Reusable software components

• US 7,562,347 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Parann-Nissany, Gilad, Hammerich, Reiner P., Lauterbach, Johannes, Stienhans, Frank, Ittel, Jens C., Baumgart, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rampuria; Satish
• Application Number:
  US10/982,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20060101442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 717120-127, 717106-109
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implement techniques for structuring applications into reusable components. A reusable component having an external interface and an internal interface is implemented. The component encapsulates functionality, where multiple instances of the component are reusable at the same time. The component is configurable to embed one or more specified components. The external interface comprises an external programming interface, an external data-binding interface, and an external visual interface. The internal interface comprises an embedding interface, an internal programming interface, an internal data-binding interface, and an internal visual interface. The embedding interface specifies one or more component interfaces of components that can be embedded.

Claims

1. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device, comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

define a component having an external interface and an internal interface for embedding external components into the component, each external component being a reusable software component encapsulating functionality, wherein multiple instances of each external component are usable at the same time,

the external interface comprising;

an external programming interface for programmatic interaction with the component,

an external data-binding interface for data communication with the component, and

an external visual interface for access to a visual representation of a state of the component; and

the internal interface comprising;

an embedding interface for specifying one or more external interfaces of the external components to be embedded and a number of instances of each external component to be embedded;

an internal programming interface for programmatic interaction with the external components to be embedded,

an internal data-binding interface for data communication with the external components to be embedded, and

an internal visual interface for access to a visual representation of a state of the external components to be embedded.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the external programming interface, the external data-binding interface, and the external visual interface are separate interfaces.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the embedding interface, the internal programming interface, the internal data-binding interface, and the internal visual interface are separate interfaces.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein one or more of the internal programming interface, the internal data-binding interface, and the internal visual interface are not implemented.

5. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device, comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive user input identifying a first component having an internal interface for embedding external components, wherein the internal interface comprises an internal programming interface, an internal data-binding interface, an internal visual interface, and an embedding interface embedding interface for specifying one or more external interfaces of the embeddable external components;

receive user input identifying a second component, embeddable by the first component, the second component having an external interface among the one or more external interfaces specified by the embedding interface of the first component, wherein the external interface comprises an external programming interface, an external data-binding interface, and an external visual interface;

receive user input embedding the second component within the first component, wherein the user input embedding the second component comprises configuration data for the embedding interface, the internal programming interface, the internal data-binding interface, and the internal visual interface, of the first component, wherein the configuration data for the internal programming interface, the internal data-binding interface, and the internal visual interface specifies connections with the external programming interface, the external data-binding interface, and the external visual interface, respectively; and

connect the internal interface of the first component to the external interface of the second component.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the external interface of the second component corresponds to the external interface of the first component.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the second component has multiple instances that are usable at the same time, wherein the configuration data for the embedding interface specifies a number of instances of the second component that are embedded in the first component.

8. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving user input identifying a first component having an internal interface for embedding external components, wherein the internal interface comprises an internal programming interface, an internal data-binding interface, an internal visual interface, and an embedding interface for specifying one or more external interfaces of the embeddable external components;

receiving user input identifying a second component, embeddable by the first component, the second component having an external interface among the one or more external interfaces specified by the embedding interface of the first component, wherein the external interface comprises an external programming interface, an external data-binding interface, and an external visual interface;

receiving user input embedding the second component within the first component,

generating configuration data for the first component in response to the received user input embedding the second component, wherein the configuration data includes configuration data for the embedding interface, the internal programming interface, the internal data-binding interface, and the internal visual interface, wherein the configuration data for the internal programming interface, the internal data-binding interface, and the internal visual interface specifies connections with the external programming interface, the external data-binding interface, and the external visual interface, respectively; and

connecting the internal interface of the first component to the external interface of the second component.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the external interface of the second component corresponds to the external interface of the first component.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second component has multiple instances that are usable at the same time, wherein the configuration data for the embedding interface specifies a number of instances of the second component that are embedded in the first component.

11. A machine-readable storage device, comprising:

means for receiving user input identifying a first component having an internal interface for embedding external components, wherein the internal interface comprises an internal programming interface, an internal data-binding interface, an internal visual interface, and an embedding interface for specifying one or more external interfaces of the embeddable external components;

means for receiving user input identifying a second component embeddable by the first component, the second component having an external interface among the one or more external interfaces specified by the embedding interface of the first component, wherein the external interface comprises an external programming interface, an external data-binding interface, and an external visual interface;

means for receiving user input embedding the second component within the first component;

means for generating configuration data for the first component in response to the received user input embedding the second component, wherein the configuration data includes configuration data for the embedding interface, the internal programming interface, the internal data-binding interface, and the internal visual interface, wherein the configuration data for the internal programming interface, the internal data-binding interface, and the internal visual interface specifies connections with the external programming interface, the external data-binding interface, and the external visual interface, respectively; and

means for connecting the internal interface of the first component to the external interface of the second component.