Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer data routing – Least weight routing
Reexamination Certificate
1996-03-05
2002-09-03
Maung, Zarni (Department: 2151)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer data routing
Least weight routing
C709S241000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06446135
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to data processing systems and, more particularly, to querying and executing commands of an application program.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In Microsoft OLE 2.01, a “containee object” is contained within a “container object.” The container object is associated with a “container application program” and the containee object is associated with a “server application program.” The server application program provides the containee object to the container application program for embedding within the container object. Each object has an associated tool bar which displays icons representing commands. A command is an action which may be performed by the associated application program. When a containee object is selected and an operation to be performed on the containee object, such as displaying the containee object for viewing, is specified (i.e., the containee object is activated), by convention, a user interface is displayed showing the containee object's tool bar and not the container object's tool bar. The containee object's tool bar contains commands which apply to the container object, such as the Save command, and commands which apply only to the activated containee object, such as an AutoSum command. Commands which apply to the container object are supported by the container application program. Commands which apply to the containee object are supported by the server application program. The server application program does not perform commands which apply to the container object. Therefore, the server application program disables commands in its tool bar which apply to the container object.
A user may execute a command by selecting the icon that represents the command. When a command is selected which applies to the containee object, the server application program receives a message from the operating system indicating the selection, and the server application program processes the message by performing the selected command. However, because commands applying to the container object are disabled, the user cannot execute the commands supported by the container application program.
Also, some conventional systems provide compound documents. A compound document may contain information in different formats. For example, a compound document may contain data in text format, such as a word processing document, or in chart format, such as a worksheet. In particular a “MICROSOFT WORD” document may be a compound document which contains a “MICROSOFT POWERPOINT” graph and a “MICROSOFT EXCEL” worksheet. The “MICROSOFT WORD” document is a container object which contains containee objects, the “MICROSOFT POWERPOINT” graph and the “MICROSOFT EXCEL” worksheet. A containee object may be embedded in the container object or the containee object may be linked to the container object. When a containee object is embedded in the container object, the containee object is stored in the container object. When a containee object is linked in a container object, the container object includes a link (i.e., a reference) to the containee object. As discussed above, each containee object is associated with a server application program. In addition, typically, the container application program associated with the container object provides commands which apply to all of the compound document (e.g., a save command). However, the container application program typically cannot programmatically dispatch a request to execute a command to a server application program which is associated with a particular containee object in the compound document (e.g., the container application program cannot request the server application program to save its associated object).
Furthermore, in some conventional systems, the server application program can programmatically dispatch a request to execute commands to the container application program. In other conventional systems, the container application program can programmatically dispatch a request to execute commands to the server application program. However, typically, conventional systems are not available in which the container application program and the server application program may both programmatically dispatch requests to execute commands to the other.
In addition, in some conventional systems, a high-level function is provided which enables a container application program to dispatch a request to execute commands to a server application program and which enables a server application program to dispatch a request to execute commands to a container application program. However, typically, the high-level function is very complicated. In addition, conventional systems typically require the use of complex data structures for passing information which is used to execute a command when using the high-level function.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-described difficulties encountered by conventional systems are overcome by the present invention. In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a method is practiced in a data processing system. In this method, a first application and a second application are provided. The second application has a plurality of commands, and each of the commands represents an action which is performable by the second application and which has a status that indicates a current condition of that command. The first application requests the status of one of the commands from the second application. The second application then determines the status of the requested one of the commands and forwards the status to the first application. Then, the first application receives the status of the requested one of the commands from the second application.
In accordance with an additional aspect of the present invention, a method is practiced in a data processing system. In this method, a first application and a second application are provided. The second application has a plurality of commands, and each of the commands represents an action which is performable by the second application. The first application requests a name of one of the commands from the second application. The name provides a textual representation of one of the commands. The second application determines the name of the requested one of the commands and forwards the determined name to the first application. Then, the first application receives the determined name from the second application.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a method is practiced in a data processing system. A first application and a second application are provided. The second application has a plurality of commands, and each of the commands represents an action which is performable by the second application and has a status that indicates a current condition of that command. The first application requests a textual representation of the status of one of the commands from the second application. The second application determines the status of the requested one of the commands. Next, the second application determines the textual representation of the status of the requested one of the commands. Then, the second application forwards the determined textual representation of the status of the requested one of the commands to the first application. The first application receives the determined textual representation of the status of the requested one of the commands from the second application.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a method is practiced in a data processing system which includes a processor running a first application. A second application with associated commands is provided, and each of the associated commands represents an action which is performable by the second application. Under control of the first application, one of the associated commands of the second application is executed. Then, under control of the second application, the action represented by the executed one of the associated commands is performed.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present inve
Hodges C. Douglas
Koppolu Srinivasa R.
Fourson Gary Scott
Maung Zarni
Merchant & Gould
Microsoft Corporation
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