METHOD FOR AUTOMATING VARIABLES IN END-USER PROGRAMMING SYSTEM

• US 20080270445A1
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lau, Tessa Ann, Little, Danny Greg, Cypher, Allen George, Kandogan, Eser, Lin, James, Haber, Eben Merriam
• Granted Patent: US 7,987,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

A method for automating variables in an end-user programming system is disclosed. The end-user programming system comprises a script, a shared repository, at least one database, a recorder, an interpreter, and an execution engine. The script comprises at least one command describing an event comprising a data value. Each user has a uniquely identified entry set for the entries distributed in at least one database. The interpreter automatically creates a variable for a data value in a command by comparing the data value with each entry value in the entry set for the user recording the command. The interpreter automatically instantiates a variable in a command with an entry value by comparing the variable with each entry name in the entry set for the user executing the command.

Claims

1. A method for automating variables in an end-user programming system comprising:

creating at least one variable, wherein each variable of said at least one variable is created such that each variable generalizes a respective data value in an event upon recording of the event by a first user within a web context document of the first user, wherein the respective data value in the event matches an entry value of a respective entry for the first user, wherein the respective entry for the first user further comprises an entry name that corresponds to the entry value, wherein each created variable is assigned to a respective variable name identical to the entry name of the respective entry for the first user, wherein each variable is stored in a repository by the respective variable name of each variable, wherein the repository is shared by the first user and a second user of the end-user programming system; and

subsequent to said creating, instantiating a variable of said at least one variable such that the variable is instantiated with an entry value of a corresponding entry for the second user when a variable name of the variable matches the entry name of the corresponding entry for the second user, wherein the second user is executing a command comprising the event within a web context document of the second user,

wherein the end-user programming system comprises the repository, a database storing at least one entry for all users of the end-user programming system, and an interpreter, wherein the repository, the database, and the interpreter are configured to be controlled by the current user via an application programming interface (API) workspace that interfaces user activity with the end-user programming system within a web browser, wherein said at least one entry is configured to be dynamically modified via the application programming interface (API) workspace according to the information of the web context document of the first user while recording the event,

wherein the respective data value is provided by the first user either in a pseudo-natural language description or as an input in a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) element of the web context document of the first user,

wherein said creating and said instantiating are performed by the interpreter.

2-35. -35. (canceled)