Method and system for an extensible macro language

• US 7,711,685 B1
• Filed: 10/16/1999
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mintz, Eric, Deffler, Tad A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert; Ella
• Application Number:
  US09/419,749
• Time in Patent Office: 3,853 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/100, 707/209, 707/3, 707/8, 707/500, 707/513, 707/526, 715/1, 715/500, 715/513, 715/526, 717/106, 717114-118, 717/122, 717/124, 717/140, 717/3, 717/8, 712/3, 712/209, 703/3, 345/340, 345/348
• US Class Current: 707/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and system for an extensible macro language is provided. The system for providing the extensible macro language includes a parser and a macro handler for processing macro commands not previously defined in the macro language. The parser analyzes keywords in a macro language expression and recognizes one or more keywords representing macro commands that were not previously defined in the macro language. The macro handler receives the keywords in the macro expression and retrieves from a registry of keywords, an executable code or procedure associated with the keyword. The executable code is run to process the macro command represented by the keyword. The template language registry may be augmented to include any keywords and associated codes for extending the macro language.

Claims

1. A method for providing an extensible macro language comprising:

maintaining, in a repository, a predefined macro language comprising a plurality of keywords and a plurality of associated commands for execution;

using a parser to parse a macro language expression to identify a new keyword in the macro language expression that is not within the plurality of keywords in the predefined macro language;

using a macro handler comprising a macro processor to retrieve, from a registry of keywords and associated executable codes, an executable code associated with the new keyword identified in the macro language expression, the executable code corresponding to a procedure that is not performed by the execution of the predefined macro language alone; and

using the macro handler to execute the executable code retrieved from the registry to run the extended macro command associated with the new keyword in the macro language expression without recompiling the macro language, the executable code associated with the new keyword not included in the predefined macro language and resulting in the performance of a procedure that is not performed by execution of the predefined macro language alone.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extending the registry of keywords and associated executable codes by inserting a new keyword representing a new extended macro command and a new executable code associated with the new keyword.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable code includes machine operable instructions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the new keyword in the macro language expression comprises recognizing one or more tokens in the macro language expression, and the method further comprises determining based on the predefined macro language that each token indicates the presence of a new macro command associated with the new keyword that is not included in the predefined macro language.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising breaking the macro language expression down into a plurality of elements, at least one of the plurality of elements comprising a pointer to the extended macro command.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the registry of keywords comprises a table of keywords and associated macro commands.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the registry of keywords comprises a database of keywords and associated macro commands.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable code retrieved from the registry to run the extended macro command associated with the new keyword in the macro language expression is executed without modifying the source code of the macro language.

9. A system for providing an extensible macro language, comprising:

a macro handler comprising a macro processor operable to maintain, in a repository, a predefined macro language comprising a plurality of keywords and a plurality of associated commands for execution;

a parser operable to parse a macro language expression to identify a new keyword in the macro language expression that is not within the plurality of keywords in the predefined macro language; and

a registry of keywords and associated executable codes, including one or more keywords and one or more executable codes that are not included in the predefined macro language, each keyword being associated with a respective one of the executable codes, each executable code corresponding to a procedure that is not performed by the execution of the predefined macro language alone,

wherein the macro handler is further operable to receive the new keyword from the parser, retrieve, from the registry of keywords and associated executable codes, the executable code associated with the new keyword identified within the macro language expression, and execute the retrieved executable code to run the extended macro command associated with the new keyword without recompiling the macro language, the executable code associated with the new keyword not included in the predefined macro language and resulting in the performance of a procedure that is not performed by execution of the predefined macro language alone.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the registry of keywords and associated executable codes is operable to be extended to include one or more new keywords and one or more new executable codes, each new keyword being associated with a respective one of the new executable codes.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein when identifying the new keyword in the macro language expression the parser is operable to:

recognize one or more tokens in the macro language expression; and

determine based on the predefined macro language that each token indicates the presence of a new macro command associated with the new keyword that is not included in the predefined macro language.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the parser is further operable to break the macro language expression down into a plurality of elements, at least one of the plurality of elements comprising a pointer to the extended macro command.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the registry of keywords comprises a table of keywords and associated macro commands.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the registry of keywords comprises a database of keywords and associated macro commands.