Auxiliary display sidebar integration

Abstract

Described is a technology by which an application program such as a gadget may communicate with a sidebar program to output content for consumption by an auxiliary display device. The gadget may communicate with the sidebar program via sidebar APIs, and in turn the sidebar program communicates with an auxiliary display device platform via auxiliary display device APIs. Among its capabilities, the sidebar program may install gadgets on a host computer system, and upon detecting that the host computer system is configured to operate with an auxiliary display device, may install the gadget such that the gadget is configured to work with an auxiliary display device. The installation may be accomplished by having the sidebar program write information to a system registry.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative example of a general-purpose computing environment into which various aspects of the present invention may be incorporated.

FIG. 2 is a representation of a sidebar program's user interface area on a desktop of a host computer system.

FIG. 3 is a representation of an architecture including interfaces by which a gadget communicates with a sidebar program and the sidebar program communicates with an auxiliary display device platform.

FIG. 4 is a representation of a user interface that allows installed gadgets to be selectively enabled or disabled for use with an auxiliary display device.

FIG. 5 is a representation of a user interface that allows a gadget to be further enabled for use with an auxiliary display device upon enabling the gadget for use with a sidebar program.

FIG. 6 is a representation of a user interface that allows a gadget to be downloaded for use with a sidebar program, with an auxiliary display device, or both.

FIG. 7 is a representation of a gadget gallery that allows users to interface with gadgets.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are representations of a single gadget having different instances with different settings.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps, comprising: receiving a request to install a gadget on a host computer system;detecting that the host computer system is configured to operate with an auxiliary display device; andinstalling the gadget such that the gadget is configured to output data for display on the auxiliary display device when the auxiliary display is coupled to the host computer system.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein receiving the request to install the gadget comprises receiving a request associated with an application program.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein receiving the request to install the gadget comprises receiving a request associated with downloadable content.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein receiving the request to install the gadget comprises receiving a request associated with user selection of a file corresponding to the gadget.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein detecting that the host computer system is configured to operate with an auxiliary display device comprises checking an operating system version to determine whether the operating system includes an auxiliary display device platform.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein detecting that the host computer system is configured to operate with an auxiliary display device comprises checking whether an auxiliary display device has been previously installed on the host computer system.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein installing the gadget comprises writing information to a system registry.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein installing the gadget comprises providing a sidebar program API set through which the gadget communicates with a sidebar program that installs the gadget.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 further wherein the sidebar program communicates with the auxiliary display device platform via an auxiliary display device API set.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, executing the gadget, wherein the sidebar program communicates with an auxiliary display device platform such that data received from the gadget via the sidebar program API set is output to the auxiliary display device.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 having further computer-executable instructions comprising, executing the gadget, wherein the sidebar program communicates with an auxiliary display device platform such that an event received from the auxiliary display device is returned to the gadget via the sidebar program API set.

12. In a computing environment, a system comprising: a first interface set by which an application program communicates with a sidebar program;a second interface set by which the sidebar program communicates with an auxiliary device platform; andwherein the application program outputs content for consumption by an auxiliary device by calling at least one method of the first interface set that causes the sidebar program to call at least one method of the second interface set.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the application program comprises a gadget, and wherein the sidebar program installs the gadget for operation with the auxiliary device.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the auxiliary device comprises an auxiliary display device, and wherein the auxiliary display device comprises at least one of: an auxiliary display device integrated into a computer system that hosts the sidebar program, the auxiliary display device platform and the first and second interface sets; a television set; an audio receiver; an audio/video recorder; a telephone; a separate computer; a mobile communications device; a secondary display screen with actuators; a watch; a wall display; a display screen; a digital picture frame; a clock; a radio; a media player; a device embedded within or using the main display of a consumer electronics device; automotive; transportation or other vehicular units; keyboards or other input devices of the main computer system; a pager; a personal digital assistant; and an auxiliary device emulated on a main display of the host computer system.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the auxiliary device comprises at least one of: another computer system, a remote terminal, a browser location, a transient hardware device, a dedicated remote device, a cache, a projection mechanism, a SPOT device, and so forth.

16. In a computing environment having a computer system and a main computer display, a method comprising: executing a sidebar program;communicating between an application program and the sidebar program via a first interface set;communicating between the sidebar program and an auxiliary display device platform via a second interface set, including providing data corresponding to data received from the application program to the auxiliary display device platform; andcommunicating information between the auxiliary display device platform and an auxiliary display device such that the application program can output information to the auxiliary display device.

17. The method of claim 17 wherein the application program comprises a gadget, and further comprising, installing the gadget via the sidebar program.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the application program comprises a gadget downloaded from a website, and further comprising, detecting that the computer system has the auxiliary display device platform, and enabling the gadget to output data to the auxiliary display device.