SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR APPLYING RULES TO TRANSFORM OBJECTS OF AN APPLICATION

• US 20110283269A1
• Filed: 05/11/2010
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: smartShift Technologies GmbH (Cambridge Technology Enterprises Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: smartShift Technologies GmbH (Cambridge Technology Enterprises Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gass, Albrecht, Flach, Oliver, Faradouris, Nikolaos, Hetges, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 8,898,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

The present application is directed towards systems and methods for applying one or more rules that transform objects of an application from a previous instance of the application. Customized functions, objects, databases, and code of the instance of the application may be analyzed by an application transformation tool to identify one or more objects that have been modified. The modified objects may be further analyzed to detect if they are permissibly alterable. The application transformation tool may determine whether each of the permissibly alterable objects reference a standard interface of the application. The application transformation tool may apply one or more rules that transform objects to those permissibly alterable objects that do not reference the standard interface of the application.

Claims

1. A method for applying one or more rules that transform objects of an application, the method comprising:

(a) identifying, by an application transformation tool, from an instance of an application a plurality of objects that have been modified;

(b) detecting, by the application transformation tool, whether each of the plurality of objects are permissibly alterable;

(c) determining, by the application transformation tool, whether each of the permissibly alterable objects reference a standard interface of the application; and

(d) applying, by the application transformation tool responsive to the determination, one or more rules that transform objects to portions of the permissibly alterable objects that do not reference the standard interface of the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the instance of the application comprises a plurality of standard objects provided by the application and one or more objects provided by a developer of the application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises identifying the plurality of objects that have been modified since a last transformation of the application by the application transformation tool.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises detecting whether each of the plurality of objects are permissibly alterable in accordance with a term of use of the application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises detecting that an object is permissibly alterable based on a name of the object not identifying a standard object of the application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises detecting that an object is permissibly alterable based on having a registered namespace.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises detecting that an object is permissibly alterable based on a name of the object having a predetermined set of characters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises determining whether each of the permissibly alterable objects interface to or make a reference to a standard object provided by the application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprising applying, by the application transformation tool, the one or more rules to the permissibly alterable objects that do not reference a standard object of the application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprising not applying, by the application transformation tool, the one or more rules to portions of the permissibly alterable objects that reference a standard object of the application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprising not applying, by the application transformation tool, the one or more rules to portions of the permissibly alterable objects that reference a standard programming construct provided by the application.

12. A system for applying one or more rules that transform objects of an application, the system comprising:

a collection agent of an application transformation tool identifying, from an instance of an application, a plurality of objects that have been modified and determining whether each of the plurality of objects are permissibly alterable;

an analysis agent of the application transformation tool determining whether each of the permissibly alterable objects reference a standard interface of the application; and

a transformer of the application transformation tool responsive to the analysis agent applying one or more rules that transform objects to portions of those permissibly alterable objects that do not reference the standard interface of the application.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instance of the application comprises a plurality of standard objects provided by the application and one or more objects provided by a developer of the application.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the collection agent identifies the plurality of objects that have been modified since a last transformation of the application by the application transformation tool.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein one of the collection agent or the analysis agent detects whether each of the plurality of objects are permissibly alterable in accordance with a term of use of the application.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the collection agent detects that an object is permissibly alterable based on a name of the object not identifying a standard object of the application.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the collection agent detects that an object is permissibly alterable based on having a registered namespace.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the collection agent detects that an object is permissibly alterable based on a name of the object having a predetermined set of characters.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the analysis agent detects whether each of the permissibly alterable objects interface to or make a reference to a standard object provided by the application.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the transformer applies the one or more rules to the permissibly alterable objects that do not reference a standard object of the application.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the transformer does not apply the one or more rules to portions of the permissibly alterable objects that reference a standard object of the application.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the transformer does not apply the one or more rules to portions of the permissibly alterable objects that reference a standard programming construct provided by the application.