VISUALIZATION FRAMEWORK FOR CUSTOMIZABLE TYPES IN A DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT

• US 20160274867A1
• Filed: 06/29/2015
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Strajan, George, Chen, Zhaoqi, Carraway, Devin, Narayanan, Suriya, Shah, Nitinkumar, Badawy, Robert, Beck, Ian, Kotapalle, Suresh Kumar Reddy, Kaminski, Tomasz
• Granted Patent: US 9,772,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A development system comprises, in one example, a customization component configured to detect user development inputs to develop elements of a computing system, the elements comprising types modeled in the computing system, a display system configured to generate user interface displays, and a visualization system configured to identify a set of customized elements, a set of non-customized elements, and a customization type for each of the customized elements. The visualization system comprises a display system controller configured to control the display system to generate an integrated view user interface display that visually distinguishes the set of customized elements from the set of non-customized elements and indicates the customization types for the customized elements.

Claims

1. A development system comprising:

a customization component configured to detect user development inputs to develop elements of a computing system, the elements comprising types modeled in the computing system;

a display system configured to generate user interface displays; and

a visualization system configured to identify a set of customized elements, a set of non-customized elements, and a customization type for each of the customized elements, the visualization system comprising a display system controller configured to control the display system to generate an integrated view user interface display that visually distinguishes the set of customized elements from the set of non-customized elements and indicates the customization types for the customized elements.

2. The development system of claim 1, wherein the set of customized elements comprise model elements that are customized over a plurality of customization layers, and the integrated view user interface display visually distinguishes a first model element from a second model element based on a type of customization made to each of the first and second model elements.

3. The development system of claim 2, wherein the user development inputs further develop the first model element, and the customization component is configured to restrict the development of the first model element based on the customization layer at which the first model element was added.

4. The development system of claim 2, wherein a customization removal user input is detected through the integrated view user interface display with respect to the first model element and, in response to the customization removal user input, the customization component removes one or more customizations from the first model element.

5. The development system of claim 2, wherein the set of customized elements comprise metadata elements, and the integrated view comprises different visual indicia for each of:

a metadata element having a property customized in one of the customization layers;

a metadata element added in one of the customization layers; and

a metadata element that has been re-parented in one of the customization layers.

6. The development system of claim 2, wherein the set of customized elements comprise code elements, and the integrated view comprises different visual indicia for each of:

a code element having a method added in one of the customization layers; and

a code element having a method customized in one of the customization layers.

7. The development system of claim 1, wherein the user development inputs are received through the integrated view.

8. The development system of claim 7, wherein the user development inputs change a method order for a given element in a code editor, and the customization component is configured to store the changed method order for subsequent presentation in the code editor.

9. The development system of claim 1, wherein the visualization system is configured to detect a view change user input and, in response to the view change user input, switch from the integrated view user interface display to a non-integrated view user interface display.

10. The development system of claim 9, wherein the user development inputs are received through the non-integrated view user interface display.

11. The development system of claim 9, wherein the view change user input defines filter criteria, and further comprising:

a filtering component configured to filter elements for display in the non-integrated view user interface display based on the filter criteria.

12. The development system of claim 11, wherein the non-integrated view user interface display displays the set of customized elements without one or more of the non-customized elements.

13. The development system of claim 12, wherein the non-integrated view user interface display displays only customized elements that have customization conflicts.

14. The development system of claim 1, and further comprising:

a conflict detection system configured to detect a given one of the customized elements that has a customization conflict, wherein the integrated view user interface display visually indicates the customization conflict; and

a conflict resolution system configured to resolve the customization conflict based on a detected conflict resolution user input.

15. A development system comprising:

a customization component configured to detect user development inputs to develop elements of a computing system;

a display system;

a customization conflict detection system configured to identify a given customized element having a plurality of different customization layers and to detect a customization conflict between the customization layers; and

a visualization system having a display system controller configured to control the display system to generate a user interface display that visually represents the given customized element and the detected customization conflict.

16. The development system of claim 15, wherein the display system controller is configured to control the display system to generate a customization conflict visualization user interface display that represents the customizations to the first customized element at each of the different customization layers.

17. The development system of claim 16, and further comprising:

a conflict resolution system configured to resolve the customization conflict based on a detected conflict resolution user input.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a set of base elements of a computing system and a set of customized elements, that have been customized from base elements of the computing system;

generating an integrated view user interface display, with user input mechanisms, that displays representations of the customized elements and the non-customized base elements;

detecting a user interaction with the user input mechanisms that defines a filtering criteria; and

generating a filtered view user interface display that displays representations of the customized elements based on the filtering criteria.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein generating the filtered view user interface display comprises switching from the integrated view user interface display to the filtered view user interface display by filtering one or more of the non-customized base elements.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein generating the filtered view user interface display comprises at least one of:

displaying only elements that have been customized;

or

displaying only elements that have customization conflicts.