Metadata-driven automatic UI code generation

• US 20080250313A1
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Sanjib K., Kamdar, Nirav A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,381,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A framework for using metadata to describe user interface elements and for interactions of the user interface elements with an end user and/or with data source(s) that store configuration data. The metadata can be used to generate a settings UI and code that manages the UI such as gathering user input, handling UI events, validating collected data, handling errors and warnings, managing interactions between different UI controls, and the like. A computer-implemented system that facilitates a settings user interface can include a code generation component that employs the stored metadata to automatically generate the settings UI and code that manages the UI. The code generation component provides the generated code to a data source component that interacts with the data source(s). The settings UI is displayed to an end user via a user interface component.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system that facilitates a settings user interface, comprising:

a plurality of user interface elements;

stored metadata that describes instances of the plurality of user interface elements and associated interactions; and

,

a code generation component for automatically generating code for the settings user interface based, at least in part, upon the stored metadata and the plurality of user interface elements.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored metadata is based on an XML (extensible markup language) file.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the generated code facilitates interaction between an end user and one or more data sources, the one or more data sources storing configuration data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the configuration data is stored in at least one of a SQL database, an Active Directory datastore, a registry, an XML file, or a text file.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the generated code performs at least one of gathering a user input, handling a user interface event, validating collected data, handling an error, or managing interactions between a plurality of user interface controls.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the code is generated at runtime.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the code is generated at compile time.

8. A computer-implemented system for facilitating a settings user interface, comprising:

a user interface controls driver for managing a user interface control;

a data stores driver for interacting with a data source;

a data exchange module for populating the user interface control with data stored in the data source received from the data stores driver;

a data validation module for validating data associated with the user interface control, the data received from an end user; and

,

an error handling module for processing an error code, if the data validation module determines that the data received from the end user is incorrect.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the user interface controls driver, the data stores driver, the data validation module, the error handling module, or the data exchange module employs code automatically generated based on stored metadata and a plurality of user interface elements.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the stored metadata describes instances of the plurality of user interface elements and associated interactions.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of data exchange modules, each data exchange module associated with a particular user interface control.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the system facilitates interaction between the end user and the data source, the data source storing configuration data.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the system performs at least one of gathering an end user input, handling a user interface event, validating collected data, handling an error, or managing interactions between a plurality of user interface controls.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the user interface controls driver comprises a custom action, the custom action is based on stored metadata.

15. The system of claim 8, further comprising an abstraction layer that facilitates communication between the data source and the data stores driver.

16. A computer-implemented method of generating a settings user interface, comprising:

receiving metadata that describes user interface elements;

automatically generating code based on the user elements and received metadata; and

,

executing the generated code to display settings user interface.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising modifying a setting based on received end user input.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the metadata is based on an XML file.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the code is automatically generated at runtime.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the code is automatically generated at compile time.