Cross platform compositional widgets

• US 8,234,622 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Meijer, Henricus Johannes Maria, Van Velzen, Danny, Van Gogh, Jeffrey, Beckman, Brian C.
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, RONGFA PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US12/059,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20090249282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

Mechanisms are afforded for supporting cross platform widgets. A generic widget can be converted into a specialized widget of a corresponding platform. Dually, a specialized widget can be generalized to a generic widget for subsequent deployment on the same or different host. Furthermore, support is provided for compositional widgets across platforms.

Claims

1. A widget system, comprising:

a computer comprising a processing unit coupled to a memory, the computer further comprising;

a development component to facilitate construction of a first widget, wherein the first widget is a generic widget and comprises metadata that is generated as a function of particular arguments such that metadata is returned dynamically rather than being static;

a transform component that transforms the first and/or second widget to facilitate compositionality, the transform component transforms the first and/or second widget by altering a user interface, code and metadata to another format, the transform component enables call interception and redirection; and

a loader component that loads the first widget into a container, wherein the container is a second widget.

2. The system of claim 1, the transform component transforms the first and/or second widget in accordance with a policy that defines secure interaction on a spectrum from full access to complete isolation.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an analysis component that analyzes the first and/or second widget actions either statically or dynamically.

4. The system of claim 3, the analysis component checks a proof and/or endorsement associated with the first and/or second widget.

5. The system of claim 3, the analysis component analyzes a function that transforms a generic widget into a specific widget related to a specific widget platform.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a component that generates the first widget specific to a widget platform from a generic widget produced with aid from the development component.

7. The system of claim 6, the generic widget includes a function that produces declarative widget metadata specific to a widget platform to facilitate transformation from generic to specific.

8. A method of widget production, comprising:

using a processing unit, transforming a specialized widget into a generic widget, transforming the specialized widget comprising removing a wrapper applied thereto;

using the processing unit, acquiring the generic widget; and

using the processing unit, generating a second specialized widget from the generic widget for execution on a specific widget platform; and

applying a wrapper to the generic widget to produce the second specialized widget.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising rewriting the generic widget as the second specialized widget statically prior to execution or dynamically at runtime.

10. The method of claim 8, generating the second specialized widget comprising calling a generic widget metadata function to produce specialized widget metadata for the second specialized widget.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating the second specialized widget from a transformation function carried by the generic widget.

12. A widget system, comprising:

means for transforming a specific widget to a generic widget, transforming the specialized widget comprising removing a wrapper applied thereto;

means for generating a specialized widget for a corresponding platform from the generic widget; and

means for loading the specialized widget into a container, wherein the container is a widget and/or includes other widgets; and

applying a wrapper to the generic widget to produce the specialized widget.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a means for controlling interaction between embedded widgets.