Method of transferring programs from action oriented GUI paradigm to object oriented GUI paradigm

• US 5,384,911 A
• Filed: 05/10/1994
• Issued: 01/24/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bloomfield, Marc A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, CLIFF N
• Application Number:
  US08/240,398
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• Field of Search: 395/144, 395/145, 395/157, 395/159, 395/160, 395/161, 395/155
• US Class Current: 715/746
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Programs written for an action oriented graphic user interface are transferred to an object oriented graphic user interface. Upon installation of a program the data file types cognizable to the program are recovered from an association table for the program. A template is generated for each data file type and an icon is set on each template. Each template is then placed into an associated templates folder.

Claims

1. A method of transferring an action paradigm program written for an action oriented graphic user interface to an object oriented graphic user interface comprising the steps of:

supporting association tables with extended attributes for application programs and other objects through a high performance file system;

recovering data file types cognizable to the action paradigm program from an association table for the action paradigm program;

generating a template for each data file type;

setting an inchoate document icon on each template;

placing each template into an associated templates folder;

for each data file type having an inchoate document icon in the object oriented graphic user interface, selecting applications for a displayable menu of applications usable with the data file type; and

responsive to user selection on an inchoate document icon, creating a data file.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, and further comprising the step of:

suppressing display of any icon representing the action paradigm program.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2, and further comprising the steps of:

prior to setting the inchoate document icon on each template, determining if the association table for a program specifies an icon for each cognizable data file type;

if the determination is affirmative, using the specified icons in the setting step; and

if the determination is negative, using a default icon in the setting step.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3, and further comprising:

after installation of a program on a data processing system, determining if the program has an association table with extended attributes supporting an action paradigm user interface; and

if the determination is affirmative, executing the method on the program.

5. A method as set forth in claim 3, and further comprising:

upon installation of the method on a data processing system, executing the method on all action paradigm programs previously installed on the data processing system.

6. A data processing system for transferring programs written for an action oriented graphic user interface to an object oriented graphic user interface comprising:

an object oriented graphic user interface;

a high performance file system for supporting association tables for programs installed on the data processing system;

means for recovering data file types cognizable to an action paradigm program from an association table for the action paradigm program;

means for generating a template for each data file type;

means for setting an icon on each template; and

means for placing each template into an associated templates folder;

means for selecting applications for a displayable menu of applications usable with each data file type having an icon in the object oriented graphic user interface; and

means responsive to selection on an icon for generating a data file.

7. A data processing system as set forth in claim 6, and further comprising:

means for determining if the association table for a program specifies an icon for each cognizable data file type;

means responsive to an affirmative determination of presence of specified icons for passing the specified icons to the means for setting; and

means responsive to a negative determination of presence of specified icons for passing a default icon in the means for setting.

8. A data processing system as set forth in claim 7, and further comprising:

means responsive to installation of a program on the data processing system for determining if the program has an association table with extended attributes supporting an action paradigm user interface.