Data processor that customizes program behavior by using a resource retrieval capability

• US 5,369,778 A
• Filed: 09/27/1993
• Issued: 11/29/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Wang Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Fitzgerald, Thomas, Walker, Susan, San Soucie, Marc, Surprenant, Carolyn E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Von Buhr, Maria N.
• Application Number:
  US08/127,981
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2, 364/419, 395/200, 395/275, 395/500, 395/600, 395/700, 395/800
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A data processing system based on an extensible set of typed data objects and a corresponding set of "object managers," each of which is a program for operating with the data stored in a corresponding type of object. The object managers in general support at least a standard set of operations. Any program can effect performance of these standard operations on objects of any type by making a particular request; in response to such a request, an object manager that is suitable for performing the requested operation on the specified type of data is identified and caused to perform the requested operation. A mechanism is provided for linking data from one object into another object. A catalog includes both information about objects and about links between objects. Data interchange services are provided for communicating data between objects of different types, using a set of standard data interchange formats. A facility is provided to permit two processes that are to cooperate in a data interchange operation to identify each other and to identify data formats they have in common. A facility is provided for managing shared data in units of data known as "resources". Customized versions of resources can be created and co-exist with standard versions of the resources. A resource retrieval function determines whether a customized or a standard resource is to be returned in response to each request for a resource.

Claims

1. A method for providing customized behavior of non-executing functions of a general purpose data processing system for performing a plurality of functions under control of a corresponding plurality of programs, comprising the steps of:

(A) providing a program having non-executing behavior that depends upon the content of a resource, wherein

the non-executing behavior of a program includes operations of the program which

(a) do not affect execution of the program, and

(b) do not affect operations of the data processing system in performing the operations under control of the program, and

the content of a resource is data which

(a) is used by the program, and

(b) does not affect the execution of the program,

(c) is not modified by the program using the resource, and

(d) does not affect the operations of the data processing system in performing operations under control of the program,

(B) providing an original version of the resource,

(C) creating a modified version of the resource,

(D) storing the modified version of the resource in a user profile associated with a user and containing information pertaining to the user in the data processing system, and when the resource is required by the program,

(E) the data processing system determining whether the resource is customizable,

(F) if the resource is customizable, the data processing system checking the user profile for a version of the required resource,

(G) if a version of such resource exists in the user profile, then the data processing system automatically providing to the program, and without intervention by the user of the program, the version of the resource from the user profile, otherwise the data processing system automatically providing to the program, and without intervention by the user of the program, the original version of the resource, wherein each version of a resource will control the non-executable behavior of a program independently of other versions of the resource.

2. A general purpose data processing system for performing a plurality of functions under control of a corresponding plurality of programs and providing customization of non-executing functions of the data processing system, comprising:

(A) a plurality of resources, including standard versions of resources,

(B) a plurality of programs, each having non-executing behavior that depends upon the content of at least one resource, wherein

the non-executing behavior of a program includes operations of the program which

(a) do not affect execution of the program, and

(b) do not affect operations of the data processing system in performing the operations under control of the program, and

the content of a resource is data which

(a) is used by the program, and

(b) does not affect the execution of the program,

(c) is not modified by the program using the resource, and

(d) does not affect the operations of the data processing system in performing operations under control of the program,

(C) resource customization means for creating customized versions of resources,

(D) user profile means for storing customized versions of resources with indications of users with which the customized resources are associated, each user profile being associated with a user and containing information pertaining to the user in the data processing system,

(E) retrieval means for receiving requests from the programs for the resources and in response thereto automatically providing resources to the programs, without intervention by the users of the programs, the version of any particular resource being provided to a requesting program depending upon determination by the retrieval means from a user profile, and without intervention by the users, of whether a customized version exists for a user of that requesting program, whereby a program, with the program itself distinguishing between users and without intervention by the users, will automatically behave in a customized way for a user for which an appropriate customized resource exists and will behave in a standard way for a user for which there is no appropriate customized resource and wherein each version of a resource will control the non-executable behavior of a program independently of other versions of the resource.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein resources customized for a particular user are stored in that user'"'"'s user profile.

4. A general purpose data processing system for performing a plurality of functions under control of a corresponding plurality of programs and providing customization of non-executing functions of the data processing system, comprising:

(A) retrieval means for storing and retrieving resources having a data portion and a header portion, each resource having in the header portion a resource identifier having a value by which a resource to be retrieved can be identified to the means for storing and retrieving, and optionally including a resource literal, wherein

the non-executing behavior of a program includes operations of the program which

(a) do not affect execution of the program,

(b) do not affect operations of the data processing system in performing the operations under control of the program, and

the content of a resource is data which

(a) is used by the program, and

(b) does not affect the execution of the program,

(c) is not modified by the program using the resource, and

(d) does not affect the operations of the data processing system in performing operations under control of the program,

(B) header generation means for using the retrieval means for storing and retrieving resources to access information in the header portion of the resources, when the resource includes a resource literal, and for producing program source code defining each resource literal to have the value of a corresponding resource identifier so that the source code for a program that includes the produced source code will refer to resources using the resource literals while an executable counterpart to the program that includes the produced source code will make resource requests using the resource identifiers,

and wherein

certain of the resources are customized for and associated with corresponding users of the programs and the resources associated with a user being stored in and associated with the user by means of a user profile associated with the user and wherein each version of a resource will control the non-executable behavior of a program independently of other versions of the resource.

5. The data processing system of claim 4 wherein resources are stored in resource files, and further comprising stripping means for producing a modified resource file by removing any resource literals in a pre-existing resource file.