Systems and methods for defining web content navigation

• US 8,065,600 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2004
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Ting-Hao, Sanabria, Andres M., Guthrie, Scott D., Niyogi, Shanku Shivabrata, Harder, Michael, Howard, Robert M., Chory, Susan, Kothari, Nikhil, Imig, Scott Kirk, Gibbs, Matthew E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine; Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US10/846,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20050257138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,748 Days
• Field of Search: 715/513, 715/501.1, 715/517, 715/718, 715/719, 715/720, 715/721, 715/722, 715/723, 715/727, 715/728, 715/733, 715/734, 715/735, 715/736, 715/738, 715/748, 715/752, 715/753, 715/756, 715/758, 715/764, 715/978, 715/744, 715/745, 715/788, 715818-820, 715/205, 715/206, 715/234, 715/243
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing

Abstract

The described systems and methods are directed at defining web content navigation. The disclosed technique enables the development of web content for a scenario without having to create every navigational control that is needed to manage the flow through the web content in the scenario or to write non-declarative server-side logic to control navigation. This method determines a declaration in a source file for a web page. The declaration is associated with an object. The method determines the views associated with the object where each of the views includes a user-interface. A flow for navigating through the views is determined. The views are rendered in accordance with the navigational flow.

Claims

1. A method of defining web content navigation without using server-side navigational logic, the method comprising:

identifying a declaration in a source file for a web page, the declaration associated with a multiview object contained in the source file for the web page;

initializing the multiview object, wherein the multiview object is defined by an object class definition that defines properties, events, and methods of the multiview object and the multiview object is configured to enable a server to generate multiple views associated with a scenario;

determining the multiple views associated with the multiview object, each of the multiple views including a user-interface that corresponds to specific operations associated with each of the multiple views of the scenario, wherein each of the multiple views have different user-interfaces with different controls, and wherein at least one of the multiple views includes a control that performs a different action than a second control in another one of the multiple views;

determining a flow for navigating through the multiple views;

rendering each of the multiple views in accordance with the determined flow, wherein the flow is determined by navigation logic contained in the multiview object; and

returning to the execution of the web page upon reaching the end of navigation logic contained in the object.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the declaration includes a tag in the source file.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the tag includes a reference to the object and properties associated with the object.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each view includes at least one of a user control, a server control, text, multimedia items, navigational logic, operational logic, or a layout of the user interface.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operational logic includes an operation that interacts with at least one of a email handler, an account manager, or a e-commerce handler.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the navigational logic includes moving to at least one of a previous view, a next view, or a specific view.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the navigational logic includes moving to a particular view based, at least in part, on an input received through another view.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the flow is implemented as navigational logic included in the multiple views.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the flow includes at least one of a liner flow, a non-linear flow, a user-driven flow, or an operational dependent flow.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein rendering the multiple views includes displaying one of the views at a time based on the flow.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the scenario includes at least one of a login scenario, a logout scenario, a password recovery scenario, an e-commerce scenario, a change password scenario, a create user scenario, or a wizard scenario.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein rendering the multiple views include:

determining a current view;

receiving input associated with the current view;

determining a next view based, in part, on the input and the navigational logic associated with the current view; and

rendering the next view.

32. The computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the declaration includes a tag in the source file.

33. The computer storage media as recited in claim 2, wherein the tag includes a reference to the object and properties associated with the object.

34. The computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein each view includes at least one of a user control, a server control, text, multimedia items, navigational logic, operational logic, or a layout of the user interface.

35. The computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the operational logic includes an operation that interacts with at least one of a email handler, an account manager, or a e-commerce handler.

13. A system comprising a server configured to:

receive a request for a web page and to determine a source file associated with the requested web page, the source file including a declaration for a multiview object, wherein the multiview object is defined by an object class definition that defines properties, events, and methods of the multiview object;

use the multiview object to generate multiple views associated with a scenario, wherein each of the multiple views includes a user-interface corresponding to specific operations associated with each of the multiple views of the scenario and navigational logic, the multiple views having different user-interfaces with different controls, wherein at least one of the multiple views includes a control that performs a different action than a second control in another one of the multiple views;

render the multiple views based, at least in part, on the navigational logic included in the multiple views associated with the multiview object, wherein execution of the web page is resumed after completing the navigation of the multiview object.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, further comprising a data store, wherein the data store contains data associated with the multiview object for generating the multiple views.

15. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the server is configured to perform the specific operations associated with at least one of the views.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the specific operations include at least one of sending an email, authenticate a user, sending an email, changing a password, setting up a user account, handling a business transaction, or making a phone call or a page.

17. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the server is configured to perform the specific operations by interacting with a component that includes at least one of an email handler, an account manager, an e-commerce manager, or communication handler.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the component is implemented on another computing device coupled to the server through a network.

19. The system as recited in claim 13, further comprising a client configured to enable a user to browse to the web page and to send the request for the web page to the server, the client further configured to display the views rendered by the server to the user.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the client is further configured to enable the user to submit input associated with a particular view and to send the input to the server.

21. One or more computer readable storage media encoded with a data structure representing a source file associated with a web page, the data structure comprising:

a first data field for storing a declaration for a multiview object, wherein the multiview object is defined by an object class definition that defines properties, events, and methods of the multiview object;

when the declaration is identified by a server, the server generates multiple views associated with a scenario, wherein each of the multiple views includes a user-interface that corresponds to specific operations associated with each of the multiple views of the scenario and navigational logic for navigating between the multiple views, each of the multiple views having different user-interfaces with different controls, wherein at least one of the multiple views includes a control that performs a different action than second control in another one of the multiple views, and wherein flow between the multiple views is directed by the navigation logic associated with the multiview object.

22. The one or more computer-storage media as recited in claim 21, wherein the declaration includes a tag that specifies the multiview object.

23. The one or more computer-storage media as recited in claim 21, wherein the declaration includes data associated with the multiview object, and wherein the data includes at least one of properties, states, or options.

24. The one or more computer-storage media as recited in claim 21, wherein the source file causes the rendering of the views without defining the controls included in the views.

25. The one or more computer-storage media as recited in claim 21, wherein the source file causes the rendering of the multiple views without defining the navigational flow of the views.

26. A system comprising:

a processor; and

one or more computer storage media comprising computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

implement a scenario in a web application by including a declaration for an object in a source file associated with the web application, wherein the object is a multiview object that is defined by an object class definition that defines properties, events, and methods of the multiview object and the multiview object is configured to enable generation multiple views associated with a scenario, wherein each of the multiple views has an associated user-interface that corresponds to specific operations associated with each of the multiple views of the scenario;

render the multiple views associated with the object wherein each of the multiple views have different user-interfaces with different controls, wherein at least one of the multiple views includes a control that performs a different action than a second control in another one of the multiple views; and

navigate through the multiple views using navigational logic stored in the multiview object.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the one or more computer storage media further comprise computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to implement the multiple views associated with the scenario without defining controls in the views.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the one or more computer storage media further comprise computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

determine a current view;

receive input in the current view;

determine a next view based, in part, on the input and the navigational logic associated with the current view; and

render the next view.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the one or more computer storage media further comprise computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to include a declaration as a tag.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the one or more computer storage media further comprise computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to specify a property of the object.

31. One or more computer storage media storing computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method of defining web content navigation without using server-side navigational logic, the method comprising:

identifying a declaration in a source file for a web page, the declaration associated with a multiview object contained in the source file for the web page;

initializing the multiview object, wherein the multiview object is defined by an object class definition that defines properties, events, and methods of the multiview object and the multiview object is configured to enable a server to generate multiple views associated with a scenario;

determining the multiple views associated with the multiview object, each of the multiple views including a user-interface that corresponds to specific operations associated with each of the multiple views of the scenario, wherein each of the multiple views have different user-interfaces with different controls, and wherein at least one of the multiple views includes a control that performs a different action than a second control in another one of the multiple views;

determining a flow for navigating through the multiple views;

rendering each of the multiple views in accordance with the determined flow, wherein the flow is determined by navigation logic contained in the multiview object; and

returning to the execution of the web page upon reaching the end of navigation logic contained in the object.