SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING INTELLIGENT DESIGN PATTERN AUTOMATION

• US 20140237443A1
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Pana, Mircea, Pomerant, Mark, DesRosiers, Curtis
• Granted Patent: US 9,021,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A system and method can support design pattern automation. A design environment, such as a design pattern automation platform, enables the definition of design patterns including the model entities and their relationships. The design pattern automation platform leverages the definitions and user input, and uses an intelligent method to automate the implementation of arbitrarily complex software design artifacts that realize the design patterns. The design pattern automation platform allows a user to specify a design pattern model that describes a design pattern. A user interface (UI) framework can consume the design pattern model and can render a set of UI pages that allow for user interaction with the design pattern. Furthermore, a pattern processor can combine the meta-model with user inputs from the UI framework and produce a set of entities or resources for the design pattern.

Claims

1. A system for supporting design pattern automation, comprising:

one or more microprocessors;

a design pattern model that describes a design pattern;

a user interface (UI) framework that operates to consume the design pattern model and render a set of UI pages that allow for user interaction with the design pattern; and

a pattern processor, running on the one or more microprocessors, that operates to combine the design pattern model with user inputs from the set of UI pages and produce a set of entities and/or resources that realize the design pattern.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the design pattern model is a meta-model based on a declarative language.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein:

the meta-model describes one or more of

a list of resources or entities that are required to realize the design pattern,

a topology or layout of the entities that is required upon a successful execution of the design pattern,

a list of token that specifies data that need to be captured from the user, and

one or more UI hints that provide logical grouping of the tokens.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the design pattern includes one or more of

a contexts section that describe where in a design environment user interface the design pattern is accessible,

a manifest section that describes one or more resources added to a workspace when the design pattern is applied,

a projects section that describes the project types where the design pattern can apply resources,

a token groups section that describes the UI pages, and

a tokens section that describes information that a user can provide for resource customization when the design pattern is applied.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the design pattern model uses one or more embedded tokens to collect information from a user when a design pattern is applied.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the design pattern model allows for declarative definition of validation rules that can be executed against the user input.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the UI pages are in the form of a set of wizard pages, and the UI framework operates to render appropriate UI components with a usable layout based on or more UI hints.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein:

each UI page is corresponding to a token group.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the pattern processor produces the set of entities or resources, in which the user inputs are merged into appropriate locations, and the pattern processor operates to lay out modified entities or resources according to a topology defined in the design pattern model.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the design pattern is developed and realized using a software development kit (SDK).

11. A method for supporting design pattern automation, comprising:

providing a design pattern model that describes a design pattern;

providing a user interface (UI) framework that operates to consume the design pattern model and render a set of UI pages that allow for user interaction with the design pattern; and

combining, via a pattern processor running on one or more microprocessors, the design pattern model with user inputs from the UI pages and producing a set of entities and/or resources that realize the design pattern.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

allowing the design pattern model to be a meta-model based on a declarative language.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

using the meta-model to describe

a list of resources or entities that are required to realize the design pattern,

a topology or layout of the entities that is required upon a successful execution of the design pattern,

a list of token that specifies data that need to be captured from the user, and

one or more UI hints that provide logical grouping of the tokens.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

configuring the design pattern to include one or more of

a contexts section that describe where in a design environment user interface the design pattern is accessible,

a manifest section that describes one or more resources added to a workspace when the design pattern is applied,

a projects section that describes the project types where the design pattern can apply resources,

a token groups section that describes the UI pages, and

a tokens section that describes information that a user can provide for resource customization when the design pattern is applied.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

configuring the design pattern model to use one or more embedded tokens to collect information from a user when a design pattern is applied.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

configuring the design pattern model to allow for declarative definition of validation rules that can be executed against the user input.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

configuring the UI pages to be in the form of a set of wizard pages, and allowing the UI framework to render appropriate UI components with a usable layout based on or more UI hints.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

allowing each UI page to be corresponding to a token group.

19. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

allowing the pattern processor to produce the set of entities or resources, in which the user inputs are merged into appropriate locations, and allowing the pattern processor to lay out modified entities or resources according to a topology defined in the design pattern model.

20. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed cause a system to perform the steps comprising:

providing a design pattern model that describes a design pattern;

providing a user interface (UI) framework that operates to consume the design pattern model and render a set of UI pages that allow for user interaction with the design pattern; and

combining, via a pattern processor running on one or more microprocessors, the design pattern model with user inputs from the UI pages and producing a set of entities and/or resources that realize the design pattern.