Recording, storing, and emulating user interaction events

• US 6,631,345 B1
• Filed: 08/12/1999
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schumacher, Daniel M., Watson, Thomas James
• Primary Examiner(s): Broda, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US09/373,880
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: 703/14, 703/22, 703/23, 703/27, 714/38, 714/46, 345/704, 345/749, 345/762
• US Class Current: 703/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for emulating a sequence of events resulting from user interaction with an applet in which the storing and retrieval of queued event objects is facilitated through the use of an index to a component vector. When an applet event recorder is invoked and the applet selected, an automator initializes the applet and generates a component vector that includes a reference to each component of the applet. Events are then detected by the applet event recorder via automator listeners. The automator then generates queued event objects and stores the queued event objects in an automator queue. The generation of queued event objects in one embodiment includes the generation of a component index value that points to the component of component vector that references the applet component that was responsible for generating the corresponding user interaction event. When it is later desirable to emulate the recorded portions of the original user interaction sequence, the automator generates constructed objects from the queued event objects. If the emulation of the original sequence occurs when the instance of applet present during the original user interaction sequence is no longer present, the component vector is generated for a second time. Each time the component vector is generated, the ordering of the components in the component vector is identical. In this manner, the component index field always points to the corrector vector component. The constructed objects are then played back to emulate the recorded portion of the original user interaction sequence by posting the constructed objects to system queue where they are dispatched to applet listeners.

Claims

1. A method of emulating a sequence of events resulting from user interaction with an applet, comprising:

associating an applet event recorder with the applet;

each time the applet is invoked, generating a component vector including a reference to each component of the applet;

detecting, with the applet event recorder, at least one user interaction event, wherein the detected user interaction event is associated with a corresponding component of the applet responsible for generating the user interaction event;

generating a queued event object from the detected event, wherein the queued object includes an index value indicative of its corresponding vector component such that the queued event object is suitable for reconstructing the event from the component vector after closing the particular instance of the applet that produced the queued event object; and

storing the queued event object in an automator queue.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a constructed event object from the queued event object, wherein the constructed event is a duplicate of the user interaction event that produced the corresponding queued event object; and

playing back the constructed event to emulate the sequence of user interaction events.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of generating the constructed event object includes:

generating the component vector for a second time; and

indexing the component vector with the index value of the queued event to retrieve the component portion of the constructed event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the components of the component vector generated prior to the step of detecting the user interaction event and the components of the component vector generated the second time are ordered identically.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of generating and playing back the constructed event to emulate the sequence of user interaction events are achieved without compiling the automator queue.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the step of detecting the user interaction event, selecting at least one type of event from a list of selectable event types, wherein the user interaction event detected event is of one of the selected types.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the queued event object includes storing delay information in the queued event object, wherein the delay information is indicative of the timing between successive detected user interaction events.

8. A system including processor, memory, input, and display for emulating a sequence of events resulting from user interaction with an applet, comprising:

graphical user interface means for associating an applet event recorder with the applet;

means for generating a component vector including a reference to each component of the applet;

means for detecting, with the applet event recorder, at least one of the sequence of user interaction events, wherein the detected user interaction event is associated with a component of the applet responsible for generating the user interaction event;

automator listener means for generating a queued event object from the detected event, wherein the queued object includes an index value indicative of the component of the component vector responsible for generating the user interaction event such that the queued event object is suitable for reconstructing the event from the component vector after closing any particular instance of the applet; and

means for storing the queued event object in an automator queue.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

automator means for generating a constructed event object from the queued event object, wherein the constructed event is a duplicate of the user interaction event that produced the corresponding queued event object; and

means for playing back the constructed event to emulate the sequence of user interaction events.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the automator listener means includes:

means for generating the component vector for a second time; and

means for indexing the component vector with the index value of the queued event to reference the component portion of the constructed event.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for generating the component vector for a second time and the means for generating the component vector the first time order the components of the component vector identically.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the means for generating and playing back the constructed events to emulate the sequence of user interaction events lack means for compiling the automator queue.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising, means for selecting at least one type of event from a list of selectable event types, wherein the user interaction event detected is an event of one of the selected types.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the automator listener means includes means for storing delay information in the queued event objects, wherein the delay information is indicative of the timing between successive detected user interaction events.

15. A computer program product for emulating a sequence of events resulting from user interaction with an applet, comprising a computer readable memory including a set of coded instructions, the instructions including:

graphical user interface means for associating an applet event recorder with the applet;

means for generating a component vector, each time the applet is invoked, including a reference to each component of the applet;

means for detecting, with the applet event recorder, at least one of the sequence of user interaction events, wherein the detected user interaction event is associated with a component of the applet responsible for generating the user interaction event;

automator listener means for generating a queued event object from the detected event, wherein the queued object includes an index value indicative of the component of the component vector responsible for generating the user interaction event such that the queued event object is suitable for reconstructing the event from the component vector after closing any particular instance of the applet; and

means for storing the queued event object in an automator queue.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

automator means for generating a constructed event object from the queued event object, wherein the constructed event is a duplicate of the user interaction event that produced the corresponding queued event object; and

means for playing back the constructed event to emulate the sequence of user interaction events.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the automator means includes:

means for generating the component vector for a second time; and

means for indexing the component vector with the index value of the queued event to retrieve the component portion of the constructed event.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the means for generating the component vector for a second time and the means for generating the component vector the first time order the components of the component vector identically.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the means for generating and playing back the constructed event to emulate the sequence of user interaction events lack means for compiling the automator queue.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising, means for selecting at least one type of event from a list of selectable event types, wherein the user interaction event detected is one of the selected types.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the automator listener means includes means for storing delay information in the queued event object, wherein the delay information is indicative of the timing between successive detected user interaction events.