ASSOCIATING COMMAND SURFACES WITH MULTIPLE ACTIVE COMPONENTS

• US 20090249339A1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bailey, Eric, McConnell, Tim, Larsson, Josef
• Granted Patent: US 9,588,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The same command surface on a page may be associated with unrelated components and applications. Each of the components registers the commands associated with a shared command surface that they will be utilizing. Each component may utilize an arbitrary number of commands that are associated with the command surface. The command manager acts as a message broker between the components on the page and the command surfaces. When a command that is associated with a command surface is received, the command manager dispatches the command message to the appropriate components.

Claims

1. A method for associating a command surface with active components, comprising:

associating a command surface with a first component and a second component on a web page;

wherein the command surface includes commands for performing actions;

identifying a first command list for the first component and a second command list for the second component;

wherein the first command list and the second command list comprises commands included on the command surface;

associating each of the commands in first command list with the first component and associating each of the commands in second command list with the second component;

determining when one of the commands included on the command surface is activated;

determining when the first component should receive the command and determining when the second component should receive the command; and

dispatching the command to the first component for processing when determined and dispatching the command to the second component for processing when determined.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first command list and the second command list comprises polling the first component to acquire the first command list and polling the second component to determine the second command list;

wherein the first and second components are able to modify their command registration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the commands in the first command list and the second command list is a global command or a focused command;

wherein the global command indicates to dispatch the command regardless of a current focus on a component and wherein the focused command indicates to dispatch the command based on the current focus on the component.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining that the first component is to receive the command when the command is associated with the first component as a global command or a focused command when the first component has the current focus;

determining that the second component is to receive the command when the command is associated with the second component as a global command when the first component has the current focus;

.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising changing the current focus in response to receiving a request from either the first component or the second component to change the focus or other code one the web page.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein before dispatching the command to the first component for processing when determined and before dispatching the command to the second component for processing when determined further comprises polling the first component before dispatching the command to determine whether the first component is ready to process the command and polling the second component before dispatching the command to determine whether the second component is ready to process the command.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising maintaining the commands that have been processed;

and when an undo procedure is initiated informing each of components the commands to undo.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein associating each of the identified command lists with each of the components associated with the command surface each component registers the commands to activate.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first component and the second component can detach an associated command during runtime.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first component is associated with a first application and the second component is associated with a second application;

wherein the first application and the second application are different applications.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising detaching one or more of the commands that are registered with the command manager during runtime.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for associating a command surface with active components, comprising:

initializing a command manager that is configured to act as a broker between a command surface that is associated with a first component and a second component on a web page;

wherein the command surface includes commands for performing actions;

identifying a first command list for the first component and a second command list for the second component;

wherein the first command list and the second command list comprises commands included on the command surface;

registering each of the commands in the first command list and the second command list with the command manager;

determining when the first component should receive a command activated on the command surface and determining when the second component should receive the command; and

dispatching the command to the first component for processing when determined and dispatching the command to the second component for processing when determined.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising registering the first component and the second component with the command manager and polling the first component and the second component to acquire the first command list and the second command list.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising identifying each of the commands in the first command list and each of the commands in the second command list as a global command or a focused command;

wherein the global command indicates to dispatch the command regardless of a current focus on a component and wherein the focused command indicates to dispatch the command based on the current focus on the component.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising polling the first component and the second component to determine whether the first component is ready to process the command and to determine whether the second component is ready to process the command.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising maintaining the commands that have been processed;

and when an undo procedure is initiated informing each of components the commands to undo.

17. A system for associating a command surface with components;

comprising;

a processor a memory and a computer-readable medium;

an operating environment stored on the computer-readable medium and executing on the processor;

a display that is configured to display a web page that includes a command surface that includes commands;

a first component that is associated with a first application and a second component that is associated with a second application; and

a command manager that is configured to;

receive a registration request from the first component and the second component to associate with the command surface;

receive a first command list from the first component and a second command list from the second component;

wherein the first command list and the second command list comprise commands included on the command surface;

registering each of the commands in the first command list and the second command list;

receiving a command from the command surface when activated and determining when the first component should receive the command and determining when the second component should receive the command; and

dispatching the command to the first component for processing when determined and dispatching the command to the second component for processing when determined.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising classifying each of the commands in the first command list and each of the commands in the second command list as a global command or a focused command;

wherein the global command indicates to dispatch the command regardless of a current focus on a component and wherein the focused command indicates to dispatch the command based on the current focus on the component.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising before dispatching the command to the first component for processing when determined polling the first component to determine whether the first component is ready to process the command and before dispatching the command to the second component for processing when determined polling the second component to determine whether the second component is ready to process the command.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising maintaining the commands that have been processed;

and when an undo procedure is initiated informing each of components the commands to undo.