Peculiar Objects

• US 20120131551A1
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Zedlitz, Albert
• Granted Patent: US 8,719,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/116
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/315 Object-oriented languages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4488 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/449 Object-oriented method invocation or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4492 Inheritance

Abstract

An object oriented programming environment with an improved object, referred to herein as a “peculiar object”, which among other things, facilitates the implementation of a defined transition between object types is described. A peculiar object includes a programming construct referred to herein as a selector, which maps a set of object behaviors to a set of values for a special type of attribute, referred to herein as a “peculiar attribute.” As such, as the value of a peculiar attribute changes, so too does the type or state of the peculiar object. With each transition of the object from one type or state to another, the available behaviors dynamically change.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

reading a class definition for an object, the class definition for the object i) defining the object to possess an attribute, and ii) including a mapping of a set of executable behaviors to a set of values for the attribute such that, during runtime, when an executable behavior in the set of executable behaviors is invoked, selection of the process to be executed for the invoked executable behavior is dependent upon the value of the attribute; and

instantiating the object consistent with the class definition.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each executable behavior in the set of executable behaviors is implemented as an invocable method with a corresponding set of executable instructions.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is defined as a special type of attribute whose value determines which executable behavior of a set of executable behaviors defined for the object is to be carried out.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is defined to be assigned a value based on an environment variable.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mapping of the set of executable behaviors to the set of values for the attribute is implemented with a selection control statement.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mapping of the set of executable behaviors to the set of values for the attribute effectively defines a transition between two or more object types, each object type associated with a different value of the attribute.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

after instantiating the object consistent with the class definition, detecting that a particular behavior in the set of executable behaviors has been invoked;

evaluating the attribute; and

selecting a process corresponding to a particular behavior to be executed based on a result of the evaluation of the attribute.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the class definition for the object defines an intrinsic history method, which, when invoked, generates a time lapsed view of transitions that have occurred for the object, each transition representing a change in the value of the attribute at a particular time.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequent to instantiating the object consistent with the class definition and responsive to detecting a change in the value of the attribute, storing a timestamp indicating the time at which the change was detected, the timestamp stored in association with the object such that an intrinsic history method can recall and display a time lapsed view of transitions that have occurred for the object.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting a request to instantiate an object corresponding with a class definition;

reading the class definition for the object, the class definition including a selection control statement specifying a set of behaviors that correspond with a set of values for an attribute, each behavior having a corresponding set of executable instructions for carrying out the behavior; and

instantiating the object in accordance with the corresponding class definition.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting that a particular behavior in the set of executable behaviors has been invoked;

evaluating the attribute; and

selecting a set of executable instructions corresponding with the particular behavior to be executed based on a result of the evaluation of the attribute.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein each behavior in the set of behaviors is implemented as an invocable method.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the attribute is defined as a special type of attribute whose value determines which behavior of the set of behaviors defined for the object is to be carried out.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the attribute is defined to be assigned a value based on an environment variable.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the selection control statement is a switch statement that maps the set of behaviors to the set of values for the attribute.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the mapping of the set of executable behaviors to the set of values for the attribute effectively defines a transition between two or more object types, each object type associated with a different value of the attribute.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the class definition for the object defines an intrinsic history method, which, when invoked, generates a time lapsed view of transitions that have occurred for the object, each transition representing a change in the value of the attribute at a particular time.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

responsive to detecting a change in the value of the attribute, storing a timestamp indicating the time at which the change was detected, the timestamp stored in association with the object such that an intrinsic history method can recall and display a time lapsed view of transitions that have occurred for the object.