User interface pattern mapping

• US 10,386,985 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2015
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ciano, Giuseppe, Della Corte, Gianluca, Gianfagna, Leonida, Massa, Luigi, Sgro, Antonio M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tank, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US14/798,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20170017349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 715205, 715704, 715760, 715762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• 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 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• 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 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines

Abstract

A method for a mapping of user interfaces includes providing a mapping description between first data elements of a first user interface and second data elements of a second user interface, receiving input events via the first user interface, and intercepting a communication between the first user interface and an application by an interface mapper. The method also includes aggregating a series of the received input events to a first user interface pattern, transforming the first user interface pattern to a second user interface pattern based on the mapping description, and rendering the second user interface pattern in a second user interface in parallel to rendering the first user interface pattern in the first user such that both user interfaces are visible at the same time.

Claims

1. A method for a mapping of user interfaces, the method comprising:

providing, by a computer, a mapping description between first user interactions required to access a functionality of a software program running in the computer via a first user interface and second user interactions required to access the same functionality of the software program via a second user interface, the mapping description is stored in a file comprising XML instructions associated with mapping actions between the first user interactions and the second user interactions, the XML instructions make the mapping description transferable between different programming environments, the first user interface comprises a first version of a user interface of the software program and the second user interface comprises a modified version of the user interface,

wherein the first user interactions required to access the functionality using the first user interface are different from the second user interactions required to access the functionality using the second user interface;

receiving the first user interactions via the first user interface, the first user interactions comprising a sequence of input events from the user;

recording the first user interactions;

capturing a communication between the first user interface and the software program;

generating a first user interface pattern based on the recorded first user interactions, the first user interface pattern comprising one or more of the first user interactions;

converting, in real-time, the first user interface pattern to a second user interface pattern based on the mapping description, wherein the second user interface pattern comprises the second user interactions corresponding to the first user interactions required to access the functionality of the software program using the second user interface;

simultaneously displaying the second user interface pattern in the second user interface and the first user interface pattern in the first user interface such that both the first user interface and the second user interface are visible to the user, wherein the simultaneous display provides the user with real-time information as to the functionality of the software program on the second user interface by interacting with the first user interface;

recording, by the computer, the second user interface pattern on the second user interface; and

automatically running the recorded second user interface pattern on the second user interface such that information about accessing the functionality of the software program using the second user interface is available to the user while interacting with the first user interface.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first user interface is associated with a first version of the software program and the second user interface is associated with a second version of the software program.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein simultaneously displaying the first user interface and the second user interface is performed side-by-side on the same device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein simultaneously displaying the first user interface and the second user interface is performed on different devices.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second user interface is displayed on a device with a different form factor.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a message is generated if displaying of a data element on the device having the different form factor is not possible.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first user interactions and the second user interactions comprise an event, an input, a click of a pointing device, or a character.

8. A mapping system for a mapping of user interfaces, the system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, wherein the mapping system is capable of performing a method comprising;

providing, by a computer, a mapping description between first user interactions required to access a functionality of a software program running in the computer via a first user interface and second user interactions required to access the same functionality of the software program via a second user interface, the mapping description is stored in a file comprising XML instructions associated with mapping actions between the first user interactions and the second user interactions, the XML instructions make the mapping description transferable between different programming environments, the first user interface comprises a first version of a user interface of the software program and the second user interface comprises a modified version of the user interface,

wherein the first user interactions required to access the functionality using the first user interface are different from the second user interactions required to access the functionality using the second user interface;

receiving the first user interactions via the first user interface, the first user interactions comprising a sequence of input events from the user;

recording the first user interactions;

capturing a communication between the first user interface and the software program;

generating a first user interface pattern based on the recorded first user interactions, the first user interface pattern comprising one or more of the first user interactions;

converting, in real-time, the first user interface pattern to a second user interface pattern based on the mapping description, wherein the second user interface pattern comprises the second user interactions corresponding to the first user interactions required to access the functionality of the software program using the second user interface;

simultaneously displaying the second user interface pattern in the second user interface and the first user interface pattern in the first user interface such that both the first user interface and the second user interface are visible to the user, wherein the simultaneous display provides the user with real-time information as to the functionality of the software program on the second user interface by interacting with the first user interface;

recording, by the computer, the second user interface pattern on the second user interface; and

automatically running the recorded second user interface pattern on the second user interface such that information about accessing the functionality of the software program using the second user interface is available to the user while interacting with the first user interface.

9. The mapping system according to claim 8, wherein the first user interface is associated with a first version of the software program and the second user interface is associated with a second version of the software program.

10. The mapping system according to claim 8, wherein simultaneously displaying the first user interface and the second user interface is performed side-by-side on the same device.

11. The mapping system according to claim 8, wherein simultaneously displaying the first user interface and the second user interface is performed on different devices.

12. The mapping system according to claim 11, wherein the second user interface is displayed on a device with a different form factor.

13. The mapping system according to claim 12, wherein a message is generated if displaying of a data element on the device having the different form factor is not possible.

14. The mapping system according to claim 8, wherein the first user interactions and the second user interactions comprise an event, an input, a click of a pointing device, or a character.

15. A computer program product for a mapping of user interfaces, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable non-transitory article of manufacture tangibly embodying computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a computer to carry out a method comprising;

providing, by a computer, a mapping description between first user interactions required to access a functionality of a software program running in the computer via a first user interface and second user interactions required to access the same functionality of the software program via a second user interface, the mapping description is stored in a file comprising XML instructions associated with mapping actions between the first user interactions and the second user interactions, the XML instructions make the mapping description transferable between different programming environments, the first user interface comprises a first version of a user interface of the software program and the second user interface comprises a modified version of the user interface,

wherein the first user interactions required to access the functionality using the first user interface are different from the second user interactions required to access the functionality using the second user interface;

receiving the first user interactions via the first user interface, the first user interactions comprising a sequence of input events from the user;

recording the first user interactions;

capturing a communication between the first user interface and the software program;

generating a first user interface pattern based on the recorded first user interactions, the first user interface pattern comprising one or more of the first user interactions;

converting, in real-time, the first user interface pattern to a second user interface pattern based on the mapping description, wherein the second user interface pattern comprises the second user interactions corresponding to the first user interactions required to access the functionality of the software program using the second user interface;

simultaneously displaying the second user interface pattern in the second user interface and the first user interface pattern in the first user interface such that both the first user interface and the second user interface are visible to the user, wherein the simultaneous display provides the user with real-time information as to the functionality of the software program on the second user interface by interacting with the first user interface;

recording, by the computer, the second user interface pattern on the second user interface; and

automatically running the recorded second user interface pattern on the second user interface such that information about accessing the functionality of the software program using the second user interface is available to the user while interacting with the first user interface.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the first user interface is associated with a first version of the software program and the second user interface is associated with a second version of the software program.

17. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein simultaneously displaying the first user interface and the second user interface is performed side-by-side on the same device.

18. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein simultaneously displaying the first user interface and the second user interface is performed on different devices.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein the second user interface is displayed on a device with a different form factor.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein a message is generated if displaying of a data element on the device having the different form factor is not possible.