Method and Apparatus for Representing and Configuring Flexible and Extensible Presentation Patterns

• US 20080103786A1
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zhang, Jia, Zhang, Liang-Jie, Allam, Abdul
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

Techniques are provided for representing and configuring flexible and extensible presentation patterns based on fine-grained architectural building blocks (ABBs). The techniques include defining ABBs, modeling the ABBs in a uniform manner, and creating at least one template using the ABBs, wherein the at least one template includes at least one of pre-configured static characteristics and user-specified service characteristics. In an embodiment of the invention, an exemplary method for designing and managing fine-grained ABBs can include identifying ABBs to compose an architecture for facilitating presentation and interaction between consumers and other elements in a solution, analyzing the ABBs to monitor computing resources used by individual ABBs, selecting a number of running instances of the ABBs based on (i) requests of a pertinent entity and (ii) available resources, and managing life-cycles of ABBs

Claims

1. A method for representing and configuring flexible and extensible presentation patterns based on fine-grained architectural building blocks (ABBs), comprising the steps of:

defining ABBs;

modeling said ABBs in a uniform manner; and

creating at least one template using said ABBs, wherein said at least one template comprises at least one of pre-configured static characteristics and user-specified service characteristics

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining ABBs comprises the step of defining a consumer ABB and a presentation controller ABB.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining ABBs comprises the step of defining a presentation ABB, a consumer profile ABB, an access control ABB, a format transformation ABB, a configuration rule ABB, and a cache ABB.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining ABBs comprises the step of dividing responsibilities of a presentation module into sub-responsibility areas.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

said sub-responsibility areas comprise logical grouping of related cohesive functions; and

said sub-responsibility areas are treated as ABBs

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining ABBs comprises the step of defining attributes that are associated with an ABB, wherein said attributes comprise at least one of an identifier (ID) attribute, a type attribute, a state attribute, a protocol attribute, an input type and output type attribute.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of modeling ABBs in a uniform manner comprises the step of using a unified framework to model said ABBs.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said unified framework facilitates development of unified interface descriptions for said ABBs.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of modeling ABBs in a uniform manner comprises the step of defining operations for said ABBs, wherein said operations comprise at least one of an identification operation, a name operation, a layer operation, a state operation, a protocol operation, an input data type operation, an output data type operation, an input and/or output type operation, an annotation uniform resource locator (URL) operation, a consumer layer type operation, and a consumer type operation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating at least one template comprises the step of pre-configuring static templates using ABBs for specific service scenarios.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating at least one template comprises the steps of:

selecting appropriate ABBs based on said user-specified service characteristics; and

configuring said appropriate ABBs during run time.

12. A method for designing and managing fine-grained architectural building blocks (ABBs), comprising the steps of:

identifying ABBs to compose an architecture for facilitating presentation and interaction between consumers and other elements in a solution;

analyzing said ABBs to monitor computing resources used by individual ABBs;

selecting a number of running instances of said ABBs based on (i) requests of a pertinent entity and (ii) available resources; and

managing lifecycles of ABBs.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of managing lifecycles of ABBs comprises the steps of:

defining presentation architecture templates;

selecting a presentation architecture template based on services scenarios;

configuring interfaces of said ABBs;

applying interaction patterns for said ABBs with other modules; and

enabling access control on said ABBs.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

enabling granularity enablement of state management; and

handling exceptions.

15. An apparatus for representing and configuring flexible and extensible presentation patterns based on fine-grained architectural building blocks (ABBs), comprising:

a memory; and

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

define ABBs;

model said ABBs in a uniform manner; and

create at least one template using said ABBs, wherein said at least one template comprises at least one of pre-configured static characteristics and user-specified service characteristics.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is operable to define ABBs by defining a consumer ABB and a presentation controller ABB.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is operable to define ABBs by defining a presentation ABB, a consumer profile ABB, an access control ABB, a format transformation ABB, a configuration rule ABB, and a cache ABB

18. The apparatus claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is operable to define ABBs by dividing responsibilities of a presentation module into sub-responsibility areas.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein:

said sub-responsibility areas comprise logical grouping of related cohesive functions; and

said sub-responsibility areas are treated as ABBs.

20. The apparatus claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is operable to model ABBs in a uniform manner by using a unified framework to model said ABBs

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said unified framework facilitates development unified interface descriptions for said ABBs.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is operable to create at least one template comprises pre-configuring static templates by using ABBs for specific service scenarios.

23. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is operable to create at least one template by:

selecting appropriate ABBs based on said user-specified service characteristics; and

configuring said appropriate ABBs during run time.

24. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer useable program code for representing and configuring flexible and extensible presentation patterns based on fine-grained architectural building blocks (ABBs), said computer program product including:

computer useable program code for defining ABBs;

computer useable program code for modeling said ABBs in a uniform manner; and

computer useable program code for creating at least one template using said ABBs, wherein said at least one template comprises at least one of pre-configured static characteristics and user-specified service characteristics.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer useable program code for defining ABBs comprises code for defining a consumer ABB and a presentation controller ABB.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer useable program code for, defining ABBs comprises code for defining a presentation ABB, a consumer profile ABB, an access control ABB, a format transformation ABB, a configuration rule ABB, and a cache ABB.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer useable program code for defining ABBs comprises code for dividing responsibilities of a presentation module into sub-responsibility areas

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein:

said sub-responsibility areas comprise logical grouping of related cohesive functions; and

said sub-responsibility areas are treated as ABBs.

29. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer useable program code for modeling ABBs in a uniform manner comprises code for using a unified framework to model said ABBs

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein said unified framework facilitates development of unified interface descriptions for said ABBs.

31. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer useable program code for creating at least one template comprises code for pre-configuring static templates using ABBs for specific service scenarios.

32. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer useable program code for creating at least one template comprises code for:

selecting appropriate ABBs based on said user-specified service characteristics; and

configuring said appropriate ABBs during run time.

33. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer useable program code for designing and managing fine-grained architectural building blocks (ABBs), said computer program product including:

computer useable program code for identifying ABBs to compose an architecture for facilitating presentation and interaction between consumers and other elements in a solution;

computer useable program code for analyzing said ABBs to monitor computing resources used by individual ABBs;

computer useable program code for selecting a number of running instances of said ABBs based on (i) requests of a pertinent and (ii) available resources; and

computer useable program code for managing lifecycles of ABBs.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the computer useable program code for managing lifecycles of ABBs comprises:

computer useable program code for defining presentation architecture templates;

computer useable program code for selecting a presentation architecture template based on services scenarios;

computer useable program code for configuring interfaces of said ABBs; and

computer useable program code for applying interaction patterns for said ABBs with other modules; and

enabling access control on said ABBs.

35. The computer program product of claim 33, further comprising:

computer useable program code for enabling granularity enablement of state management; and

computer useable program code for handling exceptions.