Isolating declarative code to preserve customizations

• US 7,984,424 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Genc, Goksel, Vasudevan, Sripriya Prashanthi, Dengler, Patrick Michael, Vargiya, Rachna, Sanchez, Lawrence M. II, Aydin, Eray
• Primary Examiner(s): DENG, ANNA CHEN
• Application Number:
  US11/511,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20060294506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,785 Days
• Field of Search: 717120-122
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

Embodiments provide a software model which allows a user to modify a software program in substantially the same manner as the original programmer or developer. In one embodiment, declarative code and user customizations are isolated from other code and structure of the software program. The isolated customizations can be quickly and efficiently examined to determine whether any changes or other modifications have been made to the software program. Additionally, the isolated changes can be efficiently located and applied when updating or upgrading the software program to persist any customized changes made to the software program.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium including executable instructions which, when executed, manage changes in code by:

providing a development tool and declarative model to use in a computing environment used in part to preserve a user experience using aspects of imperative code and declarative code, wherein the declarative code and associated meta-data are isolated rather than being integrated with assembled code;

implementing one or more customizations using the declarative code;

isolating the one or more customizations from the imperative code to provide one or more isolated customizations to locate and re-apply when managing aspects of the code from version to version, including isolating details of sources in a data pipeline component from a data source component using a first fixed contract via a first communication channel, and isolating details of sources in the data source component from a user interface component data using a second fixed contract via second communication channel as part of preserving the one or more isolated customizations;

persisting the one or more isolated customizations when managing the aspects of the code using the isolated customizations such that a user is not required to re-engineer the one or more customizations from version to version; and

configuring the development tool to allow modifications to the code to provide a tailored customization when executing the instructions.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, manage changes in code of a software package by persisting the one or more customizations in an update to the software package including merging the one or more isolated customizations with the update, the storage medium including one or more resource files, one or more shipping resource files, a run-times portion, and a shipping run-times portion.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, manage changes in code of a software package by isolating meta-data associated with the one or more customizations.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the instructions, when executed, manage changes in code of the software package by merging the meta-data associated with the one or more customizations with meta-data of a new version of the software package.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, manage changes in code of a software package by managing at least one of a customized file, a customized setting, and a customized preference.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, manage changes in code by including a development tool with the code, wherein the development tool is configured to allow modifications to meta-data associated with the declarative code to provide the tailored customization.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, manage changes in code by including the development tool with the code, wherein the development tool is configured to operate with different versions of the declarative code.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, manage changes in code by comparing one or more coded differences associated with the one or more customizations with a prior version of the code.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed, manage changes in code by comparing the one or more coded differences associated with the one or more customizations with a new version of the code.

10. A system to manage code of a computing environment, the system includes at least one processor, comprising:

a declarative model associated with declarative code having an associated meta-data structure, wherein the declarative code and the associated meta-data structure are isolated rather than being integrated with assembled code;

an imperative model associated with imperative code that is isolated from the declarative code;

a development component to make customizations to the associated meta-data structure of the declarative model, wherein the customizations are isolated from the imperative code as isolated customizations to locate and re-apply as part of managing aspects of the code and persist in subsequent code versions such that a user is not required to re-engineer the customizations from version to version;

a data pipeline component, a data source component, and a user interface component associated with the code, wherein a first fixed contract is used to isolate details of sources in the data pipeline component from the data source component via a first communication channel, and a second fixed contract is used to isolate details of sources in the data source component from the user interface component via a second communication channel as part of preserving the isolated customizations; and

a development tool configured to allow modifications to the code to provide a tailored customization when executing the code.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a data source component in communication with a data pipeline component and a user interface component.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a merge component to merge customizations made to the meta-data structure of the declarative model with other declarative code.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the meta-data structure of the declarative model comprises XML-based meta-data.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the system comprises a developer software program.

15. A method of managing code of a software program, the method comprising:

using a computer system as part of providing a declarative model for using the software program in a computing environment including preserving a user experience with the software using aspects of imperative code and a declarative code structure, wherein the declarative code structure and associated meta-data are isolated rather than being integrated with assembled code;

including standard development tools with the software program;

using the standard development tools to make one or more customizations to the code of the software program; and

isolating the one or more customizations using the declarative code structure to provide one or more isolated customizations to locate and re-apply when managing aspects of the code of the software program such that a user is not required to re-engineer customizations from version to version, including isolating details of sources in a data pipeline component from a data source component using a first fixed contract via a first communication channel, and isolating details of sources in the data source component from a user interface component data using a second fixed contract via a second communication channel as part of preserving the one or more isolated customizations; and

configuring the standard development tools to allow modifications to the code of the software program to provide a tailored customization when executing the software program.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising updating the code of the software program by merging the one or more isolated customizations with one or more updates.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising updating the code of the software program by merging XML meta-data associated with the one or more isolated customizations, and making the one or more isolated customizations available in an updated software program.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising using the standard development tools to persist customizations and make further customizations in different versions of the software program.