Method and system for parameter model framework

• US 10,203,939 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2015
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Tiple, Abhay, Dobler, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivera, Anibal
• Application Number:
  US14/978,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20170123769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation

Abstract

A system, method, and tangible medium to build a user interface, the system including a backend system supporting processing and persisting of a parameter model defining a user interface, the parameter model specifying user input fields of the user interface to be defined; a user interface framework to render the parameter model to solicit at least one input value for the input fields of the user interface from a user; and a service, distinct from the user interface framework and the backend system, to deliver the parameter model to the user interface framework, the service further to persist the at least one input value from the user.

Claims

1. A method to build a user interface, the method comprising:

defining a user interface as a parameter model by a developer, the parameter model being a data structure of a plurality of entries in database tables persisted by a backend system representing design time metadata specifying user input fields of the user interface to be defined by the parameter model;

delivering the parameter model to a frontend system of a user interface framework via a parameter model service of the backend system, the frontend system being decoupled from the backend system and the parameter model service to coordinate communication between the frontend system and the backend system;

rendering, by the frontend system, the parameter model to present a generic visualization of the user interface in a user understandable format to solicit, from a frontend user, at least one input value for the input fields of the user interface specified by the parameter model design time metadata;

persisting, after receiving the solicited at least one input value for the input fields of the user interface specified by the parameter model, the at least one input value solicited from the frontend user in a data storage facility as runtime metadata; and

using, by an application, the persisted runtime metadata and the parameter model with the design time metadata to define and build a user interface for the application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the parameter model service, a translation of text used to specify the user input fields of the user interface to be defined and text presented to the user during the rendering of the parameter model.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one input value is persisted as a database table entry in the data storage facility.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a dedicated owner is specified for the persistence of the at least one input value for the parameter model and different instances of the parameter model can be owned by a plurality of different dedicated owners.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter model service is distinct from the user interface framework and a backend system supporting the parameter model delivers the parameter model to the user interface framework.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one input value from the user is persisted as a runtime persistence to be used by the application during a runtime.

7. A system having a processor, the system comprising:

a backend system supporting processing by a first processor and persisting of a parameter model defining a user interface as specified by a developer, the parameter model being a data structure of a plurality of entries in database tables representing design time metadata specifying user input fields of the user interface to be defined by the parameter model;

a frontend system, decoupled from the backend system, to render the parameter model, by a second processor, to present a generic visualization of the user interface in a user understandable format and to solicit, from a frontend user, at least one input value for the input fields of the user interface specified by the parameter model design time metadata;

a parameter model service of the backend system to deliver, by the second processor, the parameter model to the frontend system, the frontend system being decoupled from the backend system and the parameter model service to coordinate communication between the frontend system and the backend system;

the parameter model service to persist, after receiving the solicited at least one input value for the input fields of the user interface specified by the parameter model, the at least one input value solicited from the frontend user in a data storage facility as runtime metadata; and

an application to use the persisted runtime metadata and the parameter model with the design time metadata to define and build a user interface for the application.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising providing, by the parameter model service, a translation of text used to specify the user input fields of the user interface to be defined and text presented to the user during the rendering of the parameter model.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one input value is persisted as a database table entry in the data storage facility.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein a dedicated owner is specified for the persistence of the at least one input value for the parameter model and different instances of the parameter model can be owned by a plurality of different dedicated owners.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one input value from the user is persisted as a runtime persistence to be used by the application during a runtime.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon, the medium comprising:

instructions to define a user interface as a parameter model by a developer, the parameter model being a data structure of a plurality of entries in database tables persisted by a backend system representing design time metadata specifying user input fields of the user interface to be defined by the parameter model;

instructions to deliver the parameter model to a frontend system of a user interface framework via a parameter model service of the backend system, the frontend system being decoupled from the backend system and the parameter model service to coordinate communication between the frontend system and the backend system;

instructions to render, by the frontend system, the parameter model to present a generic visualization of the user interface in a user understandable format to solicit, from a frontend user, at least one input value for the input fields of the user interface specified by the parameter model design time metadata;

instructions to persist, after receiving the solicited at least one input value for the input fields of the user interface specified by the parameter model, the at least one input value solicited from the frontend user in a data storage facility as runtime metadata; and

instructions to use, by an application, the persisted runtime metadata and the parameter model with the design time metadata to define and build a user interface for the application.

13. The medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions to provide, by the parameter model service, a translation of text used to specify the user input fields of the user interface to be defined and text presented to the user during the rendering of the parameter model.

14. The medium of claim 12, wherein the at least one input value is persisted as a database table entry in the data storage facility.

15. The medium of claim 12, wherein a dedicated owner is specified for the persistence of the at least one input value for the parameter model and different instances of the parameter model can be owned by a plurality of different dedicated owners.

16. The medium of claim 12, wherein the at least one input value from the user is persisted as a runtime persistence to be used by the application during a runtime.