System and method for extending a visualization platform

• US 9,465,527 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2015
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: iRise, Inc.
• Original Assignee: iRise, Inc.
• Inventors: Martin, Maurice, Yamanaka, Steven, Akiva, Daniel, Basham, Norman, Lipson, Bryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Velez-Lopez, Mario M
• Application Number:
  US14/591,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20150346934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/966 Computer process, e.g. operation of computer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/967 Visual or iconic programming

Abstract

Systems and methods for extending a visualization platform are disclosed. A user may create a visualization project created. One or more properties for a non-native widget established by a developer of the non-native widget may be received from the project. Such properties may designate a name or a type of data that the non-native widget is capable of processing. Responsive to an instruction received from the user of the visualization authoring environment, a source of data to be processed by the non-native widget or a destination of data produced by the non-native widget to be processed by other widgets may be established. The appearance or behavior of the non-native widget may be rendered based at least in part on a value available from the source of the data or the appearance or behavior of one or more other widgets may be rendered based at least in part on data produced by the non-native widget.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for utilizing non-native widgets within a visualization authoring environment, the method comprising:

providing the visualization authoring environment configured to enable a developer to define a user interface appearance and behavior of a prospective software application or a prospective modification to an existing software application at least in part by incorporating native widgets;

providing in the visualization authoring environment a facility to enable a user to incorporate one or more non-native widgets into the visualization authoring environment without requiring acquisition or installation of a new version of the visualization authoring environment;

providing in the visualization authoring environment a facility to enable the user to incorporate non-native widgets into a visualization project;

visually distinguishing non-native widgets from the native widgets within the visualization authoring environment;

ensuring that each of the non-native widgets has a unique identifier comprising version information, wherein a first of the non-native widgets is from a first provider and has a first unique identifier and a second of the non-native widgets is from a second provider and has a second unique identifier;

at least partly in response to detecting the presence of a new non-native widget from the first provider, validating that contents of at least one file representing the new non-native widget from the first provider conforms to a first schema; and

at least partly in response to detecting the presence of a new non-native widget from the second provider, validating that contents of at least one file representing the new non-native widget from the second provider conforms to the first schema;

providing in the visualization authoring environment a facility to enable the user to modify one or more of the following attributes of an instance of a first non-native widget;

size, position, connections between the first non-native widget and other widgets; and

providing in a visualization rendering environment a facility to exhibit a desired visual rendering and interactive behavior during rendering of the visualization project.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, where the computer readable instructions that govern the appearance or behavior, or the appearance and behavior of the first non-native widget are stored as part of the visualization project and not integral to the visualization authoring environment.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, where the computer readable instructions that govern the appearance or behavior, or the appearance and behavior of the first non-native widget are stored as part of the visualization project and not integral to the visualization rendering environment.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein incorporating the first non-native widgets into a visualization authoring environment does not require that the user incorporating the first non-native widget into a visualization authoring environment to write code.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising encapsulating computer readable instructions for an appearance, or behavior, or an appearance and behavior of one or more non-native widgets into the visualization project at least partly in response to a user action, wherein encapsulating computer readable instructions for an appearance, or behavior, or an appearance and behavior of one or more non-native widgets into a visualization project does not require that the user incorporating the first non-native widget into a visualization project to write code.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein modifying one or more attributes of the first non-native widget includes further specifying which data elements flow from a second widget to the non-native widget, or from first the non-native widget to the second widget, or from a second widget to the first non-native widget and from the first non-native widget to the second widget.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein modifying one or more attributes of the first non-native widget includes further specifying processing of events by one or more other widgets.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein modifying one or more attributes of one or more other widgets includes further specifying processing of events by the first non-native widget.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising providing a facility for storage and distribution of non-native widgets using a web site.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the computer readable instructions for an appearance or behavior of the first non-native widget is stored on a world wide web server, referenced from the visualization project, or from the visualization rendering environment, or from the visualization project and the visualization rendering environment and not integral to either the visualization authoring environment or the visualization rendering environment, wherein the visualization rendering environment is configured to produce an interactive representation of the prospective software application.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein incorporating the non-native widgets into the visualization authoring environment is automatically performed upon detecting availability of the non-native widgets.

12. A computer-implemented method for utilizing non-native widgets within a visualization authoring environment, the method comprising:

visually distinguishing one or more non-native widgets from native widgets within the visualization authoring environment, the visualization authoring environment hosted by a computer system;

ensuring that each of the one or more non-native widgets has a unique identifier comprising provider information, wherein a first of the non-native widgets is from a first provider and has a first unique identifier and a second of the non-native widgets is from a second provider and has a second unique identifier;

validating that contents of at least one file representing the first non-native widget from the first provider conforms to a first schema; and

validating that contents of at least one file representing the second non-native widget from the second provider conforms to the first schema;

receiving at the computer system from a visualization project comprising a prospective software application or a prospective modification to an existing software application created by a user one or more properties for the first non-native widget established by the first provider of the first non-native widget, such properties designating one or more of a name, or a type of data, or a name and a type of data that the first non-native widget is capable of processing;

at least partly in response to an instruction received from the user of the visualization authoring environment, establishing a source of data to be processed by the first non-native widget and/or a destination of data produced by the first non-native widget to be processed by other one or more other widgets; and

rendering an appearance and behavior of the first non-native widget based at least in part on a value available from the source of the data.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the user creating the visualization project is different from the user from which the instruction is received.

14. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the user of the visualization authoring environment also has access to native widgets in the visualization authoring environment.

15. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the properties established designate one or more constraints on the valid values of data that the first non-native widget is capable of processing.

16. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the source of the data to be processed by the first non-native widget is one or more values entered by the user of the visualization authoring environment.

17. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the source of the data to be processed by the first non-native widget is another widget selected by the user of the visualization authoring environment using the visualization authoring environment while defining the visualization project.

18. A computer-implemented method for utilizing non-native widgets within a visualization authoring environment, the method comprising:

visually distinguishing one or more non-native widgets from native widgets within the visualization authoring environment, the visualization authoring environment hosted by a computer system;

ensuring that each of the one or more non-native widgets has a unique identifier comprising provider information, wherein a first of the non-native widgets is from a first provider and has a first unique identifier and a second of the non-native widgets is from a second provider and has a second unique identifier;

validating that contents of at least one file representing the first non-native widget from the first provider conforms to a first schema; and

validating that contents of at least one file representing the second non-native widget from the second provider conforms to the first schema;

receiving at a computer system from a visualization project, comprising a prospective software application or a prospective modification to an existing software application created by a user, one or more event definitions for a first non-native widget established by a developer of the first non-native widget, such event definitions designating one or more of a name or type of event, or a name and type of event that the first non-native widget is capable of processing or producing;

at least partly in response to an instruction received from the user of the visualization authoring environment, establishing a source of the event to be processed by the first non-native widget; and

rendering an appearance and behavior of the first non-native widget based at least in part on an event received from the source of the event.

19. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the user creating the visualization project is different from the user from which the instruction is received.

20. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the user of the visualization authoring environment also has access to native widgets.

21. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the properties established designate one or more constraints on the valid events that the first non-native widget is capable of processing.

22. A system comprising:

a computing system, including one or more processing devices;

one or more modules stored in non-transitory memory configured to cause the computing system to perform operations comprising;

providing a visualization authoring environment configured to enable a coder to define a user interface appearance and behavior of a prospective software application or a prospective modification to an existing software application at least in part by incorporating native widgets;

storing such definitions on computer readable media in a format that can be utilized by one or more other instances of the visualization authoring environment and/or one or more instances of a visualization rendering environment;

providing in the visualization authoring environment a facility to enable a user to incorporate one or more non-native widgets into the visualization authoring environment without requiring acquisition or installation of a new version of the visualization authoring environment;

providing in the visualization authoring environment a facility to enable the user to incorporate non-native widgets into a visualization project;

visually distinguishing one or more non-native widgets from the native widgets within the visualization authoring environment;

ensuring that each of the one or more non-native widgets has a unique identifier comprising provider information, wherein a first of the non-native widgets is from a first provider and has a first unique identifier and a second of the non-native widgets is from a second provider and has a second unique identifier;

validating that contents of files for at least two non-native widgets from respective different providers conforms to a first schema;

providing in the visualization authoring environment a facility to enable the user to modify one or more of the following attributes of an instance of a first non-native widget;

size, position, connections between the first non-native widget and other widgets; and

providing in a visualization rendering environment a facility to exhibit a desired visual rendering and interactive behavior during rendering of the visualization project.

23. The system of claim 22, where the computer readable instructions that govern the appearance or behavior, or the appearance and behavior of the first non-native widget are stored as part of the visualization project and not integral to the visualization authoring environment.

24. The system of claim 22, where the computer readable instructions that govern the appearance or behavior, or the appearance and behavior of the first non-native widget are stored as part of the visualization project and not integral to the visualization rendering environment.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein incorporating the non-native widgets into a visualization authoring environment does not require that the user incorporating the first non-native widget into a visualization authoring environment to write code.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the operations further comprising encapsulating computer readable instructions for an appearance, or behavior, or an appearance and behavior of one or more non-native widgets into the visualization project at least partly in response to a user action, wherein encapsulating computer readable instructions for an appearance or behavior, or an appearance and behavior of one or more non-native widgets into a visualization project does not require that the user incorporating the first non-native widget into a visualization project to write code.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein modifying one or more attributes of the first non-native widget includes further specifying which data elements flow from a second widget to the first non-native widget or from the first non-native widget to the second widget, or from the second widget to the first non-native widget and from the first non-native widget to the second widget.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein modifying one or more attributes of the first non-native widget includes further specifying processing of events by one or more other widgets.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein modifying one or more attributes of one or more other widgets includes further specifying processing of events by the first non-native widget.

30. The system of claim 22, further comprising providing a facility for storage and distribution of non-native widgets using a web site.

31. The system of claim 22, wherein at least a portion of the computer readable instructions for an appearance or behavior of the first non-native widget is stored on a world wide web server, referenced from the visualization project or visualization rendering environment, or from the visualization project and visualization rendering environment and not integral to either the visualization authoring environment or the visualization rendering environment, wherein the visualization rendering environment is configured to produce an interactive representation of the prospective software application.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein incorporating the non-native widgets into the visualization authoring environment is automatically performed upon detecting availability of the non-native widgets.