Repeating program object for use with a graphical program-development system

• US 6,425,120 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2000
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Computer Boards, Inc., National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Softwire Technology LLC
• Inventors: Phillips, Christopher J., Morganelli, Michael F., Reilly, Gerard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): KENDALL, CHUCK O
• Application Number:
  US09/483,122
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 717/2, 717/1, 717/4, 717/100-113, 717/131-133, 345/762, 345/763, 345/967
• US Class Current: 717/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A program object is provided for use in developing application programs through a program-development environment. Using the program-development environment, a developer graphically specifies a flow diagram that represents the logical operation of the application program. The program object, which may have a corresponding symbolic representation for display within the flow diagram, is configured to perform repeating functions and to issue a plurality of ready events, and is preferably used to define loop procedures within the application program. An event handler procedure that is responsive to at least one of the ready events of the repeating program object may be specified by the developer through either graphical inputs or textual inputs to a computer. This event-handler procedure may then be incorporated into the application program for execution at application run-time.

Claims

1. A storage medium containing program instructions readable by a computer that has a screen to configure the computer to act as a program-development environment, the readable program instructions comprising program instructions for:

A) displaying a graphical-programming window on the screen;

B) in response to input from a program developer, displaying a textual-programming window on the screen;

C) in response to further input from the program developer, placing on the graphical programming window a plurality of symbolic representations of program objects, including at least one loop-type program object configured to issue a plurality of ready events in response to a single triggering event; and

D) generating program code that defines an application program, the program code incorporating program instructions corresponding to the plurality of program objects and including at least two event handler procedures that are responsive to at least one of the ready events of the loop-type program object, wherein

a first event handler procedure is specified through textual inputs from the program developer to the computer that are displayed within the textual-programming window, and

a second event handler procedure is specified in response to the placement of program objects on the graphical programming window by the program developer.

2. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the generated program code includes a further event handler procedure responsive to an event that the developer identifies by graphically specifying on the graphical-programming window the symbolic representation of a source program object, whose respective event the further event handler procedure is to handle.

3. The storage medium of claim 2 wherein:

E) the program objects have constituent properties;

F) the graphical input to which the program-development environment responds by generating the further event handler procedure further specifies the symbolic representation of a sink program object whose property is to be affected upon occurrence of the event; and

G) the further event handler procedure that the program-development environment generates affects at least one property of the sink program object thereby specified.

4. The storage medium of claim 3 wherein:

H) at least some of the symbolic representations that the program-development environment places on the graphical-programming window include one or more event symbols that represent respective events of the corresponding program object;

I) the graphical input in response to which the program-development environment generates the further event handler procedure specifies the event symbol for the event of the source program object to be handled; and

J) the further event handler procedure generated in response handles the event thereby specified.

5. The storage medium of claim 4 wherein:

K) at least some of the symbolic representations that the program-development environment places on the graphical-programming window include one or more constituent property symbols that represent the properties of the corresponding program object;

L) the graphical input in response to which the program-development environment generates the further event handler procedure specifies the property symbol that represents the property of the sink program object that is to be affected; and

M) the further event handler procedure generated in response affects the sink program object'"'"'s property thereby specified.

6. The storage medium of claim 5 wherein the event handler procedure specified by textual inputs affects a property of a selected program object for which there is no corresponding property symbol displayed within the graphical-programming window.

7. The storage medium of claim 6 wherein the textual inputs are programming statements that may be executed at application run-time.

8. The storage medium of claim 2 wherein:

E) at least some of the symbolic representations that the program-development environment places on the graphical-programming window include one or more event symbols that represent respective events of the corresponding program object;

F) the graphical input in response to which the program-development environment generates the further event handler procedure specifies the event symbol for the event of the source program object to be handled; and

G) the further event handler procedure generated in response handles the event thereby specified.

9. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the textual inputs are programming statements that may be executed at application run-time.

10. The storage medium of claim 9 wherein the programming statements comply with one of Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual J++, Visual Café

, and Delphi programming languages.

11. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the textual inputs comply with one of Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual J++, Visual Café

and Delphi programming languages.

12. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the repeating program object is one of a For Loop object, a Do Loop object and a Timer object.

13. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the loop-type program object is configurable to perform its repeating function without the program developer having to place any other symbolic program objects inside the symbolic representation of the loop-type program object.

14. A storage medium containing program instructions readable by a computer that has a screen to configure the computer to act as a program-development environment, the readable program instructions comprising program instructions for:

A) displaying a graphical-programming window on the screen;

B) in response to input from a program developer, displaying a textual-programming window on the screen;

C) in response to further input from the program developer, placing on the graphical programming window a plurality of symbolic representations of program objects, including at least one loop-type program object configured to issue a plurality of ready events in response to a single triggering event; and

D) generating program code that defines an application program, the program code incorporating program instructions corresponding to the plurality of program objects and including an event handler procedure that is responsive to at least one of the ready events of the repeating program object, the event handler procedure specified through textual inputs from the program developer to the computer that are displayed within the textual-programming window, wherein

the at least one loop-type program object comprises program instructions for;

E) setting an index property to a specified initial value;

F) in response to the triggering event, issuing a first ready event notifying one or more other program objects, whose corresponding symbolic representations have been incorporated within the application program, that the index property value has been set;

G) adjusting the index property as determined by a step property;

H) issuing a second ready event notifying the one or more other program objects that the index property value has been re-set; and

I) being capable of repeating steps G and H at least once.

15. The storage medium of claim 14 wherein the repeating program object is one of a For Loop object, a Do Loop object and a Timer object.

16.The storage medium of claim 14 wherein the loop-type program object is configurable to perform its repeating function without the program developer having to place any other symbolic program objects inside the symbolic representation of the loop-type program object.