System and method for extending application functionality and content

• US 20030226136A1
• Filed: 04/23/2003
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Calahan, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 7,058,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading

Abstract

A system and method for extending the appearance, functionality and/or the content of an application, such as an administrative console. In accordance with one embodiment, the invention provides a system comprising a first application that includes content which controls the appearance, content, and/or function of said first application, and a second application that includes additional content stored therein, together with an extension or alternate means for adding, and registering said second application with said first application. The content of the second application is then used to modify or extend the appearance, content or functionality of said first application.

Claims

1. A system for modifying or extending application content and functionality comprising:

a first application that includes content which controls the appearance, content, and/or function of said first application;

a second application that includes additional content stored therein, and further includes a means for registering said second application with said first application to modify or extend the appearance, content or functionality of said first application.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said linking is dynamic, and is used to dynamically change the appearance, content or functionality of said first application.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said registering modifies the appearance, content or functionality of said first application by incorporating the content of said second application with the content of said first application.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said first application links to the additional content provided by said second application using an extension.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the system searches for available extensions, and upon finding an available extension uses the content of the application associated with said extension to modify or extend the content of said first application.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein said extension is used to advertise the availability of said second application for use in modifying or extending the content of said first application.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said first application and said second application each comprises a web archive file and wherein said second application web archive file includes an extension for dynamically inserting content into said first application web archive file.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said first application comprises a web archive file and wherein said second application comprises an enterprise archive file and a web archive file, and wherein said second application web archive file includes an extension for dynamically inserting content into said first application web archive file.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said first application comprises a web archive file and wherein said second application comprises an enterprise archive file, and wherein said enterprise archive file includes content for inserting into said first application web archive file.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said first application and said second application each comprises a web archive file and wherein said second application web archive file can link to content in said first application web archive file so as to use said content within said second application.

11. A method for modifying or extending application content and functionality comprising the steps of:

executing or reading a first application that includes content which controls the appearance, content, and/or function of said first application;

executing or reading a second application that includes additional content stored therein, and further includes a means for registering said second application with said first application to modify or extend the appearance, content or functionality of said first application.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said linking is dynamic, and is used to dynamically change the appearance, content or functionality of said first application.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said registering modifies the appearance, content or functionality of said first application by incorporating the content of said second application with the content of said first application.

14. The method of claim 11 including linking the first application to the additional content provided by said second application using an extension.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of:

searching for available extensions, and upon finding an available extension using the content of the application associated with said extension to modify or extend the content of said first application.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said extension is used to advertise the availability of said second application for use in modifying or extending the content of said first application.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein said first application and said second application each comprises a web archive file and wherein said second application web archive file includes an extension for dynamically inserting content into said first application web archive file.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein said first application comprises a web archive file and wherein said second application comprises an enterprise archive file and a web archive file, and wherein said second application web archive file includes an extension for dynamically inserting content into said first application web archive file.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein said first application comprises a web archive file and wherein said second application comprises an enterprise archive file, and wherein said enterprise archive file includes content for inserting into said first application web archive file.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein said first application and said second application each comprises a web archive file and wherein said second application web archive file can link to content in said first application web archive file so as to use said content within said second application.