XML application framework

• US 20060248448A1
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wittenberg, Craig, Williams, Antony S., Szyperski, Clemens A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,886,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/543 Local
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/00 Arrangements for software engineering testing or debugging G06F11/36; administrative, planning or organisation aspects of software project management G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

The present invention relates to an XML application framework (XAF). XAF applications are data driven such that all operations with the computer system are data focused. In addition, the components used in the XAF application are instantiated and connected according to how the data is displayed and what type of data is used. Applications within XAF comprise a user interface (UI) connector, an action module, and a data connector. UI connectors receive UI events and connect the UI event to an action module. The action module generates a standard format action from the UI event and sends it to the data connector. The data connector translates the standard format action into a data-specific action that changes data in a data store. A data connector then sends a standard format data representation corresponding to the changed data back to the UI connector to provide the changed data to the UI.

Claims

1. A system for configuring a software application for performing one or more functions, comprising:

an application description engine operative

to determine a structure of a graph of connected components comprising the software application and which of the components of the graph of connected components are connected to other of the components of the graph of connected components to form the graph of connected components based on one or more data events received by the application;

to configure a portion of the graph of connected components for providing a first function of the application;

the software application operative

to invoke a processing by the portion of the graph of connected components in response to receiving a data event at the first portion of the graph of connected components from the software application; and

to reconfigure the portion of the graph of connected components for performing a second function of the application in response to receiving a data event at the first portion of the graph of connected components from the software application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application description engine is further operative:

to connect each of the components of the graph of connected components to other of the components of the graph of connected components via a common interface for allowing data to pass between components of different types via the common interface; and

to instantiate the graph of connected components, including any connections between connected components in the graph of connected components, such that the graph of connected components performs the first function of the application when executed.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the application description engine is further operative:

to determine which of the components of the graph of connected components should be grouped together as the first portion of the graph of connected components within the graph of connected components where the first portion of the graph of connected components is required for performing the first function of the application in response one or more data events received by the application; and

to configure the first portion of the graph of connected components within the graph of connected components as a component domain for performing a function of the application in response to the one or more data events received by the application.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the software application is further operative:

to read a data associated with the data event responsible for invoking the processing by the portion of the graph of connected components in a first processing phase, and to request any data representing any required reconfiguration of the graph of connected components; and

to reconfigure the graph of connected components for performing a second function of the application in a second processing phase.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the software application is further operative:

to invoke a processing by a component domain associated with the data event in response to invoking a processing by the portion of the graph of connected components;

to read a data associated with the data event responsible for invoking the processing and to request any data representing any required reconfiguration of the component domain; and

the application description engine further operative

to reconfigure the component domain for performing a second function of the application in a second processing phase in the component domain.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the components configured together as a component domain for performing a function of the application in response to the one or more data events received by the application act as a unit of application execution for a lifetime spanning from a time the component domain is configured to a time the component domain is reconfigured in response to a data event requiring reconfiguration of the component domain.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the application description engine is further operative:

to instantiate the graph of connected components in response to one or more application descriptions, received from the software application, that describe the first function; and

to interpret the one or more application descriptions for determining which of the components of the graph of connected components should be connected for forming the graph of connected components.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the application description engine is further operative:

to receive via the application descriptions one or more declarative rules for composing and structuring the graph of connected components; and

to instantiate the graph of connected components according to the declarative rules received via the application descriptions.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the application description engine is further operative:

to instantiate the graph of connected components in response to one or more application descriptions structured according to the Extensible Markup Language that describe the first function; and

wherein the application description engine is further operative to structure data for passing to one or more of the components of the graph of connected components according to the Extensible Markup Language.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the application description engine is further operative:

to retrieve components comprising the graph of connected components from a component library containing the components comprising the graph of connected components prior to instantiation of the graph of connected components.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the application description engine is further operative to retrieve components comprising the graph of connected components from a component library containing the components comprising the graph of connected components wherein the components from the component library include user interface connectors, action components, data connectors, accessor components, transformer components, and interface components.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the application description engine is further operative to retrieve at least one user interface (UI) connector that receives one or more UI events and translates the one or more UI events into the data event and that receives standard format data representations corresponding to any changed data and that connects with a UI to provide the any changed data to the UI.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the application description engine is further operative to retrieve at least one action component connected to the UI connector that receives and transforms the data event into a standard format action.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the application description engine is further operative to retrieve at least one data connector connected to both the action component and the UI connector that receives the standard format action and connects to a data store to complete the standard format action on the data and sends the standard format data representation to the UI connector.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the application description engine is further operative to retrieve at least one transformer that manipulates the standard format data representation into a UI-customized format.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the application description engine is further operative to retrieve at least one accessor component that manipulates the standard format action into a standard format data-customized action.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the application description engine is further operative to retrieve a third party component that implements an interface between two or more other components for enabling communication between the two or more other components.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the application description engine is further operative to implement an interface between two or more other components for enabling communication between the two or more other components including implementing the interface according to one or more declarative rules for implementing the interface provided to the application description engine by the third party component.

19. A system for configuring a software application for performing one or more functions, comprising:

an application description engine operative

to connect each of a plurality of components to one or more other of the plurality of components via a common interface for allowing data to pass between components of different types via the common interface; and

to instantiate a graph of connected components comprised of the plurality of components, including any connections between connected components in the graph of connected components, such that the graph of connected components performs a first function of the application when executed.

20. A system for configuring a software application for performing one or more functions, comprising:

an application description engine operative

to connect each of a plurality of components to one or more other of the plurality of components via a common interface for creating the software application and for allowing data to pass between components of different types via the common interface; and

to instantiate a graph of connected components comprised of the plurality of components, including any connections between connected components in the graph of connected components, such that the graph of connected components performs a first function of the software application when executed;

the software application operative

to invoke a processing by one or more other of the plurality of components in response to receiving a data event by one of the plurality of components; and

the application description engine being further operative

to reconfigure the graph of connected components for performing a second function of the software application in response to invoking a processing by one or more other of the plurality of components.