Systems and methods for creating software

• US 8,543,978 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ponce de Leon, Michael A.
• Original Assignee: Ponce de Leon, Michael A.
• Inventors: Ponce de Leon, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rampuria, Satish
• Application Number:
  US11/870,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• Field of Search: 717100-123
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

Software generates interfaces and functionality for an application program. At least a portion of an application is created by given names to data elements according to a syntax. Data tables are generated having fields that correspond to the elements and characteristics are associated with the fields specifying how the data in the fields interact with each other. Relationships among the elements are inferred as a function of their names. A functional interface can be generated from the inferred relationship.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of facilitating creation of at least a portion of a software application from first and second names, the method comprising:

implementing a first software on a computer that automatically derives a relationship between first and second data elements according to a naming convention applied to the first and second names, wherein the naming convention uses an industry syntax;

implementing a second software that automatically produces code underlying an interface having first and second data entry fields corresponding to the first and second data elements, respectively, wherein the relationship directs a characteristic that specifies how data associated with the first field interacts with data associated the second field with respect to a database language;

using the first software to infer a second relationship between the second data element a third data element from the name of the second data element and a name of the third data element;

using the second software to generate additional interfaces based at least in part upon permutations of including the first, second, and third fields; and

interacting with a human user through an interface editor to edit preferences with respect to the characteristic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first software uses the relationship to generate a data table having first and second fields that correspond to the first and second elements, respectively.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the table stores the characteristic as an attribute of the first field.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising using the first software to infer a third relationship between the third data element and a fourth data element from the name of the first third data element and a name of the third data element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship is selected from the group consisting of a one-to-one relationship and a one-to-many relationship.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship is selected from the group consisting of a parent-child relationship and a peer-to-peer relationship.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the second software to generate within the interface with a structural feature that corresponds to the relationship.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the second software to generate within the interface a functional feature that corresponds to the relationship.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a second software to generate within the interface a first feature derived from the relationship, and a second feature derived from a set of rules.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a first one of the rules comprises a numeric limit.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a first one of the rules comprises a selection list.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising including in the table a third field that corresponds to the third data element.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the first software to include in a second table a third field that corresponds to the third element.