, GotFocus, KeyDown, keyup, LostFocus, MouseEnter, MouseLeave, MouseLeRButtonDown, MouseLeftButtonUp, MouseMove, MouseRightButtonDown, MouseRightButtonUp, and Mousewheel.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the element object parameter represents a method of the secondary user interface and is selected from the group consisting of

ShowDialog((String)Messsage,(String)Title,(String)Type,(Int)Buttons);

CreateElement((String)ElementType);

(Element) Findchild((String)ElementName);

(Collection(Elements))FindChildren((String)ElementlVame);

Insert((Element)Element);

Insert((Int)Index, (Element)Element);

Remove((Element)Element); and

RemoveAt((Int)Index).

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the element object parameter represents a property of the secondary user interface and is selected from the group consisting of Background, Canvas.Bottom, Canvas.Left, Canvas.Right, Canvas.Top, CenterX, CenterY, Cursor, height, IsTabStop, Name, Opacity, Parent, Rotate, TabIndex, Tag, Tooltiip, Visibility, Width, and ZOrder.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising;

an ActiveXControl Object parameter representing a property of the secondary user interface, wherein the ActiveXControl Object parameter is Objectld; and

a shell item object parameter representing a method of the user interface, the shell item object parameter being selected from the group consisting of CreateText( (String )Path), Delete( (String )Path ), MoveToRecycleBin((String )Path), Show((String) Path ), Invokeverb( (String)Verb), (Int) GetAttributes((String)Path ).

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising a machine object parameter representing system properties associated with the secondary user interface, wherein the machine object parameter is selected from the group consisting of CPUCount, TotalCPU Usage, and TotalMemory.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising a system shell object parameter representing at least one of an event or a method associated with the secondary user interface, wherein the method associated with the secondary user interface and is selected from the group consisting of (System.Shell.Item) ChooseFile((String)Path, (String)Filter);

(System.Shell.Item) ChooseFolder((String)Path );

(String, RGB) ColorPicker( );

Delete((String)Path);

Delete((String)Path,(Boolean)Recursively);

Exists((String)Path );

FriendlyName;

(String)GetDirectoryRoot( (String)Path );

(System .Shell.Item) Getltem( (String)Path );

Name;

Navigate((String) Url); and

(System.Shell.Item) SaveFileDialog((String)Path, (String)Filter), and wherein the event associated with the secondary user interface is DirectoryChanged ((String)Path, (Function Pointer)Function).

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising a shell item object parameter representing a property of the secondary user interface, the shell item object parameter being selected from the group consisting of Folder, IsLink, ItemType, Link, ModifyDate, Name, Path, Size, Type, and RealShellItem((String)Path ).

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising an event object parameter representing a property of the secondary user interface and selected from the group consisting of Clickcount, MouseWheelDelta, Handled, isKeyDown, Key, keystate, modifierKeys, and MouseKeyStates.