SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR VERSIONING AND DEPRECATION OF COMPONENTS OF AN APPLICATION

• US 20100299663A1
• Filed: 05/21/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Smith, Andrew, Weissman, Craig
• Granted Patent: US 8,510,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for versioning components of an application. These mechanisms and methods for versioning components of an application can ensure that an updated application maintains backwards compatibility, such that the application developer may maintain a single application while supporting multiple prior versions of the application.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied on a tangible computer readable medium, comprising:

computer code for receiving a request to access at least a portion of an application from calling code;

computer code for identifying a version provided by the calling code; and

computer code for providing to the calling code access to components of the application corresponding to the version provided by the calling code, in response to the request.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the application includes computer code that is at least one of developed and maintained utilizing a multi-tenant on-demand database service.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the calling code includes one of an application program interface of a multi-tenant on-demand database service and user interface of the multi-tenant on-demand database service.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer program product is operable such that the version provided by the calling code is determined from a header of the request.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer program product is operable such that the version provided by the calling code is determined from a default version specified by a setting associated with a developer of the calling code.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the version that is determined includes an unspecified version.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising computer code for determining the components of the application corresponding to the version provided by the calling code.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer program product is operable such that the components of the application corresponding to the version provided by the calling code are determined based on predetermined rules.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the predetermined rules are specific to a type of the calling code.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the type of the calling code includes one of an application program interface and a user interface.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the predetermined rules are specific to a type of the portion of the application.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the type of the portion of the application includes one of standard components managed by a multi-tenant on-demand database service, custom components created by a developer of the application, and components installed as part of the application.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein for each of the components of the application, the component is annotated with a version of the component.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the predetermined rules indicate that the components of the application corresponding to the version provided by the calling code only include components of the application each annotated with a version matching the version provided by the calling code.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the predetermined rules indicate that the components of the application corresponding to the version provided by the calling code only include components of the application each annotated with a version matching or later than the version provided by the calling code.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the annotation includes a minimum version of the application and a maximum version of the application indicating a range of versions of the application to which the component corresponds.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the maximum version is recorded once the component is uploaded as deprecated, the deprecation including an indicator to allow the developer to remove the component).

18. The met computer program product of claim 17, wherein deprecating the component allows the application to be evolved without introducing an immediate change for existing users of the application.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving a request to access at least a portion of an application from calling code;

identifying a version provided by the calling code; and

in response to the request, providing to the calling code access to components of the application corresponding to the version provided by the calling code.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor for receiving a request to access at least a portion of an application from calling code, identifying a version provided by the calling code, and in response to the request, providing to the calling code access to components of the application corresponding to the version provided by the calling code.

21. A method for transmitting code for use in a multi-tenant database system on a transmission medium, the method comprising:

transmitting code for receiving a request to access at least a portion of an application from calling code;

transmitting code for identifying a version provided by the calling code; and

transmitting code for providing to the calling code access to components of the application corresponding to the version provided by the calling code, in response to the request.