Method for automating variables in end-user programming system

• US 8,108,829 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cypher, Allen George, Haber, Eben Merriam, Kandogan, Eser, Lau, Tessa Ann, Lin, James, Little, Danny Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Das, Chameli
• Application Number:
  US12/125,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20080270982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

A method for automating variables in an end-user programming system is disclosed. The end-user programming system comprises a script, a shared repository, at least one database, a recorder, an interpreter, and an execution engine. The script comprises at least one command describing an event comprising a data value. Each user has a uniquely identified entry set for the entries distributed in at least one database. The interpreter automatically creates a variable for a data value in a command by comparing the data value with each entry value in the entry set for the user recording the command. The interpreter automatically instantiates a variable in a command with an entry value by comparing the variable with each entry name in the entry set for the user executing the command.

Claims

1. A method for automatically creating variables in an end-user programming system, wherein the end-user programming system comprises a script, a shared repository, at least one database, a recorder, and an interpreter, wherein a script comprises at least one command, wherein a current user has an entry set stored in said at least one database, each entry set being uniquely identified for each user, each entry set comprising an entry, the entry comprising an entry name and an entry value associated with the entry name, the method comprising:

receiving a command to generalize, wherein the command describes an event comprising a target and an action performed on the target, said target representing an object comprising at least one data value, said action comprising a user activity associated with the object and zero or more data values;

finding N entries in the entry set for the current user such that each entry value of said N entry is equal to a corresponding data value in the command, wherein N is a positive integer representing a number of data values in the command;

generalizing each data value into a variable in the command after said finding by generating and subsequently replacing,

said generating comprising generating the variable such that a variable name of the variable is identical to an entry name of the entry in the entry set for the current user, and

said replacing comprising replacing the data value in the command with a flag string followed by the variable, wherein the flag string denotes that the variable following the flag string needs to be filled with an entry value of an entry in an entry set for a user who is executing the command; and

storing the command having N generalized variables therein into the shared repository,

wherein said receiving, said finding, said generalizing, and said storing are performed by the interpreter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the command to generalize, comprising at least one data value, is a recording of the event performed by the current user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the command to generalize, comprising at least one data value, is a command parsed by a parser from a text input describing the event provided by the current user, the text input being written in pseudo-natural language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry set is associated with a context document comprising a data environment for the current user performing the event described in the command.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the script, the shared repository, the entry set, the recorder, and the interpreter are configured to be controlled by the current user via a workspace.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the entry name and the entry value of the entry in the entry set stored in said at least one database are configured to be dynamically modified while creating the script via the workspace.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the end-user programming system further comprises an execution engine, wherein the execution engine performs the event described in said command, the method further comprising:

retrieving, from the shared repository, the stored command to instantiate, wherein the command comprises at least one generalized variable and describes an event comprising a target and an action performed on the target, wherein said at least one generalized variable results from said generalizing;

finding N entries in the entry set for the current user such that each entry name of said N entries is equal to a generalized variable name of a corresponding generalized variable in the command, wherein N is a positive integer representing a number of generalized variables in the command;

instantiating each generalized variable in the command with an entry value of an entry having an entry name identical to the corresponding generalized variable name found during said finding; and

sending, to the execution engine, the command having the instantiated variables therein,

wherein said retrieving, said finding, said instantiating, and said sending are performed by the interpreter.

9. The method of claim 8, said finding comprising:

detecting N flag strings within the command after said retrieving;

comparing each variable name following a flag string of said N flag strings with each entry name in the entry set for the current user; and

selecting N entries from the entry set for the current user such that each entry name of said N entries is equal to the variable name of the corresponding variable.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said finding has failed to find N entries in the entry set for the current user subject to each entry name of said N entries being equal to the variable name of the corresponding variable in the command, said instantiating comprising:

notifying the current user to instantiate each variable in the command.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the command to instantiate is a command comprising at least one variable, being stored in the shared repository, and describing the event previously performed by a past user.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the command to instantiate is a command comprising at least one variable, being parsed by the interpreter from a text input describing the event provided by the current user, the text input being written in pseudo-natural language.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the entry set is associated with a context document comprising a data environment for the current user executing the command.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the script, the shared repository, the entry set, the interpreter, and the execution engine are configured to be controlled by the current user via a workspace.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the entry name and the entry value of the entry in the entry set stored in said at least one database are configured to be dynamically modified while executing the script via the workspace.

7. A computer system comprising a processor and a computer readable memory unit coupled to the processor, said memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement automatically creating variables in an end-user programming system, wherein the end-user programming system comprises a script, a shared repository, at least one database, a recorder, and an interpreter, wherein a script comprises at least one command, wherein a current user has an entry set stored in said at least one database, each entry set being uniquely identified for each user, each entry set comprising an entry, the entry comprising an entry name and an entry value associated with the entry name, said automatically creating variables comprising:

receiving a command to generalize, wherein the command describes an event comprising a target and an action performed on the target, said target representing an object comprising at least one data value, said action comprising a user activity associated with the object and zero or more data values;

finding N entries in the entry set for the current user such that each entry value of said N entry is equal to a corresponding data value in the command, wherein N is a positive integer representing a number of data values in the command;

generalizing each data value into a variable in the command after said finding by generating and subsequently replacing,

said generating comprising generating the variable such that a variable name of the variable is identical to an entry name of the entry in the entry set for the current user, and

said replacing comprising replacing the data value in the command with a flag string followed by the variable, wherein the flag string denotes that the variable following the flag string needs to be filled with an entry value of an entry in an entry set for a user who is executing the command; and

storing the command having N variables therein into the shared repository,

wherein said receiving, said finding, said generalizing, and said storing are performed by the interpreter.

16. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable storage device having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code containing instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer system implement a method for automatically creating variables in an end-user programming system, wherein the end-user programming system comprises a script, a shared repository, at least one database, a recorder, and an interpreter, wherein a script comprises at least one command, wherein a current user has an entry set stored in said at least one database, each entry set being uniquely identified for each user, each entry set comprising an entry, the entry comprising an entry name and an entry value associated with the entry name, the method comprising:

receiving a command to generalize, wherein the command describes an event comprising a target and an action performed on the target, said target representing an object comprising at least one data value, said action comprising a user activity associated with the object and zero or more data values;

finding N entries in the entry set for the current user such that each entry value of said N entry is equal to a corresponding data value in the command, wherein N is a positive integer representing a number of data values in the command;

generalizing each data value into a variable in the command after said finding by generating and subsequently replacing,

said generating comprising generating the variable such that a variable name of the variable is identical to an entry name of the entry in the entry set for the current user, and

said replacing comprising replacing the data value in the command with a flag string followed by the variable, wherein the flag string denotes that the variable following the flag string needs to be filled with an entry value of an entry in an entry set for a user who is executing the command; and

storing the command having N generalized variables therein into the shared repository,

wherein said receiving, said finding, said generalizing, and said storing are performed by the interpreter.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the command to generalize, comprising at least one data value, is a recording of the event performed by the current user.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the command to generalize, comprising at least one data value, is a command parsed by a parser from a text input describing the event provided by the current user, the text input being written in pseudo-natural language.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the entry set is associated with a context document comprising a data environment for the current user performing the event described in the command.

20. The computer program product of claim 16,

wherein the command is executable within a web browser by an execution engine,

wherein the target is a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) element facilitating a user interaction to a web context document.

21. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the script, the shared repository, the entry set, the recorder, and the interpreter are configured to be controlled by the current user via a workspace.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the entry name and the entry value of the entry in the entry set stored in said at least one database are configured to be dynamically modified while creating the script via the workspace.

23. A computer program product of claim 16, wherein the end-user programming system further comprises an execution engine, wherein the execution engine performs the event described in said command, the method further comprising:

retrieving, from the shared repository, the stored command to instantiate, wherein the command comprises at least one generalized variable and describes an event comprising a target and an action performed on the target, wherein said at least one generalized variable results from said generalizing;

finding N entries in the entry set for the current user such that each entry name of said N entries is equal to a generalized variable name of a corresponding generalized variable in the command, wherein N is a positive integer representing a number of generalized variables in the command;

instantiating each generalized variable in the command with an entry value of an entry having an entry name identical to the corresponding generalized variable name found during said finding; and

sending, to the execution engine, the command having the instantiated variables therein,

wherein said retrieving, said finding, said instantiating, and said sending are performed by the interpreter.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, said finding comprising:

detecting N flag strings within the command after said retrieving;

comparing each variable name following a flag string of said N flag strings with each entry name in the entry set for the current user; and

selecting N entries from the entry set for the current user such that each entry name of said N entries is equal to the variable name of the corresponding variable.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein said finding has failed to find N entries in the entry set for the current user subject to each entry name of said N entries being equal to the variable name of the corresponding variable in the command, said instantiating comprising:

notifying the current user to instantiate each variable in the command.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the command to instantiate is a command comprising at least one variable, being stored in the shared repository, and describing the event previously performed by a past user.

27. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the command to instantiate is a command comprising at least one variable, being parsed by the interpreter from a text input describing the event provided by the current user, the text input being written in pseudo-natural language.

28. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the entry set is associated with a context document comprising a data environment for the current user executing the command.

29. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the command is executable within a web browser by the execution engine.

30. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the target is a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) element facilitating a user interaction to a web context document.

31. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the script, the shared repository, the entry set, the interpreter, and the execution engine are configured to be controlled by the current user via an application programming interface (API) workspace.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the entry name and the entry value of the entry in the entry set stored in said at least one database are configured to be dynamically modified while executing the script via the API workspace.