Methods and systems for synchronizing processes executing on a digital data processing system

• US 7,100,165 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2002
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Systems USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Systems Incorporated (Invensys PLC)
• Inventors: Eldridge, Keith E., Bushy, Dennis M.
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, Camquy
• Application Number:
  US10/252,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20030051068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/8, 717/127, 719/316, 700/19, 700/20, 715/700
• US Class Current: 719/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4488 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A method and system for synchronizing plural processes executing on a digital data processing system includes the steps of registering each of the processes for notification of at least selected events occurring in the other processes. Those events can include, for example, the addition, deletion or selection of an item in another process, the selection of the menu item in the graphical user interface of another process, and the invocation or termination of another process. An item is any informational entity in a process, such as the datum or display object. The method and system further detect an event in any of the processes and determining whether that event is one for which the process (other than bat in which the event occurred) is registered for notification. If so, that other process is notified of the event, e.g., so that it can take an action based on that effected in connection with the detected event in the process in which it occurred.

Claims

1. An event-driven method for synchronizing plural processes that process information relating to process control, the method comprising

A. registering at least one process of said plural processes for notification of menu selection events in another of said plural processes, each of the selected and other processes processing information regarding a process control system of a type used to control a manufacturing process,

B. executing the plural processes on a common digital data processor with respect to any of common data and corresponding data (hereinafter, “

common data”

) and generating with each such process a different respective graphical user interface display,

C. detecting selection of a menu item in a graphical user interface in one of the plural processes,

D. identifying one or more processes, other than that in which the menu item was selected, registered for notification of menu selection events and notifying them that the menu item was selected, and

E. responding to such notification by selectively modifying the graphical user interface display generated within each of the notified processes and selectively executing, within each of the notified processes with respect to the common data, an operation in accord with the selected menu item.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising wherein step (C) comprises detecting selection of the menu item by intercepting a selected call made by the process in which such selection was made.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (B) includes generating with a first one of the plural processes a graphical user interface display of the common data in a tabular format and generating with a second one of the plural processes a graphical user interface display of the common data in a graph format.

4. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of responding to notification of a file-open menu selection event for accessing, within each of the notified processes, a file corresponding to that opened by the file-open menu selection event in the process in which it was made.

5. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of responding to notification of a file-close menu selection event for terminating access, within each of the notified processes, to a file corresponding to that to which access is terminated by the menu file-close menu selection event in the process in which it was made.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (C) comprises

detecting selection of the menu item by intercepting a selected call made by the process in which such selection was made,

invoking, subsequent to the intercepting step, any of a routine to which the intercepted call was directed.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (D) comprises the step of transferring to each of the notified processes a menu selection signal identifying the selected menu item.

8. An event-driven method for synchronizing plural processes that process information relating to process control, the method comprising

A. executing the plural processes on plural interconnected digital data processors,

B. registering at least one process of said plural processes for notification of menu selection events in a second of of said plural processes, each of the selected and other processes processing information regarding a process control system of a type used to control a manufacturing process,

C. executing the plural processes with respect to any of common and corresponding data (hereinafter, “

common”

data) and generating with each such process a different respective graphical user interface display,

D. detecting selection of a menu item in a graphical user interface in one of the plural processes,

E. identifying one or more processes, other than that in which the menu item was selected, registered for notification of menu selection events and notifying them that the menu item was selected, and

F. responding to such notification by selectively modifying the graphical user interface display generated within each of the notified processes and selectively executing, within each of the notified processes and with respect to the common data, an operation in accord with the selected menu item.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein step (E) comprises the step of notifying the one or more registered processes of (i) an identity of the process in which the menu item was selected, (ii) a type corresponding to the detected menu selection.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein step (E) comprises the step of notifying the one or more registered processes for any of initiating and terminating access to a file.

11. An event-driven method for synchronizing plural processes that are executing on a common digital data processor and that process information relating to process control, the method comprising

A. registering at least one process of said plural processes for notification of item-specific events in another of said plural processes, each of the selected and other processes processing information about regarding a process control system of a type used to control a manufacturing process,

B. executing the plural processes on said common digital data processor with respect to any of common data and corresponding data (hereinafter, “

common data”

) and generating with each such process a different respective graphical user interface display,

C. detecting an item-specific event in one of the plural processes and modifying the graphical user interface display generated by that process in accord with that event,

D. the process in which the item-specific event occurred selectively (i) identifying one or more processes, other than that in which the item-specific event was detected, registered for notification of item-specific events and (ii) providing notification to those notified processes of the detected event,

E. responding to such notification by modifying the graphical user interface display generated by each of the notified processes with respect to the common data in accord with the detected event.

12. A method according to claim 11, in which stop (B) includes wherein step (B) includes generating with a first one of the plural processes a graphical user interface display of the common data in a tabular format and generating with a second one of the plural processes a graphical user interface display of the common data in a graph format.

13. A method according to claim 11, in which step (B) includes the step of detecting as an item-specific event any of a selection of an item displayed by the graphical user interface, creation of an item, updating a value of an item, and deletion of an item.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein step (E) includes responding to such notification for taking action on an item within each of the notified processes in accord with that taken on a corresponding item in connection with the detected item-specific event in the process in which it was detected.

15. An event-driven method for synchronizing plural processes that process information relating to process control, the method comprising

A. executing the plural processes on plural interconnected digital data processors,

B. registering at least one process of said plural processes for notification of item-specific events in a second of said plural processes, each of the selected and other processes processing information about regarding a process control system of a type used to control a manufacturing process,

C. executing the plural processes with respect to any of common data and corresponding data (hereinafter, “

common data”

) and generating with each such process a different respective graphical user interface display,

D. detecting an item-specific event in one of the plural processes and modifying the graphical user interface display generated by that process in accord with that event

E. the process in which the item-specific event occurred selectively (i) identifying one or more processes, other than that in which the item-specific event was detected, registered for notification of item-specific events and (ii) providing notification to those notified processes of the detected event,

F. responding to such notification by modifying the graphical user interface display generated by each of the notified processes with respect to the common data in accord with the detected event.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein step (E) comprises the step of notifying the notified processes of (i) an identity of the process in which the item-specific selection event was detected, (ii) a type of the item-specific selection event.

17. A method according to claim 15, comprising the steps of

executing the plural processes and generating with each a respective graphical user interface display, and

detecting a data transfer event between any of the plural processes and modifying the graphical user interface display generated by that process in accord with that event

identifying one or more processes, other than a recipient of the data transfer event, registered for notification of item-specific events and providing notification to them of addition of an item to a process, and

responding to such notification by modifying the graphical user interface display generated by each of the notified processes in accord with the detected event and for taking action within each of the notified processes in accord with the addition of an item to the recipient of the data transfer event.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the data transfer event includes any of a drag-and-drop event and a copy-and-paste event.

19. A method according to claim 17, comprising the steps of

executing to plural processes and generating with each a respective graphical user interface display, and

detecting a drag-and-drop event between any of the processes,

identifying one a more processes, other than a recipient of the drag-and-drop event, registered for notification of item-specific events and notifying them of addition of an item to a process, and

responding to such notification for taking action within each of the notified processes in accord with the addition of an item to the recipient of the drag-and-drop event.

20. A method according to claim 19, comprising the steps of

registering at least one process of said plural processes as recipients of drag-and-drop events and identifying valid drop sites within those processes, and

responding to detection of a drag-and-drop event for verifying validity of a drop site for that event in accord with the registration of recipients thereof.