Extensible object-modelling mechanism

• US 20060101038A1
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digitalml Limited
• Original Assignee: James Gabriel, John Anderson
• Inventors: Anderson, John William, Gabriel, James Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,788,238 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/86 Mapping to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An XML management system, comprising: a repository configured to store a manipulable object model capable of representing metadata about objects in a user'"'"'s computing environment; user accessible means for manipulating said object model to modify properties of objects thus represented; and means for extending said object model to handle a new type of object by automatically generating descendent class(es) that are able to handle the new object within the object model and incorporating them into an XML management system runtime environment for participation in the object modelling process.

Claims

1. An XML management system, comprising:

a repository configured to store a manipulatable object model capable of representing metadata about objects in a user'"'"'s computing environment;

user accessible means for manipulating said object model to define and/or modify a) properties of objects thus represented and/or b) relationships between such objects; and

means for extending said object model to handle a new type of object by

automatically generating descendent class(es) that are able to handle the new object within the object model and incorporating them into an XML management system runtime environment for participation in the object modeling process.

2. An XML management system according to claim 1, further comprising an import interface, capable of parsing incoming data streams comprising new non-XML objects and regenerating said object model to include said new non-XML objects.

3. An XML management system according to claim 1, wherein said metadata comprises information about one or more of the following:

all objects that have been developed, when they were developed, by which developer, which definitions were used as a starting point, where the objects originated from, which variations were applied to the objects, which references exist to other objects and which version of each object is the latest in the system.

4. AN XML management system according to claim 1, further comprising management function means, capable of applying management functions to objects modelled by said object model.

5. An XML management system according to claim 4, wherein said management functions comprise one or more of the following:

source control, version control, impact analysis, and change management.

6. A method for managing an XML-based software system, comprising:

providing a repository configured to store a manipulable object model capable of representing metadata about objects in a user'"'"'s computing environment;

manipulating said object model to define and/or modify a) properties of objects thus represented and/or b) relationships between such objects; and

extending said object model to handle a new type of object by automatically generating descendent class(es) that are able to handle the new object within the object model and incorporating them into an XML management system runtime environment for participation in the object modelling process.

7. A system for developing and managing XML objects, comprising:

an interactive, on-screen, computer environment;

an extensible object model capable of representing objects and metadata about objects;

wherein

the system includes a framework of object classes which effect the manipulation of objects within said object model in response to user interaction and the persisting of objects between sessions in said environment; and

the system is updatable to handle a new type of object by the generation of the source code of one or more descendant classes of said object class framework, which descendant class or classes is adapted to the manipulation and persisting of said new type of object, whereby objects of such new type can then participate in said object model.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein the source code is based on an at least semi-automatically derived characterisation of the new object type.