Method and apparatus for integrating applications in a graphical user interface environment with a rules database

• US 5,551,030 A
• Filed: 05/02/1995
• Issued: 08/27/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Reinke, Jon D., Schmuck, Frank B., Linden, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Amsbury, Wayne
• Application Number:
  US08/437,115
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for integrating application programs and objects of the application programs in an integrated graphical user interface processing environment, such as a windows environment. The method and apparatus facilitate the integration without requiring modifications of the application program software, and without requiring that the application programs conform to any particular communication protocol. When a command input, such as a mouse click by a user in a windows environment, indicates that an object from one application is to be dropped onto a window in which another application is running, the properties of the window and the attributes of the object are used to search a rule database to identify a rule which is applicable to these particular types of object and application. The rule contains an action clause, which specifies various actions which are to be executed automatically, to invoke a desired operation by or related to the application program on the object. The action clause may include window event generating actions for simulating user input that invokes the desired operation by the application program, or actions that reference an external command file whose execution performs a desired operation related to the application program.

Claims

1. A processing system comprising:

means for supporting a plurality of application programs and objects thereof, the objects having a first plurality of respective properties, the means for supporting including means for supporting the application programs according to a second plurality of respective properties thereof; and

a rule database including a plurality of rules for integrating the application programs and objects thereof, each of the rules including means for identifying the properties of one of the application programs and one of the objects thereof to which the rule applies, and means for invoking a desired operation by the one of the application programs, whose property is identified therein, on the one of the objects whose property is identified therein, the property of the one of the objects being incompatible with the property of the one of the application programs, the rule which applies to the one of the objects facilitating invocation of the desired operation.

2. A processing system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the rules includes a selection clause which specifies the properties of the one of the objects and the one of the application programs in terms of keywords.

3. A processing system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the rules includes an action clause which specifies an action to be taken by the processing system for invoking the desired operation by the application program whose property is identified therein in terms of keywords.

4. A processing system as recited in claim 3, wherein the action clause includes means for specifying an event generating action for invoking the desired operation related to the one of the application programs.

5. A processing system as recited in claim 3, wherein the action clause includes an identification of an external program to be executed for performing a desired operation related to the one of the application programs.

6. A processing system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means, operable responsive to an input command, for operating on an object of a first one of the application programs by a second one of the application programs, the means for identifying including means, operable responsive to the input command, for identifying a rule in the rule database including means for identifying the properties of the ones of the objects and the application programs.

7. A processing system as recited in claim 6, wherein the means for operating includes a windows server and a windows user input mechanism.

8. A method for integrating application programs into an integrated graphical user interface (GUI) processing environment, without requiring the application programs to be modified, the GUI processing environment being coupled to a store of a plurality of rules where at least one rule specifies an action to be carried out by an application program, such that a desired operation on a selected object in a first application program having a first property is operated upon by a second application program having a second property, wherein the first property defines a first protocol and a first interface, and the second property defines a second protocol and a second interface, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a rule from the plurality of rules that corresponds to the first property and the second property, wherein the rule specifies an action to be carried out by the second application program in order to invoke the desired operation on the selected object in the first application program; and

performing the action specified in the selected rule, thereby invoking the desired operation on the selected object.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the message that the object in the first application program has been selected for the desired operation is sent from a windows server, the command including a window event.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the message includes window events which make up a drag and drop operation of a symbol representing the object onto a window created by the second application program.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein:

each rule includes a selection clause which specifies properties of respective objects and windows through the use of keywords; and

the step of selecting a rule includes finding a rule in the store of the plurality of rules having a selection clause whose keywords specify the first and second properties.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the rule selected in the step of selecting a rule includes an action clause for executing a sequence of actions which invokes a desired operation by the second application program; and

the method further comprises the step of executing the sequence of actions as per the action clause.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein:

the action clause includes a keyword which specifies the sequence of actions; and

the step of executing includes executing the sequence of actions specified by the keyword.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the keyword includes a specification of an event generating action for invoking the desired operation by the second application program; and

the step of simulating includes sending an event to the second application program as per the event generating action specified by the keyword.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the keyword includes an identification of an external program to be executed for performing a desired operation related to the second application program; and

the step of simulating includes executing the external program.

16. A computer program product, for causing computer implemented actions to occur in a computer processing system, the computer implemented actions enabling integration between a plurality of application programs and objects thereof, the application programs and objects having respective properties, the application programs and objects being supported by the processing system, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for directing the processing system to maintain a rule database containing a plurality of rules for integrating the application programs and objects thereof, each of the rules including means for identifying one of the application programs and one of the objects thereof to which the rule applies and means for directing the processing system to invoke a desired operation by the one of the application programs, whose property is identified therein, on the one of the objects whose property is identified therein, the property of the one of the objects being incompatible with the property of the one of the application programs, the rule which applies to the one of the objects facilitating invocation of the desired operation.

17. A computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein the means for directing to maintain includes means, recorded on the recording medium, for directing the processing system to maintain the rule database such that each of the rules includes a selection clause which specifies the properties of the one of the objects and the one of the application programs in terms of keywords.

18. A computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein the means for directing to maintain includes means, recorded on the recording medium, for directing the processing system to maintain the rule database such that each of the rules includes an action clause which specifies an action to be taken by the processing system for invoking the desired operation by the application program whose property is identified therein in terms of keywords.

19. A computer program product as recited in claim 18, wherein the means for directing to maintain includes means, recorded on the recording medium, for directing the processing system to maintain the rule database such that each of the rules includes an action clause which includes means for specifying an event generating action for invoking the desired operation by the one of the application programs.

20. A computer program product as recited in claim 18, wherein the means for directing to maintain includes means, recorded on the recording medium, for directing the processing system to maintain the rule database such that each of the rules includes an action clause which includes an identification of an external program to be executed for performing a desired operation related to the one of the application programs.

21. A computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein the means for directing to maintain includes means, recorded on the recording medium, for directing the processing system, in response to an input command, to operate on an object of a first one of the application programs by a second one of the application programs, the means for directing to identify including means, recorded on the recording medium, for directing the processing system, responsive to the input command, to identify a rule in the rule database which includes means for identifying the properties of the ones of the objects and the application programs.

22. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the processing system includes a windows server, and a windows user input mechanism, and the means for directing to operate includes means, recorded on the recording medium, for directing the processing system, in response to the input command, to identify the command as a window event.