Graphical Modelization of User Interfaces for Data Intensive Applications

• US 20090235229A1
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: MATUSIAK, THIERRY, DANGEVILLE, NICOLAS
• Granted Patent: US 8,458,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A method, computer program product and system for creating class diagrams of user interfaces of applications. A modeling language such as UML V2.0 may be used to create class diagrams through a graphical editor, create new model elements derived from existing ones such as stereotypes for creating a comprehensive class diagram for the user interface. The class diagram for the user interface is based on a limited number of stereotyped classes for pages, views in the pages of the user interface, operations in the view classes and class for services triggered by the operations. The user interface class diagram is attached to the application class through the classes of the application for data manipulated by the user interface. A sequence diagram reflecting the correlation between view operation and services is also created to complete the description of the user interface.

Claims

1. A method executed on a computer to provide a graphical object model of a user interface of an application already modelized with an existing class diagram using the graphical editor of a modeling language allowing creation of new types of model elements derived from existing ones, said method comprising:

a user creating new types of model elements comprising;

a DataObject class type, describing a structure of data manipulated through the user interface;

three view class types depending from the first class type, SearchView describing data to be searched, ListView describing data to be listed and DetailView describing data content to be detailed through the user interface;

a Page class type depending on the view class types describing a page of the user interface;

an ActionTrigger operation type describing an action triggered from a view class type;

a Service class type describing operations where at least one operation is triggered by an ActionTrigger operation type;

the user applying the DataObject class type to data already described in the existing class diagram, said data being manipulated through the user interface; and

the user creating the class diagram of the user interface using the new created types of model elements, said class diagram of the user interface converging to the DataObject classes, the view classes being attached to the DataObject classes and the Page classes being attached to the view classes.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after the step of the user creating new types of model elements:

the user applying the Service class type to the classes already described in the existing class diagram containing one operation to be triggered through the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

graphically representing as a flow diagram;

each operation of the ActionTrigger type of the view classes;

the at least one operation of a class of Service type which is triggered by an operation of ActionTrigger type;

the view classes which are opened depending on the result of the execution of the at least one operation of a class of Service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of creating the class diagram of the user interface using the new types of model elements is automatically performed by the computer, the user providing input pattern parameters.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the existing class diagram uses the Unified Modeling Language, the steps performed for creation of the new types of model elements use stereotyping of elements in the Unified Modeling Language.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the flow diagram is a sequence diagram using the Unified Modeling Language.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of creating the class diagram of the user interface is automatically performed by the computer executing IBM Rational Software Architect version 6 or 7, the user providing a pattern for each Page class and each ActionTrigger operation.

8. A computer program product comprising storage type computer readable media having computer code instructions to provide a method of a graphical object model of a user interface of an application already modelized with an existing class diagram using the graphical editor of a modeling language allowing creation of new types of model elements derived from existing ones, when said computer code instructions are is executed on a computer perform said method that comprises:

a user creating new types of model elements comprising;

a DataObject class type, describing a structure of data manipulated through the user interface;

three view class types depending from the first class type, SearchView describing data to be searched, ListView describing data to be listed and DetailView describing data content to be detailed through the user interface;

a Page class type depending on the view class types describing a page of the user interface;

an ActionTrigger operation type describing an action triggered from a view class type;

a Service class type describing operations where at least one operation is triggered by an ActionTrigger operation type;

the user applying the DataObject class type to data already described in the existing class diagram, said data being manipulated through the user interface; and

the user creating the class diagram of the user interface using the new created types of model elements, said class diagram of the user interface converging to the DataObject classes, the view classes being attached to the DataObject classes and the Page classes being attached to the view classes.

9. A system comprising means adapted for carrying out a method of a graphical object model of a user interface of an application already modelized with an existing class diagram using the graphical editor of a modeling language allowing creation of new types of model elements derived from existing ones, said system comprising:

a computer processor;

a memory coupled to said processor, said memory comprising;

computer instructions for a user to create new types of model elements comprising;

a DataObject class type, describing a structure of data manipulated through the user interface;

three view class types depending from the first class type, SearchView describing data to be searched, ListView describing data to be listed and DetailView describing data content to be detailed through the user interface;

a Page class type depending on the view class types describing a page of the user interface;

an ActionTrigger operation type describing an action triggered from a view class type;

a Service class type describing operations where at least one operation is triggered by an ActionTrigger operation type;

computer instructions for the user to apply the DataObject class type to data already described in the existing class diagram, said data being manipulated through the user interface; and

computer instructions for the user to create the class diagram of the user interface using the new created types of model elements, said class diagram of the user interface converging to the DataObject classes, the view classes being attached to the DataObject classes and the Page classes being attached to the view classes.