Memory model for a layout engine and scripting engine

• US 9,116,867 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2014
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Leithead, Travis, Rogers, Justin, Pavlicic, Miladin, Man, Curtis Cheng-Cheng, Qu, Yong, Furtwangler, Nathan J. E., Nourai, Reza A., Lucco, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Qing
• Application Number:
  US14/532,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20150058714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 294 Days
• Field of Search: 717/114, 717/115
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45508 Runtime interpretation or emulation, e g. emulator loops, bytecode interpretation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks

Abstract

Various embodiments provide an interface between a Web browser'"'"'s layout engine and a scripting engine. The interface enables objects from the layout engine to be recognized by a memory manager in the scripting engine and interact in a streamlined, efficient manner. In accordance with one or more embodiments, the interface allows browser layout engine objects to be created as objects that are native to the scripting engine. Alternately or additionally, in some embodiments, the native objects are further configured to proxy functionality between the layout engine and the scripting engine.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

creating a redirection mechanism that is configured to be logically interposed between a web browser'"'"'s scripting engine associated with a scripting engine memory space and an associated layout engine associated with a layout engine memory space by;

compiling one or more files that define a layout engine programming object in a layout engine memory space and one or more files that define a scripting language programming object in a scripting engine memory space;

producing, responsive to the compiling, one or more redirection mechanism functions configured to enable function calls associated with the scripting language programming object to be redirected to the layout engine programming object for work load execution, wherein the layout engine programming object is associated with, and bound to the scripting language programming object through linkages that utilize custom objects that represent associated objects in the scripting engine memory space and which point to associated, bound objects in the layout engine memory space, and wherein the custom objects have one or more pointers and at least some of the one or more pointers are configured to point to other objects in the scripting engine memory space; and

logically interposing the redirection mechanism between the web browser'"'"'s scripting engine and the associated layout engine effective to enable the web browser'"'"'s scripting engine and the associated layout engine to communicate and call functionality between each other.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more redirection mechanism functions are further configured to enable communication between the web browser'"'"'s scripting engine and the associated layout engine without requesting interface pointers.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the scripting language programming object in the scripting engine memory space that is bound to the layout engine programming object in the layout engine memory space serves as a proxy object that proxies requests to its associated object in the layout engine memory space.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the one or more pointers are further configured to point to parent objects.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the one or more pointers are further configured to point to child objects.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the one or more pointers are further configured to point to sibling objects.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more pointers comprise relationship pointers that are configured to be used for memory management.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the redirection mechanism further comprises an object graph that is configured to enable memory management to identify reclaimable objects.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the object graph is further configured to reside in the scripting engine memory space.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the object graph is further configured to enable an object to maintain its lifespan without requiring the object to be pinned.

11. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable hardware storage memories embodying computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, implement a method comprising;

creating a redirection mechanism that is configured to be logically interposed between a web browser'"'"'s scripting engine associated with a scripting engine memory space and an associated layout engine associated with a layout engine memory space by;

compiling one or more files that define one or more layout engine programming objects in the layout engine memory space and one or more files that define one or more scripting language programming objects in the scripting engine memory space;

producing, responsive to the compiling, one or more redirection mechanism functions configured to enable function calls associated with an object native the web browser'"'"'s scripting engine to be redirected to an object in the associated layout engine for work load execution, wherein the scripting engine memory space includes one or more objects that are associated with, and bound to one or more objects in the layout engine memory space through linkages that utilize custom objects that represent relationships between objects in the scripting engine memory space and objects in the layout engine memory space, and wherein the custom objects have one or more pointers and at least some of the one or more pointers are configured to point to other objects in the scripting engine memory space; and

logically interposing the redirection mechanism between the web browser'"'"'s scripting engine and the associated layout engine effective to enable the web browser'"'"'s scripting engine and the associated layout engine to communicate and call functionality between each other.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the relationships comprise parent relationships to parent objects.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the relationships comprise child relationships to child objects.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the relationships comprise sibling relationships to sibling objects.

15. A computer implemented method comprising:

creating a redirection mechanism that is configured to be logically interposed between a web browser'"'"'s scripting engine and an associated layout engine by;

compiling one or more Property Description Language (PDL) files that define one or more layout engine programming objects and associated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and one or more files that define one or more scripting language programming objects, and at least one Internet Definition Language (IDL) file that includes alternate descriptions of at least some of the associated APIs and the one or more layout engine programming objects in the PDL files;

producing, responsive to the compiling, one or more redirection mechanism functions, redirection mechanisms and definitions, and per type initialization functions configured to enable integration between the web browser'"'"'s scripting engine and the associated layout engine, wherein the alternate descriptions include one or more of the following attributes;

one or more annotation/documentation attributes, one or more global object extension attributes, one or more code generation attributes, and one or more API availability attributes;

logically interposing the redirection mechanism between the web browser'"'"'s scripting engine and the associated layout engine effective to enable the web browser'"'"'s scripting engine and the associated layout engine to communicate and call functionality between each other; and

binding the one or more layout engine programming objects with the one or more scripting language programming objects via a linkage, wherein the linkage utilizes a custom object that is configured to represent relationships between objects in a scripting engine memory space associated with the one or more scripting language programming objects and objects in a layout engine memory space associated with the one or more layout engine programming objects, and wherein the custom object includes one or more pointers which point to associated, bound objects in the layout engine memory space.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 15, the creating further comprising receiving, subsequent to the compiling and prior to the producing, a modification to attributes within the at least one IDL file.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein the at least one IDL file is configured to include hierarchical relationship information associated with hierarchical arrangements of APIs.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein the one or more annotation/documentation attributes include one or more of the following attributes:

attributes that are used for hyper-linking;

attributes that are used to describe, link, and/or point an interface and/or property definition to an associated binary code representation;

attributes that are used to include release information;

attributes that are used to extend a property with an associated attribute name and/or Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) property;

attributes that are used to include testing identification references; and

attributes that are used to include tag identifiers that enable API categorization and search-indexing.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein the one or more code generation attributes include one or more of the following attributes:

attributes that are used to control security aspects of a property and/or API;

attributes that are used to control default initialization of a property; and

attributes that are used to indicate entry points for associated code.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein the one or more global object extension attributes comprise attributes that are used to identify one or more interfaces to be grafted as a global object;

and

wherein the one or more API availability attributes include one or more of the following attributes;

attributes that are used to enable one or more APIs to be available to a webpage running a first markup language, but unavailable to a webpage running a second different markup language; and

an attribute that is used to mark an API as deprecated.