Method and computer program for rendering assemblies objects on user-interface to present data of application

• US 20040083463A1
• Filed: 08/21/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Hawley, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,380,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A user-interface of a device renders a first object and a second object, each object with data of a business application. The device is either of a first type or of a second type. In the device, an interpreter receives an application specification document with a statement. The statement indicates to render the first and second objects in an assembly. The interpreter identifies a presentation pattern for the assembly from predefined first and second presentation patterns according to the type of the device so that the assembly is rendered according to the presentation pattern.

Claims

1. A method for rendering an assembly of a first object and a second object on a user-interface of a device, the device being either of a first type or of a second type, the first and second objects presenting data of an application, the method comprising the following steps:

receiving an application specification document by the device, the application specification document having a statement with an indication to render the first and second objects in the assembly;

interpreting the statement of the application specification document to identify a presentation pattern for the assembly from predefined first and second presentation patterns according to the type of the device; and

rendering the assembly of the first and second objects on the user-interface according to the presentation pattern identified in the interpreting step.

2. The method of claim 1, prior to the receiving step, further comprising:

specifying the application in the application specification document by a workbench in a development computer; and

simulating the rendering step by a pre-viewer component of the workbench.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the rendering step, the first object and the second objects are rendered according to the presentation pattern and to a predefined hierarchy pattern.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the specifying step comprises:

writing the application in an application specification language;

providing an interpreter specific for the application specification language; and

storing the interpreter in the device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

storing the predefined presentation patterns by the interpreter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation pattern is as a display pattern, wherein the objects are rendered to the user-interface being a screen, and wherein the presentation pattern is identified according to the size (X) of the screen.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein in the rendering step, the presentation pattern is an audio pattern.

8. A computer-program product to visually render a first object and a second object in an assembly on screen of a computing device, the objects presenting data of an application on a computer that is at least temporarily coupled to the computing device, the device being either of a first type or of a second type, the computer-program product having instructions that cause a processor of a computing device to perform the following steps:

receiving an application specification document from the computer, the application specification document having a statement with an indication to render the first and second objects in the assembly;

interpreting the statement of the application specification document to identify a visual presentation pattern for the assembly from predefined first and second visual presentation patterns according to the type of the device; and

rendering the assembly of the first and second objects on the screen according to the visual presentation pattern identified in the interpreting step.

9. The computer-program product of claim 8 being an interpreter located in the device.

10. The computer-program product of claim 8 being an interpreter located in a further computer.

11. The computer-program product of claim 8 being embodied by a program signal that is conveyed to the computing device.

12. The computer-program product of claim 8 being embodied by a program carrier.

13. A computer-program product that resides in a computing device of either a first type or a second type, the computer-program product for interpreting an application specification document and causing a processor of the computing device to render a first object and a second object in combination to a user-interface of the device, the computer-program product having a plurality of instructions to control the processor, the computer-program product characterized in that

a first sub-plurality of instructions form a theme-handler to evaluate a statement of the application specification document, the statement instructing to render the first and second objects in an assembly according to a device type specific presentation pattern for the assembly that is identified from predefined first and second visual presentation patterns;

and

a second sub-plurality of instructions form a navigation engine to select one of the first and second objects for interaction with a user to create inter-object relations with user-interface elements and data cursors.

14. The computer-program product of claim 13 being delivered to the device by a program signal.

15. The computer-program product of claim 13 being delivered to the device by a program carrier.

16. A method to create an application system operating with a computing device, the method comprises the following steps:

a first step to define a user-interface model;

a second step to define an application specification document by a meta-language;

a third step to customize a workbench component that identifies constraints on the validity of the application specification document;

a fourth step to define layout themes for the computing device;

a fifth step to realize the user-interface model in an interpreter component; and

a sixth step to realize the layout-themes in the interpreter component.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the first step comprises:

determining the types of tiles and the functionality of tiles, the tiles being elements of the user-interface model;

determining relationships between the tiles in an assembly; and

determining a navigation state and the required user operations on the navigation state.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the second step comprises:

defining specifications to the types of tiles;

defining attributes to express properties of the tiles; and

defining attributes in the navigation state.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the fourth step for each computing device comprises:

defining a representation on the output media of device for each element of the user-interface model; and

defining the user-interface model for each operation of the user-interface model.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the fifth step comprises:

creating models to specify the tiles and the assembly;

implementing constructors to create user-interface instances from the application specification document; and

implementing the user-interface instances from the models in a computer programming language.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the sixth step comprises:

implementing each layout-theme as a layout handler; and

obtaining a selection of the layout-theme by a developer and forwarding the selection to the interpreter component.