System for managing logical process flow in an online environment

• US 7,051,069 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2001
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Smithline, Neil, Giridhar, Sathyanarayana
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US09/908,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,770 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705/10, 705/201, 705/203, 707/1, 707/10, 709/200, 709/201, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/31 Programming languages or programming paradigms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

The invention uses a state machine to control the flow throughout a Web site including the execution of business logic, error handling and dispatching based on both user and programming events. This state machine is used as input to a flow processor and therein guides the system. The flow processor controls a series of online functions including HTML links, HTML form submissions, form processing, business logic execution, and business logic exceptions into one simple-to-manage element. Any required change to the logic flow of the system can be made by modifying just the flow processor itself, without necessary changes to the referenced online functions.

Claims

1. A system, comprising;

an application including nodes, and said application also having a flow associated therewith;

a webflow properties file for storing a plurality of origin event pairs, wherein each one of said plurality of origin event pairs comprises a set from the nodes together with event-based transitions between nodes of the set; and

,

a webflow processor for parsing said webflow properties file upon a request of said application, to determine the flow of said application throughout the nodes of the application.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said nodes includes an action node for generating events based upon a received data at said application.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

a pipeline session for storing said received data for use by other ones of said nodes.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said action node is a pipeline for operating on said received data to create a new data, and for storing said new data in said pipeline session.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said pipeline comprises a plurality of pipeline components, wherein each of said plurality of pipeline components may modify said new data according to a predefined business function.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein said application comprises a plurality of Web pages, and wherein each of said plurality of Web pages is represented by one of said nodes, and wherein said pipeline operates on said received data as received at a form on one of said plurality of Web pages.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein said action node is an input process for examining said received data, and determining a particular one of said plurality of origin event pairs based on said examining.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said application comprises a plurality of Web pages, and wherein each of said plurality of Web pages is represented by one of said nodes, and wherein said input processor examines said received data as received at a form on one of said plurality Web pages.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said webflow processor is called by said application during an event, together with a particular one of said plurality of origin event pairs, in order to parse said webflow properties file, locate said particular one of said plurality of origin event pairs, determine a corresponding event-based transition, and determine said flow.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said webflow processor parses said webflow properties file dynamically, to determine said flow in real-time.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said webflow properties file may be modified, by modifying one or more of said plurality of origin event pairs, to effect a dynamic change in said flow.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said application is a Web application.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said Web application comprises a plurality of Web pages, and wherein each of said plurality of Web pages is represented by one of said nodes.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said plurality of Web pages includes any of HTML, or JSP code.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said nodes includes a presentation node for presenting static information between events.

16. A method, comprising:

providing an application including nodes, and said application also having a flow associated therewith;

storing, in a webflow properties file, a plurality of origin event pairs, wherein each one of said plurality of origin event pairs comprises a set from the nodes together with event-based transitions between nodes of the set; and

,

parsing, at a webflow processor, said webflow properties file, on a request of said application, to determine the flow of said application throughout the nodes of the application.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said nodes includes an action node for generating events based upon a received data at said application.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

storing said received data in a pipeline session for use by other ones of said nodes.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said action node is a pipeline and includes the step of:

operating on said received data to create a new data, and storing said new data in said pipeline session.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said pipeline comprises a plurality of pipeline components, wherein each of said plurality of pipeline components may modify said new data according to a predefined business function.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein said application comprises a plurality of Web pages, and wherein each of said plurality of Web pages is represented by one of said nodes, and wherein said pipeline operates on said received data as received at a form on one of said plurality of Web pages.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein said action node is an input processor for examining said received data, and determining a particular one of said plurality of origin event pairs based on said examining.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said application comprises a plurality of Web pages, and wherein each of said plurality of Web pages is represented by one of said nodes, and wherein said input processor examines said received data as received at a form on one said plurality of Web pages.

24. The method of claim 16 including:

calling said webflow processor during an event, together with a particular one of said plurality of origin event pairs, in order to parse said webflow properties file, locate said particular one of said plurality of origin event pairs, determine a corresponding event-based transition, and determine said flow.

25. The method of claim 24 including:

parsing said webflow properties file dynamically, to determine said flow in real-time.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said webflow properties file may be modified by modifying one or more of said plurality of origin event pairs, to effect a dynamic change in said flow.

27. The method of claim 16 wherein said application is a Web application.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said Web application comprises a plurality of Web pages, and wherein each of said plurality of Web pages is represented by one of said nodes.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said plurality of Web pages includes any of HTML, or JSP code.

30. The method of claim 16 wherein said nodes include a presentation node for static information between events.