Schema-based services for identity-based data access to application settings data
A schema-based ApplicationSettings service for Internet access to per-user ApplicationSettings data, wherein access to data is based on each user's identity. The ApplicationSettings service includes a schema that defines rules and a structure for each user's data, and also includes methods that provide access to the data in a defined way. The ApplicationSettings schema thus corresponds to a logical document containing the data for each user. The user manipulates (e.g., reads or writes) data in the logical document by data access requests through defined methods. In one implementation, the ApplicationSettings schemas are arranged to provide XML documents, and the services provide methods that control access to the data based on the requesting user's identification, defined role and scope for that role. In this way, document data can be accessed by its owner, and shared to an extent determined by the owner. The structure of the data is defined from the perspective of the data, not from that of an application program or a device, whereby appropriate programs can communicate with the ApplicationSettings service to access the data, with existing knowledge of the schema-defined format, regardless of the device or application program in use. Extensibility is defined into the schema.
1. At a remote service in a computer network in which a plurality of endpoints communicates with the remote service using an identity of an end user at the endpoint, a method of providing application settings to the plurality of different endpoints based at least in part on the identity of the end user, comprising:
providing at a remote service an identity-based application settings schema, the application settings schema having application settings-related fields arranged into a remote content document with defined structures for the fields;
receiving from one endpoint a data access request for application settings information, the request including associated user identity information;
identifying a plurality of schemas corresponding to the user identity, wherein at least one of the plurality of schemas is associated with an application settings service;
creating a logical application settings document using the identified schema associated with the application settings service, wherein each set of data in the logical application settings document is structured to correspond to a field in the content document; and
returning, in response to the data access request, the logical application settings document to the one endpoint.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising creating the application settings document returned to the one endpoint by reading data from at least one field in a logical application settings document.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising creating the content application settings document returned to the one endpoint by writing data to at least one field in a logical application settings document.
4. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1 .
5. At a navigation module in a computer network in which an endpoint communicates with one or more network services using an identity of the end user at the endpoint, a method of providing application settings data and the meaning of the application settings data from a network service based at least in part on the identity of the end user and a service-specific schema, comprising:
receiving an access request at a network service from a device, the request including associated user identity information;
requesting application settings data from an application settings service, the request based on the associated user identity information, wherein the application settings service determines if the request is an allowable request based on the associated user identity information; and
constructing a document having at least part of the requested application settings data and a user identity-based application settings-specific schema in a markup language only when it is determined that the request is allowable, and such that the construction of the document is omitted when it is determined that the request is not allowable; and
returning the constructed document to the device from which the request for data originated.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the document comprises an application settings document.
7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising manipulating the data requested if the request is determined to be an allowable request.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the manipulating the data requested comprises manipulating the data using a query manipulation.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the manipulating the data requested comprises manipulating the data using an insert manipulation.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein the manipulating the data requested comprises manipulating the data using a replace manipulation.
11. The method of claim 7 wherein the manipulating the data requested comprises manipulating the data using a delete manipulation.
12. The method of claim 7 wherein the manipulating the data requested comprises manipulating the data using an update manipulation.
13. The method as recited in claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving a different request for data from the device directed to a different network service, wherein the different request includes the associated user identity information;
identifying a different service-specific schema for the request, wherein the different service-specific schema is also associated with the user identity information;
constructing a different data document using the different service-specific schema; and
returning the different document to the endpoint device.
14. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 5 .