Graphical environment for managing and developing applications

• US 6,286,017 B1
• Filed: 08/01/1996
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Spyscreen LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Cellobjects A Islandi Ehf
• Inventors: Egilsson, Ágúst Sverrir
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Application Number:
  US08/690,919
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 707/503, 707/530, 345/335, 345/339, 345/348, 395/701, 395/702, 395/703
• US Class Current: 715/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A graphical application developing and managing environment is described capable of representing and editing program modules using multiple display formats, which include embedding source code written in a functional language into a spreadsheet-like format. Methods are described for enabling the sharing of program modules by defining standardized interfaces into program modules and existing documents and by centrally locating module definitions. A patchwork mechanism is descried requiring only basic spreadsheet editing skills on behalf of the user, enabling a user of the environment to connect external documents and program modules into a new program application. The invention allows complicated programming and simple end-user programming to be achieved within a unified environment and allows the execution of program modules and tracing of variables simultaneously with the writing of a program application. The invention defines methods for representing the various parts of a source code, defining a program application, along with the application icon as determined by a user creating the application and thereby making parts of the source code accessible to end-users for run-time execution.

Claims

1. A method of representing a program spccification, of an advanced functional language,

the advanced functional language being defined as a programming language capable of handling and returning variables in addition to text and number variable types and in which each statement written in the language can be evaluated, based on its dependent variables, to a uniquely defined value,

and representing program execution in a cell format, comprising:

(a) communicating with a display device connected to a process device,

(b) accessing a cell frame containing multiple cells displayed on said display device,

(c) displaying text and icons in said cell frame,

(d) associating selected variables and their definitions in said program specification to cells in said cell frame,

(e) determining values of said selected variables by executing said program specification, and

(f) displaying in cells, associated with said selected variables, indication values, containing icons and text and fitting into at least one cell, determined by an indication value function, applied to values and/or attributes of said selected variables.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying a full value of at least some of said selected variables.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising editing values of at least some of said selected variables by editing the full value of the variables.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising communicating with an input device connected to said process device for controlling the editing of said specification within said cell format.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying on said display device said selected variables using a text format and translating selected variables back or forth from being displayed in said cell format and said text format.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising editing and/or defining at least some of the data flow specifications of said program specifications by using the data flow cell format to display and edit data flow specifications between program modules.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(g) communicating with an input device connected to said process device,

(h) displaying a modular structure diagram on said display device and/or using variables in said program specification to represent the call declarations part of said program specification,

(i) organizing the remaining program specification, excluding the call declarations, of said program specification into predetermined smaller parts each containing a selection of variables and their definitions,

(j) displaying at least some of said parts on said display device using cell formats, and

(k) editing or creating said program specification by editing at least some of said parts using the associated cell formats and/or by editing said modular structure diagram.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said program specification is organized into input declarations, output declarations, call declarations, call definitions and program statements and wherein said input declarations when assigned values define values of said output declarations using said output declarations, said call declarations, said call definitions and said program statements and wherein said call definitions define a flow of information through said modular structure diagram and/or define the variables in said program specification representing said call declarations.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising attaching at least some of the parts of said program specification, excluding call declarations, to predefined areas of said modular structure diagram and allowing a user to access and display the cell format of a specific part by designating, using an input device, an area of said modular structure diagram attached to said specific part.

10. A system for representing a program specification, of an advanced functional language,

the advanced functional language being defined as a programming language capable of handling and returning variables in addition to text and number variable types and in which each statement written in the language can be evaluated, based on its dependent variables, to a uniquely defined value, and representing program execution in a cell format, the system comprising:

(g) means for communicating with a display device connected to a process device,

(h) means for accessing a cell frame containing multiple cell displayed on said display device,

(i) means for displaying text and icons in said cell frame,

(j) means for associating selected variables and their definitions in said program specification to cells in said cell frame,

(k) means for determining values of said selected variables by executing said program specification, and

(l) means for displaying in cells, associated with said selected variables, indication values, containing icons and text and fitting into at least one cell, determined by an indication value function, applied at values and/or attributes of said selected variables.

11. The system of claim 10, further including means for displaying a full value of at least some of said selected variables.

12. The system of claim 11, further including means for editing values of at least some of said selected variables by editing the full value of the variables.

13. The system of claim 10, further including means for communicating with an input device connected to said process device for controlling the editing of said specification within said cell format.

14. The system of claim 10, further including means for displaying on said display device said selected variables using a text format and means for translating selected variables back or forth from being displayed in said cell format and said text format.

15. The system of claim 10, further including means for editing and/or defining at least some of the data flow specifications of said program specifications by using the data flow cell format to display and edit data flow specifications between program modules.

16. The system of claim 10, in which the system further includes means comprising:

(r) means for communicating with an input device connected to said process device,

(s) means for displaying a modular structure diagram on said display device and/or using variables in said program specification to represent the call declarations part of said program specification,

(t) means for organizing the remaining program specification, excluding the call declarations, of said program specification into predetermined smaller parts each containing a selection of variables and their definitions,

(u) means for displaying at least some of said parts on said display device using cell formats, and

(v) means for editing or creating said program specification by editing at least some of said parts using the associated cell formats and/or by editing said modular structure diagram.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said program specification is organized into input declarations, output declarations, call declarations, call definitions and program statements and wherein said input declarations when assigned values define values of said output declarations using said output declarations, said call declarations, said call definitions and said program statements and wherein said call definitions define a flow of information through said modular structure diagram and/or define the variables in said program specification representing said call declarations.

18. The system of claim 17, further including means for attaching at least some of the parts of said program specification, excluding call declarations, to predefined areas of said modular structure diagram and means for allowing a user to access and display the cell format of a specific part by designating, using an input device, an area of said modular structure diagram attached to said specific part.