Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

James Squires Masson

Joseph John McDaid

Keyur Rahul Patel

Arturo Goicochea Hoefken

Shikha Devesh Desai

Ruth Kikin-Gil

Christopher Scott Gouge

Michelle Elena Keslin

Theresa Ann Estrada

Michael James Day

Robert Andrew Little

Daniel F Plastina

Debi P Mishra

Victor Poznanski

Ali Taleghani

Viktoriya Taranov

David E Kays

Allison Anne Whilden

Seth Fox

Robin Emily Wakefield

Douglas Maxwell Taylor

Yibing Zhu

Stephen M Blanding

Yu Been Lee

Glen Buhlmann

Michael J Cherry

Robyn Sambo

Georges Krinker

Gautam Vishwas Vaidya

Gunawan Herri

Michael Gary Heyns

Enrique J Dominguez

Theodore C VanZwol

Theodore C Van Zwol

An enhanced integration of spreadsheet environments and external environments is disclosed herein that allows users to enter non-native statements directly into the cells of a worksheet so that external resources can be applied with respect to their values. In addition, a security model is disclosed whereby external functions referenced in the cells of a worksheet are executed in the context of a runtime environment that is secured apart from the spreadsheet application that hosts the worksheet. Various enhancements to the user experience are also disclosed that allow users to enter non-native statements in line with respect to the functional syntax that forms the basis of spreadsheet formulas.

Enhanced integration of spreadsheets with external environments

Systems, methods, and software are disclosed herein for indicating a change to content in a document to a user. A document is displayed in a user interface to an application. Content then is introduced into the document from a source external to the document. After the content has been introduced into the document, the source of the content is queried for any changes to the content at the source. If a change has occurred, an indication of the change to the content at the source is introduced in the document.

Displaying an indication of changes made to content at a source

Automated presentation of repeated content is provided herein. Using historic documents, an index of repeatedly-used content blocks is created. As a user authors a current document, the authoring application is in communication with a trigger analyzer that receives edits and authoring commands from the user. The trigger analyzer compares the edits and authoring commands to the indexed content blocks, and creates previews of potential matches from the index of repeated content that are provided to the user. Depending on user preferences and application settings, these previews are presented to the user as selectable controls in a graphical user interface. If the user selects a preview, the content block associated with the preview is transmitted to the current document for insertion therein. The present disclosure improves the user experience, reduces the use of bandwidth, memory, and processing power to reuse content between documents.

Comparing entered content or text to triggers, triggers linked to repeated content blocks found in a minimum number of historic documents, content blocks having a minimum size defined by a user

Automatic generation of a document template based on recognized composition element patterns in documents associated with a user is provided. Composition elements used in documents are typically unique to a particular user or to a group of users. An automated template generation system detects composition element patterns in documents associated with the user, and generates and provides one or more useful and relevant templates comprising composition elements consistent with subsets of composition elements used in previously created documents. Generating a document template based on composition element patterns in documents associated with the user improves the user experience, reduces the use of bandwidth, memory, and processing power to reuse composition elements between documents. Additionally, providing user-relevant templates helps to ensure consistency across documents created by the user.

Automatic template generation based on previous documents

Non-administrators selectively move content from a source network to a destination network. The source network includes a deployment server that can deploy an item and its dependencies (if any) listed in a quick deploy list without having to get specific administrator authorization for the deployment. The deployment server can be configured to check the quick deploy list relatively frequently so that any items listed in the quick deploy list are quickly deployed. The listing of items in the quick deploy list is organized into 'jobs' and identifies a path that indicates the source and destination for each job. A job is associated with one path and specifies one or more items of the source to be deployed and a schedule to deploy the specified item(s). The deployment server is configured by the administrator with permissions for specific authors to list items in the quick deploy list.

Quick deploy of content

A system and method are disclosed for creating and describing a configurable data set, configuring the data set and merging a resulting configured data set into a target data set. One or more configurable data elements are stored in a configurable data set that forms part of a configurable merge module. The configurable merge module also includes metadata concerning the configurable data. The metadata describes the data elements and how they can be configured and how to implement changes to the configurable data. Each configurable data element can be presented to the configurable merge module consumer through a user interface. The configurable merge module consumer can thus make configuration choices. Also provided is a transformation engine for customizing the configurable data based on configurable merge module consumer choices and a merge engine for inserting configured data into a target data set.

System and method for importing a configured data set into a target set

Described is managing the changing of software implementations such as applications deployed to enterprise client users or machines. Precedence relationships between deployed applications are specified. To determine which applications to install for a given client, the precedence is applied to the subset of applications assigned or published to the client. At logon or machine reboot, an upgrade process evaluates the deployed applications and any upgrade relationships, setting applications for removal or installation. A user may also install an application that has been designated as optional. Also described is an application lifecycle model for replacing applications. For example, administrators can phase in upgrades as a pilot to a small group of users, roll out upgrades to a larger group, and then provide the application to all users. Upgrades may be mandatory or optional, and replaced programs may be removed and then replaced, or overlaid during installation.

Method and system for managing lifecycles of deployed applications

Configuring software components(merge) with transformation component using configurable and non-configurable data elements

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

James Squires Masson