Graphical presentation system

• US 6,697,088 B1
• Filed: 04/27/1998
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Software AG Ltd. (Software AG)
• Original Assignee: Jacada, Inc. (Jacada, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hollander, Gideon
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US09/067,274
• Time in Patent Office: 2,129 Days
• Field of Search: 345/332, 345/333, 345/334, 345/348, 345/340, 345/349, 345/352, 345/759, 345/762, 345/765, 345/835, 345/781, 345/839, 345/810, 345/744
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A presentation manager accepts standard commands or modified commands from legacy applications to provide text-based and graphic-based user interfaces. The presentation manager efficiently generates graphic-based displays for legacy applications by directly retrieving graphic definitions according to conventional host commands. The presentation manager provides standard host display protocol messaging for text-based clients (e.g., 3270 and 5250 terminals) and provides appropriate protocol messaging for other clients (e.g., graphical user interfaces and JAVA). Methods are provided for determining the protocol supported by a client.

Claims

1. A method of providing a visual presentation for a computer application, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of character-based presentation definitions and a plurality of graphic-based presentation definitions in at least one data memory;

generating a message requesting a visual presentation, said message including an identifier associated with a presentation definition;

identifying whether a client is character-based or graphic-based;

associating said request for a visual presentation with a presentation type supported by the client, said presentation type identifying at least one of said character-based presentation definitions and said graphic-based presentation definitions;

retrieving a presentation definition from said data memory according to said identifier and said presentation type; and

processing said retrieved presentation definition to display said visual presentation on a display device.

2. A method according to claim 1 further including the step retrieving said presentation type from a table.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said message is a standard display request message from a host application.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein said generating step is associated with a host application comprising at least one of a COBOL application, an RPG application, a JAVA application, a C application, a C++ application, a PASCAL application, a FORTRAN application or a PL1 application.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein said character-based presentation definition is associated with a screen comprising at least one of a 3270 screen or a 5250 screen.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein said graphic-based presentation definition is associated with an application comprising at least one of a JAVA application, a WINDOWS application, a VISUAL BASIC application, or an ACTIVEX application.

7. A method for providing a visual presentation for a computer application running on a mainframe computer, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of character-based presentation definitions and a plurality of graphic-based presentation definitions in at least one data memory;

generating a message on said mainframe computer requesting a visual presentation, said message including an identifier associated with a presentation definition;

identifying whether a client is character-based ortgraphic-based;

associating said request for a visual presentation with a presentation type supported by the client, said presentation type identifying at least one of said character-based presentation definitions and said graphic-based presentation definitions;

retrieving a presentation definition from said data memory according to said identifier and said presentation type; and

processing said retrieved presentation definition to display said visual presentation on a display device.

8. A method for providing a visual presentation for a computer application running on an AS/400 computer, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of character-based presentation definitions and a plurality of graphic-based presentation definitions in at least one data memory;

generating a message on said AS/400 computer requesting a visual presentation, said message including an identifier associated with a presentation definition;

identifying whether a client is character-based or graphic-based;

associating said request for a visual presentation with a presentation type supported by the client, said presentation type identifying at least one of said character-based presentation definitions and said graphic-based presentation definitions;

retrieving a presentation definition from said data memory according to said identifier and said presentation type; and

processing said retrieved presentation definition to display said visual presentation on a display device.

9. A method for providing visual presentations for computer applications, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of character-based presentation definitions and a plurality of graphic-based presentation definitions in at least one data memory;

generating a message requesting a character-based visual presentation;

generating a message requesting a graphic-based visual presentation;

in response to said request for a character-based presentation, identifying whether a client for said character-based visual presentation is character-based or graphic-based and retrieving a first presentation definition comprising at least one of said character-based presentation definitions and said graphic-based presentation definitions; and

in response to said request for a graphic-based presentation, identifying whether a client for said graphic-based visual presentation is character-based or graphic-based and retrieving a second presentation definition comprising at least one of said character-based presentation definitions and said graphic-based presentation definitions; and

processing said retrieved presentation definitions to display said visual presentations on at least one display device.

10. A method for providing a visual presentation for a host application, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of graphic presentation definitions in a data memory;

executing a first host application, comprising the step of generating a host message that requests a presentation associated with one of said definitions, said host message including an identifier associated with said one definition;

executing a server application, comprising the steps of,

identifying whether a client is character-based or graphic-based;

retrieving said one definition from said data memory according to an identifier associated with said one definition and sending said one definition to a client application;

and executing a client application, comprising the steps of generating said visual presentation according to said one definition and displaying said presentation on a display device.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein said host message comprises a first host application interface message, said method further comprising the steps of executing a second host application comprising the steps of:

receiving said first host application interface message from said first host application; and

generating a server application interface message, said server application interface message including an identifier associated with said one definition.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein said graphic definition defines a window.

13. A method according to claim 10 wherein said first host application comprises at least one of a COBOL application, an RPG application, a JAVA application, a C application, a C++ application, a PASCAL application, a FORTRAN application or a PL/1 application.

14. A method according to claim 10 wherein said client application comprises at least one of a JAVA client application, a WINDOWS application, a VISUAL BASIC application, or an ACTIVEX application.

15. A method according to claim 10 wherein said first and second host applications are executed on a host processor and said server application is executed on a server processor.

16. A method according to claim 10 wherein said first and second host applications and at least a portion of said server application are executed on a host processor.

17. A method according to claim 10 wherein said client application and at least a portion of said server application are executed on a client processor.

18. A method according to claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

generating a request to present a screen, said request including a screen identifier;

mapping said screen identifier to a second one of said graphic definitions; and

displaying said second one definition in response to said screen request.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein said screen comprises at least one of a 3270 screen or 5250 screen.

20. A system for providing a visual presentation for a host application, comprising:

a data memory for storing a plurality of graphic definitions;

a host processor for executing at least one application program, said at least one application program generating a request to generate a graphic-based presentation, said request including a graphic definition identifier;

said host processor including a host application interface adapted to receive said request, said host application interface for generating a message for requesting said presentation, said message including a graphic definition identifier;

a server processor, adapted to receive said message, said server processor for identifying whether a client is graphic-based or character-based, for retrieving a graphic definition from said data memory according to a graphic definition identifier and for sending said graphic definition to a client application; and

a client application processor for processing said graphic definition to display said visual presentation on a display device.

21. A system according to claim 20 wherein said at least one application program comprises at least one of a COBOL application, an RPG application, a JAVA application, a C application, a C++ application, a PASCAL application, a FORTRAN application or a PL/1 application.

22. A system according to claim 20 wherein said client application processor executes an application including at least one of a JAVA application, a WINDOWS application, a VISUAL BASIC application, or an ACTIVEX application.

23. A system according to claim 20 wherein said host processor comprises at least one of a mainframe computer or an AS/400 computer.

24. A method for providing a visual presentation for a host application, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of graphic definitions in a data memory;

generating a request to display a “

visual presentation, said request”

including an identifier identifying that a client is graphic-based;

associating said identifier with one of said graphic definitions supported by said client without associating a screen definition with a graphic definition;

retrieving said one graphic definition from said data memory; and

processing said retrieved graphic definition to display said visual presentation on a display device.

25. A method according to claim 24 further including the step of generating said graphic definitions by directly associating said definitions with at least one host application by not generating a screen definition.

26. A method according to claim 24 wherein said request is a conventional display protocol message from a host application.

27. A method according to claim 24 wherein said generating step is associated with a host application comprising at least one of a COBOL application, an RPG application, a JAVA application, a C application, a C++ application, a PASCAL application, a FORTRAN application or a PL1 application.

28. A method according to claim 24 wherein said screen definition is associated with at least one of a 3270 screen or a 5250 screen.

29. A method according to claim 24 wherein said graphic definition is associated with an application comprising at least one of a JAVA application, a WINDOWS application, a VISUAL BASIC application, or an ACTIVEX application.

30. A system for providing a visual presentation for a computer application, said system for processing a message generated by at least one application program executing on a host processor, wherein said message requests a visual presentation and includes an identifier,associated with a presentation definition, said system comprising:

a data memory for storing a plurality of character-based presentation definitions and a plurality of graphic-based presentation definitions;

a client identifier for determining a presentation type supported by a client associated with said message and for identifying whether said client is character-based or graphic-based;

a display manager for routing said message to a screen processor or a graphic processor according to said presentation type;

a screen processor for retrieving a screen definition from said data memory according to said identifier and for sending said screen definition to a client application;

and a window processor for retrieving a graphic definition from said data memory according to a graphic definition identifier and for sending said graphic definition to a client application.

31. A system according to claim 30 further comprising said host processor.

32. A system according to claim 30 further comprising a graphic-based client for processing said graphic definition to display said visual presentation on a display device.

33. A system according to claim 30 further comprising a screen-based client for processing said screen definition to display said visual presentation on a display device.

34. A method for providing a visual presentation for a host application, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of graphic presentation definitions in a data memory;

executing a first host application to generate a request to present one of said definitions associated with a client;

generating a host application interface message in response to said request, said host application interface message including an identifier associated with said one definition;

executing a second host application for receiving said host application interface message, for identifying whether the client is character-based or graphic based, and, when the client is graphic-based, for generating a graphic presentation message, said graphic presentation message including an identifier associated with said one definition;

executing a computer application, comprising the steps of retrieving said one definition from said data memory according to an identifier associated with said one definition and sending said one definition to a client application; and

executing a client application, comprising the steps of generating said visual presentation according to said one definition and displaying said presentation on a display device.

35. A method according to claim 34 wherein said host application interface message comprises at least one of an EXFMT message or a SHOWSCR message.