Result types for conditional data display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9652545-B2
Application number	US-201514844622-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2015
Priority date	Oct 20, 2010
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A set of user interfaces is provided to an administrator of a website. The user interfaces enable the administrator to configure search functionality of the website to present different types of search results differently. For instance, the administrator can use the user interfaces to configure the search functionality to present different properties for search results belonging to different result types.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for configuring and using search functionality, the method comprising:
storing one or more resources of a website hosted by a server system;
receiving administrative input, the administrative input associating a first template module with a first result type and associating a second template module with the second result type, wherein the first result type and the second result type each define a set of properties to be displayed and the first template module and the second template module specify how the properties are to be displayed;
receiving a first search request, the first search request requesting a list of resources in the first website that satisfy a search string, wherein the list of resources includes a first resource having a first resource type and a second resource having a second resource type;
determining that the first and second resources satisfy the first search string, the first and second resources being among the one or more resources of the first website;
determining that the first resource belongs to the first result type and the second resource belongs to the second result type; and
after determining that the first resource belongs to the first result type and the second resource belongs to the second result type, providing a dataset, the dataset comprising a first content resource object that contains properties regarding the first resource, a second content resource object that contains properties regarding the second resource, the first template module, and the second template module.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a service provider entity operates the server system, the server system hosts the website and a plurality of other websites.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of other websites include a given resource satisfying the first search string.

4. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the administrative input corresponds to data entry controls in one or more user interfaces;
wherein the user interfaces include a type configuration interface, the type configuration interface comprising data entry controls for configuring result types; and
wherein receiving the administrative input comprises receiving values of the data entry controls.

5. The method of claim 4 ,
wherein the data entry controls include a template selection control;
wherein receiving the administrative input comprises receiving a first template selection input, the first template selection input corresponding to the template selection control, the first template selection input associating the first template module with the first result type; and
wherein the method further comprises:
after providing the dataset, receiving a second search request, the second search request requesting a list of resources in the first website that satisfy a second search string;
after receiving the second search request, determining that the first resource satisfies the second search string;
after determining that the first resource satisfies the second search string, sending a new dataset, the new dataset comprising a first content resource object that contains data regarding the first resource; and
sending a content generation script, the content generation script comprising instructions to generate a first presentation string by performing a first template execution operation on the first content resource object, the first presentation string being renderable to present a first set of on-screen features describing the first resource.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein performance of the content generation script causes a second template execution operation to be performed on a second content resource object, a second presentation string being generated by performing the second template execution operation on the second content resource object, the second presentation string renderable to present a second set of on-screen features describing the second resource, the second set of on-screen features including at least one feature not present in the first set of on-screen features.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a request for the first and second template modules.

8. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein receiving the administrative input comprises receiving rule input, the rule input specifying a rule for the first result type; and
wherein determining that the first resource belongs to the first result type comprises determining that the first resource satisfies the rule for the first result type.

9. The method of claim 8 ,
wherein the rule for the first result type specifies a file name extension or a URL pattern; and
wherein determining that the first resource satisfies the rule for the first result type comprises determining that a file name extension of the first resource corresponds to the file name extension specified by the rule for the first result type or determining that a URL of the first resource satisfies the URL pattern specified by the rule for the first result type.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises storing a first entry in a table, the table having a plurality rows and columns that define an array of cells, the array of cells including cells associated with the first entry, different cells associated with the first entry specifying different properties of the first result type, the properties of the first result type including a rule property and a template module property, the rule property specifying the rule for the first result type, the template module property specifying the first template module; and
wherein determining that the first resource belongs to the first result type comprises accessing the first entry to retrieve additional data for the first result type, including retrieving one or more additional properties for display or one or more additional templates for rendering.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after receiving the first search request, determining that the first resource belongs to a plurality of applicable result types, the plurality of applicable result types including the first result type; and
performing a conflict resolution operation to select the first result type from among the plurality of applicable result types to which the first resource belongs.

12. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein a server system hosts a plurality of websites on behalf of a tenant, the plurality of websites organized as a scope hierarchy having multiple levels, the plurality of websites including the first website;
wherein the plurality of applicable result types includes the first result type and the second result type, the first result type associated with a first level of the scope hierarchy, the second result type associated with a second level of the scope hierarchy, the second level being higher in the scope hierarchy than the first level; and
wherein performing the conflict resolution operation comprises: selecting the first result type instead of the second result type because the first result type is associated with a lower level in the scope hierarchy.

13. The method of claim 12 ,
wherein the plurality of websites includes a second website in addition to the first website, the first website and the second website belonging to a first site group;
wherein the user interfaces includes a first type configuration interface and a second type configuration interface, the first type configuration interface being in an administrative interface for the first website, the second type configuration interface being in an administrative interface for the first site group;
wherein receiving the administrative input

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Smith Charles Keller
• Campbell Jonathan Thomas
• Chen Zhenguang
• Krishnamoorthy Arun
• Li Boxin
• Little Ii Charles Reeves
• Taranov Viktoriya
• Timm Brian William
• Violino Andrew Joseph

Classifications

• G06F17/30867 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/3089

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30554

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30424

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30477

  Physics · mapped topic