Priority binding

• US 20050228801A1
• Filed: 04/13/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Peters, Ted Andrew, Cooper, Kenneth Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 7,539,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Priority binding enables a one-to-many mapping of a target to a source without requiring complex code development by the specification of one or more binding statements. During runtime, these bindings are evaluated. The highest priority binding that evaluates successfully is executed, controlling the two-way transfer of information between source and target. During execution, all possible data binding pathways are monitored. If a binding that has a higher priority than the existing binding evaluates successfully, the existing binding is terminated and the new binding is executed.

Claims

1. A system for binding target and source comprising a data binding engine that receives a plurality of binding statements, the plurality of binding statements comprising at least a first binding statement and a second binding statement.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each statement of the plurality of binding statements is associated with an execution priority.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the execution priority is indicated by a sequence of the plurality of binding statements.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the first binding statement is associated with a first priority and the second binding statement is associated with a second priority.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein in response to determining that the first priority is higher than the second priority, the first binding statement is evaluated.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein in response to determining that the first binding statement evaluates successfully, the first binding statement is executed.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the execution priority comprises:

in response to determining that the first priority is a highest priority and the second priority is a next highest priority and the first binding statement does not evaluate successfully and the second binding statement evaluates successfully, executing the second binding statement.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first binding statement comprises a data source.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the data source comprises an object accessed via a URI.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the data source comprises an XML source.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the data source comprises an object model.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the data source comprises a database accessed by a database query language.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the first binding statement comprises a binding path.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the binding path is expressed as an XML XPath.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the binding path comprises an object path.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the first binding statement comprises an expression.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein determining that the first binding statement evaluates successfully comprises determining that the expression evaluates to true.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the second binding statement comprises a default value and the default value is used to update a target when only the second binding statement evaluates successfully.

19. A method of binding a target to at least two of a plurality of data elements comprising:

receiving a plurality of binding statements comprising at least a first binding statement and a second binding statement,

receiving a priority order indicating an order of execution of the plurality of binding statements, the first binding statement associated with a highest priority and the second binding statement associated with a next highest priority; and

executing the first binding statement.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising successfully evaluating the first binding statement.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the priority order is indicated by a sequence of the plurality of binding statements.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein executing the first binding statement comprises updating a target with a data element identified by the first binding statement.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein in response to determining that the first binding statement does not evaluate successfully, evaluating the second binding statement.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein in response to successfully evaluating the second binding statement, executing the second binding statement.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of binding statements is defined via a markup language.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the markup language is HTML, XML or XAML.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the first binding statement comprises an expression value.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the first binding statement is executed in response to determining that the first binding statement evaluates successfully and the first binding statement expression evaluates to true.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the second binding statement comprises a default value and the default value is used to update a target.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the target is an element of a user interface.

31. The method of claim 19, further comprising monitoring a plurality of data binding paths associated with the plurality of binding statements for a change notification.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising re-evaluating the plurality of binding statements in response to receiving the change notification.

33. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for mapping a target to at least a first data element and a second data element of a plurality of data elements of a source using a collection of binding statements in a declarative markup language.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, further comprising computer-executable instructions for indicating an execution order for the collection of binding statements.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, further comprising computer-executable instructions for specifying that the collection of binding statements comprises a first binding statement associated with the first data element and a first execution order indicating a highest priority and a second binding statement associated with the second data element and a second execution order indicating a second highest priority.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, further comprising computer-executable instructions for evaluating the first binding statement and in response to determining that the first binding statement evaluates successfully, executing the first binding statement.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, further comprising computer-executable instructions for updating the target with a value of the first data element.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, further comprising computer-executable instructions for monitoring the first data element and the second data element for a change notification and in response to detecting the change notification, re-evaluating the collection of binding statements.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, further comprising computer-executable instructions for determining that the first binding statement does not evaluate successfully, and in response, evaluating the second binding statement.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, further comprising computer-executable instructions for evaluating the second binding statement and in response to determining that the second binding statement evaluates successfully, executing the second binding statement.