Methods for user interface generation and application modification

• US 10,210,000 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2006
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Versata FZ-LLC (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Versata FZ-LLC (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Inventors: Valtchev, Plamen Ivanov
• Primary Examiner(s): Swift, Charles M
• Application Number:
  US12/064,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20080222618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,577 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/541 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/54 Link editing before load time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45508 Runtime interpretation or emulation, e g. emulator loops, bytecode interpretation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45516 Runtime code conversion or optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method of generating a user interface for presentation to a user. The method comprises executing a first application computer program to provide a user interface, executing agent computer program code to interrogate and modify said user interface during execution of said first application computer program, and presenting said modified user interface. The first application computer program may be run on a server, while the modified user interface may be presented to a user at a client connected to said server.

Claims

1. A method of modifying a source application, the method comprising:

performing by a computer system programmed with code stored in a memory and executing by a processor of the computer system to configure the computer system into a machine;

running said source application including running a source application process located in a memory space, wherein the source application is distinct from an operating system of the computer system;

receiving notification of an event resulting from activity within a user interface of the source application by a user interacting with the user interface via a client computer system coupled to the computer system, wherein receiving the notification comprises;

receiving a call to a user interface display function, wherein the user interface display function includes code to jump to hooking code;

writing the hooking code into the memory space of the source application;

preserving execution return to the source application process;

jumping to the hooking code to fire an activation event of a first user interface object of a user interface class;

firing the activation event of the first user interface object of the user interface class upon receipt of the notification of the event resulting from activity within the user interface of the source application, wherein the user interface class includes coded representations of respective elements of the user interface and includes modification profiles corresponding to predetermined modification of the user interface elements and the modification profiles define appearance styles of a user interface element;

in accordance with firing the activation event, modifying computer program code associated with said source application at runtime with the coded representations of respective elements of the user interface included in the model to modify the user interface for display via the client computer system which transforms an appearance style of one or more user interface elements of said source application to an appearance style of an application that is different than the source application and is not derived from code in the operating system and in accordance with at least one of the modification profiles of the model while maintaining a function of each user interface element for which the appearance style is changed, said modifying causing a call to be made to a predetermined function provided by modification computer program code provided by an interpreter;

interpreting predetermined modification computer program code by said interpreter, said modification computer program code being configured to modify one or more elements of the user interface of the source application; and

providing the user interface as modified to the client computer system for display by the client computer system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein modifying said computer program code comprises modifying a first predetermined function within said computer program code.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said first predetermined function is called in response to a user interface manipulation operation.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein modifying said computer program code comprises inserting a functional to a second predetermined function in said computer program code.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said second predetermined function causes a call to be made to a third predetermined function provided by said modification computer program code provided by said interpreter.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said third predetermined function is configured to call a fourth function provided by said modification computer program code, said fourth function being selected based upon said first predetermined function.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said fourth function is configured to cause modification of said source application.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said fourth function is configured to provide notification to a client.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising associating said client with said call to said fourth function.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said client is configured to perform an action in response to said notification.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

defining a model of said user interface using a plurality of objects.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein said client is one of a plurality of objects, and each of said plurality of objects represents one of a plurality of user interface elements of said user interface.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least some of the objects have associated action objects, said action objects defining actions to be carried out in response to received notifications.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a communications link between a server computer running said source application and a client computer configured to access said source application;

providing access to said modified application to said client computer.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storing processor readable instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, configured to read and execute instructions stored in said memory;

wherein said processor readable instructions comprise instructions controlling the processor to configure the apparatus into a data processing system for;

running said source application including running a source application process located in a memory space, wherein the source application is distinct from an operating system of the computer system;

receiving notification of an event resulting from activity within a user interface of the source application by a user interacting with the user interface via a client computer system coupled to the computer system, wherein receiving the notification comprises;

receiving a call to a user interface display function, wherein the user interface display function includes code to jump to hooking code;

writing the hooking code into the memory space of the source application;

preserving execution return to the source application process;

jumping to the hooking code;

firing an activation event of a first user interface object of a user interface class upon receipt of the notification of the event resulting from activity within the user interface of the source application, wherein the user interface class includes coded representations of respective elements of the user interface and includes modification profiles corresponding to predetermined modification of the user interface elements and the modification profiles define appearance styles of a user interface element;

in accordance with firing the activation event, modifying computer program code associated with said source application at runtime with the coded representations of respective elements of the user interface included in the model to modify the user interface for display via the client computer system which transforms an appearance style of one or more user interface elements of said source application to an appearance style of an application that is different than the source application and is not derived from code in the operating system and in accordance with at least one of the modification profiles of the model while maintaining a function of each user interface element for which the appearance style is changed, said modifying causing a call to be made to a predetermined function provided by modification computer program code provided by an interpreter;

interpreting predetermined modification computer program code by said interpreter, said modification computer program code being configured to modify one or more elements of the user interface of the source application; and

providing the user interface as modified to the client computer system for display by the client computer system.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein modifying said computer program code comprises modifying a first predetermined function within said computer program code.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said first predetermined function is called in response to a user interface manipulation operation.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein modifying said computer program code comprises inserting a functional to a second predetermined function in said computer program code.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said second predetermined function causes a call to be made to a third predetermined function provided by said modification computer program code provided by said interpreter.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said third predetermined function is configured to call a fourth function provided by said modification computer program code, said fourth function being selected based upon said first predetermined function.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said fourth function is configured to cause modification of said source application.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said fourth function is configured to provide notification to a client.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising associating said client with said call to said fourth function.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said client is configured to perform an action in response to said notification.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising:

defining a model of said user interface using a plurality of objects.

26. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said client is one of a plurality of objects, and each of said plurality of objects represents one of a plurality of user interface elements of said user interface.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein at least some of the objects have associated action objects, said action objects defining actions to be carried out in response to received notifications.

28. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

establishing a communications link between a server computer running said source application and a client computer configured to access said source application;

providing access to said modified application to said client computer.

29. A non-transitory, computer readable medium comprising code stored therein and executable by processor of a data processing system to configure the data processing system into a machine for:

running said source application including running a source application process located in a memory space, wherein the source application is distinct from an operating system of the computer system;

receiving notification of an event resulting from activity within a user interface of the source application by a user interacting with the user interface via a client computer system coupled to the computer system, wherein receiving the notification comprises;

receiving a call to a user interface display function, wherein the user interface display function includes code to jump to hooking code;

writing the hooking code into the memory space of the source application;

preserving execution return to the source application process;

jumping to the hooking code;

firing an activation event of a first user interface object of a user interface class upon receipt of the notification of the event resulting from activity within the user interface of the source application, wherein the user interface class includes coded representations of respective elements of the user interface and includes modification profiles corresponding to predetermined modification of the user interface elements and the modification profiles define appearance styles of a user interface element;

in accordance with firing the activation event, modifying computer program code associated with said source application at runtime with the coded representations of respective elements of the user interface included in the model to modify the user interface for display via the client computer system which transforms an appearance style of one or more user interface elements of said source application to an appearance style of an application that is different than the source application and is not derived from code in the operating system and in accordance with at least one of the modification profiles of the model while maintaining a function of each user interface element for which the appearance style is changed, said modifying causing a call to be made to a predetermined function provided by modification computer program code provided by an interpreter;

interpreting predetermined modification computer program code by said interpreter, said modification computer program code being configured to modify one or more elements of the user interface of the source application; and

providing the user interface as modified to the client computer system for display by the client computer system.

30. The computer readable medium according to claim 29, wherein modifying said computer program code comprises modifying a first predetermined function within said computer program code.

31. The computer readable medium according to claim 30, wherein said first predetermined function is called in response to a user interface manipulation operation.

32. The computer readable medium according to claim 30, wherein modifying said computer program code comprises inserting a functional to a second predetermined function in said computer program code.

33. The computer readable medium according to claim 32, wherein said second predetermined function causes a call to be made to a third predetermined function provided by said modification computer program code provided by said interpreter.

34. The computer readable medium according to claim 33, wherein said third predetermined function is configured to call a fourth function provided by said modification computer program code, said fourth function being selected based upon said first predetermined function.

35. The computer readable medium according to claim 34, wherein said fourth function is configured to cause modification of said source application.

36. The computer readable medium according to claim 35, wherein said fourth function is configured to provide notification to a client.

37. The computer readable medium according to claim 36, further comprising associating said client with said call to said fourth function.

38. The computer readable medium according to claim 36, wherein said client is configured to perform an action in response to said notification.

39. The computer readable medium according to claim 37, further comprising:

defining a model of said user interface using a plurality of objects.

40. The computer readable medium according to claim 37, wherein said client is one of a plurality of objects, and each of said plurality of objects represents one of a plurality of user interface elements of said user interface.

41. The computer readable medium according to claim 39, wherein at least some of the objects have associated action objects, said action objects defining actions to be carried out in response to received notifications.

42. The computer readable medium according to claim 29, further comprising:

establishing a communications link between a server computer running said source application and a client computer configured to access said source application;

providing access to said modified application to said client computer.