Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Saud A Alshibani

Jason Garms

Gilad Golan

Anthony Blumfield

Scott Field

Kenneth R Walters

Rick A La Plante

Scott A Field

A facility for applying a software patch is described. Using an automatic patching agent, the facility receives the software patch. In response to receiving the software patch, without user intervention, the facility performs the following acts: First, the facility identifies an instance of an executable module that is currently loaded, and to which the received software patch pertains. Second, the facility applies the received software patch to the identified loaded executable module instance to modify the behavior of the identified executable module instance.

Efficient patching

A facility for automatically processing software patches is described. The facility receives in a computing system a distinguished patch package for modifying the behavior of a programmatic entity. The facility automatically extracts from the distinguished patch package (1) patch application information that identifies a distinguished programmatic entity against which the patches to be applied, and (2) patch behavior information that specifies a manner in which to modify the behavior of the distinguished programmatic entity. The facility automatically adds to a patch table a distinguished entry containing the extracted patch application information and patch behavior information.

A facility for augmenting software in a target computer system is described. The facility receives and augmentation specification in the target computer system. The augmentations specification specifies: (a) a function to be augmented, (b) a parameter of the function to be tested, (c) a test to apply to the specified parameter, and (d) and modification to perform to the behavior of the function if the specified test is not satisfied by the specified parameter. When the specified function is invoked on the target computer system, if the specified tested is not satisfied by the specified parameter, the facility performs the specified modification to the behavior of the specified function.

Displayed inconsistencies and errors within a visual resource (e.g., dialog, menu) and between two visual resources are automatically detected without requiring the execution of an application having either of the visual resources. When a source application is localized, its visual resources are extracted and translated into the target language. This translation of the visual resources often causes errors in the visual display. The visual resource analyzer of the invention identifies these errors without requiring execution of either the source or localized versions of the application, which enables the errors to be easily corrected. Furthermore, the elements of a visual resource are analyzed for display anomalies, such as alignment errors and overlapping other elements.

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Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Saud A Alshibani