Efficient discovery, display, and autocompletion of links to wiki resources

• US 8,230,336 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Morrill, Jason F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Queler, Adam M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cortes, Howard
• Application Number:
  US12/428,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20100275109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 715/205
• US Class Current: 715/261
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

An efficient system, and process, and user interface is provided for autocompletion of links within wiki page content. An indication is received that a user editing a wiki page desires to add a link to a resource. A user interface is provided to assist the user in autocompleting the insertion of the link into the wiki page. The user is provided with a list of both resource object types and options for each resource object type. The system is extensible in that new resource object types can be added to permit autocompletion of links to multiple resource types. A registration document is maintained by a wiki server that defines the resource object types that are available for autocompletion of links. The registration document contains contact information for providers that ultimately maintain the list of options for each of the resource object types.

Claims

1. A method for providing autocompletion of a link to a resource in a wiki-editor user interface, comprising the following steps:

receiving content for a wiki page via the wiki-editor user interface at a client computing device;

receiving, via the wiki-editor user interface, an indication that a user desires to link to a resource;

receiving a list of a plurality of resource object types available for linking from the wiki page, the resource object types comprising one or more categories of wiki resources and maintained in a registration document further including contact information for a provider associated with each of the resource object types;

displaying the list of resource object types;

receiving a selection of one of the resource object types;

receiving a list of options for the selected resource object type by accessing the registration document, obtaining the contact information for the provider of the selected resource object type, and requesting the list options from the provider, wherein the list of options comprises different resources of the selected resource object type that are available for linking from the wiki page;

displaying the list of options for the selected resource object type;

receiving first input text;

acquiring a filtered list of options that contains only options for the selected resource object type that include the first input text;

receiving the filtered list of options;

receiving a selection of one of the filtered options; and

inserting a link to the selected filtered option into the content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication that the user desires to link to the resource comprises detecting that the user has input link-initiating text in the content received in the wiki-editor user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the list of resource object types further comprises displaying a list of options for a first of the resource object types and wherein receiving the selection of the one of the resource object types comprises receiving the selection of a second of the resource object types.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first of the resource object types is automatically selected.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after receiving the list of resource object types:

receiving an indication that autocompletion of the link is desired.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the indication that autocompletion of the link is desired comprises a detection of a pause by the user after inputting the first input text.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the indication that autocompletion of the link is desired comprises detection of a threshold number of characters of the first input text being entered.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after receiving the indication that the user desires to link to the resource:

providing a link-text entry area in the wiki-editor user interface;

wherein the first input text is received in the link-text entry area, and the list of resource object types, the list of options, and the filtered list of options are displayed in menus within the wiki-editor user interface.

9. A computer storage medium including instructions that, when executed by at least one processing unit, perform the following method:

providing a registration document, wherein the registration document maintains at least a first registered resource object type and includes first contact information for a first provider of the first registered resource object type;

receiving a registration of a second resource object type, wherein the registration of the second resource object type includes second contact information for a second provider of the second resource object type;

editing the registration document to include the second registered resource object type and the second contact information for the second provider;

receiving a request from a first wiki editor hosted by a first client computing device for a list of registered resource object types, wherein the resource object types comprise categories of wiki resources;

sending to the first client computing device the list of resource object types including the first registered resource object type and the second registered resource object type;

receiving a request for a list of options for the second registered resource object type;

requesting the list of options for the second registered resource object type by accessing the registration document, obtaining the contact information for the provider of the second resource object type, and requesting the list options from the provider;

sending to the first client computing device the list of options for the second resource object type;

receiving first input text;

acquiring a filtered list of options that contains only options for the second resource object type that include the first input text;

receiving the filtered list of options;

receiving a selection of one of the filtered options; and

inserting a link to the selected filtered option in the text content.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the registration document comprises an extensible markup language (XML) document, the second provider comprises a SOAP service, and the second contact information includes instructions for querying the SOAP service for valid options of the second resource object type.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the first provider and the second provider comprise web servers hosted on different computing devices.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein inserting a link to the selected filtered option in the text content comprises inserting a uniform resource locator (URL) for the selected filtered option.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises the steps of, after requesting the list of options for the second registered resource object type:

receiving the list of options for the second registered resource object type from the second provider;

determining that the list of options exceeds a threshold; and

indicating to the first client computing device that additional information regarding a desired option is needed.

14. A system for providing autocompletion of a link to a resource in a wiki-editor user interface, comprising:

at least one processing unit;

at least one memory, including instructions that when executed by the at least one processing unit cause the at least one processing unit to perform a method comprising;

receiving text content for a wiki page via the wiki-editor user interface;

receiving, via the wiki-editor user interface, an indication that a user desires to link to a resource;

receiving a list of a plurality of resource object types available for linking from the wiki page, the resource object types comprising one or more categories of wiki resources and maintained in a registration document further including contact information for a provider associated with each of the resource object types;

displaying the list of resource object types;

receiving a selection of one of the resource object types;

receiving a list of options for the selected resource object type by accessing the registration document, obtaining the contact information for the provider of the selected resource object type, and requesting the list options from the provider, wherein the list of options comprises different resources of the selected resource object type that are available for linking from the wiki page;

displaying the list of options for the selected resource object type;

receiving first input text;

acquiring a filtered list of options that contains only options for the selected resource object type that include the first input text;

receiving the filtered list of options;

receiving a selection of one of the filtered options;

inserting a link to the selected filtered option in the text content.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising, after receiving the list of resource object types:

receiving second input text;

requesting a filtered list of resource object types that contains only resource object types that include the second input text;

displaying the filtered list of resource object types;

wherein receiving the selection of the one of the resource object types comprises receiving the selection of one of the resource object types from the filtered list of resource object types.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising, after receiving the indication that the user desires to link to the resource:

providing a link-text entry area in the wiki-editor user interface;

wherein the first input text is received in the link-text entry area, and the list of resource object types, the list of options, and the filtered list of options are displayed in menus within the wiki-editor user interface.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein receiving the indication that the user desires to link to the resource comprises detecting that the user has input link-initiating text in the text content received in the wiki-editor user interface.