Scripting task-level user-interfaces

• US 7,174,361 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2000
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paas, J. Julian
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURGESS, BARBARA N
• Application Number:
  US09/541,994
• Time in Patent Office: 2,500 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 715/749, 715/760, 715/778, 715/740
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for use in network-centric computing for scripting user-interface components together on an as-needed basis for purposes of executing a software application preferably stored on a server. The application may be called from a container/desktop of a client which in turn launches a script. The script may be stored on a server, on the desktop, or on a removable media, such as an optical or magnetic diskette. The script determines each task to be performed in the application and calls each node associated with the tasks. The script further verifies the policies of the container/desktop with respect to invoking, initializing, and executing the node. Once a task has been performed on the client, the script determines the next node, if any, and may discard the previous node in accordance with the policy framework of the container/desktop. In this way, applications can be performed in a myriad of computing devices, some having little or no memory, by downloading to the client only those user-interface components needed for a particular task to be performed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

calling the software application residing on a server from one of a plurality of clients, the clients and the server connected to each other through at least one network, the software application having a plurality of policy frameworks, each of the frameworks being associated with a respective one of the plurality of clients;

launching a container/desktop of one of the plurality of clients consistent with the respective policy framework of the one client, wherein the container/desktop includes a software for displaying a user-interface on a display in a computer;

the container/desktop initializing and communicating to the server to execute a script of the application;

executing the script on the server, the script downloading a first user-interface component of the application to the container/desktop;

the container/desktop executing the first user-interface component;

the first user interface component linking to and starting a subsequent user-interface component of the script; and

in response to the subsequent user-interface component of the script being started, the software in the container/desktop automatically closing the first user-interface component and removing the first user-interface from a system memory in the computer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of said script starting and executing the user-interface components within a policy framework of the container/desktop.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the container/desktop removing the user-interface components from memory within the client when the user-interface component is closed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user-interface component directly passes data to the subsequent user-interface component before the first user-interface component closes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and subsequent user-interface components are decoupled from the software application, such that an execution context of the user-interface components can be changed without affecting application code in the software application.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user-interface components are decoupled via a script on a server managing a contract between the script and a policy of the container/desktop.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the policy describes a number of tasks that can be simultaneously executed on a client computer.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the policy describes a visual policy on a client computer, and wherein the visual policy describes a position, sizing and cropping of a user-interface component.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the subsequent user-interface component of the script being started, the software in the container/desktop automatically removing the first user-interface from a disk storage in the computer.

10. A computer-readable storage medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured to:

call the software application residing on a server from one of a plurality of clients, the clients and the server connected to each other through at least one network, the software application having a plurality of policy frameworks, each of the frameworks being associated with a respective one of the plurality of clients;

launch a container/desktop of one of the plurality of clients consistent with the respective policy framework of the one client, wherein the container/desktop includes a software for displaying a user-interface on a display in a computer;

use the container/desktop to initialize and communicate to the server to execute a script of the application;

execute the script on the server, the script downloading a first user-interface component of the application to the container/desktop;

use the container/desktop to execute the first user-interface component;

use the first user interface component to link to and start a subsequent user-interface component of the script;

in response to the subsequent user-interface component of the script being started, the software in the container/desktop automatically closing the first user-interface component and removing the first user-interface from a system memory in the computer; and

download the subsequent user-interface component to the container/desktop, and the container/desktop executing the subsequent user-interface component and then closes the subsequent user-interface component.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first user-interface component passes data to the subsequent user-interface component before the first user-interface component closes.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first and subsequent user-interface components are decoupled from the software application, such that an execution context of the user-interface components can be changed without affecting application code in the software application.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the user-interface components are decoupled via a script on a server managing a contract between the script and a policy of the container/desktop.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the policy describes a number of tasks that can be simultaneously executed on a client computer.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the policy describes a visual policy on a client computer, and wherein the visual policy describes a position, sizing and cropping of a user-interface component.

16. A system comprising:

means for calling the software application residing on a server from one of a plurality of clients, the clients and the server connected to each other through at least one network, the software application having a plurality of policy frameworks, each of the frameworks being associated with a respective one of the plurality of clients;

means for launching a container/desktop of one of the plurality of clients consistent with the respective policy framework of the one client, wherein the container/desktop includes a software for displaying a user-interface on a display in a computer;

means for the container/desktop to initialize and communicate to the server to execute a script of the application;

means for executing the script on the server, the script downloading a first user-interface component of the application to the container/desktop;

means for the container/desktop to execute the first user-interface component;

means for the first user interface component to link to and start a subsequent user-interface component of the script; and

means for, in response to the subsequent user-interface component of the script being started, the software in the container/desktop automatically closing the first user-interface component and removing the first user-interface from a system memory in the computer.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for said script to start and execute the user-interface components within a policy framework of the container/desktop.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for the container/desktop to remove the user-interface components from memory within the client when the user-interface component is closed.

19. A system comprising:

means for calling the software application residing on a server from one of a plurality of clients, the clients and the server connected to each other through at least one network, the software application having a plurality of policy frameworks, each of the frameworks being associated with a respective one of the plurality of clients;

means for launching a container/desktop of one of the plurality of clients consistent with the respective policy framework of the one client, wherein the container/desktop includes a software for displaying a user-interface on a display in a computer;

means for using the container/desktop to initialize and communicate to the server to execute a script of the application;

means for executing the script on the server, the script downloading a first user-interface component of the application to the container/desktop;

means for using the container/desktop to execute the first user-interface component;

means for using the first user interface component to link to and start a subsequent user-interface component of the script;

means for, in response to the subsequent user-interface component of the script being started, the software in the container/desktop automatically closing the first user-interface component and removing the first user-interface from a system memory in the computer; and

means for downloading the subsequent user-interface component to the container/desktop, and the container/desktop executing the subsequent user-interface component and then closes the subsequent user-interface component.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first user-interface component passes data to the subsequent user-interface component before the first user-interface component closes.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the first and subsequent user-interface components are decoupled from the software application, such that an execution context of the user-interface components can be changed without affecting application code in the software application.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the user-interface components are decoupled via a script on a server managing a contract between the script and a policy of the container/desktop.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the policy describes a number of tasks that can be simultaneously executed on a client computer.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the policy describes a visual policy on a client computer, and wherein the visual policy describes a position, sizing and cropping of a user-interface component.