SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING USER INTERFACE (UI) ELEMENTS

• US 20130159890A1
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Rossi, Claude
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,572 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3608 using formal methods, e.g. model checking, abstract interpretation theorem proving G06N5/013
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method includes executing instructions recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage media using at least one processor. The method includes identifying a targeted user interface (UI) element using a uniform resource identifier (URI), where the URI includes one or more URI fragments with each of the URI fragments being associated with a specific UI element, parsing the URI identifying a UI element to validate a format syntax of the URI, determining from a current session an initial resolution context, resolving each of the URI fragments within a UI hierarchy in a current resolution context, where the current resolution context is the initial resolution context for a first URI fragment and after resolving a last of the URI fragments, returning a reference to the targeted UI element.

Claims

1. A method including executing instructions recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage media using at least one processor, the method comprising:

identifying a targeted user interface (UI) element using a uniform resource identifier (URI), wherein the URI includes one or more URI fragments with each of the URI fragments being associated with a specific UI element;

parsing the URI identifying a UI element to validate a format syntax of the URI;

determining from a current session an initial resolution context;

resolving each of the URI fragments within a UI hierarchy in a current resolution context, wherein the current resolution context is the initial resolution context for a first URI fragment; and

after resolving a last of the URI fragments, returning a reference to the targeted UI element.

2. The method as in claim 1 further comprising creating a sub resolution context from the initial resolution context for each UI element embedding child elements, wherein the current resolution context is the sub resolution context for resolving the URI fragments after the first URI fragment.

3. The method as in claim 2 further comprising delegating resolution of the URI fragments to one or more resolvers within the sub resolution context, wherein each of the resolvers is associated with a specific UI technology.

4. The method as in claim 1 wherein each of the URI fragments includes a list of attributes.

5. The method as in claim 4 wherein the list of attributes includes attributes covering multiple UI technologies.

6. The method as in claim 4 wherein each of the attributes includes a name and a value.

7. The method as in claim 4 wherein resolving each of the URI fragments includes resolving each of the URI fragments using the list of attributes and the current resolution context.

8. The method as in claim 1 further comprising highlighting the targeted UI element.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform a process, the instructions comprising instructions to:

identify a targeted user interface (UI) element using a uniform resource identifier (URI), wherein the URI includes one or more URI fragments with each of the URI fragments being associated with a specific UI element;

parse the URI identifying a UI element to validate a format syntax of the URI;

determine from a current session an initial resolution context;

resolve each of the URI fragments within a UI hierarchy in a current resolution context, wherein the current resolution context is the initial resolution context for a first URI fragment; and

after resolving a last of the URI fragments, return a reference to the targeted UI element.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 further comprising instructions to create a sub resolution context from the initial resolution context for each UI element embedding child elements, wherein the current resolution context is the sub resolution context for resolving the URI fragments after the first URI fragment.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions to delegate resolution of the URI fragments to one or more resolvers within the sub resolution context, wherein each of the resolvers is associated with a specific UI technology.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein each of the URI fragments includes a list of attributes.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein the list of attributes includes attributes covering multiple UI technologies.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein each of the attributes includes a name and a value.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein the instructions to resolve each of the URI fragments includes instructions to resolve each of the URI fragments using the list of attributes and the current resolution context.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 further comprising instructions to highlight the targeted UI element.

17. A computer system including instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer system comprising:

a test player module configured to identify a targeted user interface (UI) element using a uniform resource identifier (URI), wherein the URI includes one or more URI fragments with each of the URI fragments being associated with a specific UI element;

a URI parser configured to parse the URI identifying a UI element to validate a format syntax of the URI; and

a URI resolver configured to;

determine from a current session an initial resolution context,

resolve each of the URI fragments within a UI hierarchy in a current resolution context, wherein the current resolution context is the initial resolution context for a first URI fragment, and

after resolving a last of the URI fragments, return a reference to the targeted UI element.

18. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the URI resolver is further configured to create a sub resolution from the initial resolution context for each UI element embedding child elements, wherein the current resolution context is the sub resolution context for resolving the URI fragments after the first URI fragment.

19. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the URI resolver is configured to delegate resolution of the URI fragments to one or more resolvers within the sub resolution context, wherein each of the resolvers is associated with a specific UI technology.

20. The computer system of claim 17 wherein:

each of the URI fragments includes a list of attributes;

the list of attributes includes attributes covering multiple UI technologies;

each of the attributes includes a name and a value; and

the URI resolver is configured to resolve each of the URI fragments using the list of attributes and the current resolution context.