Extensible user interface framework for a componentized application environment

• US 20070192339A1
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Baker, Bruce, Madapusi, Bhadrinarayanan
• Granted Patent: US 7,765,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to extending the user interface of an application, and provide a method, system and computer program product for extending the user interface of an application in a componentized application environment. In one embodiment of the invention, a user interface extension method for a componentized application environment can include specifying in markup a set of user interface controls and further specifying in markup an extension to a user interface control in the set. The markup for the user interface control can be substituted with the markup for the extension. Thereafter, the markup for the extension and the set of user interface controls can be provided to a set of corresponding control factories, absent the substituted user interface control, for generation into user interface control instances defining a user interface for the componentized application environment.

Claims

1. A user interface extension method for a componentized application environment, the method comprising:

specifying in markup a set of user interface controls;

further specifying in markup an extension to a user interface control in the set;

substituting the markup for the user interface control with the markup for the extension; and

,

providing the markup for the extension and the set of user interface controls absent the substituted user interface control to a set of corresponding control factories for generation into user interface control instances defining a user interface for the componentized application environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein specifying in markup a set of user interface controls, comprises:

defining a type for each of the user interface controls, the type corresponding to a user interface control factory enabled to produce instances of user interface controls having the defined type; and

,

further defining a manager type for each of the user interface controls, the manager type corresponding to a widget manager enabled to manage behaviors for instance of user interface controls having the further defined manager type.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein substituting the markup for user interface control with the markup for the extension, comprises:

specifying a user interface control extension point to the environment for an extension to the user interface control;

further specifying a user interface control definition for the extension;

associating the extension point with a user interface control definition for the extension; and

,

identifying the extension as a substitute for the user interface control to be substituted with the extension when assembling a user interface for the environment.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

declaring in markup a composition of a set of user interface controls;

further declaring in markup an extension to the composition;

substituting the markup for composition with the markup for the extension to the composition; and

,

providing the markup for the extension to the composition to a control factory for generation into an instance of a composition of instances of user interface controls defining a user interface for the componentized application environment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein declaring in markup a composition of a set of user interface controls, comprises declaring in markup a grid layout composition of a set of user interface controls

6. The method of claim 4, wherein declaring in markup a composition of a set of user interface controls, comprises declaring in markup a form layout composition of a set of user interface controls

7. The method of claim 1, wherein substituting the markup for user interface control with the markup for the extension, comprises:

identifying within a manifest a set of extensions to user interface controls in the user interface; and

,

replacing markup for each of the identified user interface controls in the manifest with markup for a corresponding identified one of the extensions.

8. A componentized application environment data processing system configured for user interface extension, comprising:

a plurality of plug-ins defining a componentized application environment; and

,

a user interface framework for the componentized application environment, the user interface framework comprising;

a plurality of control factories, each control factory comprising program code enabled to generate a user interface control having a specified type from a user interface control definition declaring the specified type;

a plurality of widget managers, each widget manager comprising program code enabled to manage behaviors for a user interface control having a specified manager type from a user interface control definition declaring the specified manager type; and

,

a configurator comprising program code enabled to identify extensions to defined user interface controls, which extensions each specify a replacement of one of the defined user interface controls.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the specified type comprises a type selected from the group consisting of a text control, a label control, a required label, a combo box, a list box, a push button, a check box, a radio button, table, a composite, a group, a separator, a scrolled composite and a toolbar.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the control factories comprises program code enabled to generate a composition of user interface controls from a composition declaration defined for the composition of user interface controls.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the composition declaration specifies a layout for the user interface controls selected from the group consisting of a grid layout, a form layout, a stack layout and a row layout.

12. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium embodying computer usable program code for user interface extension for a componentized application environment, the computer program product including:

computer usable program code for specifying in markup a set of user interface controls;

computer usable program code for further specifying in markup an extension to a user interface control in the set;

computer usable program code for substituting the markup for user interface control with the markup for the extension; and

,

computer usable program code for providing the markup for the extension and the set of user interface controls absent the substituted user interface control to a set of corresponding control factories for generation into user interface control instances defining a user interface for the componentized application environment.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer usable program code for specifying in markup a set of user interface controls, comprises:

computer usable program code for defining a type for each of the user interface controls, the type corresponding to a user interface control factory enabled to produce instances of user interface controls having the defined type; and

,

computer usable program code for further defining a manager type for each of the user interface controls, the manager type corresponding to a widget manager enabled to manage behaviors for instance of user interface controls having the further defined manager type.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer usable program code for substituting the markup for user interface control with the markup for the extension, comprises:

computer usable program code for specifying a user interface control extension point to the environment for an extension to the user interface control;

computer usable program code for further specifying a user interface control definition for the extension;

computer usable program code for associating the extension point with a user interface control definition for the extension; and

,

computer usable program code for identifying the extension as a substitute for the user interface control to be substituted with the extension when assembling a user interface for the environment.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

computer usable program code for declaring in markup a composition of a set of user interface controls;

computer usable program code for further declaring in markup an extension to the composition;

computer usable program code for substituting the markup for composition with the markup for the extension to the composition; and

,

computer usable program code for providing the markup for the extension to the composition to a control factory for generation into an instance of a composition of instances of user interface controls defining a user interface for the componentized application environment.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable program code for declaring in markup a composition of a set of user interface controls, comprises computer usable program code for declaring in markup a grid layout composition of a set of user interface controls

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable program code for declaring in markup a composition of a set of user interface controls, comprises computer usable program code for declaring in markup a form layout composition of a set of user interface controls

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer usable program code for substituting the markup for user interface control with the markup for the extension, comprises:

computer usable program code for identifying within a manifest a set of extensions to user interface controls in the user interface; and

,

computer usable program code for replacing markup for each of the identified user interface controls in the manifest with markup for a corresponding identified one of the extensions.