System and method for object-oriented graphically integrated command shell

• US 20040264782A1
• Filed: 11/06/2003
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McKnight, David, Turnham, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,627,833 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

A system and method for providing object-oriented graphical integrated command shell (ICS) integrates the command shell into a graphical user interface (GUI) environment in order to provide a single graphical user interface, so that the user does not need to work in different environments for different tasks. To accomplish the integration, the ICS provides interpretation of output responses that occur as result of processing textual commands entered by a user. An output response from the command shell is typically one or more lines of text from an output stream such as standard error or standard output. The output response is interpreted by the ICS to determine a meaning. Interpretation may be by pattern matching with regular expressions. If interpreted lines of command output (e.g. indicating a file or folder) map to some other object model (e.g. a file subsystem) in the UI, appropriate object model objects are created. Mapping output produces integration between different subsystems (i.e. file subsystem and command subsystem), allowing the command subsystem to inherit the behaviors and actions associated with the object model with which it is integrated.

Claims

I_we. I/we claim:

1. For use in a computer system adapted to provide an object-oriented graphical user interface (GUI) for an application, said application GUI using one or more application model objects for modeling information and a mechanism to render and manipulate the application model objects, a method for integrating to said application GUI a command shell of a program for executing commands and providing text-based output generated in response to the executing, said method comprising:

defining a command shell GUI model comprising command shell model objects for modeling information in said command shell, said command shell model objects comprising at least one of the application model objects;

mapping text-based output of said command shell generated in response to a command to instances of said command shell model objects; and

rendering and manipulating the instances of the command shell model objects, any instances of said application model objects being rendered and manipulated in accordance with the application GUI.

2. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of mapping comprises:

interpreting the text-based output; and

creating instances of said command shell model objects in response to said interpreting, wherein text-based output comprising information modeled by the application GUI being mapped to an instance of the application model object therefor.

3. The method claimed in claim 2 wherein the step of interpreting the text-based output comprises pattern matching said text-based output with patterns, each pattern being associated with a one of said context shell model objects.

4. The method claimed in claim 2 wherein the step of creating instances comprises analyzing the command and selecting the command shell model objects to create in response to said analyzing.

5. The method claimed in claim 4 wherein the step of analyzing comprises at least one of determining a current working directory associated with the command and determining a command type for the command;

and wherein said creating instances is responsive to at least one of the current working directory and the command type.

6. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of mapping comprises listening to one or more output streams of the program to receive the text-based output.

7. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of mapping comprises receiving a text-based user input of a command and providing the command to an input stream of the program to execute the command.

8. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of rendering and manipulating comprises, for each instance of the command shell model objects mapped in response to the command:

obtaining an icon representing the instance of the command shell model object and the text-based output mapped thereto; and

displaying the icon and text.

9. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of rendering and manipulating comprises:

receiving a user interaction to manipulate a selected rendered instance of a model object;

determining candidate actions for the selected instance, said candidate actions inherited from said application GUI for instances of the application model object; and

rendering candidate actions to the user for invocation.

10. The method claimed in claim 9 comprising invoking a selected one of said candidate actions in response to a further user interaction.

11. For use in a computer system adapted to provide an object-oriented graphical user interface (GUI) for an application, said application GUI using one or more application model objects for modeling information and a mechanism to render and manipulate the application model objects, a computer program product having a computer readable medium tangibly embodying computer executable code to integrate to said application GUI a command shell of a program for executing commands and providing text-based output generated in response to the executing, said computer program product comprising:

code for defining a command shell GUI model comprising command shell model objects for modeling information in said command shell, said command shell model objects comprising at least one of the application model objects;

code for mapping text-based output of said command shell generated in response to a command to instances of said command shell model objects; and

code for rendering and manipulating the instances of the command shell model objects, any instances of said application model objects being rendered and manipulated in accordance with the application GUI.

12. The computer program product claimed in claim 11 wherein the code for mapping comprises:

code for interpreting the text-based output; and

code for creating instances of said command shell model objects in response to said interpreting, wherein text-based output comprising information modeled by the application GUI being mapped to an instance of the application model object therefor.

13. The computer program product claimed in claim 12 wherein code for interpreting the text-based output comprises code for pattern matching said text-based output with patterns, each pattern being associated with a one of said context shell model objects.

14. The computer program product claimed in claim 12 wherein the code for creating instances comprises code for analyzing the command and selecting the command shell model objects to create in response to said analyzing.

15. The computer program product claimed in claim 14 wherein the code for analyzing comprises code for at least one of determining a current working directory associated with the command and determining a command type for the command;

and wherein said code for creating instances is responsive to at least one of the current working directory and the command type.

16. The computer program product claimed in claim 11 wherein the code for mapping comprises code for listening to one or more output streams of the program to receive the text-based output.

17. The computer program product claimed in claim 11 wherein the code for mapping comprises code for receiving a text-based user input of a command and providing the command to an input stream of the program to execute the command.

18. The computer program product claimed in claim 11 wherein the code for rendering and manipulating comprises, for each instance of the command shell model objects mapped in response to the command:

code for obtaining an icon representing the instance of the command shell model object and the text-based output mapped thereto; and

code for displaying the icon and text.

19. The computer program product claimed in claim 11 wherein the code for rendering and manipulating comprises:

code for receiving a user interaction to manipulate a selected rendered instance of a model object;

code for determining candidate actions for the selected instance, said candidate actions inherited from said application GUI for instances of the application model object; and

code for rendering candidate actions to the user for invocation.

20. The computer program product claimed in claim 19 comprising code for invoking a selected one of said candidate actions in response to a further user interaction.

21. For use in a computer system adapted to provide an object-oriented graphical user interface (GUI) for an application, said application GUI using one or more application model objects for modeling information and a mechanism to render and manipulate the application model objects, a system to integrate to said application GUI a command shell of a program for executing commands and providing text-based output generated in response to the executing, said system comprising:

a command shell GUI model comprising command shell model objects for modeling information in said command shell, said command shell model objects comprising at least one of the application model objects;

a mechanism for mapping text-based output of said command shell generated in response to a command to instances of said command shell model objects; and

a mechanism for rendering and manipulating the instances of the command shell model objects, any instances of said application model objects being rendered and manipulated in accordance with the application GUI.

22. The system claimed in claim 21 wherein the mechanism for mapping comprises:

an interpreter for interpreting the text-based output; and

a component for creating instances of said command shell model objects in response to said interpreter, wherein text-based output comprising information modeled by the application GUI being mapped to an instance of the application-model object therefor.

23. The system claimed in claim 22 comprising a command analysis component for analyzing the command, said component for creating instances adapted to select the command shell model objects to create in response to said analyzing.

24. The system claimed in claim 21 wherein the mechanism for mapping comprises one or more output listeners for listening to one or more output streams of the program to receive the text-based output.

25. The system claimed in claim 21 wherein mechanism for mapping comprises an input handler for receiving a text-based user input of a command and providing the command to an input stream of the program to execute the command.

26. The system claimed in claim 21 wherein the mechanism for rendering and manipulating is adapted to, for each instance of the command shell model objects mapped in response to the command:

obtain an icon representing the instance of the command shell model object and the text-based output mapped thereto; and

display the icon and text.

27. The system claimed in claim 21 wherein the mechanism for rendering and manipulating is adapted to:

receive a user interaction to manipulate a selected rendered instance of a model object;

determine candidate actions for the selected instance, said candidate actions inherited from said application GUI for instances of the application model object; and

render candidate actions to the user for invocation.

28. The system claimed in claim 27 wherein the mechanism for rendering and manipulation is further adapted to invoke a selected one of said candidate actions in response to a further user interaction.