XML application framework

• US 20060248449A1
• 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 8,132,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

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 computer readable medium on which is stored computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method of configuring a software application for performing one or more functions of the software application, comprising:

providing a plurality of application components;

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

configuring a portion of the plurality of application components as the graph of connected components for providing a first function of the application;

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

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

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein configuring the portion of the plurality of application components as the graph of connected components further comprises:

connecting by an application description engine each of the 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

instantiating by the application description engine 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 computer readable medium of claim 1,

wherein determining a structure of a graph of connected components and which of the plurality of components are connected to other of the plurality of components to form the graph of connected components based on one or more data events received by the application includes determining which of the plurality of components should be grouped together as a unit of connected components within the graph of connected components where the unit of connected components is required for performing a function of the application in response to the one or more data events received by the application;

and

wherein configuring the portion of the plurality of application components as the graph of connected components for providing a first function of the application includes configuring the plurality of components that should be grouped together as a unit 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 computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein

invoking a processing by one or more other of the plurality of components includes, in a first processing phase, reading a data associated with the data event responsible for invoking the processing and requesting any data representing any required reconfiguration of the graph of connected components;

and

in a second processing phase, reconfiguring the graph of connected components for performing a second function of the application.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 3, further comprising:

wherein invoking a processing by one or more other of the plurality of components includes invoking a processing by a component domain associated with the data event;

wherein in a first processing phase in the component domain, reading a data associated with the data event responsible for invoking the processing and requesting any data representing any required reconfiguration of the component domain; and

wherein in a second processing phase in the component domain, reconfiguring the component domain for performing a second function of the application.

6. The computer readable medium 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 computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein

instantiating by the application description engine the graph of connected components, includes instantiating the graph of connected components by an application description engine operative to receive from the application one or more application descriptions that describe the first function, and further comprising interpreting the one or more application descriptions by the application description engine for determining which of the plurality of components should be connected for forming the graph of connected components.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising receiving via the application descriptions one or more declarative rules for composing and structuring the graph of connected components wherein the application description engine is further operative to instantiate the graph of connected components according to the declarative rules received via the application descriptions.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein instantiating the graph of connected components by an application description engine operative to receive from the application one or more application descriptions that describe the first function, includes instantiating the graph of connected components by an application description engine operative to receive from the application 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 plurality of components according to the Extensible Markup Language.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 2,

wherein prior to instantiating the graph of connected components by the application description engine, retrieving the portion of the plurality of components comprising the graph of connected components from a component library containing the plurality of components.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein retrieving the portion of the plurality of components comprising the graph of connected components from a component library containing the plurality of components, includes retrieving the portion of the plurality of components from a library of components consisting of user interface connectors, action components, data connectors, accessor components, transformer components, and interface components.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein retrieving the portion of the plurality of components comprising the graph of connected components from a component library containing the plurality of components, includes retrieving 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 computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein retrieving the portion of the plurality of components comprising the graph of connected components from a component library containing the plurality of components, includes retrieving at least one action component connected to the UI connector that receives and transforms the data event into a standard format action.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein retrieving the portion of the plurality of components comprising the graph of connected components from a component library containing the plurality of components, includes retrieving 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 computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein retrieving the portion of the plurality of components comprising the graph of connected components from a component library containing the plurality of components, includes retrieving at least one transformer that manipulates the standard format data representation into a UI-customized format.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein retrieving the portion of the plurality of components comprising the graph of connected components from a component library containing the plurality of components, includes retrieving at least one accessor component that manipulates the standard format action into a standard format data-customized action.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein retrieving the portion of the plurality of components comprising the graph of connected components from a component library containing the plurality of components, includes retrieving 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 computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising implementing 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 method of configuring a software application for performing one or more functions of the software application, comprising:

providing a plurality of application components;

connecting by an application description engine each of the 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

instantiating by the application description engine 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 method of configuring a software application for performing one or more functions of the software application, comprising:

providing a plurality of application components;

connecting by an application description engine each of the 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;

instantiating by the application description engine 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 the first function of the application when executed;

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

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