Patent ID: 6857124

Claim:
A computer program product forming an extension of a scripting language platform that extends a set of widgets used in a graphical script language platform interface to include web browser plug-in applications designed to extend the functionality of web browser programs, where an extension command is added to the scripting language and with an extension command syntax including a source locator parameter, with the computer program product comprising: a computer-readable storage medium for storing plug-in-interface extension program code for extending the functionality of a script interpreter platform by employing web-browser plug-in applications as widget components within the graphical script language platform interface, said plug-in-interface extension program code comprising: parsing program code for causing a computer to parse a script to identify an extension command and the source locator parameter, which can reference any browser plug-in application included in an installed base of browser plug-in applications, included in the syntax of the extension command; fetching program code for, when the extension command is parsed, fetching objects referenced by the source locator parameter using standard internet procedures; program code, providing the same functions and interfaces to a web browser plug in as is provided by a web browser API, for causing the computer to automatically invoke the browser plug-in application and to allow the web browser plug-in application to display and provide interactive processing of a data and/or program object, referenced by the source locator parameter, within a plug-in-interface extension-controlled window of the graphical script language platform interface so that the set of script language platform widgets is extended to include the entire installed base of browser plug-in applications; and program code for causing the computer to allow manipulation, under control of a script, of the browser plug-in application so that the web browser-plug in application can be manipulated as a widget native to the scripting language platform.