Application-managed file versioning

• US 8,856,088 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Havewala, Sarosh C., Garson, Matthew S., Christiansen, Neal R., Li, Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): Morrison, Jay
• Assistant Examiner(s): GORTAYO, DANGELINO N
• Application Number:
  US12/060,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,380 Days
• Field of Search: 707/203, 707/200, 707/999.203, 707/104.1, 707/610, 707/638, 707/695, 707/654, 707/611
• US Class Current: 707/695
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1873 Versioning file systems, temporal file systems, e.g. file system supporting different historic versions of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71

Abstract

In accordance with one or more aspects of the application-managed file versioning, a request to store a new version of a file is received from an application, the request having been generated by the application. A filename for the new version of the file is generated, derived from a standardized naming convention. The filename includes a first portion having at least a portion of a name of the file, and a second portion having data indicating that the new version of the file is a version of the file. A set of application programming interfaces (APIs) can be exposed that allow the application to manage file versions, such as creating a new version of a file, identifying one or more versions of the file, listing one or more versions of the file, and deleting one or more versions of the file.

Claims

1. One or more computer memory storage components having stored thereon multiple instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to implement a versioning module of an operating system executable on the device, the versioning module configured to:

receive, from an application that opens and edits a file, a request associated with an application-managed file versioning of the file to store a new version of the file, the request automatically generated by the application responsive to the application detecting an application-specific event, the versioning module configured to receive requests to store new versions of files from multiple different applications that each employ different criteria to determine when to create the new versions of files;

generate a filename for the new version of the file responsive to the request, the filename including a first portion having at least a portion of a name of the file, and a second portion having data indicating that the new version of the file is a version of the file, the filename further including one or more flags designated by the application to be set in the filename by the versioning module, at least one flag indicating that auto-versioning and application-managed file versioning are to be performed by the versioning module with respect to the new version of the file, the filename further including a timestamp portion that identifies a date and time at which the new version of the file is created;

store the new version of the file; and

based on the at least one said flag being set in the filename, perform the auto-versioning by at least automatically generating an additional new version of the file at particular intervals of time.

2. One or more computer memory storage components as recited in claim 1, wherein the application is running on the device.

3. One or more computer memory storage components as recited in claim 1, wherein the filename further includes a tag portion to associate metadata with the new version of the file.

4. One or more computer memory storage components as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to expose a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) to the application, the set of APIs including one or more APIs to create the new version of the file, one or more APIs to identify one or more versions of the file, one or more APIs to list the one or more versions of the file, and one or more APIs to delete the one or more versions of the file, and wherein to receive the request is to have the application invoke one of the one or more APIs to create the new version of the file.

5. One or more computer memory storage components as recited in claim 1, wherein the flag indicates that the new version of the file is not to be deleted during an automated clean-up process.

6. One or more computer memory storage components as recited in claim 1, wherein the filename includes a flag that indicates that a user is to be notified about deletion of the new version during an automated clean-up process.

7. One or more computer memory storage components as recited in claim 1, wherein the application is configured to access both the new version of the file and the additional new version of the file using a legacy technique.

8. One or more computer memory storage components as recited in claim 1, wherein the filename includes a tag portion having one or more characters that tag the new version with specific information.

9. A method implemented in a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving at a versioning module, from an application that opens and edits a file, a request associated with an application-managed file versioning of the file to store a new version of the file, the request automatically generated by the application responsive to the application detecting an application-specific event, the versioning module configured to receive requests to store new versions of files from multiple different applications that each employ different criteria to determine when to create the new versions of files;

generating, by the versioning module, a filename for the new version of the file responsive to the request, the filename including a first portion having at least a portion of a name of the file, and a second portion having data indicating that the new version of the file is a version of the file, the filename further including one or more flags designated by the application to be set in the filename by the versioning module, at least one flag indicating that auto-versioning and application-managed file versioning are to be performed by the versioning module with respect to the new version of the file, the filename further including a timestamp portion that identifies a date and time at which the new version of the file is created;

storing the new version of the file; and

based on the at least one said flag being set in the filename, performing the auto-versioning by at least automatically generating an additional new version of the file at particular intervals of time.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the application is running on the computing device.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the filename further includes a tag portion to associate metadata with the new version of the file.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the flag indicates that the new version of the file is not to be deleted during an automated clean-up process.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the filename includes a flag that indicates that a user is to be notified about deletion of the new version during an automated clean-up process.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the application is configured to access both the new version of the file and the additional new version of the file using a legacy technique.

15. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the filename includes a tag portion having one or more characters that tag the new version with specific information.

16. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising exposing a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) to the application, the set of APIs including one or more APIs to create the new version of the file, one or more APIs to identify one or more versions of the file, one or more APIs to list the one or more versions of the file, and one or more APIs to delete the one or more versions of the file, and wherein said receiving the request includes having the application invoke one of the one or more APIs to create the new version of the file.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable memory storage components having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which are executable by the one or more processors to implement a versioning module configured to;

receive, from an application that opens and edits a file, a request associated with an application-managed file versioning of the file to store a new version of the file, the request automatically generated by the application responsive to the application detecting an application-specific event, the versioning module configured to receive requests to store new versions of files from multiple different applications that each employ different criteria to determine when to create the new versions of files;

generate a filename for the new version of the file responsive to the request, the filename including a first portion having at least a portion of a name of the file, and a second portion having data indicating that the new version of the file is a version of the file, the filename further including one or more flags designated by the application to be set in the filename by the versioning module, at least one flag indicating that auto-versioning and application-managed file versioning are to be performed by the versioning module with respect to the new version of the file, the filename further including a timestamp portion that identifies a date and time at which the new version of the file is created;

store the new version of the file; and

based on the at least one said flag being set in the filename, perform the auto-versioning by at least automatically generating an additional new version of the file at particular intervals of time.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the application is running on a device that includes the one or more processors.

19. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the filename further includes a tag portion to associate metadata with the new version of the file.

20. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the flag indicates that the new version of the file is not to be deleted during an automated clean-up process.