Method and system for transparently transforming objects for application programs

• US 6,230,310 B1
• Filed: 09/29/1998
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Arrouye, Yan, Mortensen, Keith L., Findley, Sean J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZHEN, WEI Y
• Application Number:
  US09/161,758
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 717/1, 717/11, 709/320, 709/328
• US Class Current: 717/136
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/76 Adapting program code to run in a different environment; Porting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

A software object management system incorporated in a computer operating system utilizes a suite of transformations to convert objects between software object formats not native to an application program, and those which are a native software object type. In addition to formatting, transformations are also applied to change the location of an object and authenticate the object. With this approach, applications programs need not have the ability to handle any type of object other than their native types. The operating system does the transformations in a manner that is transparent to the application program. Additional transformations can be added to the operating system without modifying the application programs.

Claims

1. A method of saving an object that has been operated on by an application program executing on a computer, comprising the steps of:

calling the computer'"'"'s operating system from the application program and providing an indication of a state in which the object is to be saved;

thereafter producing, by the operating system, opaque control data which indicates transformations to be performed on the object to place it in the indicated state, and an indication of a first location;

writing, by the application program, the object and the opaque control data to the first location;

after the object and opaque control data is written to the first location, sending, by the application program, a signal to the operating system; and

transforming, by the operating system, the object into a transformed object after the operating system receives said signal, in accordance with the opaque control data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating system produces an user interface in response to said call.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the operating system interprets user input to the user interface to produce the opaque control data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application program does not interpret the opaque control data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said transforming step includes performing plural different types of transformations on the object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transformed object is of a type not native to the application program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transformed object is located at locations not native to the application program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transforming step comprises object compression.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transforming step comprises object encryption.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transforming step comprises authentication of the object.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of, before the calling step,

sending a call to the operating system to open a file and displaying a user interface in response to said call;

selecting a first object from a list displaying by said user interface; and

automatically transforming, under control of the operating system, the selected object and providing the object to the application program.

12. A computer-readable medium containing a program which executes the following procedure:

receiving a put call from an application program separate from said program;

providing opaque control data which identifies transformations on an object and an indication of a first location to the application program;

receiving a complete store signal from the application program; and

transforming an object stored at said first location into a transformed object in accordance with the opaque control data.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further including the step of producing an user interface in response to the received call.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further including the step of interpreting user input to the user interface to produce the opaque control data.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the application program does not interpret the opaque control data.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein plural transformations are performed on the object in response to said call.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the transformed object is of a type not native to the application program.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the transformed object is located at locations not native to the application program.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the transforming step comprises object compression.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the transforming step comprises object encryption.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the transforming step comprises authentication of the object.