VISUAL PROGRAM SPECIFICATION AND COMPILATION OF GRAPH-BASED COMPUTATION

• US 20160342396A1
• Filed: 05/19/2016
• Published: 11/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ab Initio Technology LLC (Ab Initio Software Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AB Lnitio Technology LLC
• Inventors: Kukolich, Stephen A., Ting, Denise
• Application Number:
  US15/158,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20160342396A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/41 Compilation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45508 Runtime interpretation or emulation, e g. emulator loops, bytecode interpretation

Abstract

Graph-based computation includes accepting specification information for the graph-based computation, the specification information including a plurality of graph elements, and providing a visual representation of the specification information to a user. A visual representation of a plurality of groups of the graph elements is determined based on the accepted specification information, including determining a spatial extent of a spatial region for at least a first group of the plurality of groups based at least in part on a spatial extent of each of a plurality of graph elements. A visual representation of spatial regions for the plurality of groups is presented in conjunction with the visual representation of the specification information, the visual representation of each spatial region including visual representations of at least some of the graph elements in the group corresponding to that spatial region.

Claims

1. A method for graph-based computation, the method including:

accepting specification information for the graph-based computation, the specification information including a plurality of graph elements, and providing a visual representation of the specification information to a user;

determining, on a first computation system, a visual representation of a plurality of groups of the graph elements based on the accepted specification information, including determining a spatial extent of a spatial region for at least a first group of the plurality of groups based at least in part on a spatial extent of each of a plurality of graph elements; and

providing a visual representation of spatial regions for the plurality of groups to the user in conjunction with the visual representation of the specification information, the visual representation of each spatial region including visual representations of at least some of the graph elements in the group corresponding to that spatial region.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a visual representation of the spatial region for the first group is contained within a visual representation of a spatial region for a second group of the plurality of groups, according to a nesting of the first group of graph elements within the second group of graph elements, where (1) the first group of graph elements is a subset of fewer than all graph elements in the first group of graph elements, and (2) each graph element in the first group of graph elements is directly connected at least one other graph element in the first group of graph elements within the graph-based computation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the visual representation of the plurality of groups includes processing the accepted specification information to form the plurality of groups.

4. The method of claim 3 further including

causing an execution of graph-based computation on a second computation system to be consistent with the formed plurality of groups.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein causing execution of the graph-based to be consistent with the formed groups includes forming an executable representation of the graph-based computation from the specification information and the formed groups.

6. The method of claim 3 further including

forming a runtime specification of the graph-based computation according to the formed plurality of groups, for controlling an execution of graph-based computation on a second computation system.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the specification information for the graph-based computation includes a specification of the plurality of graph elements, the specification of each graph element including a location of a visual representation of the graph element in a visual representation of the graph-based computation.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the visual representation of plurality of groups of the graph elements includes:

forming a first characterization of a candidate set of outlines enclosing the spatial regions for the groups; and

determining a second characterization of a final set of outlines enclosing the spatial regions for the groups from the first characterization.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein forming the first characterization includes forming a tessellation of at least a part of the visual representation surrounding the graph elements.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein forming the first characterization includes identifying intersections of edges of tiles of the tessellation and the set of outlines.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein determining the second characterization includes modifying the intersections.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein modifying the intersections includes constraining the modified intersections according to separation limits between outlines or between outlines and graph elements.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein determining the second characterization further includes smoothing and outline formed by joining the intersections.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the graph elements form a partially ordered set, and forming the first characterization includes determining a number of outlines separating pairs of graph elements according to the partial ordering.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein forming the first characterization includes determining intersections of lines between visual representations of graph elements and the set of outlines according to the number of outlines separating the graph elements.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein determining the second characterization of a final set of outlines includes reducing a length of each of the candidate set of outlines to form the final set of outlines.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein reducing the length is constrained by separation limits between outlines or between outlines and visual representations of graph elements.

18. The method of claim 8 wherein at least some spatial region for a group of graph elements includes a disconnected spatial region.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the graph elements in the plurality of graph elements includes nodes in a graph that includes nodes interconnected by links.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein each of one or more the graph elements in the plurality of graph elements represents a computation step within the graph-based computation.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the visual representation of each spatial region includes visual representations of at least some of the graph elements in the group corresponding to that spatial region.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the spatial extent of the spatial region for the first group is specified by an outline enclosing the spatial region for the first group.

23. Software stored in a non-transitory form on a computer-readable medium, for graph-based computation, the software including instructions for causing a computation system to:

accept specification information for the graph-based computation, the specification information including a plurality of graph elements, and provide a visual representation of the specification information to a user;

determine a visual representation of a plurality of groups of the graph elements based on the accepted specification information, including determining a spatial extent of a spatial region for at least a first group of the plurality of groups based at least in part on a spatial extent of each of a plurality of graph elements; and

provide a visual representation of spatial regions for the plurality of groups to the user in conjunction with the visual representation of the specification information, the visual representation of each spatial region including visual representations of at least some of the graph elements in the group corresponding to that spatial region.

24. A computation system for graph-based computation, the computation system including:

an input device or port configured to accept specification information for the graph-based computation, the specification information including a plurality of graph elements,

an output device or port configured to provide a visual representation of the specification information to a user; and

at least one processor configured to determine a visual representation of a plurality of groups of the graph elements based on the accepted specification information, including determining a spatial extent of a spatial region for at least a first group of the plurality of groups based at least in part on a spatial extent of each of a plurality of graph elements;

wherein a visual representation of spatial regions for the plurality of groups is provided to the user in conjunction with the visual representation of the specification information, the visual representation of each spatial region including visual representations of at least some of the graph elements in the group corresponding to that spatial region.