Sandbox Support for Metadata in Running Applications

• US 20090259993A1
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: McKinney, Denny, Konduri, Gangadhar
• Granted Patent: US 8,782,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

Techniques for using a sandbox to test changes to the metadata of a metadata-driven application. In one set of embodiments, a mainline and a sandbox are created in a runtime environment of a metadata-driven application. The mainline is configured to include a mainline version of a metadata document of the application. The sandbox is configured to include a sandbox (i.e., test) version of the metadata document. At application runtime, requests to access and/or modify the metadata document are serviced either from the mainline or the sandbox based on a sandbox context of the current user session. Thus, changes to the metadata document may be tested on the sandbox version without affecting the mainline version, and vice versa. In various embodiments, multiple sandboxes may be supported in the runtime environment. In further embodiments, the sandbox version may be merged into the mainline version without bringing the runtime environment offline.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating the testing of changes to a metadata document of a metadata-driven software application, the method comprising:

creating a mainline in a runtime environment of the metadata-driven software application, wherein the mainline is configured to include a mainline version of the metadata document;

creating at least one sandbox in the runtime environment of the metadata-driven software application, wherein the at least one sandbox is configured to include a sandbox version of the metadata document, and wherein the sandbox version is based on the mainline version;

receiving, during a user session of the metadata-driven software application running within the runtime environment, a first request to access the metadata document; and

retrieving either the mainline version or the sandbox version in response to the first request, wherein the retrieving is based on whether a sandbox context identifying the at least one sandbox is present in a session context of the user session.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, during the user session, a second request to apply one or more modifications to the metadata document; and

applying the one or more modifications to either the mainline version or the sandbox version in response to the second request, wherein the applying is based on whether the sandbox context is present in the session context.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more modifications are selected from a group consisting of:

creation of a metadata element, deletion of a metadata element, and update of a metadata element.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying the at least one sandbox to the mainline by merging the sandbox version into the mainline version, such that the mainline version reflects any modifications made to the sandbox version.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the merging is disallowed if the mainline version is determined to be more recent than the sandbox version.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the merging is performed while the runtime environment is online.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein conflicts that arise during the merging are resolved automatically based upon one or more predefined rules.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising automatically purging the at least one sandbox subsequent to applying the at least one sandbox to the mainline, the purging including deleting the sandbox version.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising automatically deleting the at least one sandbox from the runtime environment subsequent to being purged.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising refreshing the sandbox version based on the mainline version, such that the sandbox version reflects any modifications made to the mainline version.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining a list of modifications applied to the sandbox version that have not been applied to the mainline version.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising purging the at least one sandbox by deleting the sandbox version.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, during the user session, a second request to delete the metadata document; and

if the sandbox context is present in the session context, marking the sandbox version as logically deleted in response to the second request.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising deleting the mainline version when the at least one sandbox is applied to the mainline.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the sandbox context may be present in session contexts of a plurality of user sessions of the metadata-driven software application, the plurality of user sessions corresponding to a plurality of distinct users of the metadata-driven software application, thereby enabling the plurality of distinct users to access the sandbox version.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the mainline version is stored as a first file in a first file directory of a file directory hierarchy, and wherein the sandbox version is stored as a second file in a second file directory located at a predetermined location relative to the first file directory in the file directory hierarchy.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising exporting the at least one sandbox as a new sandbox in another runtime environment.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising exporting the at least one sandbox as a new mainline in another runtime environment.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sandbox is created by importing an existing sandbox from another runtime environment.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sandbox is created by importing an existing mainline from another runtime environment.

21. A method for using a plurality of sandboxes to test changes to a metadata document of a metadata-driven software application, the method comprising:

creating the plurality of sandboxes in a runtime environment of the metadata-driven software application, wherein each of the plurality of sandboxes is configured to include a sandbox version of the metadata document, and wherein each sandbox version is based on a mainline version of the metadata document included in a mainline of the runtime environment; and

in response to a request received during a user session of the metadata-driven software application running within the runtime environment, retrieving either the mainline version stored in the mainline or one of the sandbox versions included in the plurality of sandboxes, wherein the retrieving is based on whether a sandbox context identifying one of the plurality of sandboxes is present in a session context of the user session.

22. A runtime environment for facilitating the testing of changes to a metadata document of a metadata-driven software application, the runtime environment comprising:

a data repository configured to store a mainline for the metadata-driven software application, the mainline including a mainline version of the metadata document, and to store at least one sandbox for the metadata-driven software application, the at least one sandbox including a sandbox version of the metadata document, the sandbox version being based on the mainline version; and

a server communicatively coupled with the data repository, the server running a metadata engine configured to;

receive, during a user session of the metadata-driven software application running within the runtime environment, a request to access the metadata document; and

retrieve either the mainline version or the sandbox version in response to the first request, wherein the retrieving is based on whether a sandbox context identifying the at least one sandbox is present in a session context of the user session.

23. The runtime environment of claim 22, wherein the data repository is a file-based repository or a database repository.

24. A machine-readable medium for a computer system, the machine-readable medium having stored thereon a series of instructions which, when executed by a processing component, cause the processing component to facilitate the testing of changes to a metadata document of a metadata-driven software application by:

creating a mainline in a runtime environment of the metadata-driven software application, wherein the mainline is configured to include a mainline version of the metadata document;

creating at least one sandbox in the runtime environment of the metadata-driven software application, wherein the at least one sandbox is configured to include a sandbox version of the metadata document, and wherein the sandbox version is based on the mainline version;

receiving, during a user session of the metadata-driven software application running within the runtime environment, a first request to access the metadata document; and

retrieving either the mainline version or the sandbox version in response to the first request, wherein the retrieving is based on whether a sandbox context identifying the at least one sandbox is present in a session context of the user session.