FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See Section 10; rule 13]
'INFRASTRUCTURE FOR GENERATING WEB CONTENT"
MICROSOFT CORPORATION, a corporation of the State of Washington having
a place of business at One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington 98052,
United States of America,
The following specification particularly describes the nature of the
invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-


INFRASTRUCTURE FOR GENERATING WEB CONTENT
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of computing. More particularly,
the present invention provides an infrastructure that can be used to dynamically create web content,
such as the web pages created by portal sites and search engines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A conventional web page comprises content in a markup language, such as
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML),
which is suitable for rendering by a web browser. Some web pages are static - i.e., a piece of
constant, unchanging HTML or XHTML content may be stored in a file that can be downloaded to
a client machine and displayed on a browser. However, most commercial web content, such as
content provided by search sites, portal sites, E-commerce sites, is not static, but rather is generated
dynamically so that it can be personalized for the user or generated in response to some input from
the user.
[0003] Dynamically-generated content is generated by a program designed for that
purpose. Such a program is a module of executable or interpretable code that creates content
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according to set of rules or procedures. For example, when a user transmits a query to a search
engine site, the search engine consults various sources (e.g., databases of known web pages) to
produce results, and then a content-generating program at the search engine site generates a page of
HTML content that includes the results, and transmits that page to the user. Clearly, such a results
page must be generated dynamically, since the content of the results page will differ depending
upon what query the user has submitted.
[0004] While existing software is effective at dynamically generating web content, such
software suffers from a lack of flexibility when there is a creative change to the content that the
program needs to produce. For example, a search engine may use a program that displays search
results as a list of the titles of web pages that the search engine has located. However, if the operator
of the search engine wishes to introduce a new way of presenting these results (e.g., enhancing the
list with thumbnail images of the located web pages), in general the only way to accomplish this
change is to rewrite the program (or, at least, to add code to the program that supports inclusion of
the thumbnail images).
[0005] Most web content can be viewed as being built from modular "building blocks" of
smaller pieces of content. For example, a search results page is made up of various separate pieces
of content (e.g., a logo, a copyright notice, the results of the most recent search, a search box for
entering another search query, advertisements, etc.). In theory, the modular nature of web content
suggests that a single program could drive the content generation process, by building content from
modular building blocks that the content designer would provide at run time. A creative change to
the content would not necessitate a change to such a program, since the program could simply be
directed to use different building blocks to produce different content. However, conventional
content-generation software is extremely limited in terms of what types of created changes can be
made to the content without changing the software itself.
[0006] In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a system that overcomes the drawbacks
of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention provides an infrastructure for generating content, such as
web pages. The infrastructure is based on the idea that a page of content can be built from smaller
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components that can be designed, implemented, and modified separately. The present invention
allows these smaller components, as well as the way they fit together, to be specified to the content-
generation software at runtime.
[0008] According to the invention, the creation of content is specified by a combination of
"wire frames/' "views," and content-generating objects. A wire frame is a data structure that defines
spatial regions of a piece of content. For example, a wire frame could define a web page as having
four rectangular regions, running vertically from the top of the page to the bottom. Each of these
regions is called a "slot." A "view" is a data structure that binds each of the slots in a wire frame to
a content-generating object, or a sequence of content-generating objects (or, alternatively,
designates a particular slot as being empty).
[0009] In order to render a view, a rendering engine accesses the wire frame identified in.
the view and, for each slot in that wire frame, causes the content-generating object bound to that slot
to pYoduce content. The rendering engine then places the content produced by the object into the
slot. The process is repeated for each slot in the wire frame. The output of the rendering engine is a
piece of content (e.g., an HTML web page) that contains content produced by each of the content-
generating objects in the appropriate region of the wire frame.
[0010] Content-generating objects include "controls," extensible Style Language (XSL)
tags, and views. A control is executable or interpretable code that generates HTML or XHTML
content that is to be placed into a slot. An XSL tag is a datum that can be used by XSL processing
software to generate HTML or XHTML content. Since evaluating a view results in the production
of content, a view is itself a content-generating object. Thus, content can be built hierarchically
from views that are actually sub-views, sub-sub-views, etc., of the top-level view. When the
rendering engine encounters a slot that is bound to a sub-view, the rendering engine can call itself
recursively to generate content for the slot based on that view.
[0011] According to one feature of the invention, controls can exhibit different behavior
based on parameters contained in a configuration file. Thus, a given control can be designed to
produce different variations of a piece of content based on which parameter is provided in the
configuration file.
[0012] Other features of the invention are described below.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred
embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the
purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings exemplary constructions of the
invention; however, the invention is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities
disclosed. In the drawings:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing environment in which
aspects of the invention may be implemented;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the user interface of an exemplary web browser;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an first exemplary wire frame;
(0017) FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a first exemplary control;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a first exemplary view that binds controls to the first
exemplary wire frame;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a second exemplary wire frame;
[0020] FIGS. 7-8 are block diagrams of exemplary extensible Style Language (XSL) tags;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a second exemplary control;
[0022] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a second exemplary view;
[0023] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a third exemplary view;
[0024] FIG. 12 is a block diagram of exemplary content generated in accordance with
aspects of the invention;
[0025] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an exemplary infrastructure for generating content in
accordance with aspects of the invention; and
[0026] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for generating content in
accordance with aspects of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Overview
[0027] Much commercial web content is built from smaller pieces of content that fit
together graphically in a defined way. The present invention provides an infrastructure that allows a
content provider to specify how content is to be constructed based on these smaller pieces. The
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infrastructure includes a rendering engine that dynamically generates the content based on the
content provider's specification.
Exemplary Computing Environment
[0028] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary computing environment in which aspects of the
invention may be implemented. The computing system environment 100 is only one example of a
suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use
or functionality of the invention. Neither should the computing environment 100 be interpreted as
having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated
in the exemplary operating environment 100.
[0029] The invention is operational with numerous other general purpose or special
purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well known computing
systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention .
include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices,
multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer
electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, embedded systems, distributed
computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
[0030] The invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable
instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules
include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks
or implement particular abstract data types. The invention may also be practiced in distributed
computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked
through a communications network or other data transmission medium. In a distributed computing
environment, program modules and other data may be located in both local and remote computer
storage media including memory storage devices.
[0031] With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system for implementing the invention
includes a general purpose computing device in the form of a computer 110. Components of
computer 110 may include, but are not limited to, a processing unit 120, a system memory 130, and
a system bus 121 that couples various system components including the system memory to the
processing unit 120. The system bus 121 may be any of several types of bus structures including a
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memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus
architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard
Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video
Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
bus (also known as Mezzanine bus).
[0032] Computer 110 typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer
readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer 110 and includes both
volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not
limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication
media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-
removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as
computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage
media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory
technology, CDROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic
cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other
medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can accessed by computer
110. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures,
program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport
mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" means
a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode
information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes
wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as
acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be
included within the scope of computer readable media.
[0033J The system memory 130 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile
and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 131 and random access memory
(RAM) 132. A basic input/output system 133 (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to
transfer information between elements within computer 110, such as during start-up, is typically
stored in ROM 131. RAM 132 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately
accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 120. By way of example, and
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not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates operating system 134, application programs 135, other program
modules 136, and program data 137.
[0034] The computer 110 may also include other removable/non-removable,
volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only, FIG. 1 illustrates a hard disk
drive 140 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk
drive 151 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 152, and an optical
disk drive 155 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk 156, such as a CD
ROM or other optical media. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer
storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited
to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state
RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 141 is typically connected to the system ,
bus 121 through an non-removable memory interface such as interface 140, and magnetic disk drive
151 and optical disk drive 155 are typically connected to the system bus 121 by a removable "
memory interface, such as interface 150.
[0035] The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above and
illustrated in FIG. 1, provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program
modules and other data for the computer 110. In FIG, 1, for example, hard disk drive 141 is
illustrated as storing operating system 144, application programs 145, other program modules 146,
and program data 147. Note that these components can either be the same as or different from
operating system 134, application programs 135, other program modules 136, and program data
137. Operating system 144, application programs 145, other program modules 146, and program
data 147 are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they are different copies.
A user may enter commands and information into the computer 20 through input devices such as a
keyboard 162 and pointing device 161, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad.
Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish,
scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 120
through a user input interface 160 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other
interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A
monitor 191 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 121 via an interface,
such as a video interface 190. In addition to the monitor, computers may also include other
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peripheral output devices such as speakers 197 and printer 196, which may be connected through an
output peripheral interface 190.
[0036] The computer 110 may operate in a networked environment using logical
connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 180. The remote
computer 180 may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other
common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative
to the computer 110, although only a memory storage device 181 has been illustrated in FIG. 1. The
logical connections depicted in FIG. 1 include a local area network (LAN) 171 and a wide area
network (WAN) 173, but may also include other networks. Such networking environments are
commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet.
[0037] When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 110 is connected to
the LAN 171 through a network interface or adapter 170. When used in a WAN networking
envirotvment, the computer 110 typically includes a modem 172 or other means for establishing
communications over the WAN 173, such as the Internet. The modem 172, which may be internal
or external, may be connected to the system bus 121 via the user input interface 160, or other
appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the
computer 110, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of
example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates remote application programs 185 as residing on
memory device 181. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and
other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.
Exemplary Web Browser
[0038] FIG. 2 shows the visual interface of an exemplary web browser 200. As is known
in the art, a web browser is a piece of software that allows a user to interact with certain types of
content (e.g., HTML content), and to retrieve such content from a network. Browser 200 may, for
example, constitute software that is stored on computer 110 (shown in FIG. 1), and that executes on
processing unit 120 (shown in FIG. 1). Browser 200 may access content from a wide area network
173 (shown in FIG. 1), such as the Internet, to which computer 110 is connected. Typically, browser
200 is also able to access content that is stored locally on computer 110.
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[0039] The exemplary browser of FIG. 2 displays various information to the user. In
particular, browser 200 displays a navigation bar 202 to the user. Navigation bar 202 includes a box
204, into which a user may enter a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), into order to point the
browser to a particular content item. In the example of FIG. 2, the user has entered the URL
http://search.msn.com into box 204, thereby indicating that the user wishes to access the content
identified by that URL. Browser 200 retrieves this content from wherever on the Internet it may be
located, and displays the content in viewing area 206. In the example of FIG. 2, the content is
delivered in HTML or XHTML. (The phrase "http" in the URL stands for "Hypertext Transfer
Protocol; it's presence in a URL indicates that the underlying content is HTML or XHTML
content.) Browser 200 contains, or otherwise accesses, an HTML and/or XHTML interpreter that
renders the HTML or XHTML content received by browser 200. In the example of FIG. 2, browser
200 displays the title of the content ("MSN Search - More Useful Everyday") in title bar 208.
[0040] A typical browser, such as browser 200, also allows the user to perform various
functions, such as: printing, mailing, or saving the displayed content; using a list of "favorites" or
"bookmarks" to navigate to other content; changing the default font for text content, etc. This
functionality is exposed to the user by means of menu bar 210 and/or buttons 212.
[0041] As discussed below, the invention provides an infrastructure for generating content,
such as that which is displayed in viewing area 206.
Data Structures for Creating Presentations of Content
[0042] The invention provides an infrastructure that generalizes and abstracts the process
by which content, such as the XHTML content for a web page, is created. (From this point forward,
examples of browser-renderable content shall refer to that content as being XHTML content.
However, it will be understood that the invention can be used to generate other types of content,
such as HTML, Wireless Markup Language (WML), Voice extensible Markup Language (VXML),
etc.)
[0043] The infrastructure of the invention makes use of four types of data structures: wire
frames, views, controls, and configuration files.
[0044] A "wire frame" is a data structure that defines spatial regions of a page of content.
Each region is called a "slot."
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[0045] A "control" comprises executable or interpretable code that dynamically generates
XHTML content, to be placed within a particular slot defined by a wire frame.
[0046] A "view" is a data structure that creates a mapping between a particular slot and a
particular control (or a particular sequence of controls). A view can also map an extensible Style
Language (XSL) tag, or another view, into a slot (a view can also map sequence of XSL tags or
views into a slot); the mapping of XSL tags and views into slots is discussed in greater detail below.
[0047] A "configuration file" contains data that is used by controls to affect their behavior.
For example, a control may be capable of generating two or more different variations of a particular
piece of content, and the configuration file may contain a parameter that indicates which of these
different variations should be generated.
[0048] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary wire frame 300. Wire frame 300 divides a conceptual -
page of content into regions, which, as noted above, are called "slots." In the example of FIG. 3,
there are four slots, 304(1), 304(2), 304(3), and 304(4). Each of the slots has a name; in this
example, the names of slots 304(1) through 304(4) are "slotjieader," "slot_results," "slot_sidebar,"
and "slot_footer," respectively. Wire frame 300 itself also has a name ("Wireframe_Site", in this
example). As discussed below, the names are used in a view data structure to identify the wire
frame and each of its slots.
[0049] Typically, the wire frame is represented as an XHTML structure. Thus, the
exemplary wire frame shown in FIG. 3 can be defined as follows:

As can be seen, the above XHTML definition lays out four regions of content: a top region with the
slot name "slot_header"; a bottom region with the slot name "slot_footer"; and a two-column table
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between the top and bottom regions, where the left column is named "slot_results" and the right
column is named "slot_sidebar."
[0050] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary control 400, which generates XHTML content 402.
Control 400 has a name ("Control_Footer," in this example), and, as discussed below, the name is
used in a view data structure to identify the control. Control 400 may be used to produce the content
that will be inserted into the slot named "slot_footer" in wire frame 300.
[0051] Control 400 comprises executable or interpretable code that is configured to
dynamically generate XHTML content 402 while it executes. Control 400 may be embodied in
various ways. For example, control 400 may comprise machine-executable code (such as an .exe or
-dll file), an interpretable script (such as a script in the Java or C# languages), virtual machine code
(such as Java bytecode), etc.
[0052] The following is an example of pseudo-code that describes the function of control
400. (It will readily be appreciated that the following pseudo-code could be embodied in any "of the
above-mentioned executable or interpretable components);
XHTML Control_Footer{)
{
String strFooter;
strFooter = _
"

"
return strFooter;
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}
The above pseudo-code defines control 400 as a function named "Control_Footer" that generates
and returns XHTML content. In this example, Control_Footer returns the XHTML code for a table
that has a particular size and background color, and that contains a text string such as: "Copyright
2003 Microsoft Corporation - All Rights Reserved" (or whatever text string is contained in the file
"copyright_notice.txt").
[0053] As noted above, controls may be mapped (or "bound") to the slots of a wire frame
by means of a structure called a "view." FIG. 5 shows an exemplary mapping of controls into the
slots of wire frame 200. In this example, control 420 (named "Control_Header") maps to slot
304(1); control 410 ("Control_Results") maps to slot 304(2); control 430 ("Control_Sidebar") maps
to slot 304(3); and control 410 ("Control_Footer," as described above in connection with FIG. 4)
maps to slot 304(4). This mapping defines a page of XHTML content based on wire frame 200, in
which each of the regions defined by slots 304(1), 304(2), 304(3), and 304(4) will be filled with the
XHTML content generated by controls 420, 410, 430, and 400, respectively. This mapping
represents a view 500.
[0054] View 500, as depicted in FIG. 5, can be represented as the following data structure:

The above-shown data structure assigns the name "view_Classie" to the view. Since a typical
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system will have several views, the name permits the view to be identified from among the several
views. As can be seen, the data structure contains a "binding" for each slot, and indicates a
particular control that is to be "bound" to the slot.
[0055] While the above example shows a single control being bound to each slot, it should
be noted that plural controls can be bound to a single slot to be executed in a sequence. Thus, the
binding for "slot-header" could read as follows:

This binding would indicate that controls named "Control_A", "ControI_B", and "Control_C" are
to be executed in the sequence indicated in order to fill slot_header with content.
[0056] Additionally, while the above example shows only controls being bound to slots, as
previously noted the invention also permits a view or an XSL tag to be bound to a slot. The binding
of a control to a slot is the simplest example of a binding. However, the concept of a slot binding
can be generalized, and FIGS. 6-12 show an example of such a generalization.
An Example of Using a View to Specify Content
[0057] As discussed above, a control is a software object that generates XHTML content.
To "map" or "bind" a control to a slot means that the slot will be filled with XHTML content that
has been generated by the control. However, a control is not the only type of object that generates
XHTML content. In particular, it is known in the art that XSL tags can be evaluated to produce
XHTML content. Additionally, when a view is evaluated to place the appropriate content in the
slots of a wire frame, the result of this evaluation is XHTML content, so a view is yet another object
that produces XHTML content. With these facts in mind, it can be seen that both XSL tags and
views, as well as any other type of object that can be evaluated to produce XHTML content, can be
mapped to a slot.
[0058] FIGS. 6-11 show how to build a view that can be bound to the slot named
"slot_header" in wire frame 300 (shown in FIG. 3). As with the previous examples, a view contains
the slot bindings for a particular wire frame, so it is necessary to define a wire frame that will be
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used in the view. FIG. 6 shows a wire frame 600, named "WireFrame_Header." Wire frame 600 has
four slots, 602(1), 602(2), 602(3), and 602(4), named "slotj?ig7," "slot_banner," "slot_sharkfin,"
and "slot_querybox," respectively. This wire frame can be defined by the following data structure:

[0059] FIGS. 7-10 show the various objects that will be bound to slots 602(1) through
602(4) in wire frame 600.
[0060] FIG. 7 shows an XSL tag 700 named "Big7." XSL tag 700 is associated with XSL'
data that, with the aid of appropriate XSL processing software, can be used to generate XHTML
content containing the "big 7" links 702 that appear at the top of the United States version of the
search.msn.com web site. These "big 7" links are "MSN Home"; "My MSN"; "Hotmail"; "Search";
"Shopping"; "Money"; and "People & Chat".
[0061] FIG. 8 shows another XSL tag 800, which is named "Banner." XSL tag 800 can be
evaluated by XSL processing software in the same manner as XSL tag 700. However, XSL tag 800
produces a banner advertisement 802. In the example of FIG- 8, this banner advertisement is for the
University of Redmond.
[0062] FIG. 9 shows a control 900 named "Control_Sharkfm." Control 900 generates
XHTML content that shows the letters MSN next to the curved line graphic (reference numeral
902), which appears on the search.msn.com web site. (The graphic derives its name from the dorsal
fin of a shark, of which the curved line is suggestive.)
[0063J FIG. 10 shows a view 1000 named "View_QueryBox." As with view 500
(discussed above in connection with FIG. 5), view 1000 represents a mapping or binding between
slots of a wire frame, and the objects (e.g., controls, XSL tags, or views) that will generate content
for those slots. In the example of FIG. 10, wire frame 1002 has two slots 1004(1) and 1004(2),
named "slot_searchbox" and "slot_polead," respectively. View 1000 binds slot 1004(1)
("slot_searchbox") to an object that produces XHTML content for a box 1006 into which a user
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may type a query, and a "go" button 1008, which the user may click to send the query to a search
engine. Slot 1004(2) ("slot_polead") is bound to an object that produces XHTML content for an
advertisement 1010.
[0064] A view may be created that binds XSL tags 700 and 800, control 900, and view
1000, to the slots of wire frame 600 (shown in FIG. 6). FIG. 11 shows such a binding. XSL tag 700
("Big?'*) is bound to slot 602(1) ("slot_big7"). XSL tag 800 ("Banner") is bound to slot 602(2)
("slot_banner"). Control 900 ("Control_Sharkfin") is bound to slot 602(3) ("slot_sharkfm"). View
1000 ("View_QueryBox") is bound to slot 602(4) ("slot_querybox"). The view 1100 defined by this
binding may be represented as the following data structure:

*XSL yields Big7 HTML

*XSL yields Banner Ad creative

The above data structure gives view 1100 the name "view_header," and creates the bindings
depicted in FIG. 11. In the above example, it will be noted that each type of object that is bound to a
slot is preceded by an designation as to its type - e.g., "xsl:Banner," to indicate that "Banner" is an
XSL tag, and the similar phrases "ctl: Contra l_Sharkfin" and "view:View_QueryBox" to designate
controls and views. Using this type of designation is preferable, since controls, XSL tags, and views
require different types of processing, and the designation will allow the view rendering engine
(discussed below in connection with FIGS. 13-14) to identify easily which type of object it needs to
process.
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[0065] As noted above, FIGS. 6-11 show an example in which a view (view 1100) is
bound to slot 304(1) ("slot_header") in wire frame 300. (Another view would have to be created to
bind the slots of wire frame 300 to the content-generating objects that will fill those slots. This view-
would include the binding between slot 304(1) and view 1100. The details of such a view can
readily be understood from the preceding discussion.) FIG. 12 shows the resulting content that can
be created based on this binding. FIG. 12 shows wire frame 300, with its four slots 304(1), 304(2),
304(3), and 304(4). Since slot 304(1) ("slotjieader") is bound to view 1100, the wire frame 600 (on
which view 1100 is based) is shown as overlaying slot 304(1). Wire frame 600, in turn, has four
slots 602(1), 602(2), 602(3), and 602(4). Of these four slots, slot 602(4) is bound to view 1000
(shown in FIG. 10), which, in turn, is based on wire frame 1002. Thus, wire frame 1002 is shown in
FIG. 12 as overlaying slot 602(4).
[0066] It can be appreciated from FIG. 12 that the content shown therein forms a
hierarchy, where wire frame 1002 is inside a slot of wire frame 600, which, in turn, is inside a slot
of wire frame 300. Analyzing the content shown in FIG. 12 from the bottom of the hierarchy up, it
can be seen that view 1000 generates the following content: box 1006 and "go" button 1008 (within
slot 1004(1) of wire frame 1002), and advertisement 1010 (within slot 1004(2)). This content is
located within slot 602(4) of wire frame 600. Wire frame 600 also contains content items 702, 802,
and 902, which were generated from XSL tags and controls, as described above in FIGS. 7-9. View
1100 thus generates the content contained within wire frame 600's slots. Since view 1100 has been
bound to slot 304(1) of wire frame 300, the content generated by view 1100 is placed within slot
304(1). FIG. 12 also shows slots 304(2)-(4); a view can be specified that binds these slots to
controls, XSL tags, and views in the manner described above. While the example of FIGS. 6-12
show each slot being bound to a single control, XSL tag, or view, as noted above a slot can be
bound to plural controls, XSL tags, or views (or any combination thereof), which can all be
evaluated to fill a given slot.
[0067] It should be noted that, while FIG. 12 uses dashed lines to show the outlines of
wire frames and their slots, these lines would not actually be included in content that is built from a
view. These lines are merely shown in FIG. 12 to demonstrate the hierarchical structure in which
content can be built according to the invention.
-16-

Architecture for Generating Content from Views
[0068] FIG. 13 shows an overview of the various components that are used to generate
content in accordance with the invention.
[0069] Rendering engine 1302 is a software component that uses a view 1304 to generate
XHTML content that is suitable for rendering on a browser (such as browser 200, shown in FIG. 2).
Rendering engine may, for example, exist on a search engine server, and may be used to
dynamically generate pages of results in response to user queries.
[0070] As discussed above, a view, such as view 1304, comprises a mapping or binding
between the slots of a wire frame 1308 on the one hand, and content-generating objects 1308 on the
other hand. As also discussed above, content-generating objects 1316 can take various form;
controls 1310, XSL tags 1312, and views 1314 are examples of objects on which content generation
can be based.
[0071] Controls 1310, as described above, comprise executable or interpretable code that
dynamically generate content. Since controls 1310 may be embodied as programs, they are capable
of exhibiting different behavior based on their input. A configuration file 1316 provides this input
for controls. For example, the "shark fin'? control (reference numeral 900, shown in FIG. 9) may be
adapted to generate different versions of the shark fin graphic (e.g., wider or narrower versions)
depending upon various circumstance. For example, the search.msn.com web site may generate
wide or narrow versions of the shark fin, depending upon whether that web site is being accessed
directly through navigation bar 202 (shown in FIG. 2), or is being accessed through a search
assistant feature that splits viewing area 206 into two narrow sub-areas. Configuration file 1316
may contain a parameter that is used by the shark fin control to specify which version of the shark
fin is to be generated. If the shark fin control has been designed to respond to parameters in a
configuration file, then different versions of the shark fin can be created with a single control and
multiple configuration files; a different configuration file can be provided to the control depending
upon which version of the shark fin graphic is to be produced. Additionally, the configuration
information can be specified in the view as part of a slot's binding. For example, the binding:

-17-

could be used to specify that the "header" control will be used in the default mode, and the similar
binding:

could be used to specify that the "header" control will be used in the "searchpane" mode. This
manner of specifying different modes works similarly to using different configuration files to
specify different parameters for the control.
[0072] As another example of the use of a configuration file, the infrastructure described
herein may be used by a search engine to generate query and results pages. Different users may
wish to view the results of a search in different formats - e.g., one user may wish to receive only
text descriptions of the search results, while other users may wish to view thumbnail images along
with the text descriptions. A single "results" control can be written (e.g., for binding to the -
"slot_results" slot 304(2), shown in FIG. 3), which is capable of generating results in various
formats. The particular format generated by the "results" control depends on a parameter contained
in configuration file 1316. The actual format in which the results are presented can be changed
simply by changing the configuration file. In one example, several configuration files (each having
different parameters) can be provided, and the user can be given the opportunity to change the
presentation of results. For example, when the user receives a page containing search results, the
user may use a menu on the page to select a different form in which the user would like to receive
the results. The user's selection is then transmitted to the search engine server, with a request that
the server re-generate the page using a different configuration file.
[0073] It should be noted that configuration file 1316 can be embodied as a traditional
"file" (i.e., a named object stored in a file system), but is not limited to this embodiment. In general,
the "configuration file" represents data that is stored somewhere and can be accessed by a control,
regardless of how this data is stored.
Process of Generating Content Based on a View
[0074] The process of generating content based on a view can be described by the
following pseudo-code:
RendererEval(View)
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{
For each Slot in the View's WireFrame
{
Find Slot binding in View.Bindings
If binding exists
If binding is a Control
Slot - Evaluate the control
If binding is an XSL Tag
Slot = Process XSL
If binding is a View
Slot = RendererEval(sub'view)
If binding does not exist
Slot = empty
}
}
The "RendererEvalQ" method described above is carried out, for example, by rendering engine
1302. The method takes a view as a parameter, steps through the slots in the view's wire frame, and
generates appropriate XHTML content for each slot based on which object is bound to the slot. If
the slot is bound to a control, the control is executed and the slot is filled with the XHTML content
generated by the control. If the slot is bound to an XSL tag, then the XSL processing software is
applied to the tag to generate the appropriate XHTML content. If the slot is bound to a view, then
the view is evaluated to generate XHTML content. In the pseudo-code above, "sub view" is a view
that is bound to the slot that the "RendererEvalQ" function is currently evaluating. As can be seen
in the above pseudo code, RendererEvalQ can call itself recursively to evaluate this sub-view.
[0075] FIG. 14 shows a flowchart of the process carried out by rendering engine 1302.
The rendering engine gets the view (block 1402), In the above pseudo-code example, this step is
accomplished when the view is passed to the rendering engine's top-level method as a parameter.
The rendering engine then examines the first slot binding (block 1404). If the binding is empty
(block 1405), then there is no content to place into the slot, so the rendering engine proceeds to
block 1414 to determine whether there are any more slots.
-19-

[0076] If, however, the slot does have a binding, then the rendering engine proceeds to
evaluate the object bound to the slot, and fills the slot with appropriate content based on that object.
As noted above, the binding preferably indicates whether the slot is bound to a control, an XSL tag,
or a view. The rendering engine branches (block 1406) based on which type of object is bound to
the slot. If the slot is bound to a control, then the control is executed to produce XHTML content,
and the XHTML content is placed into the slot (block 1408). If the slot is bound to an XSL tag, then
the XSL tag is processed to generate XHTML content, and that content is placed into the slot (block
1410). If the slot is bound to another view, then this other view is evaluated to generate XHTML
content, and that content is placed into the slot (block 1412). As noted above, when a view is
encountered in a slot binding, the process of evaluating that view is essentially the same as the
process of evaluating the top-level view; block 1412 may, in fact, be implemented as a recursive
call to the method that implements the process of FIG. 14.
[0077] After the current slot has been processed, the rendering engine determines whether
there are any additional slots in the current view (block 1414). If there are no such slots, then the
process terminates. If there are additional slots, then the rendering engine proceeds to the next slot
(block 1416), and returns to block 1405 to process the next slot.
[0078] It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose
of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the
invention has been described with reference to various embodiments, it is understood that the words
which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of
limitations. Further, although the invention has been described herein with reference to particular
means, materials and embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars
disclosed herein; rather, the invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and
uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art, having the
benefit of the teachings of this specification, may effect numerous modifications thereto and
changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention in its aspects.
-20-

CLAIMS
What is claimed is:
1. A system for generating a content item comprising:
a first wire frame data structure that defines a plurality of regions of the content item;
a first set of content-generating objects;
a first view that maps the first set of content-generating objects into the regions
defined by the first wire frame; and
a rendering engine that, for each region defined by the first wire frame:
causes content to be generated based on the content-generating object that the
view maps to the region; and
inserts the generated content into the region.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the content item comprises a Hypertext Markup Language
(HTML) or extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML) web page.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the content-generating object that the view maps to the
region is a control that comprises executable or interpretable code, the generated content being
generated by execution of said executable or interpretable code.
4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:
a configuration file,
wherein the content generated by the executable or interpretable code is based at least in part on
data contained in said configuration file.
5. The system of claim 3, wherein the view specifies a mode in which the executable or
interpretable code is to operate, and wherein the content generated by the executable or interpretable
code is based at least in part on the specified mode.
-21-

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the content-generating object that the view maps to the
region comprises an extensible Style Language (XSL) tag, and wherein the rendering engine uses
an XSL processor to generate content based on said XSL tag.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the content-generating object that the view maps to the
region comprises a second view that specifies content by associating a second wire frame with a
second set of content-generating objects, the generated content being generated by the rendering
engine's evaluating the second view.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the regions defined by the first wire frame is
not mapped with any content-generating object by the first view, and wherein the rendering engine
causes the content item to reflect the absence of content in said one of the regions defined by the
first wire frame.
9. A method of generating a content item comprising:
accessing a view that specifies an association between a set of slots of a wire frame
and a set of content-generating objects, the slots of the wire frame defining regions of the content
item; and
for each one of the slots, inserting content into said one of the slots based on the
content-generating object that the view associates with said one of the slots.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the content item comprises a Hypertext Markup Language
(HTML) or extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML) web page.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the content-generating object that the view associates with
said one of the slots comprises executable or interpretable code, and wherein the content inserted
into said one of the slots is generated by executing said executable or interpretable code.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the executable or interpretable code take into account data
contained in a configuration file in determining the content to generate.
-22-

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the executable or interpretable code takes into account a
mode specified in the view in determining the content to generate.
14. The method of claim 9, wherein the content-generating object that the view associates with
said one of the slots comprises an extensible Markup Language (XSL) tag, and wherein the method
further comprises:
using an XSL processor to generate content based on the XSL tag.
15. The method of claim 9, wherein the content-generating object that the view associates with
said one of the slots comprises a sub-view, and wherein the method further comprises:
evaluating the sub-view to generate content to be inserted into said one of the slots.
16. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions to perform a
method of generating a web page, the method comprising:
receiving a first view that specifies a correspondence between a first wire frame and
a first set of content-generating objects, the first wire frame comprising a plurality of regions of the
web page, each of the regions either being empty or corresponding to one of the first set of content-
generating objects;
for each one of said regions in the first wire frame:
if said one of said regions corresponds to a content-generating object, then
adding content to the web page, in said one of said regions, based on said content-generating object;
and
if said one of said regions does not correspond to a content-generating object,
then causing the web page to be constructed so as to reflect the absence of content in said one of
said regions.
17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the set of content-generating objects
comprises one or more of:
executable or interpretable code that operates to generate content;
an extensible Style Language (XSL) tag that specifies to an XSL processor content
-23-

to be generated or retrieved;
a second view that specifies a correspondence between a second wire frame and a
second set of content-generating objects.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the content that the executable or interpretable code
generates is a function of data contained in a configuration file.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the content that the executable or interpretable code
generates is a function of a mode specified for the executable or interpretable code in the first view.
20. A computer-readable medium having encoded thereon a data structure to facilitate the
generation of a content item, the data comprising:
a first identifier of a first wire frame, the first wire frame defining a plurality of
regions of the content item;
for at least one of the regions defined by the first wire frame, a binding that specifies
a content-generating object that is associated with said one of the regions, the binding identifying
said one of the regions by a second identifier associated with said one of the regions, the binding
further identifying the content-generating object by a third identifier associated with said content-
generating object.
21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein each of said first, second, and third
identifiers comprises a text string.
22. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the content-generating object
comprises executable or interpretable code that generates content to be inserted into said one of the
regions.
23. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the content-generating object
comprises an XSL tag that specifies to an XSL processor content to be generated or retrieved.
-24-

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the content-generating object
comprises a second view that associates regions of a second wire frame with a set of content-
generating objects.
-25-

26
25. A system for generating a content item substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
26. A method of generating a content item substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
27. A computer-readable medium substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13/2/2004