System and method for building wireless applications with intelligent mapping between user interface and data components

• US 20050057560A1
• Filed: 03/01/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shenfield, Michael, Vitanov, Kamen B., Goring, Bryan R., Bibr, Viera
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system and method is described for effective management of a User Interface (UI) of a wireless device by implementing direct mapping between the application data domain and UI screens and controls. The device has an intelligent wireless device runtime environment (Device Runtime) that provides a set of basic services to manage the wireless application, including a series of linked screen and data component definitions, and their interactions can simplify the development effort and reduce resource allocation. The data domain for this category of applications is defined using the atomic data component definitions. The communication between a device user interface and data components is defined using atomic screen component definitions. Both screen and data component definitions are described in metadata using a structured definition language such as XML. The relationships between the screen and data component definitions are embedded in the XML definitions in the form of screen/data mappings. Typically, rendered screens for display are derived from some underlying data component and screens controls affected by user events impact the current state (or data representation) of the application Changes to the application domain data are automatically synchronized with the user interface, and user-entered data is automatically reflected in the application domain data. The primary mechanism behind this synchronization is the mapping of screens and data. This mechanism enables creation of dynamic and interactive screens. All changes to the data component can be immediately reflected on the screen and vice versa. This model allows building effective wireless applications based on server-to-device notifications. The data updates asynchronously pushed from the server are instantaneously reflected at the UI screen.

Claims

1. A method for generating a screen element of a wireless application based on a data object displayed on a user interface of a wireless device, the application including a data component having at least one data field definition and a screen component having at least one screen element definition, the component definitions expressed in a structured definition language, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting the screen component corresponding to the screen element selected for display;

identifying at least one mapping present in the screen component, the mapping for specifying a relationship between the screen component and the data component as defined by an identifier representing the mapping;

selecting the data component mapped by the mapping according to the mapping identifier;

obtaining a data object field value corresponding to the data field definition of the mapped data component;

generating a screen element from the screen element definition to include the data object field value according to the format of the data field definition as defined in the mapped data component.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the data field definitions of the data component is shared between the screen component and the data component as represented by the mapping.

3. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of linking the plurality of data field definitions to corresponding ones of the screen element definitions of the screen component as represented by the identifier.

4. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of detecting a user event of the user interface related to the screen element.

5. The method according to claim 4 further comprising the step of identifying the mapping in the screen component corresponding to the linked data component of the affected screen element.

6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising the step of updating the data object in a memory using the data field definition of the linked data component.

7. The method according to claim 5 further comprising the step of creating a new one of the data object in a memory using the data field definition of the linked data component.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the data object is passed to the user interface as a screen parameter.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein a first screen element definition is mapped by a first one of the identifiers to a first one of the data components and a second screen element definition is mapped by a second one of the identifiers to a second one of the data components different from the first data component.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first screen element definition and the second screen element definition are mapped to the same data component using the first identifier.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein the structured definition language is XML based.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein the identifier is a simple primary key.

13. The method according to claim 2, wherein the identifier is a composite key.

14. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of receiving an asynchronous communication message by the device via a network coupled to the device, the message including a message data object.

15. The method according to claim 2 further comprising the step of checking the message for the mapping corresponding to the data component of the application provisioned on the device.

16. The method according to claim 15 further comprising the step of updating the message data object corresponding to the message in a memory using the data field definition of the linked data component and then reflecting that data change in the screen element linked to the data object.

17. The method according to claim 15 further comprising the step of creating the data object corresponding to the message in a memory using the data field definition of the linked data component.

18. A system for generating a screen element of a wireless application based on a data object displayed on a user interface of a wireless device, the application including a data component having at least one data field definition and a screen component having at least one screen element definition, the component definitions expressed in a structured definition language, the method comprising the steps of:

a mapping manager for selecting the screen component corresponding to the screen element and identifying at least one mapping present in the screen component, the mapping for specifying a relationship between the screen component and the data component as defined by an identifier representing the mapping, the mapping manager for selecting the data component mapped by the mapping according to the mapping identifier;

a data manager for obtaining a data object field value corresponding to the data field definition of the mapped data component; and

a screen manager for generating a screen element from the screen element definition to include the data object field value according to the format of the data field definition as defined in the mapped data component.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein a plurality of the data field definitions of the data component is shared between the screen component and the data component as represented by the mapping.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the plurality of data field definitions are linked to corresponding ones of the screen element definitions of the screen component as represented by the identifier.

21. The system according to claim 19 further comprising the presentation manager configured for detecting a user event of the user interface related to the screen element.

22. The system according to claim 21 further comprising the mapping manager configured for identifying the mapping in the screen component corresponding to the linked data component of the affected screen element.

23. The system according to claim 22 further comprising the data manager configured for updating the data object in a memory using the data field definition of the linked data component.

24. The system according to claim 22 further comprising the data manager configured for creating a new one of the data object in a memory using the data field definition of the linked data component.

25. The system according to claim 19, wherein the data object is passed to the user interface as a screen parameter.

26. The system according to claim 19, wherein a first screen element definition is mapped by a first one of the identifiers to a first one of the data components and a second screen element definition is mapped by a second one of the identifiers to a second one of the data components different from the first data component.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein the first screen element definition and the second screen element definition are mapped to the same data component using the first identifier.

28. The system according to claim 19, wherein the structured definition language is XML based.

29. The system according to claim 19, wherein the identifier is a simple primary key.

30. The system according to claim 19, wherein the identifier is a composite key.

31. The system according to claim 19 further comprising a communication manager for receiving an asynchronous communication message by the device via a network coupled to the device, the message including a message data object.

32. The system according to claim 19 further comprising the mapping manager configured for checking the message for the mapping corresponding to the data component of the application provisioned on the device.

33. The system according to claim 32 further comprising the data manager configured for updating the message data object in a memory using the data field definition of the linked data component.

34. The system according to claim 32 further comprising the data manager configured for creating the message data object in a memory using the data field definition of the linked data component.

35. A method for generating a data object of a wireless application based on a change in a screen element displayed on a user interface of a wireless device, the application including a data component having at least one data field definition and a screen component having at least one screen element definition, the component definitions expressed in a structured definition language, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting the screen component corresponding to the screen element;

identifying at least one mapping present in the screen component, the mapping for specifying a relationship between the screen component and the data component;

selecting the data component mapped by the mapping;

obtaining a changed value from the screen element corresponding to the mapped data component;

assigning the changed value to a data field value of the data object according to the format of the data field definition as defined in the mapped data component.

36. A device for generating a screen element of a wireless application based on a data object displayed on a user interface of a wireless device, the application including a data component having at least one data field definition and a screen component having at least one screen element definition, the component definitions expressed in a structured definition language, the method comprising the steps of:

means for selecting the screen component corresponding to the screen element selected for display;

means for identifying at least one mapping present in the screen component, the mapping for specifying a relationship between the screen component and the data component;

means for selecting the data component mapped by the mapping;

means for obtaining a data object field value corresponding to the data field definition of the mapped data component;

means for generating a screen element from the screen element definition to include the data object field value according to the format of the data field definition as defined in the mapped data component.

37. A computer program product for generating a screen element of a wireless application based on a data object displayed on a user interface of a wireless device, the application including a data component having at least one data field definition and a screen component having at least one screen element definition, the component definitions expressed in a structured definition language, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium;

a mapping module stored on the computer readable medium for selecting the screen component corresponding to the screen element and identifying at least one mapping present in the screen component, the mapping for specifying a relationship between the screen component and the data component as defined by an identifier representing the mapping, the mapping module for selecting the data component mapped by the mapping according to the mapping identifier;

a data module stored on the computer readable medium for obtaining a data object field value corresponding to the data field definition of the mapped data component; and

a screen module stored on the computer readable medium for generating a screen element from the screen element definition to include the data object field value according to the format of the data field definition as defined in the mapped data component.