Sidebar engine, object model and schema

• US 8,739,058 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US12/689,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20100115453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 715/779, 715/802, 715/810, 715/792, 715712-713, 715/840, 715/804, 715/851, 715/853, 715/855
• 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 memory having stored on the memory 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;

a part settings object parameter of each part object parameter, said part settings object parameter representing a configuration of the secondary user interface, said part settings object parameter selected from the group consisting of Read((String)PropertyName) and IWrite((String)PropertyName, (String)PropertyValue);

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 media of claim 1 wherein the display object parameter represents at least one of an event, or property, or method associated with the secondary user interface.

3. The computer-readable storage media of claim 2 wherein the display object parameter event is selected from the group consisting of PrimaryScreenChanged( ), ScreenChanged( ), and TerminalServerChanged, and wherein the display object parameter property is selected from the group consisting of IsDragFullWindows, IsHighContrast, IsDropShadowEnabled, IsTerminalServerSession, and PrimaryScreen or the group consisting of Height, Left, Top, Width, WorkingHeight, WorkingLeft, WorkingTop, Working Width, DPI, BitsPerPixel, Resolution, DeviceName, and PrimaryScreen.

4. The computer-readable storage media 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( ).

5. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the element object parameter represents at least one of an event, method, or property of the secondary user interface.

6. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the element object parameter event is selected from the group consisting of DragEnter, DragLeave, Drop, GotFocus, KeyDown, keyUp, LostFocus, MouseEnter, MouseLeave, MouseLeftButtonDown, MouseLeftButtonUp, MouseMove, MouseRightButtonDown, MouseRightButtonUp, and MouseWheel, wherein the element object parameter method is selected from the group consisting of ShowDialog((String)Message, (String)Title, (String)Type, (Int)Buttons);

CreateElement((String)ElementType);

(Element) FindChild((String)ElementName);

(Collection(Elements))FindChildren((String)ElementName);

Insert((Element)Element);

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

Remove((Element)Element); and

RemoveAt((Int)Index), and wherein the element object parameter property 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, Tooltip, Visibility, Width, and ZOrder.

7. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1 further comprising an ActiveXControl Object parameter representing a property of the secondary user interface, wherein the ActiveXControl Object parameter is ObjectId.

8. The computer-readable storage media 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, TotalCPUUsage, and TotalMemory.

9. The computer-readable storage media 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.

10. The computer-readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the system shell object parameter event is DirectoryChanged ((String)Path, (Function Pointer)Function) and wherein the system shell object parameter method 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) GetItem((String)Path);

Name;

Navigate((String)Url); and

(System.Shell.Item) SaveFileDialog((String)Path, (String)Filter).

11. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1 further comprising a shell item object parameter representing at least one of a method and a property of the secondary user interface.

12. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1 wherein the shell item object parameter method is 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), and wherein the shell item object parameter property is selected from the group consisting of Folder, IsLink, ItemType, Link, ModifyDate, Name, Path, Size, Type, and RealShellItem((String)Path).

13. The computer-readable storage media 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, is KeyDown, Key, keyState, modifierKeys, and MouseKeyStates.

14. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1 further comprising an ActiveXControl Object parameter representing a property of the secondary user interface, wherein said ActiveXControl Object parameter is ObjectId.

15. A computer-readable storage memory having stored on the memory 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;

a part settings object parameter of each part object parameter, said 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;

wherein upon undocking of the secondary application from the host application, the data structure defines a representation of the secondary user interface on a display area outside the sidebar area of the host user interface and separate from the host user interface.

16. The computer readable storage media of claim 15 wherein the part settings object parameter is selected from the group consisting of Read((String)PropertyName) and IWrite((String)PropertyName, (String)PropertyValue).

17. A computer-readable storage memory having stored on the memory 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;

a part settings object parameter of each part object parameter, said 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;

wherein the data structure corresponds to an object model that, when executed, renders the secondary user interface on a display.

18. The computer readable storage media of claim 17 wherein the part settings object parameter is selected from the group consisting of Read((String)PropertyName) and IWrite((String)PropertyName, (String)PropertyValue).

19. The computer-readable storage media of claim 17 further comprising an ActiveXControl Object parameter representing a property of the secondary user interface, wherein said ActiveXControl Object parameter is ObjectId.