EXTENSIBLE APPLICATIONS USING A MOBILE APPLICATION FRAMEWORK

• US 20150040099A1
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Mall, Sanjeet, Kedefors, Hans, Hinrichs, Karsten, Nyisztor, Karoly, Farkas, Zoltan, Egresits, David, Selvaraj, Clement
• Granted Patent: US 9,116,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

In an example embodiment, a mobile application framework is provided. This includes a core component configured to expose one or more application program interfaces (APIs) that initialize the mobile application framework when executed. This also includes a user interface component configured to encapsulate a metadata-driven view for the mobile application. This also includes a data component configured to provide bindings to one or more business objects defining data for the mobile application. This also includes a configuration component configured to read and parse metadata in the one or more configuration files and transform the metadata to constructs native to the mobile application.

Claims

1. A method of creating an extensible application, comprising:

defining one or more configuration files for the extensible application, the one or more configuration files including metadata for the extensible application;

combining code defining behavior of the extensible application with a mobile application framework, the mobile application framework including a plurality of generic components, the plurality of generic components including;

a core component executable by a processor and configured to expose one or more application program interfaces (APIs) that initialize the mobile application framework when executed;

a user interface component executable by the processor and configured to encapsulate a metadata-driven view for the application;

a data component executable by the processor and configured to provide bindings to one or more business objects defining data for the application; and

a configuration component executable by the processor and configured to read and parse metadata in the one or more configuration files and transform the metadata to constructs native to the extensible application;

the code including calls made to one or more of the generic components;

compiling the code;

uploading one or more of the configuration files to a mobile platform server for storage;

uploading the compiled code to a platform server for distribution to one or more devices;

altering one or more of the configuration files to alter an aspect of the extensible application; and

uploading the altered one or more configuration files to the mobile platform server for storage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the uploading the altered one or more configuration files to the mobile platform server acts to push updates to the extensible application to the one or more devices without recompiling the code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration files including branding information, and wherein the altering includes modifying the branding information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration files includes user interface elements of the extensible application, and wherein the altering includes modifying the user interface elements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration files define behavior of the extensible application.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the modified user interface elements include colors and font sizes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more altered configuration files include new attributes bound to user interface controls.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more altered configuration files include business objects defining new screens as well as permissible navigation within the new screens.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more altered configuration files include validators, the validators performing validation acts on one or more pieces of data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the altered one or more configuration files include a definition of how to pass a context, including a value and object combination, from one screen to another when a user navigates from one screen to another.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the altered one or more configuration files include permissible navigation patters for a user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the altered one or more configuration files include platform-specific transition patterns between screens.

13. A mobile application framework, executable by a processor and capable of being called by code in a mobile application, the mobile application framework comprising:

a core component configured to expose one or more application program interfaces (APIs) that initialize the mobile application framework when executed;

a user interface component configured to encapsulate a metadata-driven view for the mobile application;

a data component configured to provide bindings to one or more business objects defining data for the mobile application; and

a configuration component configured to read and parse metadata in the one or more configuration files and transform the metadata to constructs native to the mobile application.

14. The mobile application framework of claim 13, further comprising a logic component configured to create controllers associated with the metadata and maintain responsibility for the behavior of the mobile application, including business logic.

15. The mobile application framework of claim 13, wherein the user interface component is further configured to provide interface for displaying a new screen for a given one of one or more tiles defined in the one or more configuration files.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user interface component is further configured to communicate with native libraries on a mobile device.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when implemented by one or more machines, cause the one or more machines to perform the following operations:

receiving one or more configuration files;

storing the configuration files on a platform server;

distributing the application to the plurality of devices, the application containing code performing one or more calls to the one or more configuration files;

receiving an update to the one or more configuration files;

storing the update to the one or more configuration files on the platform, thereby altering the application distributed to the plurality of devices without recompiling the application.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more configuration files define behavior of the extensible application.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the modified user interface elements include colors and font sizes.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more altered configuration files include new attributes bound to user interface controls.