Methods and apparatus for constructing declarative componentized applications

• US 20070174318A1
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Leff, Avraham, Rayfield, James
• Application Number:
  US11/341,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20070174318A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

Techniques for constructing a software application are provided. A data model of the application is represented as a relational model. Control logic of the application is defined as a mapping from a current state of the application data model and one or more application inputs to a new state of the application data model and one or more application outputs, described by relational algebra components.

Claims

1. A method of constructing a software application comprising the steps of:

representing a data model of the application as a relational model; and

defining control logic of the application as a mapping from a current state of the application data model and one or more current application inputs to a new state of the application data model and one or more application outputs, described by relational algebra.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of representing a user-interface of the application as a declarative view component model.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, in the step of representing a user-interface, the user-interface comprises text entry fields.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, in the step of representing a user-interface, the user-interface enables user interaction to facilitate a change from the current state of the application data model to a new state of the application data model.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, in the step of representing a user-interface, the user interaction drives at least one of basic database operations and an application specific function.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the change from the current state to the new state of the application data model comprises the steps of:

evaluating one or more inputs to the data model;

updating the state of the data model in accordance with the one or more inputs; and

updating the user-interface in accordance with the state of the data model.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, in the step of evaluating one or more inputs, the evaluation is recursive until a state of the data model or of the user interface is defined.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein, in the step of representing a user-interface, the user-interface components have relational outputs.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein, in the step of representing a user-interface, the user-interface components have relational inputs.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of defining an application controller, the mapping described by relational algebra comprises an interconnection of encapsulated components.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of defining control logic, the mapping described by relational algebra comprises a directed-acyclic graph of components.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the software application comprises a user-interactive software application.

13. Apparatus for constructing a software application, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative to;

represent a data model of the application as a relational model; and

define control logic of the application as a mapping from a current state of the application data model and one or more current application inputs to a new state of the application data model and one or more application outputs, described by relational algebra.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operative to represent a user-interface of the application as a declarative view component model.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, in the operation of representing a user-interface, the user-interface enables user interaction to facilitate a change from the current state of the application data model to a new state of the application data model.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the change from the current state to the new state of the application data model comprises the steps of:

evaluating one or more inputs to the data model;

updating the state of the data model in accordance with the one or more inputs; and

updating the user-interface in accordance with the state of the data model.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, in the operation of representing a user-interface, the user-interface components have relational outputs.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, in the operation of representing a user-interface, the user-interface components have relational inputs.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing construction of a software application, the computer readable program code means in said computer program product comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the functions of claim 13.

20. An article of manufacture for constructing a software application, comprising a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

representing a data model of the application as a relational model; and

defining control logic of the application as a mapping from a current state of the application data model and one or more current application inputs to a new state of the application data model and one or more application outputs, described by relational algebra.