Bi-directional conversion library

• US 6,314,429 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitel Networks Corporation
• Original Assignee: Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Simser, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly, Anh
• Application Number:
  US09/159,161
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/10, 707/4, 707/103, 707/104, 707/203, 709/315, 709/316, 709/332, 709/219, 717/1, 717/2, 717/4, 717/5, 717/7
• US Class Current: 717/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/51 Source to source
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/52 Binary to binary
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A bi-directional conversion library is provided for translating data structures used in a computer program from a first computer programming language to data structures used by a second computer programming language. In the preferred embodiment, a conversion library is provided for converting between Java™ and C. The conversion library of the present invention allows existing computer programs to be reused, thereby reducing the effort required to integrate newly written programs to existing systems.

Claims

1. A bi-directional conversion library for converting data structures from a first programming language into data structures of a second programming language, comprising:

a) a plurality of string functions for creating new string objects in said first and second programming languages based on string parameters passed thereto from said second and first programming languages, respectively;

b) a plurality of array functions for creating new array objects in said first and second programming languages based on array parameters passed thereto from said second and first programming languages, respectively;

c) a plurality of object/structure functions for copying data between an object of said first programming language and a data structure of said second programming language according to predetermined indicated class descriptors and for creating new objects in said first programming language based on one of either a default constructor or a specified data structure of the second programming language according to a specified class descriptor; and

d) a plurality of field accessor/mutator functions for reading and modifying individual fields of an object in said first and second programming languages, wherein said first programming language is Java™ and

said second programming language is C, and wherein Java™

includes a Java™

Native Interface (JNI) facility, and wherein each of said functions takes a pointer to said Java™

Native Interface (JNI) environment has a first parameter.

2. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one of said string functions creates a new Java™

string object based on a C string passed to said function as a parameter.

3. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one of said string functions creates a new Java™

string object based on a wide C string passed to said function as a parameter.

4. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one of said string functions creates a new C string based on a Java™

string object passed to said function as a parameter.

5. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one of said string functions creates a new wide C string based on a Java™

string object passed to said function as a parameter.

6. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 4 or 5, wherein one of said string functions frees said new C string for releasing memory allocated for said new C string.

7. The bidirectional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one of said array functions creates a new Java™

array based on a C array passed to said function as a parameter.

8. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one of said array functions creates a new C array based on a Java™

array passed to said function as a parameter.

9. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 8, wherein one of said array functions frees said new C array for releasing memory allocated for said new C array.

10. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one of said object/structure functions fills a predetermined C structure with data contained in a Java™

object passed to said function according to a predetermined one of said indicated class descriptors.

11. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one of said object/structure functions copies data within a predetermined C structure to a corresponding Java™

object according to a predetermined one of said indicated class descriptors.

12. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one of said object/structure functions creates a new Java™

object of a specified class in a className parameter based on a default constructor.

13. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one of said object/structure functions creates a new Java™

object based on a specified C data structure according to a specified class descriptor.

14. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one pair of said field accessor/mutator functions provides access to and modification of primitive data members of a Java™

object based on names of said data members.

15. The bi-directional conversion library of claim 1, wherein one pair of said field accessor/mutator functions provides access to and modification of embedded Java™

objects.

16. An Application Programming Interface (API) comprising the bi-directional conversion library of claim 3 implemented as a Dynamic Library Link (DLL) for linking a first application written in said first object-oriented language with a second application written in said second object-oriented language.