OBJECT MODELING TOOL WITH META MODEL SEMANTIC REGISTRY (RULES) A META DATA MANAGER FOR OBJECT(S) PROPERTIES AN OBJECT/PROPERTY INTERFACE FOR INSTANCE(S) OF OBJECTS/PROPERTIES RECEIVED VIA OBJECT/PROPERTY INTERFACE OF THE OBJECT FACTORY REGISTRY

• US 6,859,919 B1
• Filed: 10/16/1999
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Russo, Mark, Deffler, Tad A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ingberg, Todd
• Application Number:
  US09/420,223
• Time in Patent Office: 1,956 Days
• Field of Search: 717/100, 717/108, 717/117
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented

Abstract

A method and apparatus for building a modeling tool that includes a meta model that has a semantic registry and a meta data manager, an object/property interface, and an object/property factory registry. The object/property factory registry is coupled to the meta model and the object/property interface. The apparatus also includes an object/property model coupled to the object/property interface. The semantic registry includes at least a predefined set of semantics.

Claims

1. An apparatus for building a modeling tool, comprising:

a meta model including a semantic registry and a meta data manager, the meta data manager having information about one or more objects or properties or combination thereof, and the semantic registry having one or more rules to be enforced when modeling the one or more objects or properties;

an object/property interface;

an object/property factory registry coupled to the meta model and the object/property interface, the object/property factory registry operable to create one or more instances of the one or more objects or properties based on the description in the meta data manager and the one or more rules in the semantic registry, and

an object/property model coupled to the object/property interface, the object/property model having the one or more instances of the one or more objects or properties received via the object/property interface from the object/property factory registry.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transaction manager coupled to the object/property interface for undoing an action that places the object/property model in an invalid state.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a log file coupled to the transaction manager object/property interface.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the semantic registry of the meta model includes at least a predefined set of semantics.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the semantic registry of the meta model includes at least one set of semantics provided by a developer.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object/property factory registry of the meta model includes at least one object factory for creating an instance of an object and one property factory for creating an instance of a property.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object/property model includes a predefined set of at least one of a plurality of objects and a plurality of properties.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object/property model includes instances of objects and properties based on an external definition of the meta model.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object/property interface limits access to the object/property model.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object/property interface is further operable to provide access to the one or more instances of the one or more object or properties in the object/property model.

10. A method for building a modeling tool comprising:

constructing an object/property model by defining a first set of classes, the object/property model operable to store instances of one or more objects or properties;

constructing a meta model by defining a second set of classes, the meta model operable to store information about the one or more objects or properties and fir operable to store;

associating a type code with the first and second set of classes to couple the one or more instances of the one or more objects or properties in the object/property model with the one or more objects or properties defined in the meta model;

providing a predefined set of semantics to the meta model, the predefined set of semantics including one or more rules for modeling the one or more objects or properties defined in the meta model;

identifying a plurality of discrete events, wherein at least one semantic of the set of semantics is invoked at each occurrence of the plurality of discrete events; and

providing an object/property interface for limiting access to the object/property model.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

providing a transaction manager for undoing an action that places the object/property model in an invalid state.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the object/property model includes a predefined set of at least one of a plurality of objects and a plurality of properties.

13. The method according of claim 10, wherein the object/property model includes instances of objects and properties based on an external definition of the meta model provided by the developer.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the meta model includes at least one set of semantics provided by the developer.

15. An apparatus for building a modeling tool, comprising:

a first model including a registry and a data manager, the data manager including information about one or more objects or properties;

an interface;

a factory registry coupled to the first model and the interface, the factory registry operable to create one or more instances of the one or more objects or properties on the information; and

a second model coupled to the interface, the second model operable to store the one or more instances,

wherein the registry includes semantics that define one or more rules for modeling the one or more objects.

16. A method for building a modeling tool, comprising:

constructing a first model by defining a first set of classes, the first model including information about one or more objects or properties;

constructing a second model by defining a second set of classes, the second model including one or more instances created based on the information about the one or more objects or properties;

associating a type code with the first and second set of classes;

providing a predefined set of semantics to the first model, the predefined set of semantics including one or more rules for creating and manipulating the instances;

identifying a plurality of discrete events, wherein at least one semantic of the set of semantics is invoked at each occurrence of the plurality of discrete events; and

providing an interface for limiting access to the first model.