Opening Network-Enabled Electronic Documents

Abstract

System(s), method(s), and/or technique(s) (“tools”) are described that enable a user to open a network-enabled electronic document in either a specific software application associated with the electronic document or a network browser. In some cases the tools do so using a single link. On selection of the link, if the user's computing device has access to the specific software application, the tools may load the electronic document using that application. Or, if the user's computing device does not have access to the specific software application, the tools may render the electronic document with a network browser. In so doing, the tools may make the document available to a larger set of potential users through their browsers, allow users the convenience of accessing the document within a browser, optimize users' experience in working with the document through a specific software application, or provide a simpler opening procedure.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary operating environment in which various embodiments of the tools may operate.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary process illustrating some ways in which the tools open a network-enabled electronic document in either a specific software application associated with the electronic document or a network browser when the electronic document is selected with a link in a document library.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary process illustrating some ways in which the tools open an electronic document responsive to a user selecting the electronic document with a link in a webpage, an email, or another document.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary process describing ways in which the tools determine whether to open in a network browser or a specific software application.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary flow diagram with actions and/or communications between elements of FIG. 1.

Claims

1. A method implemented at least in part by a computing device comprising: determining, responsive to selection by a user of a link for opening an electronic document associated with the link, whether the user's computing device has access to a specific software application associated with the electronic a document; andif the user's computing device has access to the specific software application, causing the specific software application to open the electronic document; orcausing a network browser to open the electronic document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining comprises receiving an indication from the user's computing device that the specific software application is installed on the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of causing the specific software application to open the electronic document comprises sending, to the user's computing device, data for the electronic document in a format usable by the specific software application and not usable by the network browser.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising intercepting the request generated by the selection of the link and wherein the request, if it were not intercepted, would cause the specific software application to open the electronic document.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: requesting information from the user's computing device indicating whether the user's computing device has or does not have access to the specific software application;receiving the information; andsending, if the information indicates that the user's computing device has access to the specific software application, data for the electronic document in a format usable by the specific software application to the user's computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the link comprises a Universal Resource Locator (URL) for a document within a document library.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the link comprises a Universal Resource Locator (URL) selected from within a webpage, email, or other electronic document.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the specific software application's version and the electronic document's version, and wherein the act of determining comprises determining that the user's computing device does not have access to the specific software application if the specific software application's version is not compatible with the electronic document's version.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the electronic document was previously selected to be opened only in the network browser and, if the electronic document was so previously selected, causing the network browser to open the electronic document.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the link is selected from a webpage, and responsive to the electronic document being closed, presenting the webpage.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining comprises determining that the electronic document's file extension is for a type of electronic document capable of being opened in only one of the network browser or the specific software application.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining and the acts of causing are performed without user interaction other than the user's selection of the link.

13. A method implemented at least in part by a computing device comprising: determining, responsive to a user selecting an electronic document through a webpage, whether the user's computing device has access to a specific software application associated with the electronic document; andif the user's computing device has access to the specific software application, causing the specific software application to open the electronic document; orcausing a network browser to open the electronic document.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the act of causing the specific software application to open the electronic document comprises performing a 302 redirect.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the acts of determining and causing are performed without user interaction other than the user's selecting the electronic document.

16. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform acts comprising: receiving, responsive to a user selecting a link for an electronic document, a query for information regarding whether the user's computing device has access to a specific software application associated with the electronic document;providing the information;receiving, if the information indicates that the user's computing device has access to the specific software application, instructions to make a request for data for the electronic document in a format usable by the specific software application; andmaking the request for the data effective to enable the specific software application to open the electronic document on the user's computing device.

17. The media of claim 16, further comprising determining whether the user's computing device has access to the specific software application.

18. The media of claim 16, further comprising receiving the data and causing the specific software application to load the data effective to open the electronic document.

19. The media of claim 16, wherein the act of providing the information comprises providing a version for the specific software application and the act of receiving instructions comprises receiving the instructions only if the information indicates that the specific software application's version is as new or newer than the electronic document's version.

20. The media of claim 16, wherein the acts of receiving the query, providing, receiving instructions, and making the request are performed without user interaction other than being responsive to the user selecting the link.