Extension interaction with applications

• US 9,817,966 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2016
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Surti, Tanvi Saumil, Tong, Chee Chen, Lyndersay, Sean Obafemi, Hilerio, Israel, Hazen, John Anderson
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Andy
• Application Number:
  US15/206,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20160321449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 719320, 719328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

Techniques for extension interaction with applications are described. Generally, an extension represents functionality for extending, modifying, customizing, and/or supplementing native functionality of an application. Techniques discussed herein provide a common extension platform that enables an extension to interact with multiple different applications utilizing components of the platform. The common extension platform, for instance, exposes a set of common extension application programming interfaces (APIs) that provide a common interaction surface between extensions and applications.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to perform operations including;

receiving an indication that an extension calls an application programming interface (API) to functionally extend an application;

identifying a permission that specifies one or more of an allowed interaction for the extension and the application, or a disallowed interaction for the extension and the application; and

causing the application to be functionally extended by the extension subject to the permission.

2. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the permission specifies an interaction behavior that is not permitted between the extension and the application.

3. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the permission is specific to the extension such that the permission is applied to an interaction between the extension and the application, but not to an interaction between a different extension and the application.

4. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the permission is specific to the application.

5. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the permission is generally applicable to interactions between multiple different extensions and the application.

6. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the permission specifies that the extension is not permitted to alter a native functionality of the application.

7. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the permission is user configurable.

8. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further include presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) that enables user configuration of the permission.

9. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the permission specifies that the extension is permitted to extract information from the application, and the operations further include causing a graphical user interface (GUI) for the extension to be populated based on the information extracted from the application.

10. A method comprising:

receiving an indication that an extension calls an application programming interface (API) to functionally extend an application;

identifying, by one or more hardware processors executing logic, a permission that specifies one or more of an allowed interaction for the extension and the application, or a disallowed interaction for the extension and the application; and

causing, by the one or more hardware processors executing logic, the application to be functionally extended by the extension subject to the permission.

11. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the permission is specific to the extension such that the permission is applied to an interaction between the extension and the application, but not to an interaction between a different extension and the application.

12. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the permission specifies that the extension is not permitted to alter a native functionality of the application.

13. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the permission specifies that the extension is permitted to extract information from the application, and the method further comprises causing a graphical user interface (GUI) for the extension to be populated based on the information extracted from the application.

14. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) that enables user configuration of the permission.

15. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an indication that a different extension calls the application programming interface (API) to functionally extend the application;

identifying a different permission that is specific to the extension and that specifies one or more of an allowed interaction for the different extension and the application, or a disallowed interaction for the different extension and the application; and

causing the application to be functionally extended by the different extension subject to the different permission.

16. A method comprising:

exposing, by one or more hardware processors executing logic, functionality via an application programming interface (API) to an extension that enables the extension to interact with multiple different autonomous applications via the API; and

responsive to the extension calling the API, causing, by the one or more hardware processors executing logic, the multiple different autonomous applications to be functionally extended by the extension, a particular application of the multiple different autonomous applications being functionally extended by the extension subject to a permission that specifies one or more of an allowed interaction for the extension and the particular application, or a disallowed interaction for the extension and the particular application.

17. A method as described in claim 16, wherein at least some of the applications are have different respective permissions for interaction between the extension and the respective applications.

18. A method as described in claim 16, wherein the permission is specific to the extension such that the permission is applied to an interaction between the extension and the particular application, but not to an interaction between a different extension and the particular application.

19. A method as described in claim 16, wherein the permission specifies that the extension is not permitted to alter a native functionality of the particular application.

20. A method as described in claim 16, wherein the permission specifies that the extension is permitted to extract information from the particular application, and the method further comprises causing a graphical user interface (GUI) for the extension to be populated based on the information extracted from the particular application.