Software application extensibility

• US 9,021,425 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Aly, Mohamed Abdulazim, Charfi, Anis, Roth, Andreas, Schneider, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Das, Chameli
• Application Number:
  US13/715,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20140173448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

Implementations of the present disclosure include methods, systems, and computer-readable storage mediums for supporting software application extensions including receiving, by the one or more processors, application information associated with a to-be-extended application, the application including a plurality of logical layers and including a computer-executable application that can be executed using one or more computing devices; processing, by the one or more processors, the application information; providing, based on the processing, graphical representations of one or more extensible artifacts associated with the application; displaying a first graphical representation within a browser interface, the first graphical representation being based on a first logical layer of the plurality of logical layers, the browser interface being provided as a computer-executable program that is executed using the one or more processors; and receiving user input provided using the browser interface, and in response to the user input, providing an extension of the application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for supporting software application extensions, the method being executed using one or more processors and comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, application information associated with a to-be-extended application, the application comprising a plurality of logical layers and comprising a computer-executable application that can be executed using one or more computing devices;

processing, by the one or more processors, the application information;

providing, based on the processing, a plurality of graphical representations of one or more extensible artifacts associated with the application;

displaying a first graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations and a plurality of suggested development tasks within a browser interface provided as a computer-executable program that is executed using the one or more processors, the first graphical representation being based on a first logical layer of the plurality of logical layers and being representative of an extensible artifact in the first logical layer, and the plurality of suggested development tasks comprising at least one of a first suggested task to associate the extensible artifact with a first artifact in the first logical layer and a second suggested task to associate the extensible artifact with a second artifact in a second logical layer; and

receiving user input provided using the browser interface, and in response to the user input, providing an extension of the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application information comprises at least one of an extensibility model and one or more artifacts associated with the application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application information is provided by a developer of the application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of logical layers comprises two or more of a user interface layer, a process layer, an object layer and a database layer.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the user input in view of one or more constraints, the user input indicating the extension; and

determining that the extension does not violate the one or more constraints, wherein providing the extension of the application occurs in response to determining that the extension does not violate the one or more constraints.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the application data comprises analyzing one or more extensible artifacts and relationships between extensible artifacts.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving first user input, the first user input indicating user selection of a second logical layer of the plurality of logical layers; and

in response to the first user input, displaying a second graphical representation within a browser interface, the second graphical representation being based on a second logical layer.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying one or more extensibility recommendations associated with an extensible artifact selected by a user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying one or more extensibility recommendations associated an extensible artifact associated with a second logical layer of the plurality of logical layers.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving first user input, the first user input indicating a bookmark associated with an available extension of an extensible artifact; and

providing a list of suggested development tasks based on the bookmark.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving first user input, the first user input indicating an extension to be made to an extensible artifact; and

in response to the first user input, displaying a set of development tasks that can be used to provide the extension.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining that a development task of the one or more development tasks has been performed; and

in response, providing an updated set of development tasks.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first graphical representation is representative of a user interface comprising one or more user interface elements.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first graphical representation comprises a marking associated with a user interface element, the marking indicating that the user interface element can be included to extend the user interface.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first graphical representation is representative of a business object.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first graphical representation is representative of a process.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations for supporting software application extensions, the operations comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, application information associated with a to-be-extended application, the application comprising a plurality of logical layers and comprising a computer-executable application that can be executed using one or more computing devices;

processing, by the one or more processors, the application information;

providing, based on the processing, a plurality of graphical representations of one or more extensible artifacts associated with the application;

displaying a first graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations and a plurality of suggested development tasks within a browser interface provided as a computer-executable program that is executed using the one or more processors, the first graphical representation being based on a first logical layer of the plurality of logical layers and being representative of an extensible artifact in the first logical layer, and the plurality of suggested development tasks comprising at least one of a first suggested task to associate the extensible artifact with a first artifact in the first logical layer and a second suggested task to associate the extensible artifact with a second artifact in a second logical layer; and

receiving user input provided using the browser interface, and in response to the user input, providing an extension of the application.

18. A system, comprising:

a computing device; and

a computer-readable storage device coupled to the computing device and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for supporting software application extensions, the operations comprising;

receiving application information associated with a to-be-extended application, the application comprising a plurality of logical layers and comprising a computer-executable application that can be executed using one or more computing devices;

processing the application information;

providing, based on the processing, a plurality of graphical representations of one or more extensible artifacts associated with the application;

displaying a first graphical representation of the plurality of graphical representations and a plurality of suggested development tasks within a browser interface provided as a computer-executable program that is executed using the computing device, the first graphical representation being based on a first logical layer of the plurality of logical layers and being representative of an extensible artifact in the first logical layer and the plurality of suggested development tasks comprising at least one of a first suggested task to associate the extensible artifact with a first artifact in the first logical layer and a second suggested task to associate the extensible artifact with a second artifact in a second logical layer; and

receiving user input provided using the browser interface, and in response to the user input, providing an extension of the application.