Dual programming interface

• US 8,930,881 B1
• Filed: 06/06/2012
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Shure, Loren, Hicklin, Joseph F., O'Callaghan, Portia, Eddins, Steven, Hirsch, Michelle T., Little, John Norris
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luna, Roberto E
• Application Number:
  US13/490,228
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/22 Procedural
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for providing an informal interface and a formal interface to a computing application using a computer is provided. The informal interface includes first routines, the first routines using an informal input format. The method also includes providing a formal interface using the computer, where the formal interface includes second routines. The second routines support developer functionality, and the second routines using a formal input format. The method includes receiving a first input having a first routine input format, the first routine input format complying with the informal input format, or a second input having a second routine input format, the second routine input format complying with the formal input format. The method includes processing the received first input or the received second input and performing a computing operation based on the processing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

grouping a plurality of routines associated with an application to form a group of first routines and a group of second routines,

grouping the plurality of routines being performed by a computer;

associating the group of first routines with a first category of users and the group of second routines with a second category of users,

associating the group of first routines with the first category of users and the group of second routines with the second category of users being performed by the computer;

determining whether a user, accessing the application, is associated with the first category of users or the second category of users,

determining whether the user is associated with the first category of users or the second category of users being performed by the computer;

providing, when the user is associated with the first category of users, an informal interface using the computer,

the informal interface enabling the user to access the group of first routines using an informal input format;

providing, when the user is associated with the second category of users, a formal interface using the computer,

the formal interface enabling the user to access the group of second routines using a formal input format,

the group of second routines supporting developer functionality;

receiving, using the computer;

a first input complying with the informal input format, or

a second input complying with the formal input format;

processing, using the computer, the received first input or the received second input; and

performing, using the computer, a computing operation based on the processing.

2. The method of claim 1, where at least one of:

one or more of the first routines are an ordinary routine, or

one or more of the second routines are the ordinary routine, and

where at least one of;

the one or more of the first routines are a class routine, or

the one or more of the second routines are the class routine.

3. The method of claim 2, where the one or more second routines are the class routine, the method further comprising:

providing informal interface functionality access to the second routines by associating a first routine, of the group of first routines, with the one or more second routines.

4. The method of claim 2, where an input format for scoping specifies:

global routines for the informal input format, and

package routines for the formal input format.

5. The method of claim 4, where an input format for naming ordinary routines, instance methods, and static methods specifies:

camelCase full for the formal input format, and

camelCase full, lowercase full, or lowercase short for the informal input format.

6. The method of claim 5, where an input format for naming classes and constructor methods specifies:

MixedCase full for the formal input format, and

camelCase full, lowercase full, or lowercase short for the informal input format.

7. The method of claim 2, where an input format for naming ordinary routines, instance methods, and static methods specifies:

camelCase full for the formal input format, and

camelCase full, lowercase full, or lowercase short for the informal input format.

8. The method of claim 2, where an input format for naming classes and constructor methods specifies:

MixedCase full for the formal input format, and

camelCase full, lowercase full, or lowercase short for the informal input format.

9. The method of claim 1, where classes are included in packages for implementing functionality of the formal interface.

10. The method of claim 1, where:

classes are included in packages for implementing formal interface functionality; and

an ordinary routine in a global name space provides informal interface functionality access to a class in one or more of the packages.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing class reference information using the computer;

associating informal interface functionality with a first template for the class reference information;

associating formal interface functionality with a second template for the class reference information;

providing a documentation application,

the documentation application including the class reference information for the informal interface functionality and the class reference information for the formal interface functionality;

accessing the documentation application using the first template,

the first template to access the class reference information for use with the informal interface functionality; and

accessing the documentation application using the second template,

the second template to access the class reference information for use with the formal interface functionality.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a first object display routine and a second object display routine for an object,

where;

the first object display routine causes a display of informal object information for the informal interface, and

the second object display routine causes a display of formal object information for the formal interface.

13. The method of claim 1, where:

informal interface functionality is associated with informal interface documentation,

the informal interface documentation employing a functional style of calling methods, and

formal interface functionality is associated with formal interface documentation,

the formal interface documentation employing the functional style of calling methods or a dot method invocation style of calling methods.

14. The method of claim 1, where the informal interface or the formal interface includes mixin classes,

the mixin classes representing a behavior or a capability for use with the computer.

15. The method of claim 14, where the mixin classes are named using adjectives.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying that property names are represented using MixedCase full names.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a term called “

method”

in property names when a corresponding property represents an algorithm selection.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying that subpackage names should use lower case short names.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing informal interface functionality to the computer using a wrapper.

20. The method of claim 19, where the wrapper provides informal interface functionality to the formal interface for providing the informal interface functionality.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

employing a naming convention for routines, of the plurality of routines, that specifies that a verb or a verb phrase is used to name a routine that performs an action;

the employing allowing empty verbs to be omitted to produce a noun or a noun phrase.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying that a conversion routine name includes the digit 2 in the conversion routine name.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying that names including abutting acronyms are undesirable for use with routines included in the group of second routines.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying that MixedCase full names are to be used for identifying classes when the classes are used in packages.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying that names for root packages match root folder names associated with the root packages.

26. The method of claim 1, where the processing comprises:

processing the received first input or the received second input using a just-in-time (JIT) compiler.

29. The method of claim 12, where the first object display routine is a method of the object, and

where the second object display routine is a method of the object or an ordinary routine.

30. The method of claim 12, where the second object display routine is a method of the object,

the method of the object being implemented as an ordinary function.

31. The method of claim 1, where the informal interface supports informal interface functionality, the method further comprising:

associating the informal interface functionality with informal interface documentation;

referring to a term “

functions”

, in the informal interface documentation, when referencing methods;

associating the developer functionality with formal interface documentation; and

referring to, in the formal interface documentation, using;

the term “

methods”

when referencing methods,

the term “

classes”

when referencing classes, and

the term “

constructors”

when referencing constructors.

32. The method of claim 1, where:

one or more first routines, of the group of the first routines, are an ordinary routine and a majority of the ordinary routines are included in a global namespace for providing informal interface functionality to the computer, and

one or more of second routines, of the group of second routines, are;

an ordinary routine provided in a package, or

a class routine,

the class routine including one or more of constructor methods, instance methods, or static methods.

33. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

specifying that property names are represented as MixedCase full names.

34. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

specifying that MixedCase full names are used for identifying classes when classes are used in packages.

27. A computer, comprising:

a memory to;

store first routines, and

store second routines; and

a processor to;

associate the first routines with a first category of users and the second routines with a second category of users,

determine whether a user is associated with the first category of users or the second category of users,

provide, when the user is associated with the first category of users, an informal interface using the computer,

the informal interface enabling the user to access the first routines using an informal input format,

provide, when the user is associated with the second category of users, a formal interface using the computer,

the formal interface enabling the user to access the second routines using a formal input format, and

the second routines supporting developer functionality,

receive;

a first input having a first routine input format,

the first routine input format complying with the informal input format, or

a second input having a second routine input format,

the second routine input format complying with the formal input format;

process the received first input or the received second input, and

perform a computing operation based on the processing.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to;

group routines associated with an application to form a group that includes first routines and a group that includes second routines;

associate the first routines with a first category of users and the second routines with a second category of users;

determine whether a user is associated with the first category of users or the second category of users,

provide, when the user is associated with the first category of users, an informal interface using a computer,

the informal interface enabling the user to access the first routines using an informal input format;

provide, when the user is associated with the second category of users, a formal interface using the computer,

the formal interface enabling the user to access the second routines using a formal input format, and

the second routines supporting developer functionality;

receive;

a first input having a first routine input format,

the first routine input format complying with the informal input format, or

a second input having a second routine input format,

the second routine input format complying with the formal input format;

process the received first input or the received second input; and

perform a computing operation based on the processing.