Mobile application framework extensibiilty

• US 9,258,668 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Mall, Sanjeet, Kedefors, Hans, Hinrichs, Karsten, Nyisztor, Karoly, Farkas, Zoltan, Egresits, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): MORSHED, HOSSAIN M
• Application Number:
  US14/062,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20150039732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

In an example embodiment, extending an application distributed to a plurality of devices may be accomplied by receiving one or more configuration files. Then the configuration files on a platform server. Then the application may be distributed to the plurality of devices, the application containing code performing one or more calls to the one or more configuration files. Then an update to the one or more configuration files may be received. Then the update to the one or more configuration files may be stored on the platform, thereby altering the application distributed to the plurality of devices without recompiling the application.

Claims

1. A method of extending an application distributed to a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

receiving one or more configuration files;

storing the one or more configuration files on a platform server;

subsequent to the storing of the one or more configuration files on the platform server, distributing the application via an application store to the plurality of devices, the application containing code performing one or more calls to the one or more configuration files;

provisioning the one or more configuration files to the plurality of devices via the platform server;

receiving an update to the one or more configuration files, the update to the one or more configuration files causing, when called by the application, a structural change to the application;

storing the update to the one or more configuration files on the platform server; and

provisioning the update to the one or more configuration files to the plurality of devices via the platform server, thereby altering the application distributed to the plurality of devices without recompiling the application,

the one or more configuration files including tiles and the application implementing a createController method which takes a tile identifier of one of the tiles in the one or more configuration files as input and creates a new controller based on a tile corresponding to the tile identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration files define at least one aspect of a user interface of the application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration files define at least one binding between two data types for the application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is a deployable unit containing a custom code portion having one or more mobile application framework re-use components, the mobile application framework re-use component containing a mobile application framework extensibility framework.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration files include versioning-related metadata.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the application implements a GenericBOManager reads one or more business objects in the one or more configuration files.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration files includes image files.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more configuration files includes strings.

9. A platform server comprising:

a developer interface executable by a processor and configured to receive one or more configuration files from a developer;

a memory configured to store the configuration files; and

a device interface executable by the processor and configured to, subsequent to the receiving of the one or more configuration files by the developer interface, distribute, via an application store, an application to a plurality of devices, the application containing code performing one or more calls to the one or more configuration files,

the developer interface further configured to receive an update to the one or more configuration files, the update to the one or more configuration files causing, when called by the application, a structural change to the application, and provision the update to the plurality of devices via a platform server, thereby altering the application distributed to the plurality of devices without recompiling the application, and

the one or more configuration files including tiles and the application implementing a createController method which takes a tile identifier of one of the tiles in the one or more configuration files as input and creates a new controller based on a tile corresponding to the tile identifier.

10. The platform server of claim 9, wherein the platform server is a mobile platform server.

11. The platform server of claim 9, wherein the platform server includes an application store.

12. The platform server of claim 9, wherein the platform server is hosted by a mobile application framework provider.

13. The platform server of claim 9, wherein the configuration files are created by an application developer.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when implemented by one or more machines, cause the one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

receiving one or more configuration files;

storing the one or more configuration files on a platform server;

subsequent to the storing of the one or more configuration files on the platform server, distributing the application via an application store to the plurality of devices, the application containing code performing one or more calls to the one or more configuration files;

provisioning the one or more configuration files to the plurality of devices via the platform server;

receiving an update to the one or more configuration files, the update to the one or more configuration files causing, when called by the application, a structural change to the application;

storing the update to the one or more configuration files on the platform server; and

provisioning the update to the one or more configuration files to the plurality of devices via the platform server, thereby altering the application distributed to the plurality of devices without recompiling the application,

the one or more configuration files including tiles and the application implementing a createController method which takes a tile identifier of one of the tiles in the one or more configuration files as input and creates a new controller based on a tile corresponding to the tile identifier.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more configuration files define at least one aspect of a user interface of the application.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more configuration files define at least one binding between two data types for the application.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the application is a deployable unit containing a custom code portion having one or more mobile application framework re-use components, the mobile application framework re-use component containing a mobile application framework extensibility framework.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more configuration files include versioning-related metadata.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more configuration files include tiles.