Code generator for applications in distributed object systems

• US 5,860,004 A
• Filed: 07/03/1996
• Issued: 01/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Muller, Hans E., Fowlow, Brad G., Nuyens, Gregory B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOHAMED, AYNI Y
• Application Number:
  US08/674,828
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 395/701, 395/705, 395/707
• US Class Current: 717/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548

Abstract

A technique for automating the assembly of networked, language independent objects into a network application for use in a distributed object computing system uses program templates and a symbol table. A schematic representation of the network application is formed within a visual application builder. The schematic representation defines connections among representations of previously defined distributed objects. These connections are formed among parts, plugs and sockets that are associated with representations of distributed objects termed components. The schematic representation of the network application is loaded into a symbol table and portions of the schematic representation are stored as a number of entries in the symbol table. These entries include identifier-value pairs; that is, identifiers are mapped to values. The program source files to be generated are determined and the program templates for use in generating the program source file are also determined. The program templates include identifiers that correspond to the entries in the symbol table. The program templates are combined with the symbol table to generate at least one program source file. Identifiers in the templates are replaced with the corresponding values from the symbol table. The program source file is suitable for being compiled and linked to form a portion of the network application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of automating the assembly of networked, language independent objects into a network application for use in a distributed object computing system, the method comprising:

receiving a schematic representation of said network application, said schematic representation defining a plurality of links among representations of distributed objects;

loading said schematic representation of said network application into a symbol table and storing portions of said schematic representation as a plurality of entries in said symbol table;

determining at least one program source file to be generated;

determining at least one corresponding program template for use in generating said program source file, said program template including references to said plurality of entries in said symbol table; and

combining said plurality of entries in said symbol table with said at least one corresponding program template to generate thereby said at least one program source file, said program source file suitable for being compiled to form a portion of said network application.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said schematic representation of said network application has been formed within a visual application builder and is arranged to represent one of a client object and a server object.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein said plurality of links among representations of distributed objects are formed by a combination of elements including parts, plugs and sockets.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said element of loading said schematic representation includes loading parts, plugs and sockets of said schematic representation.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein each one of said plurality of entries in said symbol table includes an identifier that maps into a corresponding value, and said element of combining said plurality of entries is operative to replace said references to said identifiers in said program template with corresponding values from said symbol table.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further including:

requesting that said at least one program source file be compiled to form a portion of said network application.

7. A computer-implemented method of automating the assembly of networked, language independent objects into a network application for use in a distributed object computing system, the method comprising:

creating a schematic representation of said network application within a visual application builder, said schematic representation arranged to represent one of a client object and a server object, said schematic representation defining a plurality of links among representations of distributed objects;

loading said schematic representation of said network application into a symbol table and storing portions of said schematic representation as a plurality of entries in said symbol table;

determining at least one program source file to be generated;

determining at least one corresponding program template for use in generating said program source file, said program template including references to said plurality of entries in said symbol table; and

combining said plurality of entries in said symbol table with said at least one corresponding program template to generate thereby said at least one program source file, said program source file suitable for being compiled to form a portion of said network application.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein said plurality of links among representations of distributed objects are formed by a combination of elements including parts, plugs and sockets.

9. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein said element of loading said schematic representation includes loading said elements of said schematic representation.

10. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein each one of said plurality of entries in said symbol table includes an identifier that maps into a corresponding value, and said element of combining said plurality of entries is operative to replace said references to said identifiers in said program template with corresponding values from said symbol table.

11. A method as recited in claim 7 further including:

requesting that said at least one program source file be compiled to form a portion of said network application.

12. A computer-implemented method of loading a schematic representation of a network application into a symbol table thereby assisting in automating the assembly of networked, language independent objects into said network application for use in a distributed object computing system, said symbol table being arranged to map a plurality of identifiers to a corresponding plurality of values and said schematic representation including elements that are associated with identifiers that have values, said method comprising:

loading top-level symbols from the schematic representation into the symbol table such that identifiers associated with said top-level symbols are mapped to corresponding values;

loading parts from the schematic representation into the symbol table such that identifiers associated with said parts are mapped to corresponding values;

loading connections from the schematic representation into the symbol table such that identifiers associated with said connections are mapped to corresponding values;

loading file descriptors indicative of files used in the building of the schematic representation and indicative of program source files to generated;

loading plugs from the schematic representation into the symbol table such that identifiers associated with said plugs are mapped to corresponding values; and

loading sockets from the schematic representation into the symbol table such that identifiers associated with said sockets are mapped to corresponding values.

13. A computer apparatus for use in automating the assembly of networked, language independent objects into a network application for use in a distributed object computing system, the computer apparatus comprising:

a processing unit;

an input/output device coupled to said processing unit;

a storage device in communication with said processing unit;

means for receiving a schematic representation of said network application, said schematic representation defining a plurality of links among representations of distributed objects;

means for loading said schematic representation of said network application into a symbol table and storing portions of said schematic representation as a plurality of entries in said symbol table;

means for determining at least one program source file to be generated;

means for determining at least one corresponding program template for use in generating said program source file, said program template including references to said plurality of entries in said symbol table; and

means for combining said plurality of entries in said symbol table with said at least one corresponding program template to generate thereby said at least one program source file, said program source file suitable for being compiled to form a portion of said network application.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied thereon for automating the assembly of networked, language independent objects into a network application for use in a distributed object computing system, the computer program product comprising computer-readable program code for effecting the following within the computer system:

receiving a schematic representation of said network application, said schematic representation defining a plurality of links among representations of distributed objects;

loading said schematic representation of said network application into a symbol table and storing portions of said schematic representation as a plurality of entries in said symbol table;

determining at least one program source file to be generated;

determining at least one corresponding program template for use in generating said program source file, said program template including references to said plurality of entries in said symbol table; and

combining said plurality of entries in said symbol table with said at least one corresponding program template to generate thereby said at least one program source file, said program source file suitable for being compiled to form a portion of said network application.

15. A computer program product as recited in claim 14 wherein said schematic representation of said network application has been formed within a visual application builder and is arranged to represent one of a client object and a server object.

16. A computer program product as recited in claim 15 wherein said plurality of links among representations of distributed objects are formed by a combination of elements including parts, plugs and sockets.

17. A computer program product as recited in claim 14 wherein said element of loading said schematic representation includes loading parts, plugs and sockets of said schematic representation.

19. A method as recited in claim 14 further including requesting that said at least one program source file be compiled to form a portion of said network application.

20. A computer-implemented method of transmitting the computer-readable program code as recited in claim 14, the method comprising:

storing the program code onto a computer-usable medium;

receiving a request for the transmission of the program code; and

transmitting the program code over a network to a remote location on the network.

18. A computer program product as recited in claim wherein each one of said plurality of entries in said symbol table includes an identifier that maps into a corresponding value, and said element of combining said plurality of entries is operative to replace said references to said identifiers in said program template with corresponding values from said symbol table.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied thereon for automating the assembly of networked, language independent objects into a network application for use in a distributed object computing system, the computer program product comprising computer-readable program code for effecting the following steps! within the computer system:

creating a schematic representation of said network application within a visual application builder, said schematic representation arranged to represent one of a client object and a server object, said schematic representation defining a plurality of links among representations of distributed objects;

loading said schematic representation of said network application into a symbol table and storing portions of said schematic representation as a plurality of entries in said symbol table;

determining at least one program source file to be generated;

determining at least one corresponding program template for use in generating said program source file, said program template including references to said plurality of entries in said symbol table; and

combining said plurality of entries in said symbol table with said at least one corresponding program template to generate thereby said at least one program source file, said program source file suitable for being compiled to form a portion of said network application.

22. A computer program product as recited in claim 21 wherein said plurality of links among representations of distributed objects are formed by a combination of elements including parts, plugs and sockets.

23. A computer program product as recited in claim 22 wherein said element of loading said schematic representation includes loading said elements of said schematic representation.

24. A computer program product as recited in claim 21 wherein each one of said plurality of entries in said symbol table includes an identifier that maps into a corresponding value, and said element of combining said plurality of entries is operative to replace said references to said identifiers in said program template with corresponding values from said symbol table.

25. A method as recited in claim 21 further including:

requesting that said at least one program source file be compiled to form a portion of said network application.

26. A computer-implemented method of transmitting the computer-readable program code as recited in claim 21, the method comprising:

storing the program code onto a computer-usable medium;

receiving a request for the transmission of the program code; and

transmitting the program code over a network to a remote location on the network.

27. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied thereon for loading a schematic representation of a network application into a symbol table thereby assisting in automating the assembly of networked, language independent objects into said network application for use in a distributed object computing system, said symbol table being arranged to map a plurality of identifiers to a corresponding plurality of values and said schematic representation including elements that are associated with identifiers that have values, the computer program product comprising computer-readable program code for effecting the following within the computer system:

loading top-level symbols from the schematic representation into the symbol table such that identifiers associated with said top-level symbols are mapped to corresponding values;

loading parts from the schematic representation into the symbol table such that identifiers associated with said parts are mapped to corresponding values;

loading connections from the schematic representation into the symbol table such that identifiers associated with said connections are mapped to corresponding values;

loading file descriptors indicative of files used in the building of the schematic representation and indicative of program source files to generated;

loading plugs from the schematic representation into the symbol table such that identifiers associated with said plugs are mapped to corresponding values; and

loading sockets from the schematic representation into the symbol table such that identifiers associated with said sockets are mapped to corresponding values.

28. A computer-implemented method of transmitting the computer-readable program code as recited in claim 27, the method comprising:

storing the program code onto a computer-usable medium;

receiving a request for the transmission of the program code; and

transmitting the program code over a network to a remote location on the network.