System and method for managing browser extensions

• US 8,495,510 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Pradhan, Aurobinda, Rathi, Sachin Vinod
• Primary Examiner(s): TILLERY, RASHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US11/617,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20080163088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,398 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/4, 707/100, 715/764, 715/810, 715/825
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The invention describes a method and system for managing browser extensions. The method includes dynamically creating a user interface for a business object based on metadata, the user interface including a menu. A service from the menu is launched, the service corresponding to the business object. Information is retrieved from the service based on the metadata and displayed; the information related to the business object is updated dynamically for future retrievals.

Claims

1. A method for managing user interface extensions comprising:

dynamically creating a user interface for a business object based on metadata defining the business object in a business object layer of a computer application, wherein the metadata describes attributes and functional behavior of at least one business object element;

registering at least one service with the user interface, wherein the at least one service is provided by at least one separate computer application outside the business object layer;

in the user interface, dynamically creating a menu based on the metadata defining the business object in the business object layer of the computer application;

dynamically extending the menu with access to a service of the at least one service relevant to a current business object element, wherein the relevancy between the service and the current business object element is identified based on the metadata defining the business object;

launching the service by sending a corresponding request to the at least one separate application, wherein the corresponding request is based on the metadata defining the business object; and

based on the metadata defining the business object, outputting information retrieved from the service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically creating the user interface comprises:

providing the metadata associated with defining the business object to a user interface modeling tool.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the metadata defining the business object, wherein the metadata is selected from a group consisting of business object metadata, domain model metadata, user interface metadata, a validation metadata, and a vocabulary metadata.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining browser framework information selected from a group consisting of parse contextual metadata, parse rule definition, action definitions, user interaction elements, User Interface manipulation rules, communication protocol definition and automatic learning features for a browser framework.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining server contextual framework information selected from a group consisting of device definition, device specific context generator, pluggable provider framework and providers for a server contextual framework.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu is selected from a group consisting of context menu, pie menu, drop down menu and domain bar.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein launching the service comprises:

receiving a selection of an item from the extension of the menu, wherein the item represents the service; and

receiving a string at a text entry box corresponding to the service, wherein the text entry box is opened in response to the selection of the item.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending a query based upon the selection and the string to at least one server where the separate application is executed, and outputting results received in response to the query.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is selected from a group consisting of an internal service provided through internal databases and systems of an organization, and an external service provided through third party databases and systems.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

personalizing criteria for output segregation of information retrieved by the service.

31. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving information from the service in response to the service launch; and

dynamically updating the received information for future launches of the service.

11. An article of manufacture comprising a tangible non-transitory machine readable medium to store instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

dynamically create a user interface for a business object based on metadata defining the business object in a business object layer of a computer application;

register at least one service provided by at least one separate computer application;

in the user interface, dynamically create a menu based on the metadata defining the business object in the business object layer of the computer application

dynamically extend the menu with access to a service of the at least one service based on a relation between the service and a current element of the business object as defined in the metadata; and

launch the service by sending a corresponding request to the at least one separate application, wherein the request is based on the metadata.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the article of manufacture stores instructions, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to generate the metadata defining the business object, wherein the metadata is selected from a group consisting of business object metadata, domain model metadata, user interface metadata, a validation metadata, and a vocabulary metadata.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the article of manufacture stores instructions, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to define browser framework information selected from a group consisting of parse contextual metadata, parse rule definition, action definitions, user interaction elements, User Interface manipulation rules, communication protocol definition and automatic learning features for a browser framework.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the article of manufacture stores instructions, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to define server contextual framework information selected from a group consisting of device definition, device specific context generator, pluggable provider framework and providers for a server contextual browser.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the article of manufacture stores instructions, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to create the menu selected from a group consisting of context menu, pie menu, drop down menu and domain bar.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the article of manufacture stores instructions, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to create the extension of the menu as one or more selectable items, wherein each item of the one or more selectable items corresponds to the business object and represents a service of the plurality of registered services.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the article of manufacture stores instructions, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to receive a string and a selection of an item of the one or more selectable items.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the article of manufacture stores instructions, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to send a query to at least one server based upon the selection and the string, and to output results received in response.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the article of manufacture stores instructions, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to launch the service selected from a group consisting of an internal service provided through one or more internal databases and systems of an organization, and an external service provided through one or more third party databases and systems.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the article of manufacture stores instructions, which when executed by a machine, causes the machine to:

storing segregated information in a cache, wherein the segregated information is subtracted based on the personalization criteria from information received from the service; and

outputting the segregated information from the cache in response to a service launch.

21. A system for providing user interface extensions comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor storing instructions, which when executed from the memory, cause the processor to;

generate metadata associated with a business object in a business object layer of a computer application;

dynamically create a user interface for the business object based on the metadata associated with the business object;

register a at least one service provided by at least one separate computer application;

in the user interface, dynamically create a menu based on the generated metadata associated with the business object

dynamically extend the menu with access to a service of the at least one service relevant to the business object, wherein the relevancy between the service and the business object is identified based on the metadata; and

launch the service by sending a corresponding request to the at least one separate application based on the metadata.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the memory further comprises instructions to provide the metadata associated with the business object to a user interface modeling tool.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the memory further comprises:

a browser framework to output information received in response to the service launch; and

a personalization engine to personalize the service based on the personalization criteria, and to segregate information.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the memory further comprises server contextual framework to modify the metadata associated with the business object, wherein the metadata is selected from a group consisting of business object metadata, domain model metadata, user interface metadata, a validation metadata, and a vocabulary metadata.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the memory comprises browser framework information selected from a group consisting of parse contextual metadata, parse rule definition, action definitions, user interaction elements, User Interface manipulation rules, communication protocol definition and automatic learning features.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the memory comprises server contextual framework information selected from a group consisting of device definition, device specific context generator, pluggable provider framework and providers.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the menu is selected from a group consisting of context menu, pie menu, drop down menu and domain bar.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the extension of the menu comprises one or more selectable items, each item of the one or more selectable items corresponding to the business object and representing a service of the plurality of registered services;

a text entry box corresponding to the service; and

an agent to receive a selection of an item of the one or more selectable items and a string from the text entry box.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the memory comprises a query sending tool to send a query based upon one or more of a selection of an item of the extension of the menu and a string to at least one server executing the separate application, and to output results received as information in response to the query.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the service is selected from a group consisting of an internal service provided through one or more internal databases and systems of an organization, and an external service provided through one or more third party databases and systems.