Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Sproqit Technologies, Inc.

Peter M Mansour

Roman Sherman

Chad Schwitters

David C Whitney

Rafayel Bezirganyan

Complex workflows are composed of a plurality of idempotent actions. During execution of the complex workflows, a computing system accesses the plurality of idempotent actions and determines whether corresponding guard conditions for triggering processing of the idempotent action are satisfied. When satisfied, a lock is taken on one or more resources used for executing the idempotent code of the idempotent action and execution of the idempotent code is initiated. Thereafter, upon successful execution of the idempotent code, the corresponding record is updated to reflect execution of the idempotent action and the lock is released. When execution of the idempotent action is unsuccessful, an exception is logged and the lock is released.

Running complex workflows in distributed systems while protecting consistency and ensuring progress despite failures

A distributed user interface (UI) system includes a client device configured to render a UI for a server-based application. The client device communicates with a UI server over a network such as the Internet. The UI server performs formatting for the UI, which preferably utilizes a number of native UI controls that are available locally at the client device. In this manner, the client device need only be responsible for the actual rendering of the UI. The source data items are downloaded from the UI server to the client device when necessary, and the client device populates the UI with the downloaded source data items. The client device employs a cache to store the source data items locally for easy retrieval.

Platform-independent distributed user interface server architecture

A clean-up system recaptures part of the memory or secondary storage space on a client device, such as a handheld personal computer. E-mail messages are organized in a hierarchy of folders within a database. Each folder may or may not contain e-mail messages. Preferably, a user downloads e-mail messages from a server to the client device. Upon placing e-mail messages into a folder, a flag set module marks the folder with a cleanup flag. The user marks any folders, messages from which he wishes to use upon disconnect from the server, for off-line use. The clean-up system parses the folder hierarchy, beginning with the first folder in the hierarchy. A clean-up module determines if the clean-up flag is set for the first folder. If the cleanup flag is set for the first folder, an off-line module determines if the folder is marked for off-line use. If the folder is marked for off-line use, the messages contained within the folder are retained for later use. If the folder is not marked for off-line use, a delete module deletes the messages contained within the folder, recapturing part of the memory or secondary storage space on the client device. This routine is repeated for each folder within the hierarchy of folders.

Database clean-up system

A device and method for synchronizing information between computer systems is provided. Certain subsets of information may be synchronized, while excluding other information from the synchronization process. The determination of the information subset to synchronize requires no explicit designation by the user. Instead, the subset of information to be synchronized is ascertained through actions of the user that implicitly indicate the user's interest in the information, allowing for an intuitive assumption of the user's synchronization desires, and requiring no user activity outside of the user's normal operational activity.

Selective information synchronization based on implicit user designation

An apparatus and method for selectively synchronizing a subset of objects of an object set between first and second object stores. A subset of objects is defined as a plurality of selected objects of the object set. A selection identifier corresponding to an exclusive synchronization mode designation is received. Where the selection identifier corresponds to a first identification state, all of the objects of the object set are synchronized. Where the selection identifier corresponds to a second state, only the subset of objects is synchronized, whereby the plurality of objects comprising the subset of objects can be designated for synchronization without individual designation of the objects targeted for synchronization.

Selective information subset synchronization based on single user action

A clean-up system recaptures part of the memory or secondary storage space on a client device, such as a handheld personal computer. E-mail messages are organized in a hierarchy of folders within a database. Each folder may or may not contain e-mail messages. A user downloads e-mail messages from a server to the client device. The user marks any folders that he wishes to use upon disconnect from the server for off-line use. Upon disconnect from the server, the clean-up system begins with the first e-mail message in the database. A test module determines if the e-mail message is linked to a folder in the service hierarchy to be cleaned-up. If the message is linked to a folder in the service hierarchy to be cleaned-up, an off-line module determines if the folder is marked for off-line use. If the folder is marked for off-line use, the message linked to the folder is retained for later use. If the folder is not marked for off-line use, a delete module deletes the message linked to the folder, recapturing part of the memory or secondary storage space on the client device. This routine is repeated for each and every message within the database.

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Peter M Mansour