CONVERTING COMMAND UNITS INTO WORKFLOW ACTIVITIES

• US 20100211420A1
• Filed: 02/18/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kodi, Sai Gopal, Wright, Travis A., Truher, James W., Zakrajsek, Frank, Sarwono, Edhi
• Granted Patent: US 8,656,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

One or more available command units can be represented with a computer output device. The available command units can be command units from one or more snapins, such as one or more snapins that include command units to be run with a shell application. User input can be received from an input device, the user input selecting one or more selected command units of the available command units. In response to the user input, source code can be automatically generated from the one or more command units, and the source code can be automatically compiled to generate one or more workflow activities.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

representing with an output device one or more available command units that can be executed through a shell application;

receiving user input from an input device, the user input selecting one or more selected command units of the available command units; and

in response to the user input;

automatically generating source code from the one or more command units; and

automatically compiling the source code to generate one or more workflow activities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more workflow activities is configured to facilitate execution of a corresponding command unit through the shell application, each of the one or more workflow activities having been generated from its corresponding command unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more workflow activities are configured to be run by any of a plurality of different workflow engines.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the workflow activities are configured according to a workflow creation platform, and the workflow activities are configured to be executed by any workflow engine that supports workflows created with the workflow creation platform.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the one or more workflow activities in computer storage.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the source code comprises mapping properties of the selected command units onto workflow activity properties.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein mapping comprises using a code document object model to map properties of the selected command units onto properties of the workflow activities.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising using one or more of the generated workflow activities to form one or more workflows and executing the one or more workflows.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more workflow activities is configured to produce a reconstructed object from a serialized string, the reconstructed object being an object type that is the same as an object type of an original object from which the serialized string was produced.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein representing the one or more available command units comprises displaying one or more representations of one or more available snapins.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein representing the one or more available command units further comprises:

receiving a user input selecting one or more selected snapins of the one or more available snapins; and

displaying one or more command units from the one or more selected snapins.

12. A computer system comprising:

means for representing one or more available snapins;

means for receiving a user input selecting one or more selected snapins of the one or more available snapins;

means for representing one or more command units from the one or more selected snapins;

means for receiving user input selecting one or more selected command units of the one or more represented command units; and

means for generating one or more workflow activities from the one or more selected command units.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for generating the one or more workflow activities comprises means for automatically generating the one or more workflow activities in response to the user input selecting the one or more selected command units.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for generating the one or more workflow activities comprises:

means for generating source code from the one or more command units, the means for generating source code including means for mapping properties of the one or more selected command units onto workflow activity properties; and

means for compiling the source code.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the workflow activities are configured to be executed by any of a plurality of different workflow engines.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the workflow activities are configured according to a workflow creation platform, and the workflow activities are configured to be executed by any workflow engine that supports the workflow creation platform.

17. One or more computer-readable media containing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions that are executable by a computer system to perform acts comprising:

receiving an indication of one or more selected command units to be converted to one or more workflow activities; and

generating one or more workflow activities from the one or more selected command units, the one or more workflow activities being configured according to a workflow creation platform, and the one or more workflow activities being configured to be executed by any of a plurality of different workflow engines that support the workflow creation platform.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the acts further comprise displaying on a computer display one or more representations of one or more available command units that can be executed through a shell application, wherein the one or more available command units include the one or more selected command units.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein receiving an indication of one or more selected command units comprises receiving user input from a user input device.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein generating one or more workflow activities comprises automatically generating one or more workflow activities.