System for controlling functions of a target application using controllable objects

• US 5,815,712 A
• Filed: 07/18/1997
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamilton, Graham, Lewis, Brian T., Bristor, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emmanuel Todd
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Application Number:
  US08/897,055
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 395/701, 395/702, 395/703, 395/333, 395/680, 395/683, 345/333, 345/335, 345/334
• US Class Current: 717/125
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

A system for providing a user or agent control over functions defined by an object in a target application. The object is a new type of object called a controllable object, which publishes its functions and for use by a control application. When the target application execution is commenced, it generates predefined controllable objects, and then execution of the control application is commenced. The control application obtains a handle on the controllable object, and then is able to set any of a number of predefined values in the controllable object, such as individual variables or parameters, ranges of values, a list of choices from which the user can select, and others. In this way, the user can manipulate, test and optimize the target application even during its execution, by virtue of the pre-programmed controllable object functions. With a standard data structure for the data items involved and a standard controllable object set of functions, a generic control program can be used to interact with any new target application utilizing the standards, and the target application and control program do not need any other information about one another in advance, providing portable test interaction with any target application using a single control application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling predefined attributes of an application stored in a memory and executed by a processor coupled to the memory, including the steps of:

(1) generating a controllable object by executing code in the application, the controllable object including at least one control having a control name and a control value and further including at least a first object function for getting said at least one control and a second object function for setting said at least one control; and

(2) executing a predefined control program separate from the application, including the steps of;

(2.1) establishing a communications link with the controllable object by interrogating a name registry to obtain an object reference and interrogating a type information registry, which lists objects of the application which are controllable, to obtain a type of the obtained object reference;

(2.2) invoking the first object function on the controllable object to retrieve a list including said at least one control;

(2.3) invoking the second object function on the controllable object based upon a user-determined input; and

(2.4) setting an internal state of the controllable object based upon said user-determined input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one control includes an action to be taken by the controllable object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one control includes a value set by the user for use by the controllable object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one control includes a plurality of choices presented to the user for selection of one choice to be communicated to the controllable object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one control includes a range of values to be communicated to the controllable object.

6. A controllable object which is controllable in a computer system having a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including an application executable by the processor, the controllable object being created by code in the application and stored in the memory in conjunction with the application and including:

at least one predefined control including a name and a value;

a first object function for providing a controls list including said at least one predefined control to a control program executable on said processor, said processor including a name registry storing object names and a type information registry which lists objects of the application which are controllable, and said control program being separate from the application, said control program using said name registry and said type information registry to communicate with the controllable object; and

a second object function for receiving a name and at least one setting from said control program, for setting an internal state of a predefined control corresponding to the received name based upon a value of said setting.

7. A method for controlling a target application including a controllable object comprising at least one object control having a control name and a control value, the target application being executable by a processor of a computer system, the computer system having a memory coupled to the processor and storing said application, a user output device coupled to the microprocessor and a user input device coupled to the microprocessor, the method being executed by a control program stored in said memory separate from the target application and executed on said processor, the method including the steps of:

(1) establishing a communications link with the controllable object by interrogating a name registry to obtain an object reference and interrogating a type information registry, which lists objects of the application which are controllable, to obtain a type of the obtained object reference;

(2) acquiring a control value of one of the at least one object control;

(3) outputting to the user output device a representation of the acquired value;

(4) receiving user input of a change to the acquired value;

(5) sending the change to the acquired value to the controllable object; and

(6) changing the control value in accordance with the change to the acquired value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein step 1 is carried out by executing a control function of the controllable object.

9. The method of claim 8, including, before step 3, the step of providing the user with a plurality of choices of values with one value to be selected, wherein step 3 includes the step of receiving the user'"'"'s selection of said one value.

10. A system for executing predefined functions of a target application executable on a processor of a computer and stored in a memory coupled to the processor, the computer having an input device and an output device coupled to the processor, the system comprising:

a control program stored in said memory and executable by said processor;

a predefined controllable object of said target application including at least one predefined control, a first object function for providing a list of controls of said controllable object to said control program, and a second object function for receiving names of said controls and input values from said control program;

a name registry having a list of object references;

a type information registry which lists objects of the application which are controllable;

said control program being separate from said target application and including instructions for establishing a communications link with the controllable object by interrogating the name registry to obtain an object reference and interrogating the type information registry to obtain a type of the obtained object reference, instructions for displaying on the output device said list of controls, and further including instructions for receiving a user input via the input device, the user input comprising said input values, the control program further including instructions for transmitting said names of the controls and input values to said controllable object;

wherein the second object function includes instructions for altering values identified by said names for executing the target application in accordance with said altered values.