Typed-data translation for platform independence

• US 7,865,884 B1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Albert, Eric, Kosut, Alexei Elias, Watson, Matthew George, Zellers, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough; H. S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoang; Phuong N
• Application Number:
  US11/144,877
• Time in Patent Office: 2,041 Days
• Field of Search: 719/328, 719/318, 717/136, 717/137
• US Class Current: 717/140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

A method, computer program and device for the translation of typed data objects in a heterogeneous computational environment is described. The operating system (or installed shared code libraries) translates typed data objects from a first format (e.g., big-endian) to a second format (e.g., little-endian) if the application sending the object and the application receiving the object utilize different formats. By placing data object format translation capabilities into the operating system, the software development effort required to permit an application (e.g., a user-level application) to execute in a heterogeneous environment is significantly reduced.

Claims

1. A typed data object translation method, comprising:

receiving a typed data object having a first format byte ordering from a first application;

creating a token in an operating system specified memory identifying the received type data object;

storing the token in the memory;

receiving a request for the typed data object in a second format byte ordering;

translating the received typed data object into the second format byte ordering;

updating a data pointer associated with the token to indicate that the object type is big-endian or little-endian;

updating the token to identify the translated typed data object so that the token identifies both the received typed data object and the translated typed data object; and

sending the translated typed data object to a second application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from a third application for the typed data object in a specified format; and

sending, to the third application, the typed data object if the specified format corresponds to the first format byte ordering and the translated typed data object if the specified format corresponds to the second format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first format byte ordering comprises a big-endian or little-endian format.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second format byte ordering comprises a little-endian format if the first format byte ordering comprises a big-endian format, and a big-endian format if the first format byte ordering comprises a little-endian format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the token comprises a pasteboard token and the memory comprises a pasteboard memory.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second applications comprise user-level applications.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of receiving, creating, storing, translating, updating and sending are performed by an operating system component.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the operating system component comprises a pasteboard manager component.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the operating system component comprises one or more shared code libraries.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the typed data object comprises an operating system defined typed data object.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the typed data object comprises a user-level application defined typed data object.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user-level application that defines typed data object registers, with the operating system component, a translation routine to convert the typed data object from the first format byte ordering to the second format byte ordering.

14. A program storage device, readable by a programmable control device, comprising instructions stored on the program storage device for causing the programmable control device to perform the method of claim 1.

13. A computer system, comprising:

a central processing unit;

non-volatile storage coupled to the central processing unit;

volatile storage coupled to the central processing unit;

applications, stored on the non-volatile storage, adapted to be executed by the central processing unit from the volatile storage;

an operating system application, stored on the non-volatile storage and comprising a plurality of functional components, adapted to be executed by the central processing unit from the volatile storage, wherein at least one of the plurality of components is adapted to—

receive a typed data object having a first format byte ordering from a first application,

store a token in an operating system specified memory identifying the received typed data object,

receive a request for the typed data object in a second format byte ordering,

translate the received typed data object into the second format byte ordering,

update a data pointer associated with the token to indicate that the object type is big-endian or little endian,

update the token to identify the translated typed data object so that the token identifies both the received typed data object and the translated typed data object, and

send the translated typed data object to a second application.