ADAPTIVE INTERFACE FOR CROSS-PLATFORM COMPONENT GENERATION

• US 20160034276A1
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: WEBB, Peter Hartwell
• Granted Patent: US 9,983,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/125 by manipulating the program code, e.g. source code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6281 at program execution time, where the protection is within the operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/76 Adapting program code to run in a different environment; Porting

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments provide adapted components that may be used by a computer program under different execution contexts. The adapted components may include platform independent source code which may be executed regardless of the execution context in which the component is deployed. Adaptation logic may wrap the execution context independent component in a wrapper. The wrapper may perform data marshaling between the execution context independent component and a computer program invoking the execution context independent component, or the host system on which the computer program is deployed. The execution context independent component may be adapted to a new execution context dynamically the first time that the execution context independent component is invoked in the execution context. Thereafter, the execution context independent component may be invoked statically without the need to re-adapt the component.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive a component request, the component request specifying;

a requested component, the requested component being executable, and

an execution context, the execution context comprising;

an attribute that relates to circumstances under which the requested component is executed;

process the received component request;

generate an adapted component based on the received component request, the adapted component;

being compatible with the execution context, and

implementing the requested component; and

execute the adapted component on behalf of a requesting entity.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the component is executed as a part of a simulation.

3. The medium of claim 1, wherein the component request further specifies a type or order for at least one input to the requested component.

4. The medium of claim 1, wherein the requested component is not compatible with the execution context prior to being adapted.

5. The medium of claim 1, further storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

dynamically generate the adapted component when the component request is received.

6. The medium of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the execution context comprises at least one of:

a programming language,

a target architecture,

a host platform, and

an execution model

7. The medium of claim 6, wherein the adapted component is a host-platform-specific wrapper that calls execution context independent code, the execution context independent code implementing the requested component.

8. The medium of claim 7, wherein the host-platform-specific wrapper is identified by a wrapper name, and the wrapper name corresponds to a name for the requested component.

9. The medium of claim 1, wherein the adapted component performs data marshaling for the requested component.

10. The medium of claim 1, wherein generating the response comprises:

generating the adapted component.

11. The medium of claim 1, further storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

retrieve the adapted component from a library.

12. The medium of claim 1, further storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

analyze the component request,

determine one or more dependent functions called by the requested component, the determining based at least in part on the analyzing,

acquire the one or more dependent functions, and

adapt the one or more dependent functions to the execution context of the adapted component so that the requested component may invoke the one or more dependent functions.

13. The medium of claim 1,

wherein the component request further specifies one or more local components, the one or more local components present on a local machine of the requesting entity, and

wherein generating the response to the component request comprises:

analyzing the one or more local components,

identifying a missing component, the missing component used by the requested component but not present on the local machine,

retrieving the missing component from an external component library, and

adding the missing component to the adapted component.

14. The medium of claim 1, further storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive authentication from the requesting entity, and

generate or execute the adapted component only if the entity is authorized to access the requested component in the execution context specified in the component request.

15. The medium of claim 1, wherein the adapted component contains licensing metadata specifying a permitted entity, the permitted entity being allowed to use the adapted component.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein the licensing metadata further specifies at least one of:

a usage limit, a supported architecture, a type of interface generated for the adapted component, information for debugging the adapted component, a valid execution model for the adapted component, information relating to viewing or modifying source code for the adapted component, and a supported environment for the adapted component.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, using one or more processors, a component request for a component, the component request specifying;

a programming language, and

a requested unit of functionality;

processing, using the one or more processors, the component request;

generating, using one or more processors, a response to the component request, the response comprising an adapted component, the adapted component;

being compatible with the programming language, and

implementing the requested unit of functionality; and

forwarding the adapted component to a requesting entity.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

dynamically generating the adapted component when the component request is received.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the component request further specifies a host platform of the requesting entity, the host platform describing one or more system parameters of the requesting entity, and the adapted component is further compatible with the host platform.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the adapted component is a host-platform-specific wrapper that calls platform independent code implementing the requested component.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the host-platform-specific wrapper is identified by a wrapper name, and the wrapper name corresponds to a name of the requested unit of functionality.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

generating the adapted component.

23. A system comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium storing;

a library of execution context independent components; and

one or more processors configured to;

process a component request, the component request specifying;

a programming language, and

a requested unit of functionality;

identify a target component in the library, the target component compatible with the component request;

generate a response to the component request, the response comprising an adapted component, the adapted component;

being generated from the target component,

being compatible with the programming language, and

implementing the requested unit of functionality; and

forward the adapted component to a requesting entity.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

generate an interface query specifying;

an execution context,

an identity of a requestor,

a requested interface, and

requested component-based functionality for the requested interface to access;

forward the query to an interface request broker; and

receive a response from the interface request broker, the response specifying whether the interface is available.

25. The medium of claim 24, wherein the execution context specifies input information for the function or output information for the function, the input information comprising:

a maximum number of available inputs, or

a restriction on a type of an input;

or

the output information comprising;

a maximum number of available outputs,

a restriction on a type of an output, or

a specification of the type the output.

26. The medium of claim 24, further storing instructions for:

requesting the interface from the interface request broker if the response specifies that the interface is available.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

identify one or more parameters related to a target system, the one or more parameters comprising;

an identification of a programming language,

a requested unit of functionality, and

a type or an order for at least one input to the requested unit of functionality; and

generate an adapted component, the adapted component;

being compatible with the programming language, and

implementing requested unit of functionality.

28. The medium of claim 27, wherein the one or more parameters comprise an identifier of a host platform of the requesting entity, the host platform describing one or more system parameters of the requesting entity, and the adapted component is further compatible with the host platform.

29. The medium of claim 28, wherein generating the adapted component comprises:

identifying platform independent code implementing the requested unit of functionality; and

generating an execution-context-specific-wrapper, the host-platform-specific wrapper calling the platform independent code.

30. The medium of claim 29, wherein the host-platform-specific wrapper is identified by a wrapper name, and the wrapper name corresponds to a name of the requested unit of functionality.

31. The medium of claim 27, further storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

analyze the component request to determine one or more dependent functions called by the requested unit of functionality,

acquire the one or more dependent functions, and

adapting the one or more dependent functions to the execution context of the adapted component

32. The medium of claim 27,

wherein the parameters further comprise one or more components that are present on a local machine of the requesting entity, and

wherein generating the adapted component comprises:

analyzing the one or more components that are present on the local machine,

identifying one or more missing components that are used by the requested unit of functionality but not present on the local machine, and

adapting the missing components to the execution context of the adapted component.

33. The medium of claim 27, further storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

request authentication from the requesting entity, and

forward the adapted component to the requesting entity if the requesting entity is authorized to access the requested unit of functionality.

34. The medium of claim 27, wherein the adapted component comprises licensing metadata specifying an entity that is permitted to use the adapted component.

35. The medium of claim 34, wherein the licensing metadata further specifies at last one of a usage limit, a supported operating system, and a supported platform for the adapted component.

36. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

process a component request from a requesting entity, the component request specifying;

a requested unit of functionality, and

a type or an order for at least one input to the requested unit of functionality;

identifying a host-platform-specific component that implements the requested unit of functionality;

generate, from the host-platform-specific component, a platform independent adapted component that implements the requested unit of functionality;

generate a response to the component request, the response comprising the adapted component; and

provide the adapted component to the requesting entity.

37. The medium of claim 36, further comprising instructions that cause the one or more processors to:

determine whether the requesting entity is authorized to access the requested unit of functionality.