Abstract: Described herein is a system and method for displaying annotation(s) of an electronic document. User input to review (e.g., scroll) the electronic document is received, until a selected portion of the electronic document is displayed within a viewport pane of a display. In response to the review input, annotation(s) (e.g., comment(s), comment thread(s), annotation thread(s)) anchored within the selected portion of the electronic document displayed within the viewport pane are identified. Which annotation of the annotation(s) to visually distinguish for a focus of the user is determined. The identified annotation(s) are displayed in an annotation pane, with the determined annotation visually distinguished (highlighted) for the focus of the user. In some embodiments, the anchor associated with the determined annotation is also visually distinguished to provide a contextual link to the user and/or hint(s) that provided a visual signal of annotation(s) associated with an anchor on a particular line are displayed.

Abstract: A document accessible on a network may be opened by multiple users. A user may use a thin client application to access the document, wherein an image of the document and XML data including comments and locations of the comments in the document. Hint icons are displayed in the document where comments are anchored. Upon selection of a hint, an HTML comments pane may be displayed to a side of the document, exposing comments and replies to comments currently stored in the document. The comments pane may be scrolled to the comment associated with the selected hint. Additionally, highlighting may be provided over elements in the document associated with a selected comment. Comments may be added via the comments pane and saved to the document on the network. Comments and comment location data may be communicated to other clients, allowing for collaborative communication via a thin client application.

Abstract: Described herein is a system and method for displaying annotation(s) of an electronic document. User input to review (e.g., scroll) the electronic document is received, until a selected portion of the electronic document is displayed within a viewport pane of a display. In response to the review input, annotation(s) (e.g., comment(s), comment thread(s), annotation thread(s)) anchored within the selected portion of the electronic document displayed within the viewport pane are identified. Which annotation of the annotation(s) to visually distinguish for a focus of the user is determined. The identified annotation(s) are displayed in an annotation pane, with the determined annotation visually distinguished (highlighted) for the focus of the user. In some embodiments, the anchor associated with the determined annotation is also visually distinguished to provide a contextual link to the user and/or hint(s) that provided a visual signal of annotation(s) associated with an anchor on a particular line are displayed.

Abstract: An external service application discovery process that connects a host with an external application server running a service application allowing a user of a client computing device to work with a file via a web browser. The host brokers the functionality of an external application server and serves as the platform where interactions between the client computing device and the external application server occur. An open interface protocol, which is a shared communication protocol, allows the host to communicate instructions from the client computing device to the external application server. Through the external service application discovery process, the external application server describes functionality provided by the service application to the host.

Abstract: A document accessible on a network may be opened by multiple users. A user may use a thin client application to access the document, wherein an image of the document and XML data including comments and locations of the comments in the document. Hint icons are displayed in the document where comments are anchored. Upon selection of a hint, an HTML comments pane may be displayed to a side of the document, exposing comments and replies to comments currently stored in the document. The comments pane may be scrolled to the comment associated with the selected hint. Additionally, highlighting may be provided over elements in the document associated with a selected comment. Comments may be added via the comments pane and saved to the document on the network. Comments and comment location data may be communicated to other clients, allowing for collaborative communication via a thin client application.

Abstract: A document accessible on a network may be opened by multiple users. A user may use a thin client application to access the document, wherein an image of the document and XML data including comments and locations of the comments in the document. Hint icons are displayed in the document where comments are anchored. Upon selection of a hint, an HTML comments pane may be displayed to a side of the document, exposing comments and replies to comments currently stored in the document. The comments pane may be scrolled to the comment associated with the selected hint. Additionally, highlighting may be provided over elements in the document associated with a selected comment. Comments may be added via the comments pane and saved to the document on the network. Comments and comment location data may be communicated to other clients, allowing for collaborative communication via a thin client application.

Abstract: A document accessible on a network may be opened by multiple users. A user may use a thin client application to access the document, wherein an image of the document and XML data including comments and locations of the comments in the document. Hint icons are displayed in the document where comments are anchored. Upon selection of a hint, an HTML comments pane may be displayed to a side of the document, exposing comments and replies to comments currently stored in the document. The comments pane may be scrolled to the comment associated with the selected hint. Additionally, highlighting may be provided over elements in the document associated with a selected comment. Comments may be added via the comments pane and saved to the document on the network. Comments and comment location data may be communicated to other clients, allowing for collaborative communication via a thin client application.

Abstract: An external service application discovery process that connects a host with an external application server running a service application allowing a user of a client computing device to work with a file via a web browser. The host brokers the functionality of an external application server and serves as the platform where interactions between the client computing device and the external application server occur. An open interface protocol, which is a shared communication protocol, allows the host to communicate instructions from the client computing device to the external application server. Through the external service application discovery process, the external application server describes functionality provided by the service application to the host.

Abstract: A fault tolerant external application server. The external application server is a web based system that allows a user of a client computing device to work with a file over a network via a general client application communicating with a host. The host brokers the functionality and provides a platform for interacting with the external application server. The external application server is implemented as a server farm. A fault tolerant farm system combines latent configuration replication between farm members, interchangeable farm members, and optional health monitoring to allow the external application server farm to provide on-the-fly configuration while maintaining full functionality without requiring a real time state management database.