Method and system for exposing nested data in a computer-generated document in a transparent manner

• US 20060136553A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Brian, Rothschiller, Chad, Villaron, Shawn Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,752,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for exposing nested data in computer-generated documents in a transparent manner. A mechanism is provided for a client application to query a server application for a list of available file formats after an object is requested from a server application document for embedding into a client application document. Another mechanism is provided for the client application to request a particular format associated with the embedded object from the server application document. Once the client application obtains file format information available to the server application or associated with the particular object, the client application may utilize the obtained file formats for utilizing or operating on the embedded object according to the native file formats associated with the embedded object.

Claims

1. A method for exposing formatting information about an embedded object to a receiving software application, comprising:

receiving a request for embedding an object from a second document into a first document;

querying a server application from which the second document is generated for any file formats associated with the requested object;

receiving at a client application from which the first document is generated the any file formats associated with the requested object;

embedding the requested object in the first document; and

exposing to the client application the any file formats associated with the requested object for allowing the client application to operate the embedded object according to the any file formats associated with the embedded object.

2. The method of claim 1, whereby querying the server application for the any file formats associated with the requested object includes passing an API call from the client application to the server application requesting the any file formats associated with the requested object.

3. The method of claim 2, whereby passing an API call from the client application to the server application requesting the any file formats associated with the requested object includes passing an API call of the form GetFileData(fileformat) to the server application.

4. The method of claim 1,

whereby receiving at a client application from which the first document is generated the any file formats associated with the requested object includes receiving a file formats manifest from the server application identifying the any file formats associated with the requested object;

and

whereby exposing to the client application the any file formats associated with the requested object includes providing the client application access to the any file formats associated with the requested object identified on the file formats manifest.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the server application for a list of all file formats available from the server application;

receiving at the client application the list of all file formats available from the server application; and

whereby exposing to the client application the any file formats associated with the requested object for allowing the client application to operate the embedded object according to the any file formats associated with the embedded object includes exposing to the client application the list of all file formats available from the server application for allowing the client application to operate the embedded object according to all file formats available from the server application.

6. The method of claim 5, whereby querying a server application for a list of all file formats available from the server application includes passing an API call from the client application to the server application requesting the list of all file formats available from the server application.

7. The method of claim 6, whereby passing an API call from the client application to the server application requesting the list of all file formats available from the server application includes passing an API call of the form EnumerateFileFormats( ) to the server application.

8. The method of claim 5,

whereby receiving at the client application the list of all file formats available from the server application includes receiving a file formats manifest from the server application identifying all file formats available from the server application;

and

whereby exposing to the client application the list of all file formats available from the server application for allowing the client application to operate the embedded object according to all file formats available from the server application includes providing the client application access to the all file formats available from the server application identified on the file formats manifest.

9. The method of claim 1,

whereby receiving a request for embedding an object from a second document into a first document includes receiving a request for embedding an object where the requested object includes a second embedded object embedded in the requested object;

whereby receiving at a client application from which the first document is generated the any file formats associated with the requested object includes receiving at the client application any file formats associated with the second embedded object; and

whereby exposing to the client application the any file formats associated with the requested object for allowing the client application to operate the embedded object according to the any file formats associated with the embedded object includes exposing to the client application the any file formats associated with the second embedded object for allowing the client application to operate the second embedded object according to the any file formats associated with the second embedded object.

10. A method for managing data across different computer-generated documents, comprising:

receiving a request for embedding an object from a second document in a first document;

querying a server application from which the second document is generated for a list of file formats available from the server application;

querying the server application for any particular file formats associated with the requested object;

receiving at a client application from which the first document is generated the list of file formats available from the server application;

receiving at the client application any particular file formats associated with the requested object;

embedding the requested object in the first document; and

exposing to the client application any file formats associated with the requested object for allowing the client application to operate the embedded object according to the any file formats associated with the embedded object.

11. The method of claim 10, after receiving the list of file formats available from the server application and any particular file formats associated with the requested object, reviewing the list of file formats available from the server application and reviewing the particular file formats associated with the requested object to allow the client application to understand any file formats associated with the requested object and to allow the client application to operate the embedded object according to any file formats associated with the requested object.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining at the client application how to embed the requested object in the first document in order to comply with any file formats associated with the requested object.

13. The method of claim 10, whereby querying a server application from which the second document is generated for a list of file formats available from the server application includes passing an API call from the client application to the server application requesting the list of file formats available from the server application.

14. The method of claim 13, whereby passing an API call from the client application to the server application requesting the list of file formats available from the server application includes passing an API call of the form EnumerateFileFormats( ) to the server application.

15. The method of claim 10, whereby querying the server application for any particular file formats associated with the requested object includes passing an API call from the client application to the server application requesting any particular file formats associated with the requested object.

16. The method of claim 15, whereby passing an API call from the client application to the server application requesting any particular file formats associated with the requested object includes passing an API call of the form GetFileData(fileformat) to the server application.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which when executed by a computer perform a method for exposing formatting information about an embedded object to a receiving software application, comprising:

receiving a request for embedding an object from a second document into a first document;

querying a server application from which the second document is generated for any file formats associated with the requested object;

receiving at a client application from which the first document is generated the any file formats associated with the requested object;

embedding the requested object in the first document; and

exposing to the client application the any file formats associated with the requested object for allowing the client application to operate the embedded object according to the any file formats associated with the embedded object.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

querying the server application for a list of all file formats available from the server application;

receiving at the client application the list of all file formats available from the server application; and

whereby exposing to the client application the any file formats associated with the requested object for allowing the client application to operate the embedded object according to the any file formats associated with the embedded object includes exposing to the client application the list of all file formats available from the server application for allowing the client application to operate the embedded object according to all file formats available from the server application.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, whereby querying the server application for the any file formats associated with the requested object includes passing an API call from the client application to the server application requesting the any file formats associated with the requested object.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, whereby querying a server application for a list of all file formats available from the server application includes passing an API call from the client application to the server application requesting the list of all file formats available from the server application.