Apparatus, system, and method for object clone event notification

• US 8,171,499 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Allen, Corville O., Vidyarthi, Suraksha
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough, S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOANG, PHUONG N
• Application Number:
  US11/187,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20070033594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,475 Days
• Field of Search: 719/318, 707/103.R, 707/103.Y, 707/103.Z, 707/E17.005
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for object clone event notification. The apparatus is provided with a logic unit containing a plurality of modules configured to functionally execute the necessary steps of detecting an event on a primary software object, referencing a set of clones of the primary software object, and notifying one or more clones in the set of clones of the event in response to the event. The event may include events occurring on the primary software object, or events occurring on a software object monitored by the primary software object. These modules in the described embodiments include a detection module, a reference module, and a notification module. Beneficially, such an apparatus, system, and method would notify object clones of changes within the software system without requiring resource intensive broadcasts or implementation of a separate notification manager.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform an operation for object clone event notification, the operations comprising:

a detection operation initiated by a primary listener of a primary software object, the primary listener configured to detect an event, during runtime of an application running on a processor, the application comprising the primary software object and a set of clones of the primary software object, the event occurring on an attribute of the primary software object;

a reference operation configured to reference the set of clones of the primary software object, each clone in the set of clones comprising an exact duplicate of a plurality of attributes, attribute data values, and methods of the primary software object, the set of clones stored as a set of system addresses associated with the primary software object; and

a notification operation initiated by the primary software object independent of a separate event manager, the primary software object configured to notify one or more clones in the set of clones, during runtime of the application, of the event in response to the event, each of the one or more clones of the primary software object configured to maintain, within the application, an exact duplication of the plurality of attributes, attribute data values, and methods of the primary software object in response to the notification such that each of the one or more clones accurately represents the primary software object;

wherein the digital processing apparatus performs the operations by way of one or more of logic hardware comprising a processor and computer readable memory and executable code, the executable code stored on a computer readable storage medium.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the reference operation further comprises an operation to reference a set of listeners associated with the set of clones, each listener configured to listen exclusively for notifications from the primary software object.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the instructions further comprise an operation to generate a new clone of the primary software object, the operation comprising:

creating a new instance of the primary software object;

copying the plurality of attributes and attribute data values of the primary software object to the new instance of the primary software object to create the new clone;

generating a clone event listener associated with the new clone of the primary software object, wherein the new listener is distinct from the primary listener; and

adding the clone event listener to the set of listeners.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the notification operation further comprises notifying a subsequent clone in a chain of clones, wherein each clone notifies a subsequent clone until each clone in the chain of clones has been notified of the event.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the notification operation further comprises simultaneously notifying the clones in the set of clones of the event.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations are performed independent of the separate event manager.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations are carried out by a logic unit containing a plurality of modules comprising:

a detection module configured to detect the event on the primary software object;

a reference module configured to reference the set of clones; and

a notification module configured to notify the one or more clones in the set of clones of the event.

8. A method for object clone event notification, the method comprising:

detecting an event of a monitored software object by a primary listener of a primary software object during runtime of an application running on a processor, the application comprising the primary software object and one or more clones of the primary software object, the primary software object residing within computer readable memory accessed by the processor, the set of clones stored as a set of system addresses associated with the primary software object; and

communicating, independent of a separate event manager, a notification of the event from the primary software object to the one or more clones of the primary software object during runtime of the application, each clone comprising an exact duplicate of a plurality of attributes, attribute data values, and methods of the primary software object, each of the one or more clones of the primary software object configured to maintain, within the application, an exact duplication of the plurality of attributes, attribute data values, and methods of the primary software object in response to the notification such that each of the one or more clones accurately represents the primary software object;

wherein the communication is carried out exclusive of a direct communication link between the monitored software object and the clones of the primary software object.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein referencing further comprises referencing a set of listeners associated with the one or more clones, each listener configured to listen exclusively for notifications from the primary software object.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating a new clone of the primary software object, wherein generating comprises:

creating a new instance of the primary software object;

copying the plurality of attributes and attribute data values of the primary software object to the new instance of the primary software object to create the new clone;

generating a clone event listener associated with the new clone of the primary software object, wherein the new listener is distinct from the primary listener; and

adding the clone event listener to the set of listeners.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein communicating further comprises notifying a subsequent clone in a chain of clones, wherein each clone notifies a subsequent clone until each clone in the chain of clones has been notified of the event.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein communicating further comprises simultaneously notifying the one or more clones of the event.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the change event is communicated directly to each clone independent of the separate event manager.

14. A system for object clone event notification, the system comprising:

an application server comprising a processor and computer readable memory, the application server configured to load and operate an application comprising a primary software objects and a set of clones of the primary software object;

one or more software object interfaces configured to use the primary software object to perform a task; and

the primary software object configured to;

detect, using a primary listener of the primary software object, an event on an attribute of the primary software object during runtime of the application;

reference the set of clones of the primary software object, each clone in the set of clones comprising an exact duplicate of a plurality of attributes, attribute data values, and methods of the primary software object, each clone in the set of clones corresponding to a different graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) display of the application, each GUI display providing a view of at least a portion of the attribute data values from a corresponding clone in the set of clones, the set of clones stored as a set of system addresses associated with the primary software object; and

notify, independent of a separate event manager, a clone in the set of clones of the event during runtime of the application; and

one or more clones in the set of clones configured to listen for event notifications from the primary software object, each of the one or more clones configured to maintain, within the application, an exact duplication of the plurality of attributes, attribute data values, and methods of the primary software object in response to the event notification such that each of the one or more clones accurately represents the primary software object, each of the one or more clones further configured to update a GUI display corresponding to the clone in response to the clone receiving the event notification.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the primary listener is further configured to reference a set of listeners associated with the set of clones, each listener configured to listen exclusively for notifications from the primary software object.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a clone generator configured to generate a new clone of the primary software object, wherein generating comprises:

creating a new instance of the primary software object;

copying the plurality of attributes and attribute data values of the primary software object to the new instance of the primary software object to create the new clone;

generating a clone event listener associated with the new clone of the primary software object, wherein the new listener is distinct from the primary listener; and

adding the clone event listener to the set of listeners.