Method and software system for modularizing software components for business transaction applications

• US 7,007,266 B1
• Filed: 01/08/2002
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rogue Wave Software Incorporated (Perforce Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Quovadx, Inc. (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Isaacson, Cory
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US10/044,659
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 717100-103, 717/115, 717/120, 709200-203, 719310-313, 719/320, 719/328, 715/744, 715/760, 715/762, 715/763, 715/961, 715/964, 715/968
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system for modularizing a business application, the system including a computer having a first computer-readable medium encoded with a browser and an application server. The browser manages a user presentation interface for the business application and is configured to support client-side scripting. The application server is coupled to the computer and includes a second computer-readable medium that is encoded with a server-side script processing engine for processing scripts submitted by the browser and a Module Controller Servlet for opening, closing and managing at least one Module associated with the business application. A Module is a dynamic, configurable software element which includes at least one Extension component and a Data Store. The Extension component defines at least one particular business method function associated with the business application and is invoked as required by the business application. The Data Store includes at least one associated data set which contains data associated with the business application.

Claims

1. A system for modularizing a business application, said system comprising:

a computer having a first computer-readable medium encoded with a browser which manages a user presentation interface that is configured to display at least one user interface screen for said business application, the browser configured to support client-side scripting; and

an application server including a second computer-readable medium that is coupled to the computer, wherein the second computer-readable medium is encoded with;

a Module Controller Servlet for opening, closing and managing at least one Module associated with the business application, said Module including;

at least one Extension component which is selected from a plurality of Extension components, each Extension component defining at least one particular business method/function associated with the business application, said Extension component invoked as required by the business application, and

a Data Store having at least one associated data set which is selected from a plurality of data sets containing data associated with the business application,

wherein the Module is configured to prevent the need for a developer to implement a coding change selected from the group consisting of linking the user interface screen to a software component that supports the user interface screen and linking a keyword to the software component; and

a server-side script processing engine for processing scripts submitted by the browser.

2. The system of claim 1, where the Module modifies the at least one data set associated with the Data Store as a user makes changes to data associated with the business application via the user presentation interface.

3. The system of claim 2 where the Data Store further includes a Data Source Module which interacts with the at least one associated data set and transfers modifications to the data set to a back-end database.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one Module associated with the business application further includes a Module Deployment Descriptor which defines the at least one associated data set which has been selected for the Data Store.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the Module Deployment Descriptor further defines which of the at least one Extension components is selected from the plurality of Extension components for inclusion in Data Store.

6. A first computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program product including computer-readable program code for causing a browser that is encoded in a second computer-readable medium and an application server to manage a business application, wherein the browser is configured to manage a user presentation interface that is configured to display at least one user interface screen for the business application, said computer-readable program code comprising:

code for causing the browser to support client-side scripting;

code for causing the application server to open, close and otherwise managing at least one Module associated with the business application, said Module including

at least one Extension component which is selected from a plurality of Extension components, each Extension component defining at least one particular business method/function associated with the business application, said Extension component invoked as required by the business application, said

a Data Store having at least one associated data set which is selected from a plurality of data sets containing data associated with the business application,

wherein the Module is configured to prevent the need for a developer to implement a coding change selected from the group consisting of linking the user interface screen to a software component that supports the user interface screen and linking a keyword to the software component; and

code for causing the application server to process scripts submitted by the browser.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, where the computer program product further includes additional computer-readable program code which configures the at least one Module associated with the business application each time the Module is accessed, said additional computer-readable program code comprising:

a Module Deployment Descriptor which defines the at least one associated data set which has been selected for inclusion in the Data Store.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the Module Deployment Descriptor defines which of the at least one Extension components is selected from the plurality of Extension components for inclusion in the Module.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the computer program product further includes computer-readable code designed to modify the at least one data set associated with the Data Store as a user make changes to data associated with the business application via the browser.

10. A first computer-readable medium encoded with a dynamic, self-configurable Module which supports an entire business application process, wherein a user interface screen is associated with the business application, said Module comprising:

a Data Store having at least one associated data set which is selected from a plurality of data sets containing data associated with the business application; and

at least one Extension component which is selected from a plurality of Extension components, each Extension components defining at least one particular business method/function associated with the business application, said Extension component invoked a required by the business application;

wherein the Module is configured to prevent the need for a developer to implement a coding change selected from the group consisting of linking the user interface screen to a software component that supports the user interface screen and linking a keyword to the software component.

11. The dynamic, self-configurable Module of claim 10, wherein the Module invokes a thread or instance to a Script Processing Engine encoded in a second computer-readable medium in order to process the at least one business method/function of the at least one Extension component at runtime.

12. The dynamic, self-configurable Module of claim 10, wherein the Module has the capability to read from and write to the at least one data set associated with the Data Store in accordance with user input.

13. The dynamic, self-configurable Module of claim 10, wherein the Data Store further includes a Data Source Module which interacts with the at least one data set and transfers modifications to the data set to a back-end database.