Dynamic generated web UI for configuration

• US 9,753,747 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2007
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Offenhartz, John Ken, Dawes, Dana
• Primary Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Faber, David
• Application Number:
  US11/736,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,794 Days
• Field of Search: 715234, 715236, 715771, 715760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A computer-based system comprising a library module associated with an application, the library module using stored configuration data and configuration metadata for the application and a configurator to generate a web user interface using the configuration metadata. The web user interface allowing a user to input configuration information for the application.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

retrieving, by a computer system, configuration metadata, the configuration metadata being retrieved by a configuration application on the computer system from a centralized configuration data store, the configuration metadata identifying a first configuration element of a first user application on the computer system and a second configuration element of a second user application on the computer system, the configuration metadata indicating that the first configuration element is testable and includes a token used to locate at least one test and a list of selectable values for the first configuration element, the configuration metadata includes a retrieved name and a description of the second configuration element, and retrieved resources for on-line help;

generating, using the configuration application, a user interface comprising a first data entry field for the first configuration element and a test button for the first configuration element, wherein the user interface is accessed through a web browser, and wherein generating the user interface comprises;

receiving a username and a password,

authenticating a user associated with the username and the password using secure socket layer encryption, and

displaying a generic error if the authenticating fails;

receiving, by the configuration application from the user interface, a first data value for the first configuration element;

storing, by the configuration application in the centralized configuration data store, a first configuration data having the first data value for the first configuration element, the first configuration data to be used by the first user application during execution for configuration of the first user application;

receiving, by the computer system, an indication of user selection of the test button;

performing, by the computer system in response to receiving the indication of user selection of the test button, the at least one test of the first data value, wherein the at least one test includes pinging an input URL, checking a file system, testing a database connection, or a combination thereof, the at least one test further implemented as standalone code that does not perform the at least one test as part of the first user application;

retrieving, by the configuration application from the centralized configuration data store, a second configuration data, the second configuration data having a second data value for the second configuration element of the second user application;

retrieving, by the configuration application from the centralized configuration data store, a third configuration data, the third configuration data having a fourth data value for a third configuration element, wherein the fourth data value is encrypted in the centralized configuration data store;

regenerating, using the configuration application, the user interface to display (1) the first configuration element and the first data value, (2) the second configuration element and the second data value, and (3) the third configuration element associated with the fourth data value, wherein the fourth data value is displayed using at least one mask character based on the fourth data value being encrypted;

receiving, by the configuration application from the user interface, a third data value for the second configuration element, wherein the second configuration element is a port number and the third data value is the port number used when the second user application is executed;

updating, by the configuration application in the centralized configuration data store, the second data value in the second configuration data with the third data value, the second configuration data to be used by the second user application during execution for configuration of the second user application;

executing, by the computer system, the first user application using the first configuration data from the centralized configuration data store;

executing, by the computer system, the second user application using the second configuration data from the centralized configuration data store;

executing a first time configuration wizard, the first time configuration wizard providing an interface for entry of one or more data values for one or more configuration elements of a third user application installed on the computer system, wherein the first time configuration wizard requires entry of a fifth data value associated with a fourth configuration element of the third user application, the fourth configuration element being a setting required by the third user application to execute properly, the fourth configuration element requiring a string value, wherein the configuration metadata comprises a diagnostic warm-up sequence for the third user application, the diagnostic warm-up sequence comprising test functions that test the third user application complete configuration profile;

receiving, by the configuration application from the first time configuration wizard, the fifth data value;

validating that the fifth data value is a string;

wherein the configuration metadata further includes a fifth configuration element of the first user application, options for the first configuration element depending on selection of a sixth data value for the fifth configuration element; and

wherein the first data entry field for the first configuration element is a dropdown box populated with the list of selectable values filtered to be context aware based on the selection of the sixth data value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the configuration metadata from the centralized configuration data store comprises retrieving the configuration metadata as an extensible markup language (XML) file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the second configuration data from the centralized configuration data store comprises retrieving the second configuration data as an extensible markup language (XML) file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

retrieving the configuration metadata from the centralized configuration data store comprises retrieving the configuration metadata indicative of default values for at least one of the first or second configuration elements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a new application can inherit the first configuration data or the second configuration data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the configuration metadata from the centralized configuration data store comprises retrieving the configuration metadata having a label for the first data entry field.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the at least one test of the first data value further comprises:

locating, based on the token, the at least one test.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the computer system, in the user interface, a persistent navigation feature that is visible on a plurality of pages of the user interface, the persistent navigation feature displaying a list of applications installed on the computer system having configurable services and components.

9. A system, comprising:

a microprocessor;

a storage medium device operatively coupled to the microprocessor, the storage medium device storing program instructions that when executed by the microprocessor cause the microprocessor to;

retrieve configuration metadata from a centralized configuration data store, the configuration metadata identifying a first configuration element of a first user application and a second configuration element of a second user application, the configuration metadata indicating that the first configuration element is testable and includes a token used to locate at least one test and a list of selectable values for the first configuration element, the configuration metadata includes a retrieved name and a description of the second configuration element, and retrieved resources for on-line help;

generate a user interface comprising a first data entry field for the first configuration element and a test button for the first configuration element, wherein the user interface is accessed through a web browser, and wherein generating the user interface comprises;

receiving a username and a password,

authenticating a user associate with the username and the password using secure socket layer encryption, and

displaying a generic error if the authenticating fails;

receive a first data value for the first configuration element from the user interface;

store a first configuration data in the centralized configuration data store, the first configuration data having the first data value for first configuration element, the first configuration data to be used by the first user application during execution for configuration of the first user application;

receive an indication of user selection of the test button;

perform, in response to receiving the indication of user selection of the test button, the at least one test of the first data value, wherein the at least one test includes pinging an input URL, checking a file system, testing a database connection, or a combination thereof, the at least one test further implemented as standalone code that does not perform the at least one test as part of the first user application;

retrieve a second configuration data from the centralized configuration data store, the second configuration data having a second data value for the second configuration element of the second user application;

retrieve a third configuration data from the centralized configuration data store, the third configuration data having a fourth data value for a third configuration element, wherein the fourth data value is encrypted in the centralized configuration data store;

regenerate the user interface to display (1) the first configuration element and the first data value (2) the second configuration element and the second data value, and (3) the third configuration element associated with the fourth data value, wherein the fourth data value is displayed using at least one mask character based on the fourth data value being encrypted;

receive a third data value for the second configuration element from the user interface, wherein the second configuration element is a port number and the third data value is the port number used when the second user application is executed;

update the second data value in the second configuration data in the centralized configuration data store with the third data value, the second configuration data to be used by the second user application during execution for configuration of the second user application;

execute the first user application using the first configuration data from the centralized configuration data store;

execute the second user application using the second configuration data from the centralized configuration data store

execute a first time configuration wizard, the first time configuration wizard providing an interface for entry of one or more data values for one or more configuration elements of a third user application installed on the computer system, wherein the first time configuration wizard requires entry of a fifth data value associated with a fourth configuration element of the third user application, the fourth configuration element being a setting required by the third user application to execute properly, the fourth configuration element requiring a string value, wherein the configuration metadata comprises a diagnostic warm-up sequence for the third user application, the diagnostic warm-up sequence comprising test functions that test the third user application complete configuration profile;

receive, by the configuration application from the first time configuration wizard, the fifth data value;

validate that the fifth data value is a string;

wherein the configuration metadata further includes a fifth configuration element of the first user application, options for the first configuration element depending on selection of a sixth data value for the fifth configuration element; and

wherein the first data entry field for the first configuration element is a dropdown box populated with the list of selectable values filtered to be context aware based on the selection of the sixth data value.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the program instructions that cause the microprocessor to perform the at least one test further include program instructions that cause the microprocessor to:

locate, based on the token, the at least one test.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein to retrieve the configuration metadata from the centralized configuration data store, the program instructions further cause the microprocessor to retrieve the configuration metadata as an extensible markup language (XML) file.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein to retrieve the second configuration data from the centralized configuration data store, the program instructions further cause the microprocessor to retrieve the second configuration data as an extensible markup language (XML) file.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein to retrieve the configuration metadata from the centralized configuration data store, the program instructions further cause the microprocessor to retrieve the configuration metadata indicative of default values for at least one of the first or second configuration elements.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein a new application can inherit the first configuration data or the second configuration data.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein to retrieve the configuration metadata from the centralized configuration data store, the program instructions further cause the microprocessor to retrieve the configuration metadata having a label for the first data entry field.

16. The system of claim 9, the storage medium device further storing program instructions that when executed by the microprocessor cause the microprocessor to:

display, in the user interface, a persistent navigation feature that is visible on a plurality of pages of the user interface, the persistent navigation feature displaying a list of applications installed on the system having configurable services and components.