System for displaying interrelationships between application features

• US 10,656,924 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2018
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Splunk Inc.
• Original Assignee: Splunk Inc.
• Inventors: Neeman, Itay A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US16/133,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20190034176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-177, 709203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/434 Pointers; Aliasing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/54 Link editing before load time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to a system that facilitates developing applications in a component-based software development environment. This system provides an execution environment comprising instances of application components and a registry that maps names to instances of application components. Within the registry, each entry is associated with a list of notification dependencies that specifies component instances to be notified when the registry entry changes. Upon receiving a command to display notification dependencies for the registry, the system generates and displays a dependency graph containing nodes representing component instances and arrows between the nodes representing notification dependencies between the component instances. Upon receiving a command to display a timeline for with the registry, the system generates and displays a timeline representing events associated with the registry in chronological order.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

executing an environment comprising application features and a registry containing entries that indicate names and corresponding application features;

wherein each registry entry is associated with a list of registered application features, the list indicating which of the application features are registered to be notified when events associated with the registry entry are detected; and

upon receiving a command to display interrelationships between the application features, generating a map containing nodes representing the application features and lines between the nodes representing the interrelationships; and

outputting the map to a user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one of the lines is an arrow between a first of the nodes representing a first of the application features and a second of the nodes representing a second of the application features, wherein the arrow indicates that upon detection of one of the events that is associated with the second application feature, the first application feature will be notified.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the registry additionally includes token entries that map token names to associated variables containing token values that are generated as outputs by the application features, and wherein notification of a registered application feature occurs based on changes in token values for an associated token entry.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the map depicts the interrelationships existing at a time identified by a user input.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the map comprises a restricted map depicting a subset of the interrelationships associated with a subset of the application features identified by a user input.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the map is an interactive map configured to adjust the interrelationships in the registry based on an interaction with a corresponding representation on the map.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the events for which the application features are registered to be notified comprise one or more of a new registry entry registration, a new application feature registration, a new association between an application feature and a registry entry, a change to an association between an application feature and a registry entry, a removal of a registry entry, or a removal of an application feature.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the application features include one or more of:

a visual element in a user interface (UI);

an input element in a UI;

a function that produces a data value;

a token containing a variable that holds a data value;

or

another data source.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein outputting the map comprises causing presentation of the map on a graphical user interface.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the lines is a timeline.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the comprising:

executing an environment comprising application features and a registry containing entries that indicate names and corresponding application features;

wherein each registry entry is associated with a list of registered application features, the list indicating which of the application features are registered to be notified when events associated with the registry entry are detected; and

upon receiving a command to display interrelationships between the application features, generating a map containing nodes representing the application features and lines between the nodes representing the interrelationships; and

outputting the map to a user.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein one of the lines is an arrow between a first of the nodes representing a first of the application features and a second of the nodes representing a second of the application features, wherein the arrow indicates that upon detection of one of the events that is associated with the second application feature, the first application feature will be notified.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the registry additionally includes token entries that map token names to associated variables containing token values that are generated as outputs by the application features, and wherein notification of a registered application feature occurs based on changes in token values for an associated token entry.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the map depicts the interrelationships existing at a time identified by a user input.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the map comprises a restricted map depicting a subset of the interrelationships associated with a subset of the application features identified by a user input.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the map is an interactive map configured to adjust the interrelationships in the registry based on an interaction with a corresponding representation on the map.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the events for which the application features are registered to be notified comprise one or more of a new registry entry registration, a new application feature registration, a new association between an application feature and a registry entry, a change to an association between an application feature and a registry entry, a removal of a registry entry, or a removal of an application feature.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the application features include one or more of:

a visual element in a user interface (UI);

an input element in a UI;

a function that produces a data value;

a token containing a variable that holds a data value;

or

another data source.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein outputting the map comprises causing presentation of the map on a graphical user interface.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein at least one of the lines is a timeline.

21. A system, comprising:

at least one processor and at least one associated memory; and

an execution environment that executes on the at least one processor and comprises application features and a registry that indicate names and corresponding application features;

wherein each registry entry is associated with a list of registered application features, the list indicating which of the application features are registered to be notified when events associated with the registry entry are detected; and

wherein upon receiving a command to display interrelationships between the application features, the execution environment is configured to;

generate a map containing nodes representing the application features and lines between the nodes representing the interrelationships; and

output the map to a user.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein one of the lines is an arrow between a first of the nodes representing a first of the application features and a second of the nodes representing a second of the application features, wherein the arrow indicates that upon detection of one of the events that is associated with the second application feature, the first application feature will be notified.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the registry additionally includes token entries that map token names to associated variables containing token values that are generated as outputs by the application features, and wherein the execution environment is configured to notify a registered application feature based on changes in token values for an associated token entry.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the map depicts the interrelationships existing at a time identified by a user input.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the map comprises a restricted map depicting a subset of the interrelationships associated with a subset of the application features identified by a user input.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the map is an interactive map configured to adjust the interrelationships in the registry based on an interaction with a corresponding representation on the map.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the events for which the application features are registered to be notified comprise one or more of a new registry entry registration, a new application feature registration, a new association between an application feature and a registry entry, a change to an association between an application feature and a registry entry, a removal of a registry entry, or a removal of an application feature.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the application features include one or more of:

a visual element in a user interface (UI);

an input element in a UI;

a function that produces a data value;

a token containing a variable that holds a data value;

or

another data source.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the execution environment is configured to output the map by causing presentation of the map on a graphical user interface.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein at least one of the lines is a timeline.