Method and apparatus for self-describing externally defined data structures
First Claim
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1. A method for providing externally defined self-describing container data structures comprising:
- executing a data structure engine in a computer system;
said data structure engine obtaining at least one description set for at least one container data structure;
said data structure engine obtaining at least one data structure in-memory representation in said computer system by interpreting said at least one container data structure;
said data structure engine obtaining a mapping between one or more data elements of said at least one data structure and at least one function;
said data structure engine handling access to said one or more data elements from one or more applications to read and write said one or more data elements; and
in response to a change in value of a first data element of said at least one data structure in-memory representation, said data structure engine using one or more application component handles associated with said first data element to notify one or more respective components of said one or more applications that said change has occurred.
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Abstract
Embodiments of the invention provide a framework for computer application to utilize data structures by loading externally-defined container data structures, and building in-memory representation of data structures at runtime. Contrary to existing applications, computer applications implementing the invention may utilize data structures for which the architecture is not embedded within the application code. Embodiments of the invention provide mechanisms by which applications (or components thereof) implementing the invention may access and modify data structures and their individual elements.
22 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A method for providing externally defined self-describing container data structures comprising:
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executing a data structure engine in a computer system; said data structure engine obtaining at least one description set for at least one container data structure; said data structure engine obtaining at least one data structure in-memory representation in said computer system by interpreting said at least one container data structure; said data structure engine obtaining a mapping between one or more data elements of said at least one data structure and at least one function; said data structure engine handling access to said one or more data elements from one or more applications to read and write said one or more data elements; and in response to a change in value of a first data element of said at least one data structure in-memory representation, said data structure engine using one or more application component handles associated with said first data element to notify one or more respective components of said one or more applications that said change has occurred. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer program product comprising:
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a memory medium having computer readable program code for providing externally defined self-describing container data structures embodied therein, said computer readable program code configured to; obtain at least one description set for at least one container data structure; obtain at least one data structure in-memory representation by interpreting said at least one container data structure; obtain a mapping between one or more data elements of said at least one data structure and at least one function; handle access to said one or more data elements from one or more applications to read and write said one or more data elements; and use one or more application component handles associated with a first data element of said at least one data structure in-memory representation to notify one or more respective components of said one or more applications that a change in value of said first data element has occurred. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification