Method and system for invoking methods of an object

• US 5,689,709 A
• Filed: 02/01/1996
• Issued: 11/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lovering, Bradford H., Igra, Mark S., Golde, Peter H., Corbett, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Kriess, Kevin A.
• Application Number:
  US08/595,527
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 395/701, 395/703, 395/683
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/449 Object-oriented method invocation or resolution

Abstract

A computer method and system for invoking a function member of an object that is exposed to a client computer program by a source computer program are provided. In a preferred embodiment, the source computer program instantiates the object which has a dispatching interface. The dispatching interface has an invoking function member for receiving a name of a function member and arguments for the function member. When a client computer program wishes to invoke the function member, the client computer program invokes the invoking function member of the dispatching interface passing the name of the function member and arguments for the function member. The invoking function member invokes the function member with the passed name passing the arguments. When the function member returns, the invoking function member returns to the client computer program.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for accessing one of a plurality of properties of an object, each property having a name, said object having a name, said method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

designating one of said properties as an unnamed property that is the property of said properties accessed when said object is identified without identifying the name of a property;

receiving input containing an identifier of the name of said object, wherein the input does not contain an identifier of the name of said property;

parsing said received input, wherein it is detected that the identifier of the name of said property is not contained within the input; and

in response to detecting that the identifier of the name of said property is not contained in the input, accessing the unnamed property of said object and not other properties of said properties.

2. A method in a computer system for accessing a default property of an object, said object being provided by a source computer program and being accessible by a client computer program, said object having a plurality of properties, said method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

during execution of said source computer program, instantiating said object, said object having a dispatching interface, said dispatching interface having an invoking function member, for controlling access to said default property of said object;

during execution of said client computer program, invoking said invoking function member with an indication that a property of said object is to be accessed without explicitly indicating which property to access; and

during execution of said invoking function member, accessing said default property of said object when said invoking function member is invoked without explicitly indicating which property to access.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said default property has a value, and the step of accessing said default property of said object retrieves said value of said default property and returns said value to said client computer program.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said default property has a value, and the step of invoking said invoking function member includes the step of passing a value from said client computer program to said invoking function member and the step of accessing said default property of said object includes the step of storing said passed value as the value of said default property of said object.

5. A method in a computer system for accessing a default property of an object, said object having a plurality of properties, said method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

instantiating said object, said instantiated object having a dispatching interface, said dispatching interface having an invoking function member, said invoking function member for controlling access to said properties of said object, one of said properties being designated as a said default property;

invoking said invoking function member with an indication that one of said properties is to be accessed without explicitly indicating a name of a property; and

during execution of the invoking function member, and when a property is to be accessed without explicitly indicating the name of a property, accessing said default property of said object.

6. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method for accessing one of a plurality of properties of an object, each property having a name, the object having a name, the method comprising the steps of:

designating one of the properties as an unnamed property that is the property of the properties accessed when the object is identified without identifying the name of a property;

receiving input containing an identifier of the name of the object, wherein the input does not contain an identifier of the name of the property;

parsing the received input, wherein it is detected that the identifier of the name of the property is not contained within the input; and

in response to detecting that the identifier of the name of the property is not contained in the input, accessing the unnamed property of the object and not other properties of the properties.

7. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method for accessing a default property of an object, the object being provided by a source computer program and being accessible by a client computer program, the object having a plurality of properties, the method comprising the steps of:

during execution of the source computer program, instantiating the object, the object having a dispatching interface, the dispatching interface having an invoking function member, for controlling access to the default property of the object;

during execution of the client computer program, invoking the invoking function member with an indication that a property of the object is to be accessed without explicitly indicating which property to access; and

during execution oft he invoking function member, accessing the default property of the object when the invoking function member is invoked without explicitly indicating which property to access.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the default property has a value, and wherein the step of accessing the default property of the object retrieves the value of the default property and returns the value to the client computer program.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the default property has a value, and wherein the step of invoking the invoking function member includes the step of passing a value from the client computer program to the invoking function member and the step of accessing the default property of the object includes the step of storing the passed value as the value of the default property of the object.

10. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method for accessing a default property of an object, the object having a plurality of properties, the method comprising the steps of:

instantiating the object, the instantiated object having a dispatching interface, the dispatching interface having an invoking function member, the invoking function member for controlling access to the properties of the object, one of the properties being designated as a default property;

invoking the invoking function member with an indication that one of the properties is to be accessed without explicitly indicating a name of a property; and

during execution of the invoking function member, and when a property is to be accessed without explicitly indicating the name of a property, accessing the default property of the object.

11. A method in a computer system for accessing one of a plurality of properties of an object, each property having a name, the object having a name, the method comprising the steps of:

designating one of the properties as an unnamed property that is accessed when the object is identified without identifying the name of a property;

receiving input containing an identifier of the name of the object and a value, wherein the input does not contain an identifier of the name of the property;

parsing the received input, wherein it is detected that the identifier of the name of the property is not contained within the input; and

in response to detecting that the identifier of the name of the property is not contained in the input, setting the unnamed property of the object to the value.

12. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method for accessing one of a plurality of properties of an object, each property having a name, the object having a name, the method comprising the steps of:

designating one of the properties as an unnamed property that is accessed when the object is identified without identifying the name of a property;

receiving input containing an identifier of the name of the object and a value, wherein the input does not contain an identifier of the name of the property;

parsing the received input, wherein it is detected that the identifier of the name of the property is not contained within the input; and

in response to detecting that the identifier of the name of the property is not contained in the input, setting the unnamed property of the object to the value.