Method, system, and program for mapping objects in different language formats

• US 6,957,439 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2000
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lewallen, Stephen Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoang, Phuong N.
• Application Number:
  US09/567,836
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 717/154, 717136-138, 709/328
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/51 Source to source
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/76 Adapting program code to run in a different environment; Porting

Abstract

Disclosed is a system, method, and program for translating source code statements to executable code. A source code statement including an application program interface (API) that is a member of a set of standard APIs calling an object in a first format is processed. A mapping is used to determine at least one user interface API corresponding to the determined standard API. The user interface API provides an implementation of the standard APIs in a user interface program. A mapping is determined of the called object to a corresponding object in a second format utilized by the user interface program is accessed. The source code statement comprising the standard API calling the object in the first format is converted to the determined user interface API calling the corresponding object in the second format. The user interface program is capable of executing the user interface API calling the corresponding object.

Claims

1. A method for translating source code statements to executable code, comprising:

processing a source code statement from the source code statements including an application program interface (API) that is a member of a set of standard APIs calling an object in a first format;

determining from a mapping at least one user interface API corresponding to the determined standard API, wherein the user interface API provides an implementation of the standard APIs in a user interface program, and wherein the user interface API manipulates a browser object;

accessing a mapping of the called object to a corresponding object in a second format utilized by the user interface program, wherein the mapping includes a middle object and a node object that provide a linkage between the called object in the first format and the corresponding object in the second format, wherein the middle object includes a pointer to the node object and wherein the node object includes a pointer to the object in the second format; and

constructing a source code statement comprising the determined user interface API calling the corresponding object in the second format, wherein the user interface program is capable of executing the user interface API calling the corresponding object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface program executes on multiple operating system platforms thereby allowing the application program to include standard API interfaces calling objects in the first format to execute on the multiple operating system platforms via the user interface program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the mapping of the called object to the corresponding object comprises:

determining whether there is the middle object for the called object in the first format; and

using the middle object to access a pointer to the corresponding object, wherein the pointer addresses the corresponding object to use with the determined user interface API.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein using the middle object to access the pointer further comprises executing a method in a middle object class to manipulate the middle object to determine the pointer to the corresponding object.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein using the middle object to access the pointer further comprises:

querying the node object including the pointer to the corresponding object to determine the pointer to the corresponding object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the standard API comprises a command to instantiate an object in the first format, wherein in response to processing the command to instantiate the object in the first format, performing:

determining a pointer to the corresponding object in the second format; and

determining whether there is a preexisting instance of the determined pointer, wherein the determined user interface API uses the preexisting pointer to call the corresponding object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether there is a preexisting pointer comprises determining whether the determined pointer is listed in a table including pointers to corresponding objects previously instantiated.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein in response to processing the command to instantiate the object in the first format further performing if there is no preexisting instance of the determined pointer:

generating the middle object; and

generating the called object in the first format including a link to the middle object, wherein the middle object is used to access the pointer to the corresponding object.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the object in the first format inherits from a class for the middle object that includes methods to use the middle object to access the pointer to the corresponding object.

11. The method of claim 9, further performing if there is no instance of the preexisting object:

generating the node object including the pointer to the corresponding object, wherein the pointer to the node object included in the middle object is used to access the pointer to the corresponding object.

5. The method of 4, wherein the application program further includes statements in an object oriented programming language, wherein the middle object class is implemented in the object oriented programming language.

12. A system for translating source code statements to executable code, comprising:

means for processing a source code statement from the source code statements including an application program interface (API) that is a member of a set of standard APIs calling an object in a first format;

means for determining from a mapping at least one user interface API corresponding to the determined standard API, wherein the user interface API provides an implementation of the standard APIs in a user interface program, and wherein the user interface APT manipulates a browser object;

means for accessing a mapping of the called object to a corresponding object in a second format utilized by the user interface program, wherein the mapping includes a middle object and a node object that provide a linkage between the called object in the first format and the corresponding object in the second format, wherein the middle object includes a pointer to the node object, and wherein the node object includes a pointer to the object in the second format; and

means for constructing a source code statement comprising the determined user interface API calling the corresponding object in the second format, wherein the user interface program is capable of executing the user interface API calling the corresponding object.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the user interface program executes on multiple operating system platforms thereby allowing the application program to include standard API interfaces calling objects in the first format to execute on the multiple operating system platforms via the user interface program.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for accessing the mapping of the called object to the corresponding object comprises:

means for determining whether there is the middle object for the called object in the first format; and

means for using the middle object to access a pointer to the corresponding object, wherein the pointer addresses the corresponding object to use with the determined user interface API.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for using the middle object to access the pointer further comprises executing a method in a middle object class to manipulate the middle object to determine the pointer to the corresponding object.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the application program further includes statements in an object oriented programming language, wherein the middle object class is implemented in the object oriented programming language.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for using the middle object to access the pointer further comprises:

means for querying the node object including the pointer to the corresponding object to determine the pointer to the corresponding object.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the standard API comprises a command to instantiate an object in the first format, further comprising:

means for determining a pointer to the corresponding object in the second format in response to processing the command to instantiate the object in the first format; and

means for determining whether there is a preexisting instance of the determined pointer, wherein the determined user interface API uses the preexisting pointer to call the corresponding object.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the means for determining whether there is a preexisting pointer further comprises means for determining whether the determined pointer is listed in a table including pointers to corresponding objects previously instantiated.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

means for generating the middle object in response to processing the command to instantiate the object in the first format and if there is no preexisting instance of the determined pointer; and

means for generating the called object in the first format including a link to the middle object, wherein the middle object is used to access the pointer to the corresponding object.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the object in the first format inherits from a class for the middle object that includes methods to use the middle object to access the pointer to the corresponding object.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

means for generating the node object including the pointer to the corresponding object if there is no instance of the preexisting object, wherein the pointer included in the middle object to the node object is used to access the pointer to the corresponding object.

23. An information bearing medium including code for translating source code statements to executable code, wherein the code is capable of causing a processor to perform:

processing a source code statement from the source code statements including an application program interface (API) that is a member of a set of standard APIs calling an object in a first format;

determining from a mapping at least one user interface API corresponding to the determined standard API, wherein the user interface API provides an implementation of the standard APIs in a user interface program, and wherein the user interface API manipulates a browser object;

accessing a mapping of the called object to a corresponding object in a second format utilized by the user interface program, wherein the mapping includes a middle object and a node object that provide a linkage between the called object in the first format and the corresponding object in the second format, wherein the middle object includes a pointer to the node object, and wherein the node object includes a pointer to the object in the second format; and

constructing a source code statement comprising the determined user interface API calling the corresponding object in the second format, wherein the user interface program is capable of executing the user interface API calling the corresponding object.

24. The information bearing medium of claim 23, wherein the user interface program executes on multiple operating system platforms thereby allowing the application program to include standard API interfaces calling objects in the first format to execute on the multiple operating system platforms via the user interface program.

25. The information bearing medium of claim 23, wherein accessing the mapping of the called object to the corresponding object further comprises:

determining whether there is the middle object for the called object in the first format; and

using the middle object to access a pointer to the corresponding object, wherein the pointer addresses the corresponding object to use with the determined user interface API.

26. The information bearing medium of claim 25, wherein using the middle object to access the pointer further comprises executing a method in a middle object class to manipulate the middle object to determine the pointer to the corresponding object.

27. The information bearing medium of claim 26, wherein the application program further includes statements in an object oriented programming language, wherein the middle object class is implemented in the object oriented programming language.

28. The information bearing medium of claim 25, wherein using the middle object to access the pointer further comprises:

querying the node object including the pointer to the corresponding object to determine the pointer to the corresponding object.

29. The information bearing medium of claim 23, wherein the standard API comprises a command to instantiate an object in the first format, wherein in response to processing the command to instantiate the object in the first format, performing:

determining a pointer to the corresponding object in the second format; and

determining whether there is a preexisting instance of the determined pointer, wherein the determined user interface API uses the preexisting pointer to call the corresponding object.

30. The information bearing medium of claim 29, wherein determining whether there is a preexisting pointer comprises determining whether the determined pointer is listed in a table including pointers to corresponding objects previously instantiated.

31. The information bearing medium of claim 29, wherein in response to processing the command to instantiate the object in the first format further performing if there is no preexisting instance of the determined pointer:

generating the middle object; and

generating the called object in the first format including a link to the middle object, wherein the middle object is used to access the pointer to the corresponding object.

32. The information bearing medium of claim 31, wherein the object in the first format inherits from a class for the middle object that includes methods to use the middle object to access the pointer to the corresponding object.

33. The information bearing medium of claim 31, further performing if there is no instance of the preexisting object:

generating the node object including the pointer to the corresponding object, wherein the pointer included in the middle object to the node object is used to access the pointer to the corresponding object.