System and method for stage rendering in a software authoring tool

• US 8,739,120 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2007
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Moody, Peter, Sun, Rebecca, Villegas, Jethro, Spells, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHEATON, BRADFORD F
• Application Number:
  US11/949,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20130198714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,367 Days
• Field of Search: 717/113
• US Class Current: 717/113
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8545 for generating interactive applications

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for rendering a stage in a software authoring tool. A run-time player component is employed for rendering the stage for presenting a preview of output of a software application being authored in the software authoring tool. Thus, a software authoring tool outputs a stage which presents a preview of the output of an application being authored, such as a multimedia application. The output presentation of a multimedia application being authored in the authoring tool is rendered to the stage by a run-time player component. Thus, rather than employing code integrated within the authoring tool for mimicking a run-time player in order to generate a preview of output on the stage, embodiments of the present invention utilize a run-time player component to generate such a preview of output on the stage.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first input in a software authoring environment, the first input related to authoring a multimedia application in the software authoring environment, the first input defining a presentation output object of the multimedia application;

in response to receiving the first input in the software authoring environment;

directly communicating, by the software authoring environment and through a pre-defined interface to a run-time player component, information related to a media object model for the multimedia application being edited in the software authoring environment, the media object model comprising a first hierarchy comprising data related to the presentation output object, the run-time player component separate from the software authoring environment;

updating, by the run-time player component, a shadow media object model in the run-time player component for the presentation output object based on the communicated information, the shadow media object model comprising a second hierarchy comprising at least a portion of the data in the media object model; and

in response to a determination by the run-time player component to update at least a portion of a stage in the software authoring environment, rendering, by the run-time player component to the stage in the software authoring environment, display of the presentation output object based on the updated shadow object model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the shadow object model comprises at least a portion of the first hierarchy of the media object model.

3. A method, comprising:

receiving a first input in a graphical user interface of an authoring tool, the first input comprising a selection of a run-time player component from a plurality of available run-time player components, each of the plurality of available run-time player components comprising a respective predefined interface for directly communicating between the authoring tool and that run-time player component, each of the plurality of available run-time player components separate from the authoring tool;

receiving a second input in the authoring tool, the second input corresponding to a presentation output object for a software application being authored in the authoring tool;

directly communicating, by the authoring tool and to the selected run-time player component through the predefined interface for the selected run-time player component, information related to a media object model in the authoring tool, the media object model corresponding to the software application being authored in the authoring tool, the media object model comprising a first hierarchy comprising data related to the presentation output object;

updating, by the selected run-time player component, a shadow media object model for the presentation output object based on the communicated information, the shadow media object model comprising a second hierarchy comprising at least a portion of the data in the media object model; and

rendering, by the selected run-time player component to a stage in the authoring tool, display of the presentation output object based at least in part on the shadow media object model.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the shadow media object model is maintained by the selected run-time player component such that as the authoring tool communicates media object model information to the selected run-time player component, the shadow media object model is updated by the selected run-time player component.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a third input in the authoring tool, the third input comprising a modification to the presentation output object;

directly communicating, by the authoring tool, the modification to the selected run-time player component; and

updating, by the selected run-time player component, the shadow object model based at least in part on the communicated modification.

6. A method comprising:

receiving, by an authoring tool, an input corresponding to a presentation output object for a software application being developed in the authoring tool;

sending, by the authoring tool and to a run-time player component, information related to a media object model in the authoring tool, the media object model corresponding to the software application being developed in the authoring tool, the information configured for updating a shadow media object model in the run-time player component, the shadow media object model corresponding to the software application being developed in the authoring tool; and

receiving, by the authoring tool and from the run-time player component, a rendering of the presentation output object to a stage in the authoring tool, the rendering based on the shadow media object model in the run-time player component,

wherein the media object model comprises a first hierarchy comprising data related to the presentation output object for the software application and wherein the shadow media object model comprises a second hierarchy comprising at least a portion of the data in the media object model.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the software application comprises a multimedia application.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the input corresponding to the presentation output object comprises at least one of:

receiving input for creating a new presentation output object for the software application being developed in the authoring tool;

or

receiving input for editing an existing presentation output object for the software application being developed in the authoring tool.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein sending, by the authoring tool and to the run-time player component, the information comprises:

directly communicating the information to the run-time player component in a run-time file format.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the run-time file format comprises Small Web Format (SWF).

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the authoring tool comprises computer-executable program code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the program code configured for:

receiving the input corresponding to the presentation output object for the software application;

sending, to the run-time player component, the information related to the media object model in the authoring tool; and

receiving, from the run-time player component, the rendering of the presentation output object to the stage in the authoring tool.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein sending, by the authoring tool and to the run-time player component, information related to the media object model in the authoring tool comprises:

sending the information between the authoring tool and the run-time player component through an application programming interface.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving, by the authoring tool and from the run-time player component, the rendering of the presentation output object to the stage in the authoring tool is performed in response to a determination by the run-time player component to update at least a portion of the stage based on the information sent by the authoring tool to the run-time player component.

14. A method comprising:

presenting, by an authoring tool, a user interface comprising a stage for a software application being developed in the authoring tool;

receiving, by the authoring tool, an input corresponding to a presentation output object for the software application being developed in the authoring tool;

sending, by the authoring tool and to a run-time player component, information related to a media object model in the authoring tool, the media object model corresponding to the software application being developed in the authoring tool, the information configured for updating a shadow media object model in the run-time player component, the shadow media object model corresponding to the software application being developed in the authoring tool; and

receiving, by the authoring tool and from the run-time player component, a rendering of the presentation output object to the stage in the authoring tool, the rendering based on the shadow media object model in the run-time player component,

wherein the media object model comprises a first hierarchy comprising data related to the presentation output object for the software application and wherein the shadow media object model comprises a second hierarchy comprising at least a portion of the data in the media object model.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the software application comprises a multimedia application.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving the input corresponding to the presentation output object comprises at least one of:

receiving input for creating a new presentation output object for the software application being developed in the authoring tool;

or

receiving input for editing an existing presentation output object for the software application being developed in the authoring tool.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein sending, by the authoring tool and to the run-time player component, the information comprises:

directly communicating the objects to the run-time player component in a run-time file format.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the run-time file format comprises Small Web Format (SWF).

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the authoring tool comprises computer-executable program code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the program code configured for:

presenting the user interface comprising the stage for the software application;

receiving the input corresponding to the presentation output object;

sending, to the run-time player component, the information related to the media object model in the authoring tool; and

receiving, from the run-time player component, the rendering of the presentation output object to the stage in the authoring tool.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein sending, by the authoring tool and to the run-time player component, information related to the media object model in the authoring tool comprises:

sending the information between the authoring tool and the run-time player component though a predefined interface.

21. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a run-time player component and from an authoring tool, information related to a media object model in the authoring tool, the media object model comprising a presentation output object and corresponding to a software application being developed in the authoring tool, the information configured for updating a shadow media object model in the run-time player component, the shadow media object model corresponding to the software application being developed in the authoring tool;

updating, by the run-time player component, the shadow media object model based at least in part on the information related to the media object model in the authoring tool; and

sending, by the run-time player component and to the authoring tool, a rendering of the presentation output object to a stage in the authoring tool, the rendering based on the updated shadow media object model in the run-time player component,

wherein the media object model comprises a first hierarchy comprising data related to the presentation output object for the software application and wherein the shadow media object model comprises a second hierarchy comprising at least a portion of the data in the media object model.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the software application comprises a multimedia application.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein receiving, by the run-time player component and from the authoring tool, the information comprises:

directly communicating the information to the run-time player component in a run-time file format.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the run-time file format comprises Small Web Format (SWF).