DDEX (data designer extensibility) default object implementations for software development processes

• US 7,917,887 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Provine, Stephen Wharton
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri; Anil
• Application Number:
  US11/770,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 717100-104, 717120-123, 717113-116
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

A system and method for providing DDEX (data designer extensibility) default object implementations by bundling information associated with a support entity and information required to instantiate a new default instance is provided. Metadata associated with the definition of the support entity indicates if a default implementation exists and includes information associated with the creation of the default implementation. The metadata of the support entity is analyzed to automatically create and return a default implementation if the provider does not supply a specific implementation.

Claims

1. A method implemented within a computer system that includes at least one processor and memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, implement the method for determining an implementation for a Data Designer Extensibility (DDEX) support entity, the method comprising:

a computer system, which includes at least one processor, receiving a request from a client for an instance of a DDEX support entity, the DDEX support entity corresponding to a DDEX support entity definition that includes;

an interface that represents a contract between clients calling the DDEX support entity and any implementations of the interface, wherein the contract comprises one or more method definitions that define one or more tasks performed by the DDEX support entity, the one or more method definitions implemented by the implementations of the interface; and

metadata comprising i) an attribute that indicates the existence of a default implementation for the DDEX support entity and ii) an identifier that uniquely identifies the default implementation;

the computer system querying a first DDEX provider for a provider-specific implementation for the DDEX support entity;

in response to the query, the computer system determining that the first DDEX provider lacks the provider-specific implementation for the DDEX support entity;

the computer system determining that the metadata includes the attribute that indicates the existence of the default implementation for the DDEX support entity;

the computer system using the identifier to look up the default implementation;

the computer system instantiating an instance of the default implementation; and

the computer system returning the instance of the default implementation to the client.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer system querying at least a second DDEX provider for a second provider-specific implementation for the DDEX support entity; and

the computer system determining that the second DDEX provider lacks the second provider-specific implementation for the DDEX support entity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more method definitions comprise input and/or output parameters associated with the one or more tasks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the default implementation comprises a class that implements the interface and wherein the identifier identifies the class.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein instantiating an instance of the default implementation comprises instantiating an instance of the class identified by the identifier.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the class comprises a managed class.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the default implementation is registered with a software development program and wherein the identifier specifies a unique value that identifies the registered default implementation.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifier comprises a Globally Unique Identifier (GUID).

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

the computer system defining the DDEX support entity definition.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the computer system generating the Globally Unique Identifier (GUID); and

the computer system registering the default implementation with the software development program, wherein the GUID identifies the registered default implementation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is in the form of ‘

[DataDefaultObject(“

identifier”

)]’

, in which “

identifier”

specifies the identifier.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first DDEX provider corresponds to a data source.

13. A computer system for implementing a method for determining an implementation for a Data Designer Extensibility (DDEX) support entity, the computer system comprising:

at least one processor; and

one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, implement the method, comprising;

the computer system receiving a request from a client for an instance of a DDEX support entity, the DDEX support entity corresponding to a DDEX support entity definition that includes;

an interface that represents a contract between clients calling the DDEX support entity and any implementations of the interface, wherein the contract comprises one or more method definitions that define one or more tasks performed by the DDEX support entity, the one or more method definitions implemented by the implementations of the interface; and

metadata comprising i) an attribute that indicates the existence of a default implementation for the DDEX support entity and ii) an identifier that uniquely identifies the default implementation;

the computer system querying a first DDEX provider for a provider-specific implementation for the DDEX support entity;

in response to the query, the computer system determining that the first DDEX provider lacks the provider-specific implementation for the DDEX support entity;

the computer system determining that the metadata includes the attribute that indicates the existence of the default implementation for the DDEX support entity;

the computer system using the identifier to look up the default implementation;

the computer system instantiating an instance of the default implementation; and

the computer system returning the instance of the default implementation to the client.

14. One or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, implement a method for determining an implementation for a Data Designer Extensibility (DDEX) support entity, the method comprising:

a computer system, which includes at least one processor, receiving a request from a client for an instance of a DDEX support entity, the DDEX support entity corresponding to a DDEX support entity definition that includes;

an interface that represents a contract between clients calling the DDEX support entity and any implementations of the interface, wherein the contract comprises one or more method definitions that define one or more tasks performed by the DDEX support entity, the one or more method definitions implemented by the implementations of the interface; and

metadata comprising i) an attribute that indicates the existence of a default implementation for the DDEX support entity and ii) an identifier that uniquely identifies the default implementation;

the computer system querying a first DDEX provider for a provider-specific implementation for the DDEX support entity;

in response to the query, the computer system determining that the first DDEX provider lacks the provider-specific implementation for the DDEX support entity;

the computer system determining that the metadata includes the attribute that indicates the existence of the default implementation for the DDEX support entity;

the computer system using the identifier to look up the default implementation;

the computer system instantiating an instance of the default implementation; and

the computer system returning the instance of the default implementation to the client.