Platform sensitive application characteristics

• US 9,009,661 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Nelson, Dave
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAYIM, SAMUEL E
• Application Number:
  US12/338,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20140201724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,308 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

Systems and methods which provide platform sensitive application characteristics with respect to multi-platform applications are shown. As application aspects are developed in the application, embodiments include platform sensitivity characteristics for the application aspects in the application to provide for adaptation of application characteristics for multiple platforms. Embodiments provide an application runtime environment which, although independently defining its own user interface rendering attributes, operates to adjust application characteristics in accordance with a host platform. As application aspects of a multi-platform application are to be executed, if there are relevant cross platform differences, application aspect characteristics are adjusted so as to be appropriate to the host platform. The appropriately adjusted aspects are executed to thereby provide platform sensitive application characteristics with respect to the multi-platform application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a development environment for developing an application having a plurality of aspects, said application comprising code executable upon a plurality of different platforms;

determining if an aspect of said plurality of aspects has a relevant cross platform difference associated therewith by analyzing said aspect to identify an attribute of said aspect and comparing said attribute to a database of attributes for which platform sensitivity is to be provided; and

adapting said aspect in said development environment to provide platform sensitive operation with respect to at least a portion of said plurality of different platforms when executed in runtime, said platform sensitive operation providing adjustment of at least one attribute of said aspect to provide operation in accordance with a particular platform to accommodate said relevant cross platform difference,

wherein, when said application is executed at runtime on the particular platform of said plurality of different platforms, the particular platform being detected prior to the application initiating execution and said aspect is adapted, using information associated with the particular platform to provide platform sensitive operation appropriate to said particular platform, wherein said information indicates a selection of unique code based on detecting the particular platform of the plurality of different platforms for adapting said aspect, the selection of the unique code for adapting said aspect is based at least in part on detecting platform characteristics of the particular platform of the multiple platforms at execution of said aspect within the application,

wherein adapting said aspect to provide platform sensitive operation comprises providing application code with respect to said aspect to provide platform sensitive adjustment of said at least one attribute of said aspect at runtime, said application code comprises an algorithm operable to adaptively adjust said at least one attribute at runtime.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of different platforms comprise computer systems operating under control of different operating systems.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of different platforms comprise computer systems based upon different processor architectures.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said relevant cross platform difference comprises user interface attributes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said user interface attributes comprises window control attributes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said relevant cross platform difference comprises environmental attributes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said environmental attributes comprises display gamma.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said environmental attributes comprises color temperature.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said adapting said aspect to provide platform sensitive operation comprises:

providing a variable and associated values with respect to said aspect to provide platform sensitive adjustment of said at least one attribute of said aspect at runtime.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said adapting said aspect to provide platform sensitive operation comprises:

facilitating at least a second attribute of said aspect to be unique to said application while said at least one attribute is provided adjustment appropriate to said host one of said at least a portion of said plurality of platforms.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said second attribute comprises a style of said aspect.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said at least one attribute comprises a display position associated with said aspect.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said at least one attribute comprises a user interface environmental attribute associated with said aspect.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said developing, determining, and adapting are performed in an application development environment.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating execution of said application at runtime on one of said plurality of different platforms; and

adapting said aspect, using information associated with the one of said plurality of different platforms, to provide platform sensitive operation appropriate to said one of said plurality of different platforms.

15. A system comprising:

a memory coupled to a processor;

an application development component stored on said memory, wherein when executed by said processor said application development component generates an application development environment operable to adapt an aspect of an application developed therewith to provide platform sensitive operation with respect to a first attribute of said aspect for a plurality of different platforms and to provide platform agnostic operation with respect to a second attribute of said aspect for said plurality of different platforms, and detect a particular platform of the plurality of different platforms prior to the application initiating execution;

a database of code for different platforms of said plurality of platforms for use in adapting said aspect by said application development environment; and

a first application runtime environment adapted for operation on the particular platform of said plurality of different platforms, said first application runtime environment operable to execute said application developed with said application development environment to provide said platform sensitive operation with respect to said first attribute of said aspect, said platform sensitive operation adjusting said first attribute to provide operation in accordance with the particular platform, wherein said application comprises unique code selected based on detection of the particular platform of said plurality of different platforms for adapting said aspect, the unique code selected for adapting said aspect is based at least in part on detecting platform characteristics of the particular platform of said plurality of different platforms at execution of said aspect within the application,

wherein adapting said aspect to provide said platform sensitive operation comprises providing application code with respect to said aspect to provide platform sensitive adjustment of said first attribute of said aspect at runtime, said application code comprises an algorithm operable to adaptively adjust said first attribute at runtime.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a database of variable values for different platforms of said plurality of platforms for use in adapting said aspect by said application development environment.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a second application runtime environment adapted for operation on a first platform of said plurality of different platforms, said second application runtime environment operable to execute said application developed with said application development environment to provide said platform sensitive operation with respect to said first attribute of said aspect, said platform sensitive operation adjusting said first attribute in accordance with said first seeend platform.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a first application provided by said application development environment and comprising code executable upon said plurality of different platforms, said first application having an aspect adapted to provide platform sensitive operation with respect to said plurality of different applications.

19. A computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, said computer program product having computer executable code for providing an application development environment, said computer program product comprising:

code for developing an application having a plurality of aspects, said application comprising code executable upon a plurality of different platforms;

code for determining if an aspect of said plurality of aspects has a relevant cross platform difference associated therewith by analyzing said aspect to identify an attribute of said aspect and comparing said attribute to a database of attributes for which platform sensitivity is to be provided; and

code for adapting said aspect during said developing to provide platform sensitive operation with respect to at least a portion of said plurality of different platforms when executed in runtime, said platform sensitive operation providing adjustment of at least one attribute of said aspect to provide operation in accordance with a particular platform to accommodate said relevant cross platform difference,

wherein, when said application is executed at runtime on the particular platform of said plurality of different platforms, the particular platform being detected prior to the application initiating execution and said aspect is adapted, using information associated with the particular platform to provide platform sensitive operation appropriate to said particular platform, wherein said information indicates a selection of unique code based on detecting the particular platform of the plurality of different platforms for adapting said aspect, the selection of the unique code for adapting said aspect is based at least in part on detecting platform characteristics of the particular platform of the plurality of different platforms at execution of said aspect within the application,

wherein adapting said aspect to provide platform sensitive operation comprises providing application code with respect to said aspect to provide platform sensitive adjustment of said at least one attribute of said aspect at runtime, said application code comprises an algorithm operable to adaptively adjust said at least one attribute at runtime.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein said relevant cross platform difference comprises user interface attributes.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein said user interface attributes comprises window control attributes.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein said relevant cross platform difference comprises environmental attributes.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein said code for adapting said aspect to provide platform sensitive operation comprises:

code for providing a variable and associated values with respect to said aspect to provide platform sensitive adjustment of said at least one attribute of said aspect at runtime.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein said code for adapting said aspect to provide platform sensitive operation comprises:

code for facilitating at least a second attribute of said aspect to be unique to said application while said at least one attribute is provided adjustment appropriate to said host one of said at least a portion of said plurality of platforms.

26. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

code for initiating execution of said application at runtime on one of said plurality of different platforms; and

code for adapting said aspect, using information associated with the one of said plurality of different platforms, to provide platform sensitive operation appropriate to said one of said plurality of different platforms.