Graphical user interface generation through use of a binary file

• US 9,529,573 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2009
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Feies, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Quoc A
• Application Number:
  US12/360,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20100192167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,890 Days
• Field of Search: 715234-239, 715/262, 715/204, 415/418, 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 Trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

A system for generating and displaying a graphical user interface on a computer screen is described herein. The system includes a receiver component that receives a binary formatted file and a virtual machine that generates a graphical user interface based at least in part upon the binary formatted file. A display component causes the graphical user interface to be displayed on the computer screen.

Claims

1. A method comprising acts that are executed by a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving a binary formatted file, the binary formatted file is based upon a markup file, the binary formatted file comprises a plurality of tables and a header, the header includes a signature, a version number, and offsets to the plurality of tables in the binary formatted file;

creating a graphical user interface tree by parsing the binary formatted file, the graphical user interface tree includes nodes that represent elements of a graphical user interface that is to be rendered on a display of the computing device;

building the graphical user interface based upon the graphical user interface tree, wherein a virtual machine executing on the computing device builds the graphical user interface; and

displaying the graphical user interface on the display, the graphical user interface comprises the elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a table in the plurality of tables is a string table that includes an index to strings in the markup file, the strings occur numerous times in the markup file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a table in the plurality of tables is an element table that describes graphical elements that are included in the graphical user interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a second table in the plurality of tables is a property table that indexes properties that describe elements listed in the element table.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a third table in the plurality of tables is a value table that indexes values for the properties listed in the property table.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a table in the plurality of tables is a markup table that indexes subtrees of a main tree corresponding to the graphical user interface.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein a table in the plurality of tables is a style table that indexes styles of at least one element listed in the element table.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein a table in the plurality of tables is a script table that indexes actions corresponding to at least one element listed in the element table.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a dynamic linked library for the binary formatted file together with the binary formatted file, wherein the graphical user interface is built based upon the dynamic linked library for the binary formatted file.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the binary formatted file based upon an identification assigned to the binary formatted file.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a virtual machine stack and a virtual machine call stack to facilitate re-entrances.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the graphical user interface tree comprises constructing a syntax tree, the syntax tree constructed based upon a tree in a markup section of the binary formatted file.

13. A system that facilitates generating and displaying a graphical user interface on a display, the system comprising:

a processor; and

memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving a binary formatted file that is based upon a markup file, the binary formatted file comprises a plurality of tables and a header, the header includes a signature, a version number, and offsets to the plurality of tables in the binary formatted file;

generating a graphical user interface tree by parsing the binary formatted file, wherein the graphical user interface tree includes a node that represents an element of a graphical user interface that is to be rendered on the display;

generating the graphical user interface based upon the graphical user interface tree, wherein the graphical user interface is generated by a virtual machine executed by the processor; and

causing the graphical user interface to be displayed on the display.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the virtual machine generates the graphical user interface based upon the offsets to the plurality of tables.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of tables include an elements table, a properties table, and a value table, wherein an element in the elements table is an entity that is to be displayed in the graphical user interface, a property in the properties table describes the element, and a value in the value table describes the property.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the markup file is received from an application server.

17. The system of claim 13 comprised by a mobile telephone.

18. A computing device comprising a computer-readable medium, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving a binary formatted file from an application server, the binary formatted file is based upon a markup file and includes a header that comprises a signature, a version number, and data indicating a size of the binary formatted file;

parsing the binary formatted file to create a graphical user interface tree, wherein the graphical user interface tree includes a first node that represents an element to be displayed in a graphical user interface, a second node that represents a property that describes the element, and a third node that represents a value that describes the property, the third node being a child of the second node, the second node being a child of the first node; and

using a virtual machine to cause the graphical user interface to be displayed on a display screen of a computer device based at least in part upon the graphical user interface tree.

19. The computing device of claim 18, the binary formatted file comprises a string table that includes an index to strings that occur repeatedly in the markup file.

20. The computing device of claim 18, the header further comprises an index to a plurality of tables in the binary formatted file, the plurality of tables include an element table, a property table, and a value table.