Method for launching applications

• US 20040111499A1
• Filed: 12/10/2002
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Dobrowski, Patrick M., Hokeness, Scott N., Middendorf, Fred G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,600,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/482 Application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An originating application in a process plant is able to launch multiple desired applications, with one or more of the desired applications having a different application programming interface. In one example, the originating application is able to launch multiple desired applications via an application launcher program. The originating application provides the application launcher program with an indication of the desired application to be launched, and the application launcher program then launches the indicated desired application.

Claims

1. A method in a process plant for configuring an originating application to cause a desired application to launch, the method comprising:

prompting a user to indicate at least one desired application;

prompting the user to indicate at least one component, in a process plant, with which the at least one desired application is to be associated;

associating the at least one desired application with the at least one component.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one component includes a controller.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one component includes a control strategy.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one component includes a module.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one component includes a device.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein prompting the user to indicate at least one component comprises prompting the user to indicate a specific device.

7. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein prompting the user to indicate at least one component comprises prompting the user to indicate device type.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein associating the at least one desired application with the at least one component comprises storing an indication of an association of the at least one desired application with the at least one component.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein associating the at least one desired application with the at least one component comprises storing an indication of the at least one desired application in a file associated with the at least one component.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein associating the at least one desired application with the at least one component comprises storing an indication of the at least one desired application in a portion of a file, the portion of the file associated with the at least one component.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

prompting the user to indicate at least one startup parameter for launching the at least one desired application; and

associating the at least one startup parameter with the at least one desired application and with the at least one component.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein associating the at least one startup parameter with the at least one desired application and with the at least one component comprises storing an indication of an association of the at least one startup parameter with the at least one desired application and with the at least one component.

13. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein associating the at least one startup parameter with the at least one desired application and with the at least one component comprises storing an indication of the at least one startup parameter in a file associated with the at least one component.

14. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein associating the at least one startup parameter with the at least one desired application and with the at least one component comprises storing an indication of the at least one startup parameter in a portion of a file, the portion of the file associated with the at least one component.

15. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein prompting the user to indicate at least one startup parameter comprises prompting the user to input at least one parameter.

16. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein prompting the user to indicate at least one startup parameter comprises prompting the user to select at least one startup parameter from a menu of startup parameters.

17. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein the menu of startup parameters includes arguments utilized by the originating application.

18. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein prompting the user to indicate at least one startup parameter comprises prompting the user to specify an ordering of multiple startup parameters.

19. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein prompting the user to indicate at least one startup parameter comprises prompting the user to specify a command line syntax.

20. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein prompting the user to indicate at least one desired application includes prompting the user to specify a name of an executable file of the at least one desired application.

21. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein prompting the user to indicate at least one desired application includes prompting the user to specify a location of an executable file of the at least one desired application.

22. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising modifying an originating application to include a user interface mechanism for launching the at least one desired application, the user interface mechanism associated with the at least one component.

23. A method as defined in claim 22, wherein the user interface mechanism includes an item in a menu, the menu associated with the at least one component.

24. A method as defined in claim 22, wherein modifying the originating application includes modifying a database that includes configuration information associated with the originating application.

25. A method in a process plant for configuring asset management software to cause an application to launch, the method comprising:

prompting a user to indicate a desired application;

prompting a user to indicate startup parameters to be supplied to the desired application;

prompting the user to indicate a device to which the desired application is to be associated; and

associating the desired application and the startup parameters with the device.

26. A method as defined in claim 25, wherein associating the desired application with the device comprises storing an indication of an association of the desired application with the device.

27. A method as defined in claim 25, wherein associating the desired application with the device comprises storing an indication of the desired application in a file associated with the device.

28. A method as defined in claim 25, wherein associating the desired application with the device comprises storing an indication of the desired application in a portion of a file, the portion of the file associated with the device.

29. A method as defined in claim 25, further comprising modifying the originating application to include a user interface mechanism for launching the desired application, the user interface mechanism associated with the device.

30. A method as defined in claim 25, wherein prompting the user to indicate the device comprises prompting the user to indicate a specific device.

31. A method as defined in claim 25, wherein prompting the user to indicate the device comprises prompting the user to indicate a device type.

32. A method in a process plant for launching an application, the method comprising:

receiving, via an originating application in a process plant application, a user command to launch a desired application;

determining, based on the user command, an indication of the desired application;

retrieving, based on the indication of the desired application, information for launching the desired application according to an application program interface of the desired application; and

launching the desired application via the application program interface of the desired application.

33. A method as defined in claim 32, wherein determining the indication of the desired application includes retrieving, based on the user command, the indication from a file.

34. A method as defined in claim 32, wherein retrieving the information for launching the desired application includes retrieving the information from a file.

35. A method as defined in claim 34, wherein the indication of the desired application comprises the name of the file that includes the information for launching the desired application.

36. A method as defined in claim 32, further comprising:

determining, based on the user command, an indication of startup parameters for the desired application; and

retrieving, based on the indication of the desired application, information for launching the desired application with the startup;

wherein launching the desired application comprises providing the startup parameters to the desired application via the application program interface of the desired application.

37. A method as defined in claim 36, wherein the indication of the desired application and the indication of startup parameters are a single indicator.

38. A method as defined in claim 37, wherein the single indicator comprises a name of a file, wherein the file includes a name of an executable file for the desired application and the startup parameters.

39. A method as defined in claim 32, further comprising:

providing the indication of the desired application to an application launcher program via an application program interface of the application launcher program;

wherein the application program interface of the application launcher program is different than the application program interface of the desired program;

wherein the application launcher program retrieves the information for launching the desired application;

wherein the application launcher program launches the desired application via the application program interface of the desired application.

40. A method in a process plant for launching an application, the method comprising:

receiving, via an originating application in a management system application, a user command associated with a device in a process plant;

determining, based on the user command, an indication of a desired application;

determining, based on the user command, an indication of startup parameters for the desired application;

retrieving, based on the indication of the desired application, information for launching the desired application according to an application program interface of the desired application;

retrieving, based on the indication of the startup parameters, information for providing the startup parameters to the desired application via the application program interface of the desired application;

launching the desired application, with the startup parameters, via the application program interface of the desired application.

41. A tangible medium storing machine readable instructions, comprising:

first software to prompt a user to indicate at least one desired application;

second software to prompt the user to indicate at least one component, in a process plant, with which the at least one desired application is to be associated;

third software to associate the at least one desired application with the at least one component.

42. A tangible medium storing machine readable instructions, comprising:

first software to receive, via an originating application in a process plant application, a user command to launch a desired application;

second software to determine, based on the user command, an indication of the desired application;

third software to retrieve, based on the indication of the desired application, information for launching the desired application according to an application program interface of the desired application; and

fourth software to launch the desired application via the application program interface of the desired application.