System and method for creating and executing portable software

• US 8,504,803 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2010
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Automation Anywhere, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tethys Solutions, LLC
• Inventors: Shukla, Mihir
• Primary Examiner(s): PEACH, POLINA G
• Application Number:
  US12/787,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20110296528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 712/216
• US Class Current: 712/216
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/549 Remote execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system

Abstract

This invention generally relates to a process, system and computer code for creating a portable unit on a first computer to be executed on remote computers including creating an execution file having one or more tasks for deployment, said tasks having command line arguments executable as variables by the remote computer, assembled into a single execution file, validating the tasks and organizing nested tasks, said organizing step including collecting nested task information for each task and accounting for all dependencies to insure that files, tasks, and environments for running on one or more remote computers are present in the portable unit, said step of creating an execution file further including, reading the task file, scanning for event dependencies and embedding files and links needed for remote execution of the execution file, storing the dependencies in a dependency file, scanning for security, verifying the task file for proper formatting.

Claims

1. A computer method for creating a portable unit on a first computer to be executed on one or more remote computers comprising the steps of:

creating an execution file having one or more nested tasks for deployment, said tasks having command line arguments executable as variables by the remote computer, assembled into a single execution file and storing the variables in an array of memory with respective values, said step of creating the execution file further including;

starting the inputting of one or more files as key strokes;

converting said keystrokes to a variable;

converting to prompt;

converting a keystrokes to a prompt message;

defining a new task files and recording of the new task files into the execution file;

validating the recorded new task files for event dependency, wherein validating comprises inserting a tag into the new task files, wherein the tag is automatically recognized as a data type in the file;

stopping the recording of the inputting of one or more files into the execution file;

organizing the new task files into nested tasks, said organizing step including collecting nested task information for each new task file and accounting for presence of all dependencies in the portable unit including files, tasks, and environments for running the execution file on one or more remote computers;

wherein the accounting of all dependencies in the nested tasks includes scanning the execution task file for event dependencies to identify additional files and links needed for remote execution of the execution file and embedding the identified additional files and links into the execution file;

storing the dependencies in one or more dependency files, appending to the execution file;

a light weight play engine, the one or more dependency files and support information;

closing the execution file;

reading the execution task file having the one or more of nested tasks, wherein the reading comprises;

initializing the execution file by making a local copy of the execution file;

scanning the execution file for security, wherein the scanning includes checking the nested task for task calls to other tasks and backward compatibility; and

ascertaining existence of the play engine;

creating a new instance of the execution file, wherein the execution file comprises command line arguments creating the scan and the initialization;

verifying the execution task file having one or more tasks contains proper formatting and with respect to each action, collecting information and adding software to support one or more options that includes one of a scripting language or validation of mainframe supports;

sending dynamically during execution a file of values for each of the variables or arguments associated with each command and passing values for the arguments dynamically at the time of the execution start at the remote location; and

checking for the presence of any command line arguments that require the insertion or incorporation of argument values and any errors reading the files;

checking the one or more dependency file errors and outputting errors for each failed dependency;

repeating sending, checking for the presence of any command line arguments and checking the one or more dependency file errors, until an end of file is detected;

closing the execution file.

2. The computer method as in claim 1, wherein the script language can have a non-existent script path so that the remote computer can run when tasks include external scripts.

3. A non-transitory computer readable medium for creating a portable unit on a first computer to be executed on one or more remote computers comprising code for:

creating an execution file having one or more nested tasks for deployment, said tasks having command line arguments executable as variables by the remote computer, assembled into a single execution file and storing the variables in an array of memory with respective values, said step of creating the execution file further including;

starting the inputting of one or more files as key strokes;

converting said keystrokes to a variable;

converting to prompt;

converting a keystrokes to a prompt message;

defining a new task files and recording of the new task files into the execution file;

validating the recorded new task files for event dependency, wherein validating comprises inserting a tag into the new task files, wherein the tag is automatically recognized as a data type in the file;

stopping the recording of the inputting of one or more files into the execution file;

organizing the new task files into nested tasks, said organizing step including collecting nested task information for each new task file and accounting for presence of all dependencies in the portable unit including files, tasks, and environments for running the execution file on one or more remote computers;

wherein the accounting of all dependencies in the nested tasks includes scanning the execution task file for event dependencies to identify additional files and links needed for remote execution of the execution file and embedding the identified additional files and links into the execution file;

storing the dependencies in one or more dependency files, appending to the execution file;

a light weight play engine, the one or more dependency files and support information;

closing the execution file;

reading the execution task file having the one or more of nested tasks, wherein the reading comprises;

initializing the execution file by making a local copy of the execution file;

scanning the execution file for security, wherein the scanning includes checking the nested task for task calls to other tasks and backward compatibility; and

ascertaining existence of the play engine;

creating a new instance of the execution file, wherein the execution file comprises command line arguments creating the scan and the initialization;

verifying the execution task file having one or more tasks contains proper formatting and with respect to each action, collecting information and adding software to support one or more options that includes one of a scripting language or validation of mainframe supports;

sending dynamically during execution a file of values for each of the variables or arguments associated with each command and passing values for the arguments dynamically at the time of the execution start at the remote location; and

checking for the presence of any command line arguments that require the insertion or incorporation of argument values and any errors reading the files;

checking the one or more dependency file errors and outputting errors for each failed dependency;

repeating sending, checking for the presence of any command line arguments and checking the one or more dependency file errors, until an end of file is detected;

closing the execution file.

4. The readable medium as in claim 3, further including code supporting one of TN3270 or TN5250 IBM Mainframe access in Terminal Emulator functionality.

6. A computer system as in claim 4, wherein the one or more processors support one of TN3270 or TN5250 IBM Mainframe access in Terminal Emulator functionality.

5. A computer system for creating a portable unit on a first computer to be executed on one or more remote computers comprising:

a one or more processors, a memory, a communications link and one or more databases containing;

an execution file having one or more tasks for deployment, said tasks having command line arguments executable as variables by the remote computer, assembled into a single execution file, said one or more processors configured for;

creating an execution file having one or more nested tasks for deployment, said tasks having command line arguments executable as variables by the remote computer, assembled into a single execution file and storing the variables in an array of memory with respective values, said step of creating an execution file having one or more nested tasks for deployment, said tasks having command line arguments executable as variables by the remote computer, assembled into a single execution file and storing the variables in an array of memory with respective values, said step of creating the execution file further including;

starting the inputting of one or more files as key strokes;

converting said keystrokes to a variable;

converting to prompt;

converting a keystrokes to a prompt message;

defining a new task files and recording of the new task files into the execution file;

validating the recorded new task files for event dependency, wherein validating comprises inserting a tag into the new task files, wherein the tag is automatically recognized as a data type in the file;

stopping the recording of the inputting of one or more files into the execution file;

organizing the new task files into nested tasks, said organizing step including collecting nested task information for each new task file and accounting for presence of all dependencies in the portable unit including files, tasks, and environments for running the execution file on one or more remote computers;

wherein the accounting of all dependencies in the nested tasks includes scanning the execution task file for event dependencies to identify additional files and links needed for remote execution of the execution file and embedding the identified additional files and links into the execution file;

storing the dependencies in one or more dependency files, appending to the execution file;

a light weight play engine, the one or more dependency files and support information;

closing the execution file;

reading the execution task file having the one or more of nested tasks, wherein the reading comprises;

initializing the execution file by making a local copy of the execution file;

scanning the execution file for security, wherein the scanning includes checking the nested task for task calls to other tasks and backward compatibility; and

ascertaining existence of the play engine;

creating a new instance of the execution file, wherein the execution file comprises command line arguments creating the scan and the initialization;

verifying the execution task file having one or more tasks contains proper formatting and with respect to each action, collecting information and adding software to support one or more options that includes one of a scripting language or validation of mainframe supports;

sending dynamically during execution a file of values for each of the variables or arguments associated with each command and passing values for the arguments dynamically at the time of the execution start at the remote location; and

checking for the presence of any command line arguments that require the insertion or incorporation of argument values and any errors reading the files;

checking the one or more dependency file errors and outputting errors for each failed dependency;

repeating sending, checking for the presence of any command line arguments and checking the one or more dependency file errors, until an end of file is detected;

closing the execution file.