Synchronization of form fields in a client-server environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9449063-B2
Application number	US-94395510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2010
Priority date	Oct 25, 2010
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

A database tier maintains and provides access to a database. An application tier receives and responds to requests for a form. The form includes data defining a first UI control for displaying a first value from the database and a second UI control for displaying a second value from the database that is dependent upon the first value. A client tier renders the form to show the first value in the first UI control and to show the second value in the second UI control. The client tier also detects a modification to the first value and causes an updated second value to be generated in response to detecting the modification to the first value. The updated second value is displayed by way of the second UI control. The updated second value is generated at the client tier, the application tier, the database tier, or at a combined application/database tier.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising performing computer-implemented operations for:
providing a graphical user interface for defining a form, the form comprising a first user interface control configured to display a first value from a database and a second user interface control configured to display a second value from the database, the second value dependent upon the first value;
providing a graphical user interface for specifying that an updated second value should be generated from the second value at a client tier in response to detecting a modification to the first value;
providing a graphical user interface for specifying that the updated second value should be generated at a server computer in response to detecting the modification to the first value; and
providing a graphical user interface for specifying that the display of the second value is removed upon detecting the modification to the first value.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the client tier comprises a web browser application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein specifying that the updated second value should be generated at a server computer comprises specifying that the updated second value should be generated by an application tier executing on the server computer.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein specifying that the updated second value should be generated at a server computer comprises specifying that the updated second value should be generated by a database tier executing on the server computer.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising:
displaying the form by way of the web browser application;
detecting the modification to the first value by way of the first user interface control;
causing the updated second value to be generated by way of the client tier or the server computer; and
displaying the updated second value by way of the second user interface control.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the updated second value is generated without modifying the database.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein causing the updated second value to be generated comprises:
determining whether the updated second value is to be generated by a web browser application or by the server computer; and
generating the updated second value at the web browser application in response to determining that the updated second value is to be generated by the web browser application.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the request is transmitted to a database application programming interface (API) exposed by the server computer.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein causing the updated second value to be generated further comprises requesting the updated second value from the server computer in response to determining that the updated second value is to be generated by the server computer.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein requesting the updated second value from the server computer comprises transmitting a request for an updated second value to the server computer, the request comprising the modification to the first value.

11. One of an optical disc, a magnetic storage device, or a solid state storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:
provide a graphical user interface for defining a form, the form comprising a first user interface control configured to display a first value from a database and a second user interface control configured to display a second value from the database, the second value dependent upon the first value;
provide a graphical user interface for specifying that an updated second value should be generated from the second value at a web browser application in response to detecting a modification to the first value;
provide a graphical user interface for specifying that the updated second value should be generated at a server computer in response to detecting the modification to the first value; and to
provide a graphical user interface for specifying that the display of the second value is removed upon detecting the modification to the first value and prior to displaying the updated second value.

12. The one of the optical disc, the magnetic storage device, or the solid state storage device of claim 11 , wherein specifying that the updated second value should be generated at a server computer comprises specifying that the updated second value should be generated by an application tier executing on the server computer.

13. The one of the optical disc, the magnetic storage device, or the solid state storage device of claim 11 , wherein specifying that the updated second value should be generated at a server computer comprises specifying that the updated second value should be generated by a database tier executing on the server computer.

14. The one of the optical disc, the magnetic storage device, or the solid state storage device of claim 11 , having further computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:
display the form by way of the web browser application;
detect a modification to the first value by way of the first user interface control;
cause an updated second value to be generated by way of the client tier or the server computer in response to detecting the modification to the first value; and to
display the updated second value by way of the second user interface control.

15. The one of the optical disc, the magnetic storage device, or the solid state storage device of claim 11 , wherein the updated second value is generated without modifying the database.

16. The one of the optical disc, the magnetic storage device, or the solid state storage device of claim 15 , wherein cause an updated second value to be generated comprises:
determining whether the updated second value is to be generated by the web browser application or by the server computer; and
generating the updated second value at the web browser application in response to determining that the updated second value is to be generated by the web browser application.

17. The one of the optical disc, the magnetic storage device, or the solid state storage device of claim 15 , wherein cause an updated second value to be generated further comprises requesting the updated second value from the server computer in response to determining that the updated second value is to be generated by the server computer.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising performing computer-implemented operations for:
providing a first graphical user interface for defining a form, the form comprising a first user interface control configured to display a first value from a database and a second user interface control configured to display a second value from the database, the second value dependent upon the first value;
providing a second graphical user interface for specifying that an updated second value should be generated from the second value at a web browser application in response to detecting a modification to the first value;
providing a third graphical user interface for specifying that the updated second value should be generated at an application tier or a database tier executing on a server computer in response to detecting the modification to the first value;
displaying the form in the web browser application;
detecting a modification to the

Assignees

• Sinclair Russell
• Smith Michael Hopkins
• Covington Clinton Dee
• Monroe Jenefer
• Tupaj Konrad
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Sinclair Russell
• Smith Michael Hopkins
• Covington Clinton Dee
• Monroe Jenefer
• Tupaj Konrad

Classifications

• G06F16/23

  Updating · CPC title

• G06F16/27 Primary

  Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor · CPC title

• G06F40/174

  Form filling; Merging · CPC title

• G06F17/243

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30345

  Physics · mapped topic