Decorated model architecture for efficient model-driven application development

• US 8,307,015 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Halberstadt, Benjamin, Hexter, Efrat, Kossowsky, Yehuda, Melamed, Boris, Prager, Ilan
• Primary Examiner(s): Leroux, Etienne
• Application Number:
  US13/286,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20120047484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/803, 712/200
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management

Abstract

A computer-executable application is provided with access to resources generated using a principal model. A decoration model associated with said principal model is instantiated for use by the application. The application is provided with access to an object of the decoration model responsive to a request by the application to access an object of the principal model. The decoration model object corresponds to the principal model object.

Claims

1. A method for using a decoration model in an application environment, the method comprising:

providing a computer-executable application with access to resources generated using a principal model;

instantiating a decoration model associated with said principal model for use by said application;

providing said application with access to an object of said decoration model responsive to a request by said application to access an object of said principal model where said decoration model object corresponds to said principal model object;

receiving a call from said application to a method defined in said principal model object; and

passing said call from said decoration model object to said principal model object.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a call from said application to a method defined in said decoration model object; and

servicing said call at said decoration model object.

3. A system for implementing a model-driven architecture, the system comprising:

a model builder configured to facilitate the definition of;

a principal model having a plurality of classes, references, attributes, and associations between any of said classes, wherein said model is configured to facilitate the automatic generation of at least one resource for use by a computer-executable application, and wherein a change to said principal model subsequent to performing said automatic generation requires that said automatic generation be performed again in order to effect said change for use by said application;

a decoration model having a class, reference, and attribute for any corresponding one of said primary model classes, references, and attributes, wherein a change to said decoration model subsequent to performing said automatic generation does not require that said automatic generation be performed again in order to effect said change for use by said application; and

a mapping of said decoration model to said principal model; and

means for storing both of said models on a computer-readable medium.

4. A system according to claim 3, where said model builder is configured to facilitate the definition in said principal model a class representing a package of any of said classes, references, and attributes of said decoration model.

5. A system for using a decoration model in an application environment, the system comprising:

a principal model stored on a computer-readable medium;

a decoration model stored on a computer-readable medium; and

a computer configured to;

host a computer-executable application with access to resources generated using said principal model;

instantiate said decoration model associated with said principal model for use by said application;

provide said application with access to an object of said decoration model responsive to a request by said application to access an object of said principal model where said decoration model object corresponds to said principal model object;

receive a call from said application to a system defined in said principal model object; and

pass said call from said decoration model object to said principal model object.

6. The system according to claim 5, where said computer is configured to:

receive a call from said application to a system defined in said decoration model object; and

service said call at said decoration model object.

7. A system for using a decoration model in an application environment, the system comprising:

a principal model stored on a computer-readable medium;

a decoration model stored on a computer-readable medium; and

a computer configured to;

host a computer-executable application with access to resources generated using said principal model;

instantiate said decoration model associated with said principal model for use by said application;

provide said application with access to an object of said decoration model responsive to a request by said application to access an object of said principal model where said decoration model object corresponds to said principal model object;

make said instantiated decoration model globally accessible to a plurality of said applications;

for each request by any of said applications to access an object associated with either said principal model or said decoration model;

create a new thread to handle said request;

assign said decoration model to a thread-local variable in said new thread; and

service any thread-internal code function calls to access said decoration model object via the thread-local variable of its thread;

make a change to said decoration model available to new threads by starting a new thread that reads said changed decoration model, instantiating said changed decoration model, and deserializing said changed decoration model into its own thread-local variable; and

replace said globally accessible decoration model with said changed decoration model while any of said applications are executed.

8. The system according to claim 7, where said computer is configured to:

force any new incoming requests from said applications to wait until said globally accessible decoration model is replaced by said changed model; and

assign said changed decoration model to thread-local variables of said new requests after said changed decoration model is instantiated.

9. The system according to claim 7, where said computer is configured to:

check for pointer equality between any of said thread-local variables and said globally accessible decoration model during the post-processing of any of said requests; and

display a message if said pointers are not the same.

10. A computer program product comprising a computer program embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, where the computer program when executed on a computer causes the computer to operate according to code segments of the computer program, the computer program comprising:

a first code segment operative to define a principal model having a plurality of classes, references, attributes, and associations between any of said classes, wherein said model is configured to facilitate the automatic generation of at least one resource for use by a computer executable application, and wherein a change to said principal model subsequent to performing said automatic generation requires that said automatic generation be performed again in order to effect said change for use by said application;

a second code segment operative to define a decoration model having a class, reference, and attribute for any corresponding one of said primary model classes, references, and attributes, wherein a change to said decoration model subsequent to performing said automatic generation does not require that said automatic generation be performed again in order to effect said change for use by said application;

a third code segment operative to map said decoration model to said principal model; and

a fourth code segment operative to store both of said models on a computer-readable medium.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10, where said first code segment is operative to define in said principal model a class representing a package of any of said classes, references, and attributes of said decoration model.

12. A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, where the computer program when executed on a computer causes the computer to operate according to code segments of the computer program, the computer program comprising:

a first code segment operative to provide a computer-executable application with access to resources generated using a principal model;

a second code segment operative to instantiate a decoration model associated with said principal model for use by said application;

a third code segment operative to provide said application with access to an object of said decoration model responsive to a request by said application to access an object of said principal model where said decoration model object corresponds to said principal model object;

a fourth code segment operative to receive a call from said application to a computer program defined in said principal model object; and

a fifth code segment operative to pass said call from said decoration model object to said principal model object.

13. The computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising:

a fourth code segment operative to receive a call from said application to a computer program defined in said decoration model object; and

a fifth code segment operative to service said call at said decoration model object.

14. A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, where the computer program when executed on a computer causes the computer to operate according to code segments of the computer program, the computer program comprising:

a first code segment operative to provide a computer-executable application with access to resources generated using a principal model;

a second code segment operative to instantiate a decoration model associated with said principal model for use by said application;

a third code segment operative to provide said application with access to an object of said decoration model responsive to a request by said application to access an object of said principal model where said decoration model object corresponds to said principal model object;

a fourth code segment operative to make said instantiated decoration model globally accessible to a plurality of said applications;

a fifth code segment operative, for each request by any of said applications to access an object associated with either said principal model or said decoration model, to;

create a new thread to handle said request;

assign said decoration model to a thread-local variable in said new thread; and

service any thread-internal code function calls to access said decoration model object via the thread-local variable of its thread;

a sixth code segment operative to make a change to said decoration model available to new threads by starting a new thread that reads said changed decoration model, instantiating said changed decoration model, and deserializing said changed decoration model into its own thread-local variable; and

a seventh code segment operative to replace said globally accessible decoration model with said changed decoration model while any of said applications are executed.

15. The computer program product according to claim 14, further comprising:

an eighth code segment operative to force any new incoming requests from said applications to wait until said globally accessible decoration model is replaced by said changed model; and

a ninth code segment operative to assign said changed decoration model to thread-local variables of said new requests after said changed decoration model is instantiated.

16. The computer program product according to claim 14, further comprising:

an eighth code segment operative to check for pointer equality between any of said thread-local variables and said globally accessible decoration model during the post-processing of any of said requests; and

a ninth code segment operative to display a message if said pointers are not the same.