Markup based extensibility for user interfaces

• US 20070055936A1
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ramani, Preethi, Mogilevsky, Alex, Fomichev, Andrew, Morton, David, Chang, Andy, Dhanjal, Savraj, Faller, Eric, Luu, Dien
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/154 Tree transformation for tree-structured or markup documents, e.g. XSLT, XSL-FO or stylesheets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer products are provided for exposing the programming of an application user interface to allow modification of the associated user interface to include adding, removing, disabling, enabling and repurposing new or existing user interface components.

Claims

1. A method for modifying a graphical user interface, comprising:

providing a graphical user interface containing one or more selectable controls for selecting one or more functionalities of a host software application;

providing an Extensible Markup Language (XML) representation of the graphical user interface;

providing an XML schema file for providing XML grammar and syntax rules governing modifications to the XML representation;

receiving an add-in application for providing one or more additional functionalities to the host software application;

receiving a modification to the XML representation according to the XML schema file for modifying the graphical user interface according to the one or more additional functionalities; and

rendering the graphical user interface by the host application such that the graphical user interface is modified for providing access to the one or more additional functionalities.

2. The method of claim 1,

whereby receiving a modification to the XML representation includes receiving a modification to the XML representation for adding one or more selectable controls to the graphical user interface associated with the one or more additional functionalities provided to the host software application;

and

whereby rendering the graphical user interface by the host application such that the graphical user interface is modified for providing access to the one or more additional functionalities includes rendering the graphical user interface by the host software application such that the graphical user interface displays the one or more additional selectable controls provided to the host software application by the add-in application.

3. The method of claim 1, whereby receiving a modification to the XML representation includes receiving a modification for changing a behavior of a selectable control contained in the graphical user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, whereby receiving a modification to the XML representation includes receiving a modification for disabling one more selectable controls contained in the graphical user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, whereby upon receiving a focus on a selectable control contained in the graphical user interface that is modified according to an add-in application, displaying an identification of the add-in application associated with the modified selectable control.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising restricting one or more of the one or more selectable controls contained in the graphical user interface from modification according to the add-in application.

7. The method of claim 1,

whereby the graphical user interface includes a contextual user interface for displaying one or more selectable controls applicable to a selected object;

and

whereby receiving a modification to the XML representation includes receiving a modification for adding one or more additional selectable controls to the contextual user interface according to the add-in application.

8. The method of claim 1,

whereby the graphical user interface includes a gallery of selectable controls for providing one or more selectable controls for providing one or more functionalities to a selected object;

and

whereby receiving a modification to the XML representation includes receiving a modification for adding one or more additional selectable controls to the gallery of selectable controls user interface.

9. The method of claim 1, whereby upon un-installing the add-in application from the host application, rendering the graphical user interface such that changes to the graphical user interface associated with the modification to the XML representation are not rendered in the graphical user interface.

10. The method of claim 1, whereby upon closing a document-based solution that modified the graphical user interface, rendering the graphical user interface such that changes to the graphical user interface associated with the modification to the XML representation are not rendered in the graphical user interface.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically scaling any user interface components added to the graphical user interface in response to the modification to the XML representation such that the any user interface components added to the graphical user are scaled to fit a display space in which the graphical user interface is displayed.

12. The method of claim 1,

whereby receiving a modification to the XML representation includes receiving a modification to the XML representation for adding a selectable control to the graphical user interface associated with an additional functionality provided to the host software application where the selectable control is associated with a first data;

and

upon receiving a change to the first data, refreshing the graphical user interface to automatically update the selectable control added to the graphical user interface in response to the change to the first data.

13. A computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions, which when executed by a computer, perform a method for modifying a graphical user interface, comprising:

providing an Extensible Markup Language (XML) representation of the graphical user interface;

providing an XML schema file for providing XML grammar and syntax rules governing modifications to the XML representation;

receiving a modification to the XML representation according to the XML schema file for modifying the graphical user interface for adding one or more selectable controls to the graphical user interface; and

rendering the graphical user interface such that the graphical user interface displays the one or more selectable controls added to the graphical user interface.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, whereby upon receiving a focus on a selectable control contained in the graphical user interface that is added to the graphical user interface in response to the modification to the XML representation, displaying in the graphical user interface identification information about the modification to the XML representation..

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13,

whereby the graphical user interface includes a contextual user interface for displaying one or more selectable controls applicable to a selected object;

and

whereby receiving a modification to the XML representation includes receiving a modification for adding one or more additional selectable controls to the contextual user interface.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13,

whereby the graphical user interface includes a gallery of selectable controls for providing one or more selectable controls for providing one or more functionalities to a selected object;

and

whereby receiving a modification to the XML representation includes receiving a modification for adding one or more additional selectable controls to the gallery of selectable controls user interface.

17. A method for modifying a graphical user interface, comprising:

providing an Extensible Markup Language (XML) representation of the graphical user interface for allowing modifications to the graphical user interface;

providing an XML schema file for providing XML grammar and syntax rules governing modifications to the XML representation;

receiving a modification to the XML representation according to the XML schema file; and

rendering the graphical user interface such that the graphical user interface is modified in response to the modification to the XML representation.

18. The method of claim 17,

whereby receiving a modification to the XML representation includes receiving a modification to the XML representation for adding one or more selectable controls to the graphical user interface;

and

whereby rendering the graphical user interface such that the graphical user interface is modified in response to the modification to the XML representation includes rendering the graphical user interface such that the graphical user interface displays the one or more additional selectable controls added to the graphical user interface.

19. The method of claim 17, whereby receiving a modification to the XML representation includes receiving a modification for changing a behavior of a selectable control contained in the graphical user interface.

20. The method of claim 17, whereby receiving a modification to the XML representation includes receiving a modification for disabling one more selectable controls contained in the graphical user interface.