Data system processing and method for creating application extension

• US 6,085,120 A
• Filed: 11/17/1997
• Issued: 07/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schwerdtfeger, Richard Scott, Weiss, Lawrence Frank, Thatcher, James Winthrop
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Paul P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CABRERA, ZOILA E
• Application Number:
  US08/971,256
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 700/86, 700/87, 700/90, 713/100, 713/1, 713/2
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons

Abstract

A data processing system and method provide an extension to an application that is programmable and is written in the native language of the application. During operation and execution of the data processing system and method, the application extension is loaded when an associated Java Virtual Machine is initialized.

Claims

1. A method for operating an application in a computer system, comprising the steps of:

initializing execution of an application manager;

initializing execution of a first application extension under control of the application manager;

selectively initializing execution of the first application extension to modify a behavior of the application, wherein the first application extension is developed using a preselected set of characteristics.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preselected set of characteristics comprises a Java application extension toolkit.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first application extension has a same signature as a managed application extension for the Java application extension toolkit.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

accessing a preselected file to determine when the first application extension is to be executed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the preselected file is a file accessible and readable by a Java application.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

loading the application extension manager to a Java virtual machine when the application extension manager toolkit is identified in an abstract windows properties file accessed by the Java virtual machine.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a class.forName function is utilized to enable the Java virtual machine to load the first application extension.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

providing a first request from the application extension manager to a Java virtual machine to load the first application extension.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein an occurrence at an application event performed by the application causes the selected execution of the first application extension.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

enabling the first application extension to indicate at least one event to be monitored for the application; and

enabling the first application extension to use a Java extension toolkit to request the at least one event be monitored.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of application events;

serializing each of the plurality of application events; and

selectively initializing execution of at least one of a plurality of application extensions in response to a corresponding one of the plurality of application events.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein execution of each of the plurality of application extensions is serialized to correspond to at least one of the plurality of application events.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application extension modifies the behavior of the application to be accessible to a user having a disability.

14. A method for operating a communication system controlled by an interpreted programming language, comprising the steps of:

accessing a preselected file to determine when a first application extension is to be initialized;

enabling an application extension manager to determine when the first application extension is to be selectively executed; and

selectively executing the first application extension upon an occurrence of a first event.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the interpreted programming language comprises Java.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the preselected file is an abstract windows toolkit properties file.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein an application executes the first event.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein a Java virtual machine accesses the preselected file to determine when the application manager is to be initialized.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

identifying a request from the application manager; and

enabling the Java virtual machine to load the first application extension in response to the request.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the first application extension modifies the behavior of the application to be accessible to a user having a disability.

21. A computer system, comprising:

an input device;

an output device;

application manager for selectively monitoring execution of a first application for a first application event and for selectively indicating that an application extension should be executed, wherein the first application and the application extension are in an interpreted programming language;

a memory for storing a preselected file; and

virtual machine means for accessing the preselected file when the application manager indicates that the application extension should be executed, the virtual machine means being coupled to the memory for accessing the preselected file.

22. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the interpreted programming language comprises Java.

23. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the preselected file is an abstract windows toolkit properties file.

24. The computer system of claim 21, further comprising:

an application extension toolkit for generating a first set of software code for the first application and generating a second set of software code for the application extension.

25. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the virtual machine means uses the second set of software code to modify a behavior of the first application.

26. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the first application generates a plurality of application events.

27. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the application manager serializes each of the plurality of application events and the virtual machine means executes a plurality of corresponding application extensions serially in response to the plurality of application events.

28. The computer system of claim 21, wherein the application extension modifies the behavior of the first application to be accessible to a user having a disability.

29. A computer program product in a computer readable machine, comprising:

means for initializing execution of an application manager;

means for initializing execution of a first application extension under control of the application manager;

means for selectively initializing execution of the first application extension to modify a behavior of the application, wherein the first application extension is developed using a preselected set of characteristics.

30. The product of claim 29, wherein the preselected set of characteristics comprises a Java application extension toolkit.

31. The product of claim 29, further comprising the steps of:

means for accessing a preselected file to determine when the first application extension is to be executed, wherein the preselected file in an abstract windows toolkit properties file;

means for initializing execution of the application extension manager when the first application extension is to be executed; and

means for providing a first request from the application extension manager to a Java virtual machine to load the first application extension.

32. The product of claim 31, wherein a class.forName function is utilized to enable the Java virtual machine to load the first application extension.

33. The product of claim 29, wherein the first application extension indicates an application event to be monitored, wherein the application event is performed by the application, and wherein the first application extension is initialized upon an occurrence of the application event.

34. The product of claim 33, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of application events;

serializing each of the plurality of application events; and

selectively initializing execution of at least one of a plurality of application extensions in response to a corresponding one of the plurality of application events.

35. The product of claim 29, wherein the first application extension modifies the behavior of the application to be accessible to a user having a disability.

36. A computer program product in a computer readable medium, comprising:

means for accessing a preselected file to determine when a first application extension is to be initialized;

means for an enabling an application extension manager to determine when the first application extension is to be selectively executed;

means for selectively executing the first application extension upon an occurrence of a first event;

means for identifying a request from the application extension manager; and

means for loading the first application extension to a virtual machine device in response to the request.

37. The product of claim 36, wherein the interpreted programming language comprises Java.

38. The product of claim 36, wherein the preselected file is an abstract windows toolkit properties file.

39. The product of claim 36, wherein the first application extension modifies the behavior of an application to be accessible to a user having a disability.