Method of accessing data and logic on existing systems through dynamic construction of software components

• US 20010025372A1
• Filed: 01/17/2001
• Published: 09/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Touchnet Info Sys Incorporated (Global Payments Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Touchnet Info Sys Incorporated (Global Payments Incorporated)
• Inventors: Vermeire, Dean R., Murphy, Gary L.
• Granted Patent: US 6,931,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/146
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

A record layout in a legacy application is defined by the record definition in the source code of the language in which the application was written. For each record in a legacy application, the layout of the record is saved in a language-neutral and architecture neutral format in preparation for a runtime invocation. During runtime, for each record, the legacy application can send architecture-specific binary information as it exists in memory on the legacy computer to a component runtime environment that will construct a compatible object-oriented instance of a class to manipulate the information. Once the information is manipulated, the updated information can be represented to the original legacy application in an architecture-specific binary record layout.

Claims

1. A method for translating the contents of a binary data record existing in a programming language to a component in an object-oriented programming system comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a data record layout of a binary data record in an architecture-specific program, said data record layout comprising a name component and a contents component,

(b) associating a first reference to said name component and a second reference to said contents component of said data record layout, said first and said second references operating as address parameters to allow a programming interface to select said name component and said contents component from said data record layout in response to a data request,

(c) modifying said architecture-specific program to include said first and said second references for use by said programming interface, and

(d) generating source code for a software component of an object-oriented programming system, said software component being adapted to send to said programming interface said data request for the content of said binary data record associated with said reference, and said software component being adapted to receive from said programming interface a response to said data request.

2. The method as claimed in

claim 1

wherein said identifying step further comprises translating the source code of said architecture-specific program to a language-neutral representation including the hierarchical structure of said architecture-specific program.

3. The method as claimed in

claim 1

wherein said associating step further comprises a published programming interface to allow multiple programming languages to connect with an interprocess communications mechanism to deliver said name component of said record layout and an architecture-specific binary data record to said software component.

4. The method as claimed in

claim 1

wherein said modifying step further comprises a base component from which generated source code can be derived using object-oriented inheritance language constructs.

5. The method as claimed in

claim 2

wherein an architecture-specific program source code (having a data element) is parsed to create a language neutral representation of said data element where the result of the parsing is stored in a persistent storage medium such as a relational database or a file system.

6. The method as claimed in

claim 1

whereas wherein said generating step further comprises dynamically invoking a compiler to convert said source code of said software component into a binary form.

7. The method as claimed in

claim 6

further comprising a software to load said generated binary form into memory for use.