System and method for supporting intelligent design pattern automation

• US 9,021,419 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Pana, Mircea, Pomerant, Mark, DesRosiers, Curtis
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERMAN, STEPHEN DAVID
• Application Number:
  US13/769,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20140237443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A system and method can support design pattern automation. A design environment, such as a design pattern automation platform, enables the definition of design patterns including the model entities and their relationships. The design pattern automation platform leverages the definitions and user input, and uses an intelligent method to automate the implementation of arbitrarily complex software design artifacts that realize the design patterns. The design pattern automation platform allows a user to specify a design pattern model that describes a design pattern. A user interface (UI) framework can consume the design pattern model and can render a set of UI pages that allow for user interaction with the design pattern. Furthermore, a pattern processor can combine the meta-model with user inputs from the UI framework and produce a set of entities or resources for the design pattern.

Claims

1. A system for supporting design pattern automation, comprising:

one or more microprocessors;

a design pattern meta-model that describes a design pattern based on a declarative language, wherein the design pattern meta-model is configured to;

provide a declarative interface which allows for definition of a design pattern,

receive a working example of a pre-existing software project from which to develop the design pattern,

populate the design pattern with design pattern artifacts and design pattern resources, and

generate design pattern configuration files for the design pattern,

whereby the design pattern meta-model allows creation of the design pattern through the declarative interface;

wherein the design pattern meta-model comprises at least two sections selected from, a contexts section that describes where in a design environment user interface the design pattern is accessible, a manifest section that describes one or more resources added to a workspace when the design pattern is applied, a projects section that describes the project types where the design pattern can apply resources, a token groups section that describes the UI pages, and a tokens section that describes information that a user can provide for resource customization when the design pattern is applied;

a user interface (UI) framework that operates to consume the design pattern meta-model and render a set of UI pages that allow for user interaction with the design pattern meta-model during creation of the design pattern;

a pattern processor, running on the one or more microprocessors, that operates to combine the design pattern meta-model with user inputs from the set of UI pages and produce a set of entities and/or resources that generate the design pattern;

wherein the UI framework subsequently operates to consume the design pattern and render another set of UI pages that allow for user interaction with the design pattern created using the design pattern meta-model; and

wherein the pattern processor subsequently operates to combine the design pattern with user inputs from the another set of UI pages and produce another set of entities and/or resources

that utilize the design pattern to generate a new software project based on the design pattern created using the design pattern meta-model from the pre-existing software project.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

said another set of entities and/or resources includes a plurality of files which are copied into a user workspace by the pattern processor and wherein the design pattern includes instructions identifying how the plurality of files are processed when they are copied.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the design pattern describes all of:

a list of resources or entities that are required to generate the new software project;

a topology or layout of the entities that is required upon a successful execution of the design pattern;

a list of tokens that specifies data that needs to be captured from the user; and

one or more UI hints that provide logical grouping of the tokens.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the design pattern meta-model includes all of:

a contexts section that describe where in a design environment user interface the design pattern is accessible;

a manifest section that describes one or more resources added to a workspace when the design pattern is applied;

a projects section that describes the project types where the design pattern can apply resources;

a token groups section that describes the UI pages; and

a tokens section that describes information that a user can provide for resource customization when the design pattern is applied.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the design pattern uses one or more embedded tokens to collect information from a user when a design pattern is applied.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the design pattern model allows for declarative definition of validation rules that can be executed against the user input.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the user interface UI pages are in the form of a set of wizard pages, and the UI framework operates to render appropriate UI components with a usable layout based on one or more UI hints.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein:

each UI page corresponds to a token group.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the pattern processor produces the another set of entities or resources, in which the user inputs are merged into appropriate locations, and the pattern processor operates to lay out modified entities or resources according to a topology defined in the design pattern.

10. A method for supporting design pattern automation, comprising:

providing a design pattern meta-model that describes a design pattern based on a declarative language, wherein the design pattern meta-model is configured to provide a declarative interface which allows for definition of a design pattern, receive a working example of a pre-existing software project from which to develop the design pattern, populate the design pattern with design pattern artifacts and design pattern resources, and generate design pattern configuration files for the design pattern, whereby the design pattern meta-model allows creation of the design pattern through the declarative interface, and wherein the design pattern meta-model comprises at least two sections selected from, a contexts section that describes where in a design environment user interface the design pattern is accessible, a manifest section that describes one or more resources added to a workspace when the design pattern is applied, a projects section that describes the project types where the design pattern can apply resources, a token groups section that describes the UI pages, and a tokens section that describes information that a user can provide for resource customization when the design pattern is applied;

providing a user interface (UI) framework that operates to consume the design pattern meta-model and render a set of UI pages that allow for user interaction with the design pattern meta-model during creation of the design pattern;

combining, via a pattern processor running on one or more microprocessors, the design pattern meta-model with user inputs from the set of UI pages and producing a set of entities and/or resources that generate the design pattern;

wherein the UI framework subsequently operates to consume the design pattern and render another set of UI pages that allow for user interaction with the design pattern created using the design pattern meta-model; and

wherein the pattern processor subsequently operates to combine the design pattern with user inputs from the another set of UI pages and produce another set of entities and/or resources that utilize the design pattern to generate a new software project based on the design pattern created using the design pattern meta-model from the pre-existing software project.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said another set of entities and/or resources include a plurality of files which are copied into a user workspace by the pattern processor and wherein the design pattern includes instructions identifying how the plurality of files are processed when they are copied.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising using the design pattern meta-model to describe:

a list of resources or entities that are required to generate the design pattern;

a topology or layout of the entities that is required upon a successful generation of the design pattern;

a list of tokens that specifies data that needs to be captured from the user; and

one or more UI hints that provide logical grouping of the tokens.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising configuring the design pattern meta-model to include all of:

a contexts section that describe where in a design environment user interface the design pattern is accessible;

a manifest section that describes one or more resources added to a workspace when the design pattern is applied;

a projects section that describes the project types where the design pattern can apply resources;

a token groups section that describes the UI pages; and

a tokens section that describes information that a user can provide for resource customization when the design pattern is applied.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

configuring the design pattern to use one or more embedded tokens to collect information from a user when a design pattern is applied.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

configuring the design pattern to allow for declarative definition of validation rules that can be executed against the user input.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

configuring the UI pages to be in the form of a set of wizard pages, and allowing the UI framework to render appropriate UI components with a usable layout based on one or more UI hints.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

configuring each UI page to correspond to a token group.

18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

allowing the pattern processor to produce the set of entities or resources, in which the user inputs are merged into appropriate locations, and allowing the pattern processor to lay out modified entities or resources according to a topology defined in the design pattern.

19. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for supporting design pattern automation, which instruction when executed, cause a system to perform steps comprising:

providing a design pattern meta-model that describes a design pattern based on a declarative language, wherein the design pattern meta-model is configured to provide a declarative interface which allows for definition of a design pattern, receive a working example of a pre-existing software project from which to develop the design pattern, populate the design pattern with design pattern artifacts and design pattern resources, and generate design pattern configuration files for the design pattern, whereby the design pattern meta-model allows creation of the design pattern through the declarative interface, and wherein the design pattern meta-model comprises at least two sections selected from, a contexts section that describes where in a design environment user interface the design pattern is accessible, a manifest section that describes one or more resources added to a workspace when the design pattern is applied, a projects section that describes the project types where the design pattern can apply resources, a token groups section that describes the UI pages, and a tokens section that describes information that a user can provide for resource customization when the design pattern is applied;

providing a user interface (UI) framework that operates to consume the design pattern meta-model and render a set of UI pages that allow for user interaction with the design pattern meta-model during creation of the design pattern; and

combining, via a pattern processor running on one or more microprocessors, the design pattern meta-model with user inputs from the set of UI pages and producing a set of entities and/or resources that generate the design pattern;

wherein the UI framework subsequently operates to consume the design pattern and render another set of UI pages that allow for user interaction with the design pattern created using the design pattern meta-model; and

wherein the pattern processor subsequently operates to combine the design pattern with user inputs from the another set of UI pages and produce another set of entities and/or resources that utilize the design pattern to generate a new software project based on the design pattern created using the design pattern meta-model from the pre-existing software project.

20. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein said another set of entities and/or resources include a plurality of files which are copied into a user workspace by the pattern processor and wherein the design pattern includes instructions identifying how the plurality of files are processed when they are copied.