Method and apparatus for generating transactions and a dialog flow manager

• US 6,115,711 A
• Filed: 03/20/1995
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sterling Software, Inc. (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: White, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US08/374,373
• Time in Patent Office: 1,996 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/101, 707/102, 707/104, 395/200.3, 395/200.31, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.57, 395/682
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/961 Associative
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method for generating distributed application architecture transactions includes providing menus to obtain names and relationships of variables for desired transaction and input data form from an application developer. The input data is stored At least one transaction definition table, information interchange panel and application procedure in binary form is constructed based on the input data. The binary form is link-edited into an executable transaction.

Claims

1. A method for generating distributed application architecture transactions, comprising:

providing menus to obtain names and relationships of variables for desired transaction in input data form from application developer;

storing said input data;

constructing at least one transaction definition table, information interchange panel and application procedure in binary form based on said input data; and

link-editing binary form into executable transaction.

2. The method for generating distributed application architecture transactions of claim 1, wherein said binary form is an object module.

3. The method for generating distributed application architecture transactions of claim 1, wherein said binary form is a load module.

4. A dialog flow manager for a transaction processor, comprising:

a panel input;

a mapping service to interpret said panel input into variables to be used to build panels;

a transaction processing subsystem;

an interface to said transaction processing system for communicating with said transaction processing system to get next input from user and send output to user;

a communicator between two heterogeneous machines;

a table containing pointers to maps, views, and application procedures; and

a translator which looks at said table to manage flow of input, output and procedure execution.

5. The dialog flow manager of claim 4, wherein said table of instructions also contains a table of logical terminal device characteristics.

6. A method for dialog flow management for translating data flow between a plurality of users, where at least one of said plurality of users is an application procedure, comprising:

(a) initializing fields within a transaction view by a dialog flow manager;

(b) receiving a formatted input data message bearing a header containing information;

(c) reading said header information;

(d) searching said header information for a destination system name to determine whether said formatted input data message is intended for local processing;

(e) if it is not intended for local processing, routing said formatted input data message to a system matching said destination system name as a remote processing request, which system then proceeds at step (f);

(f) or, if said destination system name matches local system name, then interpreting said formatted input data message based upon said header information;

(g) yielding control of dialog flow to a called map interpreter;

(h) obtaining input field information from said formatted input data message by said map interpreter;

(i) initializing of data fields in transaction view by said map interpreter;

(j) populating said transaction view initialized data fields with said obtained information by said map interpreter;

(k) relinquishing control of dialog flow to said dialog flow manager;

(l) forwarding said populated transaction view to a preselected application procedure for processing of said obtained information;

(m) returning said populated transaction view data fields containing processed data to said dialog flow manager;

(n) yielding control of dialog flow to said called map interpreter;

(o) placing said data fields containing processed data from said transaction view into data portions of a formatted output data message;

(p) building an output message header information onto said formatted output data message; and

(q) forwarding said output message bearing said output message header information to a preselected logical terminal.

7. The method for dialog flow management of claim 6, said step (b) of receiving a formatted input message bearing a header further comprising the steps of :

(r) determining whether said data input message is formatted;

(s) if said data input message is not formatted, formatting it into a data type according to application-supplied requirements available to said dialog manager; and

(t) if it is formatted, accepting said data input message.

8. A method for dialog flow management for data input from a logical terminal to process a requested transaction such that said requested transaction may be restarted after having been suspended, the steps comprising:

(a) initializing variables;

(b) receiving said data input;

(c) determining whether said data input is formatted;

(d) reading a first profile view;

(e) generating a new profile view based on selected portions of said data input;

(f) converting input from input view and profile view;

(g) interfacing with a data base management system;

(h) calling a necessary procedure for said requested transaction;

(i) processing said data from said input view and profile view;

(j) creating an output view;

(k) populating said output view with selected portions of said processed data;

(l) recording sufficient information in a second profile view to recreate said output view, wherein said second profile view replaces said first profile view;

(m) storing said second profile view on disk;

(n) transmitting said processed data in said populated output view to said logical terminal; and

(o) repeating steps (b) through (n) until no more data input is received.

9. A method for runtime dialog management between a plurality of users, where at least one of said users is an application procedure, and where at least one of said users is an original logical terminal, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an input from said original logical terminal;

(b) passing said received input to a dialog manager;

(c) translating said received input by the dialog manager into data type understood by said application procedure;

(d) forwarding said translated input to said application procedure;

(e) processing said translated input by said application procedure into processed data;

(f) forwarding said processed data to a said dialog manager;

(g) translating said processed data into data type understood by a logical terminal specified by said application procedure; and

(h) transmitting said processed data from said dialog manager to said specified logical terminal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of passing said received input to a dialog manager further comprises the steps of:

(i) routing said received input by a transaction processor; and

(j) communicating said received input to said dialog manager via a transaction processor interface.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of translating said received input further comprises the step of:

(k) converting external data representations for said received input into internal machine representations for the designated application procedure.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said processed data introduced in step (e) can be a request to the user for additional data, a request to another computer for cooperative processing, an output response to the user, or a calling for another transaction to be executed.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of translating said processed data further comprises the step of:

(l) converting internal machine representations for the designated application procedure into external data representations for said processed data.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of transmitting said processed data from said dialog manager to said specified logical terminal, further comprises the steps of:

(m) communicating said processed da ta to said transaction processor via said transaction processor interface;

(n) formatting said processed data in a form understandable by said specified logical terminal; and

(o) routing said formatted processed data by said transaction processor to said specified logical terminal.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein said specified logical terminal may be said original logical terminal.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein said specified logical terminal may be a logical terminal elsewhere on a system where said original logical terminal also resides.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein said specified logical terminal may be a logical terminal located on a system other than that where said original logical terminal resides.

18. A transaction definition table residing on a computer readable memory for use by a dialog flow manager when processing a transaction, comprising:

an overhead containing a plurality of pointers, as well as containing a plurality of fields for designating information about said transaction;

at least one of said plurality of pointers pointing to an entry in a transaction panel entries table;

at least one of said plurality of pointers pointing to an entry in a transaction language entries table; and

at least one of said plurality of pointers pointing to an entry in a transaction procedure entries table.