Apparatus and method for visual construction simplification

• US 6,434,740 B1
• Filed: 07/15/1998
• Issued: 08/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Krasnikovs, Nikolajs, Sulkins, Zahara, Rubin, Bradley Scott, Gavrilo, Galina, Monday, Paul Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Morse, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): INGBERG, TODD D
• Application Number:
  US09/115,848
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 717/1, 717/108, 717/136, 717/2
• US Class Current: 717/108
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

A method and apparatus for connecting two components is disclosed. A visual construction simplification mechanism, as part of the apparatus, is designed with intelligence that allows it to correctly configure and interconnect the two components. The invention reduces the real and visual complexity of a program by requiring only a single bootstrap connection to be established between the components. Once the initial connection is made, the visual construction simplification mechanism can make additional connections that allow the two objects two function and interoperate. Introspection is a process used to find a component'"'"'s interface and identity. The visuals construction simplification mechanism looks at the interface of one component and figures out what the identity of the component is using the process of introspection. Introspection is a generic term for the ability of any component to look at the details of another component. Using the information gained through introspection, the visual construction simplification mechanism connects the correct methods and events to properly interconnect the two components.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor;

a plurality of components residing in the memory; and

a visual construction simplification mechanism, the visual construction simplification mechanism taking an initial connection a between a first component and a second component of a plurality of components that has been defined by a programmer, and based upon the initial connection, performing an introspection method call on the first component, the introspection method call determining additional connections between the first component and the second component, the visual construction simplification mechanism then establishing the determined additional connections between the first component and the second component.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism uses the determined additional connections to determine an at least one identity of the first component.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first component further comprises a plurality of methods and wherein introspection further comprises performing a plurality of method calls that return the plurality of methods to the visual construction simplification mechanism.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the apparatus further comprises a method interconnection table residing in the memory, wherein the at least one additional connection comprises a method call, and wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism uses the at least one identity of the first component to parse through the method interconnection table to retrieve each method call that the visual construction simplification mechanism uses to make the determined additional connection.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the apparatus further comprises an identity table residing in the memory and wherein the visual construction mechanism uses the returned plurality of methods to parse through the identity table and to determine the at least one identity of the first component.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the identity table further comprises a plurality of lists of methods, each list of methods being linked to an identity, and wherein the visual construction simplification method compares the returned plurality of methods to each list of methods to determine the at least one identity of the first component.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of components comprises at least one identity and wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism determines the at least one identity of one of the plurality of components.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one additional connection comprises a method call.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each method call is performed dynamically.

10. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor;

a plurality of components residing in the memory, each component comprising at least one identity, the plurality of components comprising at least first and second components, wherein the first and second components have an initial connection between them; and

a visual construction simplification mechanism residing in the memory, the visual construction simplification mechanism taking an initial connection a between the first component and the second component and performing an introspection method call on the first component to dynamically determining the first component'"'"'s at least one identity and making at least one additional connection based on that at least one identity to connect the first component to the second component.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the at least one component further comprises a plurality of methods and wherein introspection further comprises performing a plurality of method calls that return the plurality of methods to the visual construction simplification mechanism.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the apparatus further comprises an identity table residing in the memory and wherein the visual construction mechanism uses the returned plurality of methods to parse through the identity table and to determine the at least one identity of the first component.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the identity table further comprises a plurality of lists of methods, each list of methods being linked to an identity, and wherein the visual construction simplification method compares the returned plurality of methods to each list of methods to determine the at least one identity of the first component.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the apparatus further comprises a method interconnection table residing in the memory, wherein each connection of the at least one additional connection comprises a method call, and wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism uses the at least one identity of the first component to parse through the method interconnection table to retrieve each method call that the visual construction simplification method uses to make each connection of the at least one additional connection.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein each connection of the at least one additional connection comprises a method call.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each method call is performed dynamically.

17. An object-oriented apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor;

a method interconnection table residing in the memory;

an identity table residing in the memory;

a plurality of components residing in the memory, each component comprising at least one identity and a plurality of methods, the plurality of components comprising at least first and second components, wherein the first and second components have an existing connection between them; and

a visual construction simplification mechanism residing in the memory, the visual construction simplification mechanism using an introspection method call on the first component to determine the plurality of methods associated with the first component, the visual construction simplification mechanism using the plurality of methods to parse the identity table to determine the first component'"'"'s at least one identity and using the plurality of methods to parse the method interconnection table to determine a plurality of additional connections, the visual construction simplification mechanism making the plurality of additional connections between the first and second component.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the identity table further comprises a plurality of lists of methods, each list of methods being linked to an identity, and wherein the visual construction simplification method compares the returned plurality of methods to each list of methods to determine the at least one identity of the first component.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein each of the plurality of connections comprises a method call.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein each of the method calls is performed dynamically.

21. A method for automating connections in a programming environment on a computer system, the programming environment having a plurality of components, the plurality of components comprising at least first and second components, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting an initial connection to the first component;

determining at least one identity of the second component by performing an introspection method call on the second component; and

making at least one additional connection based on the at least one identity to connect the first component to the second component.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of connecting an initial connection further includes the step of passing a reference to the first component, the reference referencing the second component.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein each connection of the at least one additional connection comprises a method call and wherein the method further comprises the step of using the identity of the second component to parse through a method interconnection table to retrieve each method call that is used to make each connection of the at least one additional connection.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the second component further comprises a plurality of methods and wherein introspection further comprises performing a plurality of method calls that return the plurality of methods.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of using the returned plurality of methods to parse through the identity table and to determine the identity of the second component.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein each connection of the at least one additional connection comprises a method call.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein each method call is performed dynamically.

30. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of using the returned plurality of methods to parse through the identity table and to determine the at least one identity of the second component.

28. A method for automating connections in a programming environment on a computer system, the programming environment having a plurality of components, the plurality of components comprising at least first and second components, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting an initial connection to the first component, wherein a reference to the second component is passed to the first component, and wherein the second component comprises a plurality of methods;

determining at least one identity of the second component by performing introspection method calls on the second component, wherein introspection method calls return the plurality of methods of the second component; and

making at least one additional connection to the plurality of methods of the second component based on the at least one identity to connect the first component to the second component.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein each connection of the at least one additional connection comprises a method call and wherein the method further comprises the step of using the at least one identity of the second component to parse through a method interconnection table to retrieve each method call that is used to make each connection of the at least one additional connection.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein each connection of the at least one additional connection comprises a method call.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein each method call is performed dynamically.

33. A program product comprising:

a visual construction simplification mechanism dynamically performing an introspection method call on the first component to determine any connections between a first component and a second component based on an initial connection between the first component and the second component, and wherein the first component further comprises a plurality of methods and wherein introspection further comprises performing a plurality of method calls that return the plurality of methods to the visual construction simplification mechanism, the visual construction simplification mechanism dynamically determining at least one identity of a first component, and wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism uses this at least one identity to make at least one determined connection between the first component and a second component; and

signal bearing media bearing the visual construction simplification mechanism.

34. The program product of claim 33 wherein the signal bearing media comprises transmission media.

35. The program product of claim 33 wherein the signal bearing media comprises recordable media.

36. The program product of claim 33 wherein the existing connection passes a reference to the second component, the reference referencing the first component.

37. The program product of claim 33 wherein each connection of the at least one additional connection comprises a method call and wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism parses through a method interconnection table to retrieve each method call that is used to make each connection of the at least one additional connection.

38. The program product of claim 33 wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism performs introspection on the second component to determine the first component'"'"'s at least one identity.

39. The program product of claim 33 wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism is further capable of using the returned plurality of methods to parse through an identity table to determine the at least one identity of the first component.

40. The program product of claim 33 wherein each connection of the at least one additional connection comprises a method call.

41. The program product of claim 40 wherein each method call is performed dynamically.

42. A program product comprising:

a visual construction simplification mechanism, the visual construction simplification mechanism taking an initial connection a between a first component and a second component of a plurality of components that has been defined by a programmer, and based upon the initial connection, performing an introspection method call on the first component, the introspection method call determining additional connections between the first component and the second component, the visual construction simplification mechanism then establishing the determined additional connections between the first component and the second component; and

signal bearing media bearing the visual construction simplification mechanism.

43. The program product of claim 42 wherein the signal bearing media comprises transmission media.

44. The program product of claim 42 wherein the signal bearing media comprises recordable media.

45. The program product of claim 42 wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism uses the determined additional connections to determine an at least one identity of the first component.

46. The program product of claim 45 wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism determines an identity of the first component.

47. The program product of claim 45 wherein the first component further comprises a plurality of methods and wherein introspection further comprises performing a plurality of method calls that return the plurality of methods to the visual construction simplification mechanism.

48. The program product of claim 47 wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism is further capable of using the returned plurality of methods to parse through an identity table to determine the at least one identity of the first component.

49. The program product of claim 42 wherein the initial connection passes a reference to the second component, the reference referencing the first component.

50. The program product of claim 42 wherein each connection of the at least one additional connection comprises a method call and wherein the visual construction simplification mechanism parses through a method interconnection table to retrieve each method call that is used to make the at least one additional connection.

51. The program product of claim 42 wherein each connection of the at least one additional connection comprises a method call.

52. The program product of claim 51 wherein each method call is performed dynamically.