Flattening complex data structures in Java/Javascript objects

• US 6,230,157 B1
• Filed: 11/25/1997
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malcolm, Jerry Walter, Hoffman, Richard Dale, Himmel, Maria Azua
• Primary Examiner(s): Von Buhr, Maria N.
• Application Number:
  US08/978,512
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/103, 707/100
• US Class Current: 707/809
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4493 Object persistence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/95 Financial

Abstract

To facilitate automatic code generation for Java and JavaScript applications executed over the Internet, complex nested data structures resulting from non-unique naming of data fields are flattened. Fully-qualified names for each data field are created. The fully-qualified names include the names of all nodes within a nesting path for a given data field. Where fully-qualified names become overly cumbersome, aliases may be utilized and mapped to the fully-qualified names within a correlation table. The object hierarchy for an application is thus simplified.

Claims

1. A method of flattening nested data structures, comprising:

determining whether an object is nested because of non-unique data field names; and

responsive to determining that the object is nested due to non-unique data field names, associating a fully qualified data field name with the object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of associating a fully qualified data field name with the object further comprises:

creating a name containing names of all nodes within a nesting path for the object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether an object is nested because of non-unique data field names further comprises:

determining whether a data field name associated with the object is employed for a data field associated with a second object within an application including both the object and the second object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether an object is nested because of non-unique data field names further comprises:

determining whether a data field name associated with an object in a request is non-unique for an application employing the request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether an object is nested because of non-unique data field names further comprises:

determining whether a data field name associated with an object in a response is non-unique for an application employing the response.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating an alias for the fully-qualified name.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

mapping the alias to the fully-qualified name within a correlation table.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a fully-qualified name associated with an alias within a correlation table.

9. A mechanism for flattening nested data structures, comprising:

means for determining whether an object is nested because of non-unique data field names;

means, responsive to determining that the object is nested due to non-unique data field names, for associating a fully-qualified data field name with the object;

means for creating an alias for the fully-qualified name; and

means for mapping the alias to the fully-qualified name within a correlation table.

10. The mechanism of claim 9, wherein the means for associating a fully-qualified data field name with the object further comprises:

means for creating a name containing names of all nodes within a nesting path for the object.

11. The mechanism of claim 9, further comprising:

means for identifying a fully-qualified name associated with an alias within a correlation table.

12. The mechanism of claim 9, further comprising:

a server formulating a response to a financial transaction request, wherein the server contains a plurality of objects implementing the means for determining whether an object is nested, the means for associating a fully-qualified data field name with the object, the means for creating an alias for the fully-qualified name, and means for mapping the alias to the fully-qualified name within a correlation table.

13. A computer program product within a computer usable medium, comprising:

instructions within the computer usable medium for determining whether an object is nested because of non-unique data field names; and

instructions within the computer usable medium, responsive to determining that the object is nested due to non-unique data field names, for associating a fully-qualified data field name with the object.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions for associating a fully qualified data field name with the object further comprise:

instructions for creating a name containing names of all nodes within a nesting path for the object.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions for determining whether an object is nested because of non-unique data field names further comprise:

instructions for determining whether a data field name associated with the object is employed for a data field associated with a second object within an application including both the object and the second object.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions for determining whether an object is nested because of non-unique data field names further comprise:

instructions for determining whether a data field name associated with an object in a request is non-unique for an application employing the request.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions for determining whether an object is nested because of non-unique data field names further comprise;

instructions for determining whether a data field name associated with an object in a response is non-unique for an application employing the response.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising;

instructions within the computer usable medium for creating an alias for the fully-qualified name.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

instructions within the computer usable medium for mapping the alias to the fully-qualified name within a correlation table.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

instructions within the computer usable medium for identifying a fully-qualified name associated with an alias within a correlation table.