Patent ID: 6449659
Filing Date: 2002-09-10
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
In a computer system, which comprises a host processor having an operating system that presents an interface to a plurality of application programs, wherein an application program is capable of manipulating and modifying a document, the document being an object embedded in the application program, the plurality of application programs being installed on the host processor, a method for providing application instance customization capability to users of a selected application program by using object programming for creating an instance of the application program which contains user customized controls therein, comprising the steps of:storing data, external to the plurality of application programs, that defines a plurality of extensible control objects, which provide properties for the embedded object; selecting a first extensible control object from the plurality of extensible control objects; providing a programming layer, for the plurality of application programs, that enables users to create a customized control; inputting into the programming layer object customization data, comprising object extender data for the first extensible control object; generating application program instance data for the application program; creating a controlling extensible object as a controlling unknown for the first extensible control object; aggregating the object extender data with the first extensible control object into the controlling extensible object; holding a private IUnknown pointer to the first extensible control object; and merging the object customization data and the application program instance data to create a customized instance of the application program which contains the customized controls therein.