User interface customization system

• US 8,370,751 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Graeff, Oliver, Conrad, Peter, Reimitz, Uwe, Weigmann, Florian
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US11/849,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,985 Days
• Field of Search: 715744-747
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A system comprising an application data retriever configured to request application data; a mapping data handler configured to request a set of mapping data which is associated with at least a selected user interface (UI) view; a customizing data handler configured to request a set of customizing data associated with the selected UI view; a UI data aggregator configured to combine, at least, the mapping data and the customizing data into a UI view generation data set; and a UI generator configured to generate a UI view utilizing, at least in part, the UI generation data set from the UI data aggregator and the application data.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor coupled with a memory, and configured to execute computer readable instructions;

an application data retriever configured to request application data;

a mapping data handler configured to request a set of mapping data which is associated with a plurality of user interface (UI) views including a selected UI view;

a customizing data handler configured to request a set of customizing data associated with only the selected UI view;

a baseline UI retriever configured to retrieve a baseline UI view of the selected UI view that includes a UI view upon which to display at least a portion of the application data, wherein the UI view is configured to be altered by the mapping data and the customizing data, wherein the customizing data overrides one or more conflicting instructions of the mapping data for the selected UI view;

a UI data aggregator configured to combine, at least, the mapping data and the customizing data into a UI view generation data set; and

a UI generator configured to generate a UI view utilizing, at least in part, the UI generation data set from the UI data aggregator and the application data;

wherein the UI data aggregator is configured to;

combine the baseline UI view associated with the selected UI view and the mapping data into an intermediate UI view generation data set; and

combine the intermediate UI view with the customizing data into the UI view generation data set; and

wherein the UI data aggregator is configured to utilize portions of the mapping data to determine how the customizing data is combined with the intermediate UI view generation data set to form the UI view generation data set.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the mapping data handler includes a mapping data creator configured to at least create in the mapping data an association between a fieldname included in the application data and a UI element included in a plurality of UI views.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the mapping data creator is further configured to set, in the mapping data, a value for one of the control elements which indicates how a user interface element of a UI view is to be treated.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the control element which indicates how the user interface element of a UI view is to be treated, is selected from a group of control elements consisting of:

a control element that controls whether a user interface element is hidden;

a control element that controls whether a user interface element is disabled; and

a control element that controls whether a user interface element is mandatory.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping data handler is further configured to handle mapping data stored in a mark-up language format.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the customizing data handler includes a customizing data creator configured to create an association in the customizing data between a fieldname included in the application data and a UI element included in a single UI view.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the UI data aggregator is configured to, if the mapping data indicates that a UI element of the UI view is to be hidden, ignore the customizing data regarding the UI element.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the UI generator is configured to:

request a second application data; and

repopulate the UI view with the second application data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the UI generator is configured to generate a UI view that facilitates the creation of mapping data which influences, at least in part, the subsequent generation of a plurality of UI views.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the application data retriever is configured to request customer relations management data.

11. A method of generating a selected user interface (UI) view comprising:

retrieving a baseline UI view of the selected UI view that includes a UI view upon which to display at least a portion of the application data;

retrieving mapping data which is associated with a plurality of UI views including the selected UI view;

retrieving customizing data which is associated with only the selected UI view, wherein the mapping data overrides one or more conflicting instructions of the customizing data for the selected UI view;

combining at least portions of the baseline UI view, the mapping data and the customizing data into a UI view generation data set;

retrieving an application data;

generating the selected UI view utilizing the application data to populate the UI view generation data set;

wherein combining includes;

combining the mapping data with the baseline UI view to create an intermediate UI view generation data set; and

combining the customizing data with the intermediate UI view data set to create the UI view generation data set; and

wherein combining the customizing data includes utilizing portions of the mapping data to determine how the customizing data is combined with the intermediate UI view generation data set to form the UI view generation data set.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein utilizing portions of the mapping data includes utilizing at least one of the control elements which dictates how the user interface element of a UI view is to be treated, and

wherein the utilized control element is selected from a group of control elements consisting of:

a control element that controls whether a user interface element is hidden;

a control element that controls whether a user interface element is disabled; and

a control element that controls whether a user interface element is mandatory.

13. The method of claim 11 further including:

retrieving a second application data; and

repopulating the UI view with the second application data.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein retrieving the application data includes retrieving customer relations management data.

15. A non-transitory machine readable medium comprising instructions capable of being executed by at least one machine, wherein when executed cause the machine to generate a selected user interface (UI) view by:

retrieving a baseline UI view of the selected UI view that includes a UI view upon which to display at least a portion of the application data;

retrieving mapping data which is associated with a plurality of UI views including the selected UI view;

retrieving customizing data which is associated with only the selected UI view, wherein the mapping data overrides one or more conflicting instructions of the customizing data for the selected UI view;

combining at least portions of the baseline UI view, the mapping data and the customizing data into a UI view generation data set;

retrieving an application data;

generating the selected UI view utilizing the application data to populate the UI view generation data set;

wherein combining includes;

combining the mapping data with the baseline UI view to create an intermediate UI view generation data set; and

combining the customizing data with the intermediate UI view data set to create the UI view generation data set; and

wherein combining the customizing data includes utilizing portions of the mapping data to determine how the customizing data is combined with the intermediate UI view generation data set to form the UI view generation data set.

16. A non-transitory machine readable medium comprising instructions capable of being executed by at least one machine, wherein when executed cause the machine to attempt to generate a selected user interface (UI) view by:

retrieving a baseline UI view of the selected UI view that includes a UI view upon which to display at least a portion of the application data;

retrieving mapping data which is associated with a plurality of UI views including the selected UI view;

retrieving customizing data which is associated with only the selected UI view, wherein one of a plurality of selectable overriding preferences is selected for the selected UI view based on one or more control elements of the mapping data or customizing data, wherein the customizing data overrides one or more conflicting instructions of the mapping data for a first overriding preference, and wherein the mapping data overrides one or more conflicting instructions of the customizing data for a second overriding preference;

combining at least portions of the baseline UI view, the mapping data and the customizing data into a UI view generation data set;

retrieving an application data; and

generating the selected UI view utilizing the application data to populate the UI view generation data set;

wherein the combining includes;

combining the mapping data with the baseline UI view to create an intermediate UI view generation data set; and

combining the customizing data with the intermediate UI view data set to create the UI view generation data set; and

wherein combining the customizing data includes utilizing portions of the mapping data to determine how the customizing data is combined with the intermediate UI view generation data set to form the UI view generation data set.