Automated binding for object oriented programming user interface components

• US 7,571,425 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lessly, Roger T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rampuria; Satish
• Application Number:
  US10/993,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20060112399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 717/708, 717/104, 717/137, 717/162, 717/124, 717/108, 719/318
• US Class Current: 717/108
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for automated binding of an application user interface to the data that it manipulates in an object oriented programming system is provided. In one embodiment, responsive to instantiating an application user interface, a binder object is constructed for at least one component in the application user interface. The binder mediates the exchange of data between the component and the corresponding field in the model. The binder monitors the component for data change events and monitors the model for data change and state change events from the field. The binding is specified by a moniker that is shared by the component and the field. Using the moniker, the binder synthesizes method names to get and set the field value and retrieve the field'"'"'s state. The binder then locates and invokes, using introspection, the methods in the model that match the synthesized method names.

Claims

1. A method for automated binding of an application user interface to the data manipulated by the user interface, the method comprising:

responsive to instantiating an application user interface, constructing a binder object for at least one component in the application user interface;

registering the binder object with a notification dispatcher as a data change and state change listener of the model for the moniker of the user interface component;

mediating with the binder object the exchange of data between the at least one component and a corresponding field in the model;

registering the binder with the user interface component, with the binder being registered as a listener for various events that the user interface component can generate;

synthesizing method names with the binder;

locating the methods in the model that match the synthesized method names; and

searching for and binding to an appropriate method that returns the current state of a field in the model;

whereby the step of searching for and binding includes automatically dynamically interrogating the application user interface at run time to discover a method running therein and, assigning a moniker to a discovered method, the moniker being formed by appending at least one of a predetermined suffice and a predetermined prefix, to the discovered method name.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the methods comprise the getter, setter, and “

is-valid”

methods;

locating the methods in the model comprises locating the getter and setter methods in the model; and

searching for and binding to an appropriate method comprises searching for and binding to an “

is-valid”

method.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the step of automatically dynamically interrogating utilizes introspection to find the getter, setter, and the is-valid methods in the model.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that data in the user interface component has changed, receiving, at the binder, the event, retrieving, with the binder, the new value, and updating, using the binder, the value in the model.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that data in the model has changed,

sending, from the model, a data change notification using the moniker of the field that changed via the notification dispatcher, and

receiving, at the binder, the notification, calling, with the binder, the bound getter to retrieve the new value from the model, and updating, using the binder, the user interface component.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

performing, with the binder, one of enabling and disabling a corresponding user interface component based on the returned Boolean value.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that a state change occurred in the model,

sending, from the model, a state change notification;

receiving the notification at the binder; and

getting, at the binder, a Boolean value indicating the applicable state of the field in the model.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that an event occurred in the user interface component,

receiving, at the binder, an appropriate user interface event notification;

synthesizing, with the binder, an event-handling method name, and searching, with the binder, the application user interface for the method.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the method is found, calling, with the binder, the event-handling method.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method comprise at least one of a data method, an event method, and an auxiliary method.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the data method comprises one of a get method, a set method, an “

is valid”

method, and methods for populating components.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the methods for populating components comprise “

get-list”

methods.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the event method comprises handle user interface events generated by the various components in the user interface.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the event method is bound to a method in the view object.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the auxiliary method comprises methods that provide one of auxiliary information and handle binder-generated notifications.

16. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the auxiliary method handles at least one of validation of the maximum length of a text field, handle errors detected by the binder, and provide monikers for table columns.

17. A computer readable recordable type media storing computer program instructions, which when executed cause a computer to:

construct a binder object for at least one component in the application user interface responsive to instantiating an application user interface;

register the binder object with a notification dispatcher as a data change and state change listener of the model for the moniker of the user interface component;

mediate with the binder object the exchange of data between the at least one component and a corresponding field in the model;

register the binder with the user interface component, with the binder being registered as a listener for various events that the user interface component can generate;

synthesize method names with the binder;

locate methods in the model that match the synthesized method names; and

dynamically search the at least one component of the application user interface at run time, for methods running therein and, assigning a moniker to a discovered method, the moniker being formed by appending at least one of a predetermined suffice and a predetermined prefix, to the discovered method name and bind to an appropriate method that returns the current state of a field in the model.

18. The computer readable recordable type media as recited in claim 17, wherein:

the methods comprise the getter, setter, and “

is-valid”

methods;

locating the methods in the model comprises locating the getter and setter methods in the model; and

searching for and binding to an appropriate method comprises searching for and binding to an “

is-valid”

method.

19. The computer readable recordable type media as recited in claim 18, wherein the binder utilizes introspection to find the getter, setter, and the is-valid methods in the model.

20. The computer readable recordable type media as recited in claim 17, further comprising computer program instructions, which when executed cause a computer to:

determine that data in the user interface component has changed, receive at the binder, the event, retrieve with the binder, the new value, and update using the binder, the value in the model.

21. The computer readable recordable type media recited in claim 17, further comprising:

instructions for, responsive to a determination that data in the model has changed,

sending, from the model, a data change notification using the moniker of the field that changed via the notification dispatcher, and

receiving, at the binder, the notification, calling, with the binder, the bound getter to retrieve the new value from the model, and updating, using the binder, the user interface component.

22. The computer readable recordable type media as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

instructions for, responsive to a determination that a state change occurred in the model,

sending, from the model, a state change notification;

receiving the notification at the binder; and

getting, at the binder, a Boolean value indicating the applicable state of the field in the model.

23. The computer readable recordable type media as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

instructions for performing, with the binder, one of enabling and disabling a corresponding user interface component based on the returned Boolean value.

24. The computer readable recordable type media as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

instructions for, responsive to a determination that an event occurred in the user interface component,

receiving, at the binder, an appropriate user interface event notification;

synthesizing, with the binder, an event-handling method name, and

searching, with the binder, the application user interface for the method.

25. The computer readable recordable type media as recited in claim 24, further comprising:

instructions for, responsive to a determination that the method is found, calling, with the binder, the event-handling method.

26. The computer readable recordable type media as recited in claim 17, wherein the method comprise at least one of a data method, an event method, and an auxiliary method.

27. A system for automated binding of an application user interface to the data manipulated by the user interface, the system comprising:

a processor; and

memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing program instructions, which when executed cause the processor to;

construct a binder object for at least one component in the application user interface, responsive to instantiating an application user interface;

mediate with the binder object the exchange of data between the at least one component and a corresponding field in the model;

register the binder object with a notification dispatcher as a data change and state change listener of the model for the moniker of the user interface component;

register the binder with the user interface component, with the binder being registered as a listener for various events that the user interface component can generate;

synthesize method names with the binder;

locate at run time by dynamically interrogating the at least one component of the application user interface, methods in the model that match the synthesized method names; and

search for and bind to an appropriate method that returns the current state of a field in the model, the binding being comprised of assigning a moniker to the at least one component of the application user interface and the appending of at least one of a prefix and a suffix to use in locating a corresponding method in the model.

28. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein:

the methods comprise the getter, setter, and “

is-valid”

methods;

locating the methods in the model comprises locating the getter and setter methods in the model; and

searching for and binding to an appropriate method comprises searching for and binding to an “

is-valid”

method.

29. The system as recited in claim 28, wherein the binder utilizes introspection to find the getter, setter, and the is-valid methods in the model.

30. The system as recited in claim 27, further comprising computer program instructions which when executed cause the processor to:

determine that data in the user interface component has changed, receiving, at the binder, the event, retrieving, with the binder, the new value, and updating, using the binder, the value in the model.

31. The system method as recited in claim 27, further comprising computer program instructions which when executed cause the processor to:

responsive to a determination that data in the model has changed,

send from the model, a data change notification using the moniker of the field that changed via the notification dispatcher, and

receive at the binder, the notification, calling, with the binder, the bound getter to retrieve the new value from the model, and updating, using the binder, the user interface component.

32. The system as recited in claim 27, further comprising computer program instructions which when executed cause the processor to:

responsive to a determination that a state change occurred in the model,

send, from the model, a state change notification;

send the notification at the binder; and

get at the binder, a Boolean value indicating the applicable state of the field in the model.

33. The system as recited in claim 32, further comprising computer program instructions which when executed cause the processor to:

perform with the binder, one of enabling and disabling a corresponding user interface component based on the returned Boolean value.

34. The system as recited in claim 27, further comprising computer program instructions which when executed cause the processor to:

responsive to a determination that an event occurred in the user interface component,

receive at the binder, an appropriate user interface event notification;

synthesize with the binder, an event-handling method name, and

searching, with the binder, the application user interface for the method.

35. The system as recited in claim 34, further comprising computer program instructions which when executed cause the processor to:

responsive to a determination that the method is found, call with the binder, the event-handling method.

36. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein the method comprise at least one of a data method, an event method, and an auxiliary method.