Systems and methods for web based application modeling and generation

• US 9,098,314 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2011
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Blank, Guy, Soffer, Guy, Naor, Amir, Friedman, Gil, Man, Shahar
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US13/236,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 715/273, 715/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

According to some embodiments, a service list including a plurality of available services is displayed via a web-based display on a remote client device. Each available service may be, for example, associated with meta-data available at a server. A user selection of at least one of the available services may then be received. A platform list, including a plurality of potential execution platforms, may be displayed to the user and a user selection of one of the potential execution platforms may be received. The server may then automatically generate application code based on the selected available service, the meta-data associated with the selected available service, and the selected execution platform.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying, via a web-based display on a remote client device, a service list including a plurality of available services, each available service being associated with meta-data available at a server;

receiving, via the remote client device, a selection, by a first user, of at least one of the available services;

displaying, on the remote client device, a platform list including a plurality of potential execution platforms;

receiving, via the remote client device, a selection, by the first user, of one of the potential execution platforms;

displaying, on the remote client device, a list including a plurality of potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms;

receiving, via the remote client device, a selection, by the first user, of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms; and

automatically generating, by the server, application code based on the first user'"'"'s selection of at least one of the available services, the meta-data associated with the selected at least one of the available services, the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential execution platforms and the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms;

wherein the application code automatically generated by the server based on the first user'"'"'s selection of at least one of the available services, the meta-data associated with the selected at least one of the available services, the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential execution platforms and the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms includes code to allow multiple users to access and alter data from an enterprise database without a requirement for re-display of the service list that;

(i) was displayed on the remote client device prior to automatically generating the application code and (ii) included the plurality of available services.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the available services comprise at least one of:

(i) an enterprise service, (ii) a web service, (iii) a customer list web service, (iv) a sales order list web service, or (v) an employee list web service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display of available services is performed in response to a search request entered by the user via the remote client device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the meta-data comprises at least one of:

(i) open data protocol information, (ii) an association between an entity and a service, (iii) a text label of a property entity, (iv) supported page layouts for entities, (v) a semantic attribute, (vi) an indication that a data field is associated with a telephone number, (vii) an indication that a data field is associated with an email address, (viii) an indication that a data field is associated with a Uniform Resource Locator address, or (ix) business object information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the potential execution platforms comprise at least one of:

(i) a wireless telephone, (ii) a smartphone, (iii) a hypertext preprocessor platform, (iv) an application service provider device, or (v) a platform-specific operating system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

arranging to download at least one application code file to the remote client device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one downloaded file is associated with an integrated development environment.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one downloaded file is associated with at least one of:

(i) a stand-alone application, (ii) proxy code, or (iii) a framework component.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the remote client device, a user selection of one of (i) a generic table user interface template, or (ii) a list style user interface template.

10. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing program code executable by a computer to perform a method, comprising:

displaying, via a web-based display on a remote client device, a service list including a plurality of available services, each available service being associated with meta-data available at a server;

receiving, via the remote client device, a selection, by a first user, of at least one of the available services;

displaying, on the remote client device, a platform list including a plurality of potential execution platforms;

receiving, via the remote client device, a selection, by the first user, of one of the potential execution platforms;

displaying, on the remote client device, a list including a plurality of potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms;

receiving, via the remote client device, a selection, by the first user, of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms; and

automatically generating, by the server, application code based on the first user'"'"'s selection of at least one of the available services, the meta-data associated with the selected at least one of the available services, the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential execution platforms and the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms;

wherein the application code automatically generated by the server based on the first user'"'"'s selection of at least one of the available services, the meta-data associated with the selected at least one of the available services, and the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential execution platforms and the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms includes code to allow multiple users to access and alter data from an enterprise database without a requirement for re-display of the service list that;

(i) was displayed on the remote client device prior to automatically generating the application code and (ii) included the plurality of available services.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein at least one of the available services comprise at least one of:

(i) an enterprise service, (ii) a web service, (iii) a customer list web service, (iv) a sales order list web service, or (v) an employee list web service.

12. The medium of claim 10, wherein the display of available services is performed in response to a search request entered by the user via the remote client device.

13. The medium of claim 10, wherein at least some of the meta-data comprises at least one of:

(i) open data protocol information, (ii) an association between an entity and a service, (iii) a text label of a property entity, (iv) supported page layouts for entities, (v) a semantic attribute, (vi) an indication that a data field is associated with a telephone number, (vii) an indication that a data field is associated with an email address, (viii) an indication that a data field is associated with a Uniform Resource Locator address, or (ix) business object information.

14. The medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

arranging to download at least one application code file to the remote client device, wherein at least one downloaded file is associated with an integrated development environment, and further wherein at least one downloaded file is associated with at least one of;

(i) a stand-alone application, (ii) proxy code, or (iii) a framework component.

15. The medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, via the remote client device, a user selection of one of (i) a generic table user interface template, or (ii) a list style user interface template.

16. A system, comprising:

a back end device, including;

a service directory storing available services, and

a service N meta-data storage device storing information about the available services in the service director; and

a web application device coupled to the back end device, including;

a service browser to (i) display available services to a first user, (ii) receive a selection of at least one of the available services, from the first user, (iii) display potential execution platforms to the first user, (iv) receive a selection of an execution platform from the first user, (v) display, to the first user, potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms, and (vi) receive, from the first user, a selection of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms, and

a generation framework to automatically generate application code based on the first user'"'"'s selection of at least one of the available services, the information in the service N meta-data storage device associated with the selected at least one of the available services, the first user'"'"'s selection of an execution platform, and the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms;

wherein the application code generated based on the first user'"'"'s selection of at least one of the available services, the information in the service N meta-data storage device associated with the selected at least one of the available services, the first user'"'"'s selection of an execution platform, and the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms includes code to allow multiple users to access and alter data from an enterprise database without a requirement for re-display of the available services that were displayed prior to automatic generation of the application code.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the generation framework comprises pluggable application generators associated with multiple potential execution platforms.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein service N meta-data storage device stores at least one of:

(i) open data protocol information, (ii) an association between an entity and a service, (iii) a text label of a property entity, (iv) supported page layouts for entities, (v) a semantic attribute, (vi) an indication that a data field is associated with a telephone number, (vii) an indication that a data field is associated with an email address, (viii) an indication that a data field is associated with a Uniform Resource Locator address, or (ix) business object information.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the service browser communicates with a remote client device associated with the user via the Internet.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the generation framework is further to arrange for the application code to be transmitted to the remote client device.

21. A system comprising:

a remote client device; and

a server;

wherein the remote client device is configured to;

display a service list including a plurality of available services, each available service being associated with meta-data available at a server;

receive a selection, by a first user, of at least one of the available services;

display a platform list including a plurality of potential execution platforms;

receive a selection, by the first user, of one of the potential execution platforms;

display a list including a plurality of potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms;

receive a selection, by the first user, of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms;

wherein the server is configured to;

automatically generate application code based on the first user'"'"'s selection of at least one of the available services, the meta-data associated with the selected at least one of the available services, the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential execution platforms, and the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms; and

wherein the application code automatically generated by the server based on the first user'"'"'s selection of at least one of the available services, the meta-data associated with the selected at least one of the available services, the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential execution platforms, and the first user'"'"'s selection of one of the potential user interface formats for a user interface on the selected one of the potential execution platforms includes code to allow multiple users to access and alter data from an enterprise database without a requirement for re-display of the service list that;

(i) was displayed on the remote client device prior to automatically generating the application code and (ii) included the plurality of available services.