Method, computer program product, and system for extending the capabilities of an existing process to store and display foreign data

• US 5,781,902 A
• Filed: 07/12/1996
• Issued: 07/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Waszkiewicz, Edward Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US08/678,968
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 707/101, 707/1, 707/200, 707/103, 707/10, 707/104, 395/326, 395/54, 395/200.33, 395/200.47, 395/200.49
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method, computer program product, and system that extends the capabilities of an existing process to manipulate foreign data so that it may be displayed and modified. The foreign data block is retrieved from a storage location by either an existing program or a program extension module. Once retrieved, the foreign data block is passed or otherwise communicated to a program extension module for interpretation of the data stored therein. Further, the program extension module will communicate with the existing program through a defined interface user interface information so that the existing program'"'"'s user interface may be used to display the individual data elements of the foreign block of data. Once the existing program has the user interface information, the data elements from the foreign data block, and the association information, a complete user interface is displayed by the existing program that may be modified by system administrator. If data elements are modified through the user interface, the existing program will pass such modified data elements to the program extension module for compilation into a newly modified foreign data block. Finally, either the program extension module or the existing program will store the foreign data block into the requisite storage location.

Claims

1. In an electronic mail system having a server with at least one gateway through which electronic mail is translated from a native format used at the electronic mail system into a non-native format for transmission to another system and a mail system administrative program, a method for extending the user interface of the existing mail system administrative program so that the existing mail system administrative program may be used by third-party gateway developers for administering a gateway having data that is foreign to the mail system administrative program in order to relieve third-party gateway developers from having to develop separate gateway administrative programs, the method comprising:

retrieving at the existing mail system administrative program a data block containing information pertaining to a third-party gateway;

routing the data block to a program extension module provided by the third-party gateway developer, said program extension module interpreting the data block in order to identify pertinent user interface information and gateway-specific foreign data; and

said existing mail system administrative program receiving said pertinent user interface information and said gateway-specific foreign data from the program extension module and thereafter automatically generating a user interface containing the gateway-specific foreign data that is not known to the mail system administrative program so that the gateway can be administered using the existing mail system administrative program without creating a separate gateway administrative program.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 allowing changes made to the gateway-specific foreign data in response to mail system administrative program user interface operation to be stored in the block of data, the method further comprising:

communicating the gateway-specific foreign data changes to the program extension module; and

the program extension module placing the changes into the block of data in the original format.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the block of data is stored in a storage directory that is replicated across a plurality of different computers, the storage directory accessible to the mail system administrative program.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein routing and receiving by the existing mail system administrative program is done through a defined interface comprising a set of software procedure calls.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein routing and receiving by the existing mail system administrative program is done through a defined interface comprising a messaging convention and protocol.

6. In an electronic mail system having a server with at least one gateway through which electronic mail is translated from a native format used at the electronic mail system into a non-native format for transmission to another system and a mail system administrative program, a method for extending the user interface of an existing mail system administrative program with the ability to display gateway-specific data elements stored in a data block whose format is unreadable to the existing mail system administrative program in order to relieve third-party gateway developers from having to develop separate gateway administrative programs, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving a data block from a storage location;

routing the data block to a program extension module for interpretation, the program extension module and the existing mail system administrative program communicating through a defined interface;

the existing mail system administrative program receiving from the program extension module user interface information through the defined interface, the existing mail system administrative program using the user interface information to automatically generate a user interface for the gateway specific data elements; and

the existing mail system administrative program receiving from the program extension module the gateway-specific data elements contained in the data block and information regarding their placement in the automatically created user interface, the data elements and placement information received through the defined interface so that the gateway may be administered through the automatically created user interface without the creation of a separate gateway administrative program.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 allowing gateway-specific data element changes to be stored in the block of data in response to user interface operation, the method further comprising the steps of:

communicating the gateway-specific data element changes to the program extension module through the defined interface;

the program extension module placing the gateway-specific data element changes into the data block; and

storing the data block in the storage location.

8. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein the storage location is a directory that is replicated across a plurality of different machines.

9. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein the data block is retrieved by the mail system administrative program.

10. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein the data block is retrieved by the program extension module.

11. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein the defined interface is a set of software procedure calls.

12. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein the defined interface is a messaging convention and protocol.

13. In an electronic mail system having a server with at least one gateway through which electronic mail is translated from a native format used at the electronic mail system into a non-native format for transmission to another system and a mail system administrative program, a method for extending the user interface of an existing mail system administrative program with the ability to display gateway-specific data elements stored in a data block whose format is unreadable to the existing mail system administrative program in order to relieve third-party gateway developers from having to develop separate gateway administrative programs, the method comprising the steps of:

the existing mail system administrative program retrieving a data block from a storage location in a directory of information replicated across a plurality of network machines;

routing the data block to a program extension module for interpretation, the program extension module and the existing mail system administrative program communicating through a defined interface of procedure calls;

the existing mail system administrative program receiving from the program extension module user interface information through the defined interface, the existing mail system administrative program using the user interface information to automatically generate a user interface for the gateway specific data elements;

the existing mail system administrative program receiving from the program extension module the gateway-specific data elements contained in the data block and information regarding their placement in the automatically created user interface, the data elements and placement information received through the defined interface so that the gateway may be administered through the automatically created user interface without the creation of a separate gateway administrative program; and

for desired changes made to the gateway-specific data elements through operation of the user interface, storing those gateway-specific data element changes further comprising the steps of;

communicating the gateway-specific data element changes to the program extension module through the defined interface;

the program extension module placing the gateway-specific data element changes into the data block; and

storing the data block in the storage location.

14. A computer program product for use in an electronic mail system having a server with at least one gateway through which electronic mail is translated from a native format used at the electronic mail system into a non-native format for transmission to another system and a mail system administrative program, and that employs a method for extending the user interface of the mail system administrative program with the ability to display gateway-specific data elements stored in a data block whose format is unreadable to the mail system administrative program in order to relieve third-party gateway developers from having to develop separate gateway administrative programs, the computer product comprising:

a computer usable medium that carries computer readable program code means for allowing the ability to display data elements stored in a data block whose format is unreadable;

program code means for retrieving a data block from a storage location;

program code means for routing the data block to a program extension module for interpretation, the program extension module communicating through a defined interface;

program code means for receiving from the program extension module user interface information through the defined interface and using the user interface information to automatically generate a user interface for the gateway-specific data elements; and

program code means for receiving from the program extension module the gateway-specific data elements contained in the data block and information regarding their placement in the automatically created user interface, the data elements and placement information received through the defined interface so that the gateway may be administered through the previously created user interface without the creation of a separate gateway administrative program.

15. A program product as described in claim 14 allowing desired changes made to the data elements through operation of the user interface to be stored, further comprising:

program code means for communicating the data element changes to the program extension module through the defined interface to allow the program extension module to place the changes into the data block;

program code means for receiving from the program extension module the data block; and

program code means for storing the data block in the storage location.

16. A program product as described in claim 14 wherein the storage location is in a directory of information replicated across a plurality of different networked machines.

17. A program product as described in claim 14 wherein the data block is retrieved by the program extension module.

18. A program product as described in claim 14 wherein the defined interface is a set of procedure calls.

19. A program product as described in claim 14 wherein the defined interface is a messaging convention and protocol.

20. A computer program product for use in an electronic mail system having a server with at least one gateway through which electronic mail is translated form a native format used at the electronic mail system into a non-native format for transmission to another system and a mail system administrative program, and that employs a method for extending user interface of the mail system administrative program with the ability to display and store changes to gateway-specific data elements stored in a data block whose format is unreadable to the mail system administrative program in order to relieve third-party gateway developers from having to develop separate gateway administrative programs, the computer product comprising:

a computer usable medium that carries computer readable program code means for allowing the ability to display data elements stored in a data block whose format is unreadable;

program code means for retrieving a data block from a storage location in a directory of information replicated across a plurality of network machines,

program code means for routing the data block to a program extension module for interpretation, the program extension module communicating through a defined interface of procedure calls;

program code means for receiving from the program extension module user interface information through the defined interface and using the user interface information to automatically generate a user interface for the gateway-specific data elements;

program code means for receiving from the program extension module the gateway-specific data elements contained in the data block and information regarding their placement in the automatically created user interface, the data elements and placement information received through the defined interface so that the gateway may be administered through the previously created user interface without the creation of a separate gateway administrative program; and

for desired changes made to the gateway-specific data elements through operation of the automatically created user interface, program code means for storing those changes comprising;

program code means for communicating the gateway-specific data element changes to the program extension module through the defined interface to allow the program extension module to place the gateway-specific data element changes into the data block;

program code means for receiving from the program extension module the data block; and

program code means for storing the data block in the storage location.