Data object previewer

• US 8,753,127 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Krebs, Andreas S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gishnock, Nikolai A
• Application Number:
  US10/831,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,707 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/322, 434/323, 434/350, 434/362
• US Class Current: 434/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a data object previewer is described. In an embodiment, the invention is a method. The method includes detecting a change in a structure. The method also includes processing the structure into a preview. The method further includes presenting the preview.

In another embodiment, the invention is a system. The system includes a processor, a bus coupled to the processor, and a memory coupled to the bus. The processor is to detect a change in a structure, process the structure into a preview, and present the preview.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting, by a processor, a change in how a structure is organized, which change is input via interaction with elements displayed in one or more first sections of a user interface;

responsive to the detection of the change, positioning, by the processor, representations of software components of the structure into a preview, including;

determining which of a plurality of structure strategies has been selected,

creating an initial state model for an object of the structure in accordance with the strategy determined to have been selected,

requesting a next available option for the object in relation to the strategy,

updating the state model for the object,

determining no options are available for the object in relation to the strategy,

determining that something within the object was not reached based on the state model, and

providing an indication of an error responsive to the determining that something was not reached; and

presenting the preview, by the processor and in a display device, in a second section of the user interface separate from the one or more first sections.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the structure is a set of learning nets, learning objects and associated strategies, the method further comprising:

repeating the detecting, processing and presenting.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein processing the structure into a preview further includes repeating the requesting and updating responsive to not determining no options are available.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the change is a change to a learning net.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the change is a change to a learning object.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the change is a change to the strategy selection.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the change is a change to a strategy which is presently selected.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the change is a change to a relationship between portions of the structure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

repeating the detecting, processing and presenting.

10. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a bus coupled to the processor; and

a memory coupled to the bus;

wherein the processor is configured to;

detect a change in a structure, which change is input via interaction with elements displayed in one or more first sections of a user interface;

responsive to the detection of the change, position representations of software components of the structure into a preview, by;

determining which of a plurality of structure strategies has been selected;

creating an initial state model for an object of the structure in accordance with the strategy determined to have been selected;

requesting a next available option for the object in relation to the strategy; and

updating the state model for the object; and

present the preview in a second section of the user interface separate from the one or more first sections.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein in processing the structure into the preview, the processor is to:

determine no options are available for the object in relation to the strategy,

determine that something within the object was not reached based on the state model, and

provide an indication of an error responsive to the determining that something was not reached.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein in presenting the preview, the processor is to:

present a visual representation of the structure in light of the selected strategy.

13. A hardware computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

detecting a change in how a structure formed of a set of objects including learning nets, learning objects, and an associated selected strategy is organized, which change is input via interaction with elements displayed in one or more first sections of a user interface; and

responsive to the detection of the change;

positioning representations of software components of the structure into a preview, including;

determining which strategy has been selected;

creating an initial state model for an object of the structure in accordance with the strategy determined to have been selected;

requesting a next available option for the object in relation to the strategy determined to have been selected;

determining that something within the object was not reached based on the state model; and

providing an indication of an error responsive to the determining that something was not reached; and

presenting the preview in a second section of the user interface separate from the one or more first sections.

14. A method of an object-development machine comprising:

providing, by the machine, an object developer user interface window that includes;

a first section displaying representations of software components of an object, wherein an interaction with the first section results in a change to relationships between the software components of the object;

a second section; and

a third section;

detecting, by the machine, the change; and

responsive to the detection of the change;

generating, by the machine, a map representing a sequence in which the software components are to be provided for access by a user; and

displaying, by the machine, the generated map in the second section;

wherein;

a plurality of preset component output strategies are stored, each of the component output strategies including a respective set of rules;

for each of the component output strategies, a reference to the respective component output strategy is inputtable via interaction with the third section for selection of the respective component output strategy; and

the machine applies the stored set of rules of the component output strategy selected via the third section for the generation of the map.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

responsive to the detection of the change, determining, by the machine, whether the relationships render any of the software components of the object inaccessible; and

responsive to a determination that one or more of the software components are inaccessible, outputting an error message indicating component inaccessibility.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the error message is output in a fourth section of the window.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second sections are simultaneously displayed.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the relationships that are changed include at least one of a setting of one of the software components as a prerequisite to another of the software components and a setting of one of the software components as an alternative to another of the software components.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein a first software component is determined to be inaccessible where a first relationship created via the first section sets the first software component as a prerequisite to a second software component and a second relationship created via the first section sets the second software component as a prerequisite to the first software component.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the component output strategy is selectable from a plurality of strategies including at least one of a strategy that dictates a type of materials to use for an object to which it is applied and a strategy that dictates an order of use of materials used for an object to which it is applied.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the plurality of strategies includes an inductive strategy, a deductive strategy, an orientation-first strategy, and an example-first strategy.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the first section includes a drop-down menu from which predefined relationships are selectable for application to software components of the object.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the object is one of a plurality of objects selectable from a third section of the window, and the map displayed in the second section is selectively of the representations of the software components of the selected object, representations of software components of the non-selected object not being mapped in the second section.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

responsive to a change to the relationships which includes creating a new hierarchical relationship between a first software component and a second software component, the representation of the first software component is removed from the map; and

subsequent to the removal of the representation of the first software component from the map, responsive to a subsequent selection of the second software component in the third section, the representation of the first software component is provided in the map.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein:

a component output strategy that is in conflict with a relationship set in the first section is selectable; and

where the conflict exists, the generation of the map is in accordance with the relationship.