Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Mariya Tikunova

Justin Michael Maguire

Tuan Huynh

Eric W Patterson

Kent Rogers Lowry

Matthew C Pohle

Bryan J Reich

Marcella Rader

Margaret G Hudson

Suraj T Poozhiyil

Arthur Charles Leonard

Jeffrey M Cooperstein

Daniel M Cheung

Gitika Gupta

Andrew T Lytle

David M Vierzba

Patrick J Smith

Techniques are provided for forming a digital signature for a portion of a document. A registered module is invoked to process the document in accordance with a structured format associated with the document. The registered module is able to process a plurality of different structured formats. The registered module obtains the portion. A digital signature is formed for the portion. The digital signature is included in the document in accordance with the structured format.

Techniques for digital signature formation and verification

Generating a digital signature of an entire embedded code project is provided while maintaining certain exclusion areas so that a productivity application can incorporate application-specific information into the embedded code project without hampering the digital signature. A tree structure of data may be serialized into a data stream. The tree structure may include multiple branches and one or more elements identified as an exclusion area. A digital signature of the data stream may be created and included in a document associated with the tree structure.

Digital signatures for embedded code

An interactive tooltip provides access to help information and enhanced editing capabilities. The interactive tooltip may be useful for a user editing a function within a spreadsheet formula. The present invention may integrate HTML-like interactivity with a conventional tooltip to provide a new interface for working with the associated data. The interactivity of the tooltip may provide additional levels of help or documentation when requested and may provides additional editing navigation functionality within the associated data. Embodiments of the present invention may provide a tooltip in close proximity to the associated data, while the associated data is being edited. In the case of a spreadsheet, a tooltip may be provided when the user begins editing a function within a spreadsheet cell. The help facility may recognize that the user has begun entering a function.

Interactive tooltip

An interactive tooltip provides access to help information and enhanced editing capabilities. The interactive tooltip is especially useful for a user editing a function within a spreadsheet formula. The present invention integrates HTML-like interactivity with a conventional tooltip to provide a new interface for working with the associated data. The interactivity of the tooltip provides additional levels of help or documentation when requested and provides additional editing navigation functionality within the associated data. The present invention provides a tooltip in close proximity to the associated data, while the associated data is being edited. In the case of a spreadsheet, a tooltip will be provided when the user begins editing a function within a spreadsheet cell. The help facility of the present invention recognizes that the user has begun entering a function, when the user has entered an equals sign (identifying a formula), a known function name, and a parenthesis (indicating the beginning of an argument set). The help facility then references a function database and determines the required argument set. The help facility renders the function name and argument set in an HTML-like text, and provides an alternate method for selecting any argument. Finally, the help facility displays the HTML-like text to the user next to the point at which the user is editing the spreadsheet function.

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Redmond, WA, United States of America

Mariya Tikunova