Standardized and application-independent graphical user interface components implemented with web technology

Abstract

The present invention generates graphical user interface (GUI) components with GUI regions on a GUI display using web technology such that the GUI components are substantially independent of the host application. The host application defines a respective size and a respective location for each GUI region on the GUI display. The host application also instantiates a corresponding web browser for each GUI region. Each corresponding browser retrieves and executes an associated web page that defines the appearance and/or the functionality of a GUI region. The web page is written in a standard high-level language such as hypertext markup language such that the appearance and functionality of the GUI regions may be easy to create and modify. Because the web page defining a GUI region can be located anywhere on the world wide web, the functionality of the GUI regions is extensible beyond the capabilities of the host terminal running the host application. In addition, the corresponding browser determines an appropriate time for performing the corresponding functionality of each GUI region. The corresponding browser may also bind to an object model within the host application to provide the host application functions via a GUI region.

1 . A host application for execution on a client computer, the client computer including a browser and an operating system, the browser and the operating system being separate from the host application, the host application including a host application interface and being stored on a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps comprising: 
 defining within the host application a respective size and a respective location for each of at least one GUI region on a GUI display;    instantiating from the host application a corresponding browser that points to an associated web page defining a corresponding identifying appearance for each GUI region; and    providing host application functionality corresponding to at least one of the at least one GUI region by calling from the corresponding browser a corresponding object exposed by the host application via the host application function interface.    
     
     
         2 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , having further computer-executable instructions for performing the step of: 
 determining a respective appropriate time for the corresponding functionality of each GUI region with a corresponding event handler within the corresponding browser for each GUI region; and    executing the corresponding functionality at the respective appropriate time for each GUI region.    
     
     
         3 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 2 , wherein the corresponding event handler within the corresponding browser of said GUI region includes a means for detecting that said GUI region has been selected by a user.  
     
     
         4 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein a GUI region includes a plurality of subregions, each subregion having at least one of an identifying appearance and a corresponding functionality defined by the associated web page of said GUI region.  
     
     
         5 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one GUI region defines a toolbar provided by the host application.  
     
     
         6 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , having further computer-executable instructions for performing the step of: 
 accepting GUI parameters input by a user for determining the respective size and the respective location for each GUI region; and    accepting as input by the user a selection of the associated web page for each of the at least one GUI region.    
     
     
         7 . In a computer system having a client computer running a host application and including a GUI display, a method for providing at least one GUI region on the GUI display, the method including the steps of: 
 defining within the host application a respective size and a respective location for each of at least one GUI region on a GUI display;    instantiating from the host application a corresponding browser that points to an associated web page defining at least one of a corresponding functionality and an identifying appearance for each GUI region;    exposing from the host application a corresponding host application object to the corresponding browser for the corresponding functionality of each of at least one GUI region;    determining a respective appropriate time for the corresponding functionality of each GUI region with a corresponding event handler within the corresponding browser for each GUI region; and    executing the corresponding functionality at the respective appropriate time for each GUI region.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein at least one GUI region defines a toolbar provided by the host application.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , further including the step of: 
 accepting GUI parameters input by a user for determining the respective size and the respective location for each GUI region; and    accepting as input by the user a selection of the associated web page for each of the at least one GUI region.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the associated web page includes an image tag for defining the identifying appearance of a GUI region.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the associated web page includes a hyperlink to at least one other web page.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the associated web page includes a Java applet that performs the corresponding functionality of a GUI region.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the associated web page includes active ACTIVEX® controls that perform the corresponding functionality of a GUI region.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the associated web page is written in hypertext markup language, and wherein the corresponding browser is hypertext markup language compatible.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the associated web page is located on a server on the Internet different from the computer system.  
     
     
         16 . An application program for execution on a client computer, the client computer including a browser and an operating system, the browser and the operating system being separate from the application program, the application program being stored on a computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules comprising: 
 a GUI component module for defining within the application program a respective size and a respective location for a plurality of GUI regions on a GUI display; and    a browser duplicator module for instantiating from the host application a plurality of browsers that point to a plurality of associated web pages each defining at least one of a corresponding functionality and a corresponding identifying appearance for each GUI region of the plurality of GUI regions.    
     
     
         17 . The application program of  claim 16 , further comprising: an application function interface module for providing a plurality of application program functionalities each corresponding to one of the plurality of GUI regions by calling from the corresponding browser a corresponding object exposed by the application program via the host application function interface.  
     
     
         18 . The application program of  claim 16 , wherein each duplicated browser comprises: an event handler module for determining a respective appropriate time for performance of the functionality of the corresponding GUI region.  
     
     
         19 . The application program of  claim 18 , wherein the GUI component module comprises: a computer-executable module for accepting GUI parameters input by a user for determining the respective size and the respective location for at least one of the plurality of GUI regions.  
     
     
         20 . A host application for execution on a client computer, the client computer including a browser and an operating system, the browser and the operating system being separate from the host application, the host application including a host application interface and being stored on a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps comprising: 
 defining within the host application a respective size and a respective location for at least one GUI region on a GUI display;    instantiating from the host application a browser that points to at least one web page defining at least one corresponding identifying appearance for the at least one GUI region; and    providing host application functionality corresponding to the at least one GUI region by calling from the browser at least one object exposed by the host application via the host application function interface.    
     
     
         21 . The host application of  claim 20  wherein the browser points to at least one web page specified by a user of the host application.  
     
     
         22 . The host application of  claim 20  wherein the step of defining within the host application the respective size and the respective location for the at least one GUI region on the GUI display further comprises defining within the host application a respective size and a respective location for a plurality of GUI regions on a GUI display.  
     
     
         23 . The host application of  claim 22  wherein the browser points to a plurality of web pages defining a plurality of corresponding identifying appearances for the plurality of GUI regions.  
     
     
         24 . The host application of  claim 23  wherein the step of providing host application functionality corresponding to the at least one GUI region by calling from the browser the at least one object exposed by the host application via the host application function interface further comprises providing host application functionality corresponding to the plurality of GUI regions by calling from the browser a plurality of objects exposed by the host application via the host application function interface.