XML-based graphical user interface application development toolkit

• US 7,571,426 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Carroll, Thomas J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria; Satish
• Application Number:
  US11/227,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 717100-109, 717/113, 717/120, 717/121, 717/136, 717/145, 717/170
• US Class Current: 717/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A system and a method for creating user interfaces for software applications. Particularly, the invention allows a developer to segregate the development of the user interface from the development of the underlying application logic. In one embodiment, an application graphical user interface is specified using an XML document as an application interface file. At application compile time this application interface file is parsed, and the specification therein used to retrieve graphical screen components from an interface library to create the user interface. A grammar file can be used to further specify the parsing of the application interface file, and impose consistency upon the interface development process.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system for generating a graphical user interface for an application, comprising:

a computing device that includes a display screen for use in displaying a graphical user interface for an application;

an application source code file, that specifies an application logic that is executed by the application;

an application interface file that specifies a plurality of graphical elements within an interface library to be displayed for the application graphical user interface;

an interface grammar file that specifies rules to be used in parsing the application interface file;

the interface library that comprises a plurality of graphical elements that are selectively retrieved in accordance with the specifications of the application interface file and the interface grammar file; and

a parser that parses the application source code file, application interface file, and interface grammar file, wherein the parser

determines within the application source code file a reference to the application interface file,

determines by reference to the interface grammar file whether a function call specified by the application source code file is allowed, and

communicates the function call to the interface library, to retrieve graphical elements from the interface library, and generate the application graphical user interface.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an interface property file that specifies a set of graphical elements within the interface library to be used by the application interface file.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the application interface file is chosen from a plurality of available application interface files when a user logs in to the system.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the application interface file to be used is selected depending on the type of device used by a user.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface library comprises a library of object oriented classes.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the application interface file is an extended markup language file which maps application screen component function calls to screen component classes.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the interface grammar file is a document type definition file which specifies the dependencies of the application screen component function calls to one another.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface library comprises a set of screen component classes.

9. A computer-implemented method of generating a graphical user interface for an application, comprising the steps of:

parsing an application interface file, application source code file, and interface grammar file, wherein

the application interface file specifies a plurality of graphical elements within an interface library to be displayed for a graphical user interface,

the application source code file specifies an application logic for the application, and the interface grammar file specifies rules to be used in parsing the application interface file;

the interface library that comprises a plurality of graphical elements that are selectively retrieved in accordance with the specifications of the application interface file and the interface grammar file;

determining within the application source code file a reference to the application interface file;

determining by reference to the interface grammar file whether a function call specified by the application source code file is allowed;

communicating the function call to the interface library; and

retrieving from the interface library the plurality of graphical elements in accordance with the specifications of the application interface file and the interface grammar file, and generating the graphical user interface.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

an interface property file that specifies a set of graphical elements within the interface library to be used by the application interface file.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the application interface file is chosen from a plurality of available application interface files when a user logs in to the system.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the application interface file to be used is selected depending on the type of device used by a user.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the application interface file is an extended markup language file which maps application screen component function calls to screen component classes.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the interface grammar file is a document type definition file which specifies the dependencies of the application screen component function calls to one another.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the interface library comprises a set of screen component classes.

13. The method of 9 wherein the interface library comprises a library of object oriented classes.

17. A computer-implemented system for generating a graphical user interface for an application, comprising:

a computing device which includes a display screen for use in displaying a graphical user interface for an application;

an application source code file, that specifies an application logic for the application;

an application interface file that specifies a plurality of graphical elements within an interface library to be displayed as the application graphical user interface;

an interface grammar definition that specifies rules to be used in generating the application interface file;

the interface library that comprises a plurality of graphical elements that are selectively retrieved in accordance with the specifications of the application interface file and the interface grammar file; and

a parser that parses the application source code file, application interface file, and interface grammar file, wherein the parser

determines within the application source code file a reference to the application interface file,

determines by reference to the interface grammar file whether a function call specified by the application source code file is allowed, and

communicates the function call to the interface library, to retrieve graphical elements from the interface library, and generate the application graphical user interface.

18. A computer-implemented method of generating a graphical user interface for an application, comprising the steps of:

parsing an application interface file, application source code file, and interface grammar definition, wherein

the application source code file specifies an application logic for the application,

the application interface file specifies a plurality of graphical elements within an interface library to be displayed as the application graphical user interface, and

the interface grammar definition specifies rules to be used in generating the application interface file;

the interface library that comprises a plurality of graphical elements that are selectively retrieved in accordance with the specifications of the application interface file and the interface grammar definition;

determining within the application source code file a reference to the application interface file;

determining by reference to the interface grammar definition whether a function call specified by the application source code file is allowed; and

communicating the function call to the interface library that comprises a plurality of graphical elements that can be selectively retrieved as specified by the application interface file and the interface grammar definition, to retrieve a selection of graphical elements that are then used in generating the application graphical user interface.