Interface repository browser and editor

• US 6,532,471 B1
• Filed: 12/11/2000
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Perry, Joey Allen, Ku, William Hsiao-Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US09/734,806
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103.R, 345/76, 345/156
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A system, method and user interface for visually browsing and editing one more or CORBA Interface Repositories (“IR”) for program objects. A user selects an Interface Repository and an object within the Interface Repository. The IR Browser/Editor presents a three-pane view graphically depicting a containment tree, an object'"'"'s interface definition language, and an inheritancy diagram of the selected object. The user may review the full interface definition language of the object, save the IDL or cut-and-paste it to another program such as a code editor for compiling. The user may also select a parent or child object within any of the three panes of the display, which causes the inheritance diagram, containment tree, and IDL panes to be updated to show the parent and child interfaces of the selected object, and the containment tree and IDL for the selected object, accordingly. The user may “browse” graphically through a containment tree, an IDL listing, or an inheritance diagram, interactively, but successively selecting objects shown in each view. Optionally, the user may control the level of detail shown in each pane, and may choose to filter the information presented according to user preferences. The user may edit an Interface Repository as he “browses” it by copying, adding, and deleting objects in the database.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a user to visually browse and edit interfaces and objects contained in Interface Repositories, said Interface Repositories comprising an on-line database accessible through a search and query protocol, said interface repositories being stored on one or more server computers and storing interface descriptions for program objects, said interface descriptions including containment, inheritance and interface definition language information, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a containment view, an interface definition language view and a inheritance view for a selected object, each of said views containing a plurality of displayed items;

allowing a user to re-select an item in a view;

retrieving containment, interface definition language and inheritance information for the re-selected item from an Interface Repository through an Interface Repository search and query protocol; and

updating the containment view, interface definition language view and the inheritance view according to the retrieved information.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of retrieving information for a re-selected item comprises posting CORBA-compliant Interface Repository queries.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of providing hypertext listings within said interface definition language view such that upon selection by a user, a full interface definition can be viewed.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of providing a user-selectable interface definition language saving operation that, when selected, saves interface definition language to a computer-readable file for a selected item in a view.

5. A computer-readable medium having program code stored therein for allowing a user to visually browse interfaces and objects contained in Interface Repositories, said Interface Repositories comprising an on-line database accessible through a search and query protocol, said interface repositories being stored on one or more server computers and storing interface descriptions for program objects, said interface descriptions including containment, inheritance and interface definition language information, said program code causing a workstation having a processor to perform the steps of:

providing a containment view, an interface definition language view and a inheritance view for a selected object, each of said views containing a plurality of displayed items;

allowing a user to re-select an item in a view;

retrieving containment, interface definition language and inheritance information for the re-selected item from an Interface Repository through an Interface Repository search and query protocol; and

updating the containment view, interface definition language view and the inheritance view according to the retrieved information.

6. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 5 wherein the program code for retrieving information for a re-selected item comprises program code for posting CORBA-compliant Interface Repository queries.

7. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 5 further comprising program code for providing hypertext listings within said interface definition language view such that upon selection by a user, a full interface definition can be viewed.

8. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 5 further comprising program code for providing a user-selectable interface definition language saving operation that, when selected, saves interface definition language to a computer-readable file for a selected item in a view.

9. An Interface Repository Browser in an object-oriented software development workstation for visually browsing interfaces contained in on-line Interface Repository databases, said Interface Repository Browser comprising:

an Interface Repository search facility for retrieving object information including inheritance, containment and interface definition language from an on-line Interface Repository;

an interactive, three-view display for displaying a containment hierarchy tree, an IDL listing and an inheritance view for a selected object based upon the object'"'"'s information retrieved using said Interface Repository search facility; and

a display update function responsive to user selection of an item in said three-view display for retrieving object information from an Interface Repository using said search facility and for updating said three-view display to represent the inheritance, containment hierarchy and IDL listing for the user-selected item.

10. The Interface Repository Browser as set forth in claim 9 wherein said Interface Repository search facility is adapted to search and retrieve object information from Common Object Request Broker Architecture Interface Repositories.

11. The Interface Repository Browser as set forth in claim 9 wherein said interactive, three-view display comprises a hypertext interface definition language display for allow user activation of hyperlinked text to full interface definition language listings.

12. The Interface Repository Browser as set forth in claim 9 further comprising a interface definition language file creation function which, when selected by a user, saves interface definition language for a specified interface to a computer-readable file.