Mechanism for converting text output into objects

• US 7,665,074 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2004
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Truher, James W., Pandit, Bhalchandra S., Payette, Bruce G.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, TUAN A
• Application Number:
  US10/998,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20060064668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,905 Days
• Field of Search: 717/114, 717/141, 717143-144, 707/10, 707/100, 715/234, 709/227, 709/231, 719/316, 719/328
• US Class Current: 717/143
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

The techniques and mechanisms described herein are directed at converting text into objects based on a template that describes the format of the text, where the format of the text is not in a standardized format. The objects then being available for further processing. The conversion mechanism converts the text into a dead object. The template comprises an object header indicator and a corresponding object header pattern. A new object is created based on the object header pattern identified within the text. In addition, the template comprises one or more field indicators each having a corresponding field pattern. The field pattern may be in a format of a regular expression. A field type and associated value are created from a string associated with the field pattern.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

parsing, within an object-based administrative tool framework, an input data stream and based on data being derived from the parsing, to instantiate one or more application programming interfaces (APIs), wherein at least one or more APIs is utilized to construct one or more objects to represent the parsed data, populate and validate contents of the one or more objects, and pass the one or more objects through a pipeline being exposed within a user-interface command application for further processing;

creating a unique template describing a text output of a traditional command, the template comprising an object state indicator for determining whether a live object is to be created, wherein the created live object includes a method that is directly invocable by one of the one or more APIs within the object-based administrative tool framework, wherein the template includes a field indicator and a corresponding field pattern; and

converting, when the object state indicator does not indicate creating the live object, the text output into a dead object, the text output not being in a standardized format and the dead object not having a method that is directly invocable, wherein converting the text output into a dead object includes invoking one of the one or more APIs to create a hash object; and

wherein the field indicator and the field pattern are utilized by the one or more APIs to process one or more objects created within the object-based administrative tool framework.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the template further comprises an object header indicator and a corresponding object header pattern and wherein converting the text output comprises creating the dead object based on the object header pattern identified within the text output.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein converting the text output further comprises specifying a field associated with the dead object when creating the dead object based on the field pattern.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the field pattern comprises a regular expression.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the traditional command is executed outside the object-based administrative tool framework.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the text output into the dead object comprises:

collecting the text output as an away of strings, each string representing one line within the text output;

obtaining an object type from the string associated with the object header pattern;

obtaining a field type and associated value from the string associated with the field pattern; and

creating a new dead object based on the object type and the field type.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the field pattern describes the output text that is assigned as a value for the field type.

8. At least one computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform the following steps:

parsing, within an object-based administrative tool framework, an input data stream and based on data being derived from the parsing, to instantiate one or more application programming interfaces (APIs), wherein at least one or more APIs is utilized to construct one or more objects to represent the parsed data, populate and validate contents of the one or more objects, and pass the one or more objects through a pipeline being exposed within a user-interface command application for further processing;

describing output text generated from a source as an output template, the output template including an object state indicator for determining whether a live object is to be created, wherein the created live object includes a method that is directly invocable by one of the one or more APIs within the object-based administrative tool framework, wherein the output template includes a field indicator and a corresponding field pattern; and

converting, when the object state indicator does not indicate creating the live object, the output text into a dead object, wherein the output text is not in a standardized format and the dead object does not have a method that is directly invocable, wherein converting the text output into a dead object includes invoking one of the one or more APIs to create a hash object, and

wherein the field indicator and the field pattern are utilized by the one or more APIs to process one or more objects created within the object-based administrative tool framework.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the output template further comprises an object header indicator and a corresponding object header pattern.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the field pattern comprises a regular expression.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the source comprises a traditional command.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the traditional command is executed outside the object-based administrative tool framework.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein converting the output text into the dead object comprises:

collecting the output text as an away of strings, each string representing one line within the output text;

obtaining an object type for the string that matches the object header pattern;

obtaining a new field type for the string that matches the field pattern; and

creating the dead object based on the object type and the field type.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the field pattern obtained from the output text is assigned as a value for the field type.

15. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory for storing program modules and data, including;

an object-based administrative tool framework for parsing an input data stream and based on data being derived from the parsing, instantiating one or more application programming interfaces (APIs), wherein at least one or more APIs is utilized to construct one or more objects to represent the parsed data, populate and validate contents of the one or more objects, and pass the one or more objects through a pipeline being exposed within a user-interface command application for further processing;

a template for describing text output generated from a source, the template comprising an object state indicator for determining whether a live object is to be created, wherein the created live object includes a method that is directly invocable by one of the one or more APIs within the object-based administrative tool framework, wherein the template includes a field indicator and a corresponding field pattern; and

a conversion component for converting, when the object state indicator does not indicate creating the live object, the text output into a dead object, wherein the text output is not in a standardized format and the dead object does not have a method that is directly invocable, wherein the converting the text output into a dead object includes invoking the one or more APIs to create a hash object, and

wherein the field indicator and the field pattern are utilized by the one or more APIs to process one or more objects created within the object-based administrative tool framework.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the template further comprises an object header indicator and a corresponding object header pattern and wherein the conversion component creates the dead object based on the object header pattern identified within the text output.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the conversion component specifies a field when creating the dead object based on the field pattern identified within the text output.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the field pattern comprises a regular expression.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the text output is generated by a traditional command.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the traditional command is executed within the object-based administrative tool framework.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the traditional command is executed outside of the object-based administrative tool framework.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the conversion component is configured to:

collect the text output as an array of strings, each string representing one line within the text output;

obtain an object type for the string that matches the object header pattern;

obtain a field type for the string that matches the field pattern; and

create the dead object based on the object type and the field type.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the field pattern obtained from the output text is assigned as a value for the field type.