Development tool, method, and system for client server applications

• US 7,203,938 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2003
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Rothwein, Thomas M., Ambrose, Jesse, Strobel, Klaus W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nahar; Qamrun
• Application Number:
  US10/371,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 717/108, 717/116, 717/120, 717/121, 717/122, 717/165, 717/168, 717/169, 717/170, 717/174, 717/175, 717/113, 707/203, 709/201, 709/203
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A software development method and system having a suite of graphical customization tools that enables developers to rapidly configure all aspects of the underlying application software, including the look-and-feel, behavior, and workflow. This is accomplished without modifying application source code, base objects, or SQL. The sophisticated repository management capabilities of the method and system of our invention allows teams of developers to work efficiently on configuring applications. The application upgrader provides an automated process to upgrade the customizations to future product releases thus protecting the investment in customization. The ease, comprehensiveness, scalability, and upgradeability of the customization process help reduce the total lifecycle cost of customizing enterprise applications.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

assisting an end-user in customizing an application program comprising a plurality of existing modules, the assisting comprising

customizing the application program, wherein

the customizing comprises incorporating a distinct reusable module into at least one end-user created module,

the existing modules comprise the distinct reusable module,

the end-user created module is based at least in part on the distinct reusable module that is provided with the application program,

the end-user created module is also based at least in part on one or more edits, and

the edits indicate a difference between the end-user created module and the distinct reusable module;

automatically detecting a conflict between the end-user created module the existing modules; and

creating a notification of the detected conflict for presentation; and

receiving an upgrade version of the application program and automatically incorporating the end-user created module in the upgrade version in such a manner that functionality associated with the end-user created module is accessible to an end user of the upgrade version.

2. The method of claim 1 including presenting the created notification to a user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the creating of the end-user module based on the provided reusable module is facilitated by a wizard module for that reusable module that guides indicating of the edits by an end-user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the edits indicating differences from the reusable module do not include modifications of code associated with the reusable module.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the reusable module has at least one associated object, and wherein the edits indicating differences from the reusable module include modifications of definitions of one or more of the associated objects.

6. A method comprising:

assisting an end-user in customizing a vendor-supplied application program comprising a plurality of existing modules, the assisting comprising

receiving the application program and multiple reusable modules for the application program from a vendor, the reusable modules each having associated code;

for each of multiple end-user modules,

receiving an indication from the end-user of one of the reusable modules and of one or more edits indicating differences from the one reusable module; and

creating the end-user module based on the one reusable module and the indicated edits such that the end-user module is distinct from the one reusable module;

customizing the received application program, wherein the customizing comprises incorporating at least one of the reusable modules into the created end-user modules, and the existing modules comprise the reusable modules;

automatically checking for a conflict between the created end-user modules and the existing modules; and

receiving an upgrade version of the application program and automatically incorporating the created end-user modules in the upgrade version in such a manner that functionality associated with the created end-user modules is accessible to an end-user of the upgrade version.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the creating of at least one of the end-user modules based on the one reusable module is facilitated by a wizard module for that reusable module that guides the indicating of the edits by the end-user.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the edits indicating differences from the reusable modules do not include modifications of the code associated with the reusable modules.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein at least some of the reusable modules each have at least one associated object, and wherein the edits indicating differences from those reusable modules include modifications of definitions of the objects associated with those reusable modules.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the created end-user modules each provide at least one of a list, a form, a dialog, and a chart user interface.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the receiving of the edits for each of the end-user modules is in response to a provided enumeration of required end-user entries for an indicated type of an end-user module to be created.

12. A computer program product comprising:

a first set of instructions, executable on a computer system, configured to assist an end-user in customizing a vendor-supplied application program comprising a plurality of existing modules, comprising

a first subset of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to receive the application program and multiple reusable modules for the application program from a vendor, the reusable modules each having associated code;

for each of multiple end-user modules,

a second subset of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to receive an indication from the end-user of one of the reusable modules and of one or more edits indicating differences from the one reusable module; and

a third subset of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to create the end-user module based on the one reusable module and the indicated edits such that the end-user module is distinct from the one reusable module;

a fourth subset of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to customize the received application program, wherein

the customizing comprises incorporating at least one of the reusable modules into the created end-user modules, and the existing modules comprise the reusable modules;

a fifth subset of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to automatically check for a conflict between the created end-user modules and the existing modules;

a sixth subset of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to receive an upgrade version of the application program and automatically incorporating the created end-user modules in the upgrade version in such a manner that functionality associated with the created end-user modules is accessible to an end-user of the upgrade version; and

computer readable media, wherein said computer program product is encoded in said computer readable media.

13. A method comprising:

assisting an end user in customizing an application program comprising a plurality of existing objects that each have associated functionality, the assisting comprising

executing the application program in such a manner that the functionality associated with the existing objects is accessible to the end user;

for each of multiple new end-user objects,

receiving an indication from the end-user of modifications to one of the existing objects; and

creating the new end-user object from the one existing object based on the indicated modifications in such a manner that the created new end-user object has associated functionality distinct from the functionality associated with the one existing object;

modifying the application program to create a modified application program, wherein

the modifying comprises incorporating at least one of a plurality of reusable objects into the new end-user objects in such a manner that the functionality associated with each of the created end-user objects is accessible from the modified application program, and

the existing objects comprise the reusable objects;

automatically checking for a conflict between the created end-user objects and the existing objects;

in response to not detecting a conflict, executing the modified application program in such a manner that the functionality associated with the created end-user objects is accessible to the end user; and

receiving an upgrade version of the application program and automatically incorporating the created end-user objects in the upgrade version in such a manner that the functionality associated with the created end-user objects is accessible to an end user of the upgrade version.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the functionality associated with the existing objects and the distinct functionality associated with the new end-user objects are for interacting with end users via a graphical user interface of the application program.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the creating of a new end-user object from an existing object includes creating a new type of object that is derived from a type of the existing object such that the created derived object type inherits attributes and functionality from the existing object type.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the existing objects are reusable objects designed for use by an end user in creating new end-user objects.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the creating of at least one of the end-user objects from an existing object is facilitated by a wizard module for that existing object that guides the creating.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the modifications to the existing objects for the creating of the new end-user objects include modifications of definitions of those existing objects.