Method and apparatus for binding user interface objects to application objects

• US 20030035003A1
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Federighi, Craig, Herzer, Stefanie, Marcos, Paul, Tevanian, Avie, Willrich, Rebecca Eades, Weber, Arnaud
• Granted Patent: US 7,194,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A graphical user interface (GUI) and accompanying functionality for binding Web page definitional elements to a back-end state (e.g., client- or server-side back-end state) and custom logic is provided. In one embodiment, a template containing definitional elements, custom logic, and bindings are generated that define all or a portion of a Web page based on input received and functionality provided by the invention.

Claims

1. A method for specifying a binding between a user interface element in a Web page and a back-end state of a Web page application using a graphical user interface (GUI) executing in a computer system comprising the steps of:

displaying in an element palette of said GUI, a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) user interface element, said HTML user interface element being associated with an object class having a plurality of attributes and behavior for generating a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) definition for said HTML user interface element;

dragging said HTML user interface element from said element palette into a first window of said GUI to include said user interface element in the definition of a Web page;

displaying a graphical representation of said HTML user interface element in said first window of said GUI;

displaying in a second window of said GUT one or more variables of a back-end state of a Web page application that are compatible with said object class;

selecting one of said one or more variables for binding to said object class;

determining whether there is a single attribute of said object class that is fundamental to the definition of said HTML user interface element;

performing steps (a)-(c) if said single attribute exists;

(a) creating a binding between said single attribute and said one of said one or more variables;

(b) displaying in said graphical representation of said HTML user interface element said one of said one or more variables;

(c) displaying in said GUI the name of said single attribute; and

saving said binding as a part of a definition of said Web page.