OPEN USER INTERFACE

• US 20150113042A1
• Filed: 10/23/2013
• Published: 04/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Gonzalez, Andres Jr., Erickson, Ronald Victor III, Tucker, Stefan Kendric Slade
• Granted Patent: US 9,509,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/449 Object-oriented method invocation or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• 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 definition is loaded into a client application for execution on a user device. Then, one or more classes defined in a central repository database of a server are loaded into the client application. It may then be determined that one or more custom classes not defined in the central repository database are contained in the definition. The one or more custom classes may be validated by ensuring that they contain one or more preset functions. The one or more custom classes may then be loaded into the client application, thereby overriding or extending at least one of the one or more classes defined in the central repository database.

Claims

1. A method for operating a user device, comprising:

loading a definition into a client application for execution on the user device,

loading one or more classes defined in a central repository database of a server into the client application;

determining that one or more custom classes not defined in the central repository database are contained in the definition;

validating the one or more custom classes by ensuring that they contain one or more preset functions; and

loading the one or more custom classes into the client application, thereby overriding or extending at least one of the one or more classes defined in the central repository database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more custom classes define one or more custom controls for a user interface operating in the client application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed subsequent to the user device starting the client application but prior to the client application communicating with a server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more classes define a user interface artifact operating in the client application.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user interface artifact comprises one or more graphic elements.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the user interface artifact includes one or more images displayed upon startup of the client application.

7. A method for providing a custom class by an application designer in a system having a server with a central repository database of functions defining a portion of a client application for operation on one or more client devices, the method comprising:

creating a definition for the client application in an editor, the definition defining user experience for the client application;

creating one or more custom classes for the client application in the editor, the one or more custom classes being undefined in the central repository database;

creating a build of the client application using the definition, one or more functions in the central repository of functions, and the one or more custom classes;

registering the build of the client application with the server for download by the one or more client devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the creating one or more custom classes includes adding a field extension to a field in the editor, the field defining an object described in the central repository database.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the adding a field extension includes selecting a field extension tab from a detail screen for the object described in the central repository database.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising creating an adapter extension class in an integrated development environment.

11. A user device comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a client application, stored in the memory, and executable by the processor to load the definition, load one or more classes defined in a central repository database of a server, determine that one or more custom classes not defined in the central repository database are contained in the definition, validate the one or more custom classes by ensuring that they contain one or more preset functions, and load the one or more custom classes into the client application, thereby overriding or extending at least one of the one or more classes defined in the central repository database.

12. The user device of claim 11, wherein the one or more custom classes define one or more custom controls for a user interface operating in the client application.

13. The user device of claim 11, wherein the method is performed subsequent to the user device starting the client application but prior to the client application communicating with a server.

14. The user device of claim 11, wherein the one or more classes define a user interface artifact operating in the client application.

15. The user device of claim 14, wherein the user interface artifact comprises one or more graphic elements.

16. The user device of claim 14, wherein the user interface artifact includes one or more images displayed upon startup of the client application.

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 operations comprising:

loading a definition into a client application for execution on a user device,

loading one or more classes defined in a central repository database of a server into the client application;

determining that one or more custom classes not defined in the central repository database are contained in the definition;

validating the one or more custom classes by ensuring that they contain one or more preset functions; and

loading the one or more custom classes into the client application, thereby overriding or extending at least one of the one or more classes defined in the central repository database.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more custom classes define one or more custom controls for a user interface operating in the client application.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the method is performed subsequent to the user device starting the client application but prior to the client application communicating with a server.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more classes define a user interface artifact operating in the client application.