Automatic Connections Between Application Components

• US 20090199213A1
• Filed: 02/05/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Webster, Roger R., Tristram, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,619,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

The present disclosure includes, among other things, systems, methods and program products for automatic connections between application components.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving information by a running application identifying an application component, the first application component having one or more first automatically connectable connections, the receiving comprising;

selecting a first connection for the first application component, the first connection being one of a sink and a source;

selecting a second automatically connectable connection for a second application component, the second application component residing in the first running application, the second connection being the other of the sink and the source; and

connecting the first connection with the second connection so that information can be exchanged between the first application component and the second application component by way of the first connection and the second connection while the first application is running.

2. The method of claim 1 where the first application component is obtained from another running application.

3. The method of claim 1 where the first application component is obtained from a file system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

integrating code for running the first application component into the first running application.

5. The method of claim 1 where the first application component has a visual representation in a second running application or a file system.

6. The method of claim 5 where receiving comprises:

presenting the first application component'"'"'s visual representation in the first running application'"'"'s visual representation.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

accepting input to determine where the first application component'"'"'s visual representation is to appear in the first running application'"'"'s visual representation.

8. The method of claim 1 where receiving is triggered by a drag-and-drop operation of the first application component to the running application.

9. The method of claim 1 where the first automatic connection and the second automatic connection match.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

persisting the connection between the first application component and the second application component.

11. The method of claim 1 where the information exchanged between the first application component and the second application component is textual.

12. A computer program product, encoded on a computer-readable medium, operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving information by a running application identifying an application component, the first application component having one or more first automatically connectable connections, the receiving comprising;

selecting a first connection for the first application component, the first connection being one of a sink and a source;

selecting a second automatically connectable connection for a second application component, the second application component residing in the first running application, the second connection being the other of the sink and the source; and

connecting the first connection with the second connection so that information can be exchanged between the first application component and the second application component by way of the first connection and the second connection while the first application is running.

13. The program product of claim 12 where the first application component is obtained from another running application.

14. The program product of claim 12 where the first application component is obtained from a file system.

15. The program product of claim 12, where the operations further comprising:

integrating code for running the first application component into the first running application.

16. The program product of claim 12 where the first application component has a visual representation in a second running application or a file system.

17. The program product of claim 16 where receiving comprises:

presenting the first application component'"'"'s visual representation in the first running application'"'"'s visual representation.

18. The program product of claim 17, where the operations further comprise:

accepting input to determine where the first application component'"'"'s visual representation is to appear in the first running application'"'"'s visual representation.

19. The program product of claim 12 where receiving is triggered by a drag-and-drop operation of the first application component to the second running application.

20. The program product of claim 12 where the first automatic connection and the second automatic connection match.

21. The program product of claim 12, where the operations further comprise:

persisting the connection between the first application component and the second application component.

22. The program product of claim 12 where the information exchanged between the first application component and the second application component is textual.

23. A system comprising:

a machine-readable storage device including a program product; and

one or more processors operable to execute the program product, interact with the display device, and perform operations comprising;

receiving information by a running application identifying an application component, the first application component having one or more first automatically connectable connections, the receiving comprising;

selecting a first connection for the first application component, the first connection being one of a sink and a source;

selecting a second automatically connectable connection for a second application component, the second application component residing in the first running application, the second connection being the other of the sink and the source; and

connecting the first connection with the second connection so that information can be exchanged between the first application component and the second application component by way of the first connection and the second connection while the first application is running.

24. The system of claim 23 where the first application component is obtained from another running application.

25. The system of claim 23 where the first application component is obtained from a file system.

26. The system of claim 23 where receiving includes integrating code for running the first application component into the first running application.

27. The system of claim 23 where the first application component has a visual representation in a second running application or a file system.

28. The system of claim 27 where receiving includes:

presenting the first application component'"'"'s visual representation in the first running application'"'"'s visual representation.

29. The system of claim 28, where the operations further comprise:

accepting input to determine where the first application component'"'"'s visual representation is to appear in the first running application'"'"'s visual representation.

30. The system of claim 23 where receiving is triggered by a drag-and-drop operation of the first application component to the second running application.

31. The system of claim 23 where the first automatic connection and the second automatic connection match.

32. The system of claim 23, where the operations further comprise:

persisting the connection between the first application component and the second application component.

33. The system of claim 23 where the information exchanged between the first application component and the second application component is textual.