System and method for descriptor classes

• US 20050262475A1
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Halpern, Eric M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,451,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

A descriptor class framework fully support a “start-from-class” approach, which defines a descriptor via a set of programmable classes defined in an object-oriented programming language. While the persistent form of a descriptor of a deployed software component is a file, the developer of an application using software component may view the descriptor as a set of programmable descriptor classes. A set of classes can be generated from a descriptor based on a set of construction rules and vise versa. Each class can be annotated, validated and customized. The descriptor class framework is also capable of determining the differences between two versions of a descriptor and notifying the changes to a corresponding class via events to a listener registered with the class. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Claims

1. A system to provide a descriptor class framework, comprising:

a descriptor capable of representing modifiable configuration data of a software component in persistent data;

one or more descriptor classes, wherein each of the one or more descriptor classes is capable of maintaining one or more properties corresponding to a portion of the descriptor; and

a descriptor class management component capable of at least one of;

generating and/or updating the one or more descriptor classes from the descriptor; and

generating and/or updating the descriptor from the one or more descriptor classes.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the persistent data can be organized in one of an XML file, a text file, and a formatted file.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

a descriptor class of the one or more descriptor classes can be defined by an object-oriented programming language, wherein the object-oriented programming language can be one of Java, C++, and C#.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the one or more descriptor classes can be organized in a hierarchical structure, wherein the hierarchical structure can be a graph or a tree.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the one or more properties can be one of a simple type, an array of simple types, a reference to a descriptor class in the one or more descriptor classes, and an array of references to the one or more descriptor classes.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the one or more descriptor classes can be a descriptor bean, which can further comprise of at least one of;

an annotation capable of at least one of;

defining one of the one or more properties; and

defining a getting and/or setting method of one of the one or more properties.

a validator capable of validating the one or more properties based on one or more constraints either at parse time or whenever the descriptor bean is modified; and

a customizer capable of implementing and/or extending the implementation of a Java interface with a custom logic inserted in the descriptor bean.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein:

each of the one or more constraints can be one of;

a local constraint on one of the one or more properties;

a cross-property constraint on two or more of the one or more properties;

a cross-bean constraint referring to two or more of the one or more descriptor beans; and

a runtime constraint.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the descriptor class management component is capable of generating and/or updating the one or more descriptor classes via at least one of the following implementations;

a runtime implementation, which is read-only and optimized for efficiency at runtime; and

a edit time implementation, which is modifiable maintains in an XML document.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a deployment plan, which can be an XML file, capable of overriding at least one of the one or more properties without modifying the one or more descriptor classes.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein:

the descriptor class management component is capable of generating and/or updating the one or more descriptor classes from the deployment plan.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the descriptor class management component is further capable of

comparing the differences between two or more versions of the descriptor; and

notifying a descriptor class in the one or more descriptor classes of a proposed change.

12. The system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a listener registered with the descriptor class capable of at least one of;

accepting notification of a proposed change to the descriptor from the descriptor class management component;

determining whether to update the descriptor class with the proposed change; and

updating the descriptor class with the proposed change.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein:

the listener can be one of;

a update listener capable of processing the proposed change to the descriptor class; and

a property change listener capable of processing the proposed change at the one or more properties.

14. A method to provide a descriptor class framework, comprising:

representing modifiable configuration data of a software component via a descriptor in a persistent file;

containing one or more descriptor classes in a hierarchical structure via a descriptor class set, wherein a descriptor class of the one or more descriptor classes can be defined by an object-oriented programming language and is capable of maintaining one or more properties corresponding to a portion of the descriptor; and

performing at least one of the following via a descriptor class management component;

generating and/or updating the hierarchical structure of the one or more descriptor classes from the descriptor; and

generating and/or updating the descriptor from the hierarchical structure of the one or more descriptor classes.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising at least one of:

defining one of the one or more properties via an annotation in the descriptor class;

defining a getting and/or setting method of one of the one or more properties via an annotation in the descriptor class;

validating the one or more properties based on one or more constraints either at parse time or whenever the descriptor class is modified;

implementing and/or extending the implementation of a Java interface with a custom logic inserted in the descriptor class;

generating and/or updating the descriptor class via at least one of the following implementations;

a runtime implementation, which is read-only and optimized for efficiency at runtime; and

a edit time implementation, which is modifiable maintains in an XML document.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

overriding at least one of the one or more properties without modifying the descriptor via a deployment plan, which can be an XML file; and

generating and/or updating the descriptor class from the deployment plan.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

comparing the differences between two or more versions of the descriptor; and

notifying the descriptor class of a proposed change.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

performing at least one of the following via a listener registered with the descriptor class;

accepting notification of a proposed change to the descriptor from the descriptor class management component;

determining whether to update the descriptor class with the proposed change; and

updating the descriptor class with the proposed change.

19. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed cause a system to:

represent modifiable configuration data of a software component as an XML file;

contain one or more descriptor beans in a tree structure via a descriptor bean graph and/or tree, wherein a descriptor bean of the one or more descriptor beans is a Java interface capable of maintaining one or more properties corresponding to an XML schema in the XML file in the descriptor; and

perform at least one of the following via a descriptor bean management component;

generating and/or updating the descriptor bean graph and/or tree from the descriptor via generating and/or updating the interface from the XML schema; and

generating and/or updating the descriptor from the descriptor bean graph and/or tree via generating and/or updating the XML schema from the interface.

20. A system to provide a descriptor object framework, comprising:

means for representing modifiable configuration data of a software component via a descriptor in persistent data;

means for performing at least one of the following via a descriptor class management component;

generating and/or updating one or more descriptor classes from the descriptor, wherein each of the one or more descriptor classes is capable of maintaining one or more properties corresponding to a portion of the descriptor; and

generating and/or updating the descriptor from the one or more descriptor classes.