User interface generation based on business process definition

• US 8,930,831 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Bartomeli, Nick, Hack, John, Laguarigue, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US12/981,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20120173996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-277, 715700-867, 700701-866, 709201-229, 705 50- 79, 345 30-111
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system and method including retrieval of a markup language file, the markup language file defining a business process including a plurality of steps, each of the plurality of steps being associated with a plurality of actions; and automatic generation of code executable based on the markup language file to present a first user interface associated with a first one of the plurality of steps of the business process, the first user interface comprising a first plurality of user interface controls, where each user interface of the first set of user interface controls corresponds to one of a plurality of a actions that are associated with the first one of the plurality of steps and is selectable to execute the corresponding one of a plurality of actions.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing system in response to execution of program code by a processor of the computing system, comprising:

retrieving a business process definition, the business process definition comprising a markup language file defining and including functionality related to a processor-executable business process that includes a plurality of steps, each of the plurality of steps of the processor-executable business process being associated with a plurality of actions; and

automatically generating, by the processor and based on the business process definition, a first user interface associated with a first one of the plurality of steps of the processor-executable business process, the first user interface being embodied as code executable to present the first user interface, the first user interface comprising a first set of user interface controls,

wherein each user interface control in the first set of user interface controls corresponds to one of a plurality of actions that are associated with the first one of the plurality of steps and is selectable to execute the corresponding one of the plurality of actions.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically generating, by the processor and based on the business process definition, a second user interface associated with a second one of the plurality of steps of the processor-executable business process, the second user interface being embodied as code executable to present the second user interface, the second user interface comprising a second set of user interface controls,

wherein each user interface control in the second set of user interface controls corresponds to one of a plurality of actions that are associated with the second one of the plurality of steps and is selectable to execute the corresponding one of the plurality of actions associated with the second one of the plurality of steps; and

automatically generating, by the processor and based on the business process definition, a third user interface, the third user interface being embodied as code executable to present the third user interface and comprising the first user interface and the second user interface.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

presenting the first user interface and the second user interface in a same workspace.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the automatically generated code to a client device.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first user interface comprises an area including at least one user interface element to execute the one of the plurality of actions.

6. A non-transitory medium storing processor-executable program code thereon, the medium comprising:

program code to retrieve a business process definition, the business process definition comprising a markup language file defining and including functionality related to a processor-executable business process that includes a plurality of steps, each of the plurality of steps of the processor-executable business process being associated with a plurality of actions; and

program code to automatically generate, based on the business process definition, a first user interface associated with a first one of the plurality of steps of the processor-executable business process, the first user interface being embodied as code executable to present the first user interface, the first user interface comprising a first set of user interface controls,

wherein each user interface control in the first set of user interface controls corresponds to one of a plurality of actions that are associated with the first one of the plurality of steps of the processor-executable business process and is selectable to execute the corresponding one of the plurality of actions.

7. A medium according to claim 6, the medium further comprising:

program code to automatically generate, based on the business process definition, a second user interface associated with a second one of the plurality of steps of the processor-executable business process embodied as code executable to present the second user interface, the second user interface comprising a second set of user interface controls,

wherein each user interface control in the second set of user interface controls corresponds to one of a plurality of actions that are associated with the second one of the plurality of steps and is selectable to execute the corresponding one of the plurality of actions associated with the second one of the plurality of steps; and

program code to automatically generate, based on the business process definition, a third user interface, the third user interface being embodied as code executable to present the third user interface comprising the first user interface and the second user interface.

8. A medium according to claim 7, the medium further-comprising:

program code to present the first user interface and the second user interface in a same workspace.

9. A medium according to claim 6, the further comprising:

program code to transmit the automatically generated code to a client device.

10. A medium according to claim 6, wherein the first user interface comprises an area including at least one user interface element to execute the one of the plurality of actions.

11. A system comprising:

a computing device comprising;

a memory system storing processor-executable program code; and

a processor to execute the processor-executable program code in order to cause the computing device to;

retrieve a business process definition, the business process definition comprising a markup language file defining and including functionality related to a processor-executable business process that includes a plurality of steps, each of the plurality of steps of the processor-executable business process being associated with a plurality of actions; and

automatically generate, based on the business process definition, a first user interface associated with a first one of plurality of steps of the of the processor-executable business process, the first user interface being embodied as code executable to present a first user interface, the first user interface comprising a first set of user interface controls,

wherein each user interface control in the first set of user interface controls corresponds to one of a plurality of actions that are associated with the first one of the plurality of steps of the processor-executable business process and is selectable to execute the corresponding one of the plurality of actions.

12. A system according to claim 11, the processor to further execute the processor-executable program code in order to cause the computing device to:

automatically generate, based on the business process definition, a second user interface associated with a second one of the plurality of steps of the processor-executable business process, the second user interface being embodied as code executable to present the second user interface, the second user interface comprising a second set of user interface controls,

wherein each user interface control in the second set of user interface controls corresponds to one of a plurality of actions that are associated with the second one of the plurality of steps and is selectable to execute the corresponding one of the plurality of actions associated with the second one of the plurality of steps; and

automatically generate, based on the business process definition, a third user interface, the third user interface-being embodied as code executable to present the third user interface comprising the first user interface and the second user interface.

13. A system according to claim 12, the processor to further execute the processor-executable program code in order to cause the computing device to:

present the first user interface and the second user interface in a same workspace.

14. A system according to claim 11, the processor to further execute the processor-executable program code in order to cause the computing device to:

transmit the automatically generated code to a client device.

15. A system according to claim 11, wherein the first user interface comprises an area including at least one user interface element to execute the one of the plurality of actions.