Mechanism for capturing high level events on user interface components

• US 7,653,721 B1
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Romanov, Mikhail, Yarmolenko, Alexey, Chiriaev, Dmitri
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US10/983,324
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A recording mechanism is disclosed for automatically capturing high level events on user interface (UI) components of a set of software. In one implementation, the recording mechanism registers with a UI component to receive notification when an event occurs on the UI component. When an event does occur, the recording mechanism receives notification thereof from the UI component. In one implementation, the notification includes some high level event-specific information. After the notification is received, the recording mechanism creates and stores a record of the event, which includes at least a portion of the event-specific information, as well as information indicating the UI component as the target of the event. The record may further include information indicating a component hierarchy in which the UI component is contained. Overall, the record contains all of the information needed to reproduce the event on the UI component of the software at a later time.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

registering with a first user interface (UI) component to receive a notification when an event occurs on the first UI component;

receiving the notification from the first UI component when the event occurs on the first UI component, wherein the notification comprises event-specific information;

determining a component hierarchy using the first UI component, wherein the component hierarchy comprises the first UI component and a plurality of other UI components, wherein each one of the plurality of other UI components comprises the first UI component, and wherein the first UI component is directly related to at least one UI component in the plurality of other UI components;

creating a record of the event using the component hierarchy,

wherein the record comprises at least a portion of the event-specific information, information indicating the first UI component as a target of the event, and component-specific information for each of the UI components in the component hierarchy,

wherein the component-specific information for a UI component in the component hierarchy is obtained from the UI component, and wherein obtaining the component-specific information for the first UI component comprises determining a component type for the first UI component determining a plug-in module associated with the component type and invoking the plug-in module to obtain the component-specific information for the first UI component from the first UI component; and

storing the record in a manner that enables the record to be subsequently accessed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating computer code based upon the record, the computer code, when executed, causing the event to be applied to the first UI component.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

formatting information in the record into a structured, self-describing format to give rise to a formatted version of the record.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

generating computer code based upon the formatted version of the record, the computer code, when executed, causing the event to be applied to the first UI component.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

interpreting the formatted version of the record to cause the event to be applied to the first UI component.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the structured, self-describing format is XML (extensible markup language).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the component hierarchy comprises:

determining all ancestor UI container components of the first UI component.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein registering with the first UI component comprises:

registering a listener module with the first UI component to receive the notification from the first UI component when the event occurs on the first UI component.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein registering the listener module comprises:

determining a component type for the first UI component;

determining that a listener module associated with the component type; and

registering the listener module with the first UI component.

10. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

registering with a first UI container to receive notification whenever a UI container is opened or closed within the first UI container;

receiving notification from the first UI container that a second UI container has been opened within the first UI container, wherein the second UI container contains a UI component;

registering a first listener module with the second UI container to receive notification whenever a UI container is opened or closed within the second UI container;

registering a second listener module with the UI component to receive notification from the UI component when the event occurs on the UI component;

receiving notification from the first UI container that the second UI container has been closed; and

shutting down the first and second listener modules.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving notification from the first UI container that the second UI container has been closed; and

shutting down the first listener module.

12. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to register with a first user interface (UI) component to receive a notification when an event occurs on the first UI component;

instructions for causing one or more processors to receive the notification from the first UI component when the event occurs on the first UI component, wherein the notification comprises event-specific information;

instructions for causing one or more processors to determine a component hierarchy using the first UI component, wherein the component hierarchy comprises the first UI component and a plurality of other UI components, wherein each one of the plurality of other UI components comprises the first UI component, and wherein the first UI component is directly related to at least one UI component in the plurality of other UI components;

instructions for causing one or more processors to create a record of the event,

wherein the record comprises at least a portion of the event-specific information, information indicating the first UI component as a target of the event, and component-specific information for each of the UI components in the component hierarchy,

wherein the component-specific information for a UI component in the component hierarchy is obtained from the UI component, and

wherein obtaining the component-specific information for the first UI component comprises determining a component type for the first UI component determining a plug-in module associated with the component type, and invoking the plug-in module to obtain the component-specific information for the first UI component from the first UI component; and

instructions for causing one or more processors to store the record in a manner that enables the record to be subsequently accessed.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to generate computer code based upon the record, the computer code, when executed, causing the event to be applied to the first UI component.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to format information in the record into a structured, self-describing format to give rise to a formatted version of the record.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to generate computer code based upon the formatted version of the record, the computer code, when executed, causing the event to be applied to the first UI component.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to interpret the formatted version of the record to cause the event to be applied to the first UI component.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the structured, self-describing format is XML (extensible markup language).

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions for causing one or more processors to determine the component hierarchy comprises:

instructions for causing one or more processors to determine all ancestor UI container components of the UI component.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the record of the event comprises the component-specific information for the first UI component and the component-specific information for each of the ancestor UI container components.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions for causing one or more processors to register with the first UI component comprises:

instructions for causing one or more processors to register a listener module with the first UI component to receive the notification from the first UI component when an event occurs on the first UI component.

21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions for causing one or more processors to register the listener module comprises:

instructions for causing one or more processors to determine a component type for the first UI component;

instructions for causing one or more processors to determine a listener module associated with the component type; and

instructions for causing one or more processors to register the listener module with the first UI component.

22. A machine-implemented machine-readable storage medium, comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to register with a first UI container to receive notification whenever a UI container is opened or closed within the first UI container;

instructions for causing one or more processors to receive notification from the first UI container that a second UI container has been opened within the first UI container, wherein the second UI container contains a UI component;

instructions for causing one or more processors to register a first listener module with the second UI container to receive notification whenever a UI container is opened or closed within the second UI containers

instructions for registering a second listener module with the UI component to receive notification from the UI component when an event occurs on the UI component;

instructions for receiving notification from the first UI container that the second UI container has been closed; and

instructions for shutting down the first and second listener modules.

23. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to receive notification from the first UI container that the second UI container has been closed; and

instructions for causing one or more processors to shut down the first listener module.