Patent ID: 7698685
Filing Date: 2010-04-13
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computer program product for use at a computer system including an application, an add-in component manager, and one or more add-ins, the computer program product for implementing a method for loading an add-in for the application that has been registered for use by the add-in component manager to provide a specified implementation of intended functionality, the computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the computer system to perform the following: receive a request from the application for an add-in component that satisfies one or more qualification constraints, the combination of the one or more qualification constraints representing that the application desires the add-in to provide the specified implementation of the intended functionality to the application; query a component index for any entries having properties that satisfy the one or more qualification constraints, each entry in the component index corresponding to an add-in that was previously analyzed and registered by the add-in component as qualified to provide an implementation of some intended functionality, each entry including one or more properties indicating an implementation of the intended functionality of the add-in as determined from the analysis of the add-in, receive one or more entries from the component index having properties that satisfy the one or more qualification constraints, each of the one or more entries identifying a candidate add-in that can provide the specified implementation of the intended functionality to the application; send a component list including the one or entries to the application; receive a selection of an entry included in the component list from the application; and request activation of the add-in corresponding to the selected entry so that the application can use the specified implementation of the intended functionality provided by the add-in.