Optimized Computer Diagramming Method

• US 20090013306A1
• Filed: 09/23/2008
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Elaasar, Maged E., Shaw, Steven R., Hanner, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,166,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2453 Query optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/36 Creation of semantic tools, e.g. ontology or thesauri
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A computer method and system of diagramming provide a diagram of a subject model. In response to a primary edit to the subject model, the invention method and system generate a non-persistent view for secondary edits. The diagram is formed of notational elements corresponding to model elements of the subject model. The invention method and system provide a notation meta-model for persisting the notational elements with references to corresponding model elements. The notation meta-model allows notational elements to be recreated and changed dynamically in a manner free of replacing original notational elements.

Claims

1. A computer system for diagramming comprising:

a computer generated diagram graphically representing a subject model; and

a view generator responsive to primary edits to the subject model, the view generator generating a non-persistent view for secondary edits to the diagram in a manner such that the diagram and the non-persistent view are displayed to a user as if the non-persistent view were a persistent part of the diagram.

2. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the non-persistent view is ignored when the diagram is subsequently saved.

3. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein in response to a user directly modifying the non-persistent view, the view generator transforming the non-persistent view into a persistent view that persists with the diagram.

4. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the diagram is formed of notational elements corresponding to model elements of the subject model;

and

the system further comprises a notation meta-model for persisting the notational elements with references to corresponding model elements, wherein the notation meta-model allows notational elements to be recreated and changed dynamically in a manner free of replacing original notational elements.

5. A computer system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the notation meta-model provides extension of a notational element by aggregation or composition instead of by inheritance.

6. A computer system as claimed in claim 4 wherein for each notational element, the notation meta-model (i) models only properties that are fundamental to characteristics of the notational element, and (ii) provides generic slots for abstracting other properties of the notational element.

7. A computer system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the notation meta-model enables properties of the notational elements to be dynamically added and removed.

8. A computer system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the notation meta-model avoids modeling non-team properties in favor of holding those properties in a preference store.

9. A computer system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the notation meta-model models properties substantially used by a team, said modeling being in a manner that reduces amount of compare and merge deltas which arise from changes to said properties.

10. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the diagram is a state diagram of a state machine with the subject model and the primary edit is addition of a new state;

and

the view generator generates the non-persistent view instead of automatically adding a state view corresponding to the new state.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code encoded thereon for diagramming, including instructions which when executed on a computer, cause the computer to:

provide a diagram of a subject model; and

in response to a primary edit to the subject model, generate a non-persistent view for secondary edits to the diagram such that the diagram and the non-persistent view are displayed to a user as if the non-persistent view were a persistent part of the diagram.

12. The computer program product as claimed in claim 11 wherein the non-persistent view is ignored when the diagram is subsequently saved.

13. The computer program product as claimed in claim 11 further comprising instruction that causes the computer to:

in response to a user directly modifying the non-persistent view, transform the non-persistent view into a persistent view that persists with the diagram.

14. The computer program product as claimed in claim 11 wherein the diagram is formed of notational elements corresponding to model elements of the subject model;

and

the computer program code further comprising the instruction which when executed causes the computer to provide a notation meta-model for persisting the notational elements with references to corresponding model elements, wherein the notation meta-model allows notational elements to be recreated and changed dynamically in a manner free of replacing original notational elements.

15. The computer program product as claimed in claim 14 wherein the notation meta-model provides extension of a notational element by aggregation or composition instead of by inheritance.

16. The computer program product as claimed in claim 14 wherein for each notational element, the notation meta-model (i) models only properties that are fundamental to characteristics of the notational element, and (ii) provides generic slots for abstracting other properties of the notational element.

17. The computer program product as claimed in claim 16 wherein the notation meta-model enables properties of the notational elements to be dynamically added and removed.

18. The computer program product as claimed in claim 16 wherein the notation meta-model avoids modeling non-team properties in favor of holding those properties in a preference store.

19. The computer program product as claimed in claim 16 wherein the notation meta-model models properties substantially used by a team, said modeling being in a manner that reduces amount of compare and merge deltas which arise from changes to said properties.

20. The computer program product as claimed in claim 11 wherein the diagram is a state diagram of a state machine with the subject model and the primary edit is addition of a new state;

and

the step of generating generates the non-persistent view instead of automatically adding a state view corresponding to the new state.

21. A computer method of diagramming comprising computer implemented steps of:

providing a diagram of a subject model, the subject model being semantic data and the diagram being a graphical representation of the semantic data;

in response to a primary edit to the subject model, generating a non-persistent view representative of the primary edit for secondary edits to the diagram, the non-persistent view being contained in an non-persistent container element that is associated with but detached from a persistent container element of the diagram; and

upon a user viewing the diagram, displaying the diagram and the non-persistent view to the user as if the non-persistent view were a persistent part of the diagram by displaying both attributes of the persistent and non-persistent container elements of the diagram.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein the non-persistent view is ignored when the diagram is subsequently saved if the displayed non-persistent view is not edited by the user.

23. A method as claimed in claim 21 further comprising the step of:

in response to a the user directly modifying the displayed non-persistent view, transforming the non-persistent view into a persistent view that persists with the diagram by assigning the attributes of the non-persistent container element to the persistent container element.

24. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein the diagram is formed of notational elements corresponding to model elements of the subject model;

and

the method further comprising the step of providing a notation meta-model for persisting the notational elements with references to corresponding model elements, wherein the notation meta-model allows notational elements to be recreated and changed dynamically in a manner free of replacing original notational elements.