Loading a chain of processors from an XML file

• US 20070266381A1
• Filed: 05/11/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Square D Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Square D Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Wadhawan, Arvind, McInturff, Andy, Kaushik, Rekha, Patterson, Warren
• Granted Patent: US 7,716,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading

Abstract

A method for loading a plurality of dynamically linked assemblies during the execution of an application program is disclosed. The application program reads a configuration file that includes a load sequence for the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies and a class associated with each dynamically linked assembly. The plurality of dynamically linked assemblies are loaded in accordance with the load sequence read from the configuration file. Each class has a common dataset and each of the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies is independent from the other of the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies. A process request defined by the associated class is sent to at least a first of the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies.

Claims

1. A method for loading a plurality of dynamically linked assemblies during the execution of an application program, comprising:

reading, by the application program, a configuration file that includes a load sequence for the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies and a class associated with each dynamically linked assembly;

loading the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies in accordance with the load sequence read from the configuration file, each class having a common dataset, each of the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies being independent from the other of the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies; and

sending a process request defined by the associated class to at least a first of the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the loading the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies is carried out prior to the sending the process request.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the configuration file independently from the application program.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating the configuration file in an extensible markup language format.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, modifying the load sequence of the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies without modifying the application program as a result of the modifying the load sequence.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the modifying includes adding a at least one dynamically linked assembly to the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the modifying includes rearranging the load sequence of the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reading is carried out under the control of a computer coupled to a power monitoring system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dynamically linked assemblies are dynamically linked libraries.

10. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a controller to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A method for manipulating data from a power-monitoring database with an application program, the method comprising:

reading, by the application program, a configuration file to determine a process order for a plurality of dynamically linked libraries and to determine a respective class associated with each of the plurality of dynamically linked libraries;

loading the plurality of dynamically linked libraries in accordance with the process order, each class of the plurality of dynamically linked libraries having an associated common dataset;

responsive to the loading, sending a process request to at least a first of the plurality of dynamically linked libraries in accordance with the process order to cause the first of the plurality of dynamically linked libraries to be executed.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing the configuration file independently from the application program.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising creating the configuration file in an extensible markup language format.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising, modifying the configuration file to change the process order of the plurality of dynamically linked libraries without recompiling the application program as a result of the modifying.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the modifying includes adding at least one additional dynamically linked library to the plurality of dynamically linked libraries.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the modifying includes rearranging the process order of the plurality of dynamically linked libraries.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the configuration file includes an assembly name for each of the plurality of dynamically linked processors, the process order for the plurality of named dynamically linked processors, and the class associated with each of the plurality of dynamically linked processors.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the common dataset for each class of the plurality of dynamically linked libraries is a dataset defined by the .NET framework.

19. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for directing a controller to perform the method of claim 11.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the power-monitoring database is coupled to and receives data from power monitoring devices.