System and method for utilizing non-EMF based objects in an EMF environment

• US 7,506,303 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2005
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Titania M., Hasson, Laurent D.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAVIS, JOHN Q
• Application Number:
  US11/033,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20060156277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 717/104
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4493 Object persistence

Abstract

A system, method and program product for generating artifacts that can convert back and forth between non-EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) objects and EMF-based objects in an EMF-based runtime environment such as Web Data Objects (WDO) or Service Data Objects (SDO). Included is a system for inputting one or more non EMF application classes such as Java Beans and generating artifacts that include: a source meta model (ecore) that describes the data model defined by the input application classes; an EMap file that contains mappings between the classes and properties of the non-EMF objects and the EMF Objects; a target meta model (ecore) which represents the source meta model as transformed by the emap mappings; and a set of java classes (Mediators and DiffHandlers) that will at runtime perform the transformation between the two environments (non-EMF and EMF based objects).

Claims

1. A system for generating a target meta model file that can convert non-EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) objects to EMF-based objects in an EMF-based runtime environment, comprising:

a system for inputting a source meta model that describes a data model and runtime support for the data model;

a system for inputting an EMap file that maps non-EMF java classes to the source meta model;

an association mechanism that utilizes the Emap file to associate eClassifiers in the source meta model to non-EMF Java classes in the source meta model;

a system for generating a default source meta model based on a Java Bean;

a system for generating an identity EMap based on an EMap schema;

a system for processing calculated attributes in the EMap file in order to create an expression that will be evaluated at runtime, wherein the system for processing calculated attributes generates attributes in the target meta model as eStructuralFeatures of a parent EClassifier; and

a system for processing iD attributes in the EMap file in order to allow use of combination primary keys.

2. A computer storage medium having a program product stored thereon for generating a target meta model file that can convert non-EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) objects to EMF-based objects in an EMF-based runtime environment, comprising:

program code configured for inputting a source meta model that describes a data model and runtime support for the data model;

program code configured for inputting an EMap file that maps non-EMF java classes to the source meta model;

program code configured for utilizing the Emap file to associate eClassifiers in the source meta model to non-EMF Java classes in the source meta model;

program code configured for generating a default source meta model based on a Java Bean;

program code configured for generating an identity EMap based on an EMap schema;

program code configured for processing calculated attributes in the EMap file in order to create an expression that will be evaluated at runtime, wherein the program code configured for processing calculated attributes generates attributes in the target meta model as eStructuralFeatures of a parent EClassifier; and

program code configured for processing iD attributes in the EMap file in order to allow use of combination primary keys.

3. A method for generating a target meta model file that can convert non-EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) objects to EMF-based objects in an EMF-based runtime environment, comprising:

inputting a source meta model that describes a data model and runtime support for the data model;

inputting an EMap file that maps non-EMF java classes to the source meta model;

utilizing the Emap file to associate eClassifiers in the source meta model to non-EMF Java classes in the source meta model;

generating a default source meta model based on a Java Bean;

generating an identity EMap based on an EMap schema;

processing calculated attributes in the EMap file in order to create an expression that will be evaluated at runtime;

processing calculated attributes generates attributes in the target meta model as eStructuralFeatures of a parent EClassifier; and

processing iD attributes in the EMap file in order to allow use of combination primary keys.