Configuration Model for Configuring an Adapter Software Component to Selectively Access Software Objects and Object Editor Using Instance of Same

• US 20070261025A1
• Filed: 07/23/2007
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jean-Sebastien Delfino, Norman Seto
• Original Assignee: Jean-Sebastien Delfino, Norman Seto
• Inventors: Delfino, Jean-Sebastien, Seto, Norman
• Granted Patent: US 8,015,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/108
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/449 Object-oriented method invocation or resolution

Abstract

An object editor capable of displaying a set of application software objects, which may include objects with a dynamic reflection capability (“reflective objects”), includes an object oriented configuration model instance (CMI), a generic adapter, and a UI framework. The CMI is particular to the set of application objects to be edited and defines a particular view of these objects to be provided by the editor. The CMI is external to the generic adapter and includes settings that control which application objects will be accessed and the manner of access, and in particular, which application objects will be visible, which of the visible objects'"'"' attributes will be displayed, the arrangement of displayed application objects and attributes, and the appearance of the displayed objects and attributes. The CMI is stored as a serialized XML file. The generic adapter reads the de-serialized CMI'"'"'s current settings, selectively accesses the set of application objects to be edited and their attributes as dictated by the CMI settings, and passes the accessed information to the UI framework for display. The adapter uses reflection to access the attributes and associations of reflective objects. The CMI settings may be changed between editor invocations to cause objects or their attributes to be accessed and displayed differently, or not at all. The editor may be configured to edit a new set of software objects by substituting a new CMI corresponding to that set of objects. A CMI and generic adapter may be used in conjunction with applications other than an object editor, in which case the CMI settings define a manner of selectively accessing the application objects and may affect the operation of the application.

Claims

1. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

16-17. -17. (canceled)

19-21. -21. (canceled)

26-43. -43. (canceled)

44. A method, in a data processing system, for configuring at least one adapter software component to selectively access a set of application software objects including at least one reflective application software object, comprising:

accessing a configuration model instance (CMI) external to the adapter software component;

determining, based on the CMI, individually for each application software object in the set of application software objects, whether a generic adapter software component of the at least one adapter software component is to be utilized or a custom adapter software component of the at least one adapter software component is to be utilized when rendering the application software object in an object editor;

accessing the application software objects in the set of application software objects using one of the generic adapter software component or a customer adapter software component in a manner specified by the CMI to provide a view for representing properties of the application software objects in the object editor; and

presenting the view of the application software objects in the object editor.

2. The method of claim 44, wherein the CMI comprises at least one of a navigator class representative of the accessing of a particular class of application software objects of the set of application software objects or a model navigator class representative of the accessing of a particular class of reflective application software objects of the set of application software objects.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the navigator class or a descendent thereof comprises an indicator for indicating that the particular class of application software objects is at a root level of the set of software objects.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the navigator class or a descendent thereof comprises an indicator for indicating that the particular class of application software objects is at a level that is deeper than a root level of the set of application software objects.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indicator comprises a sequence of application software object associations comprising at least one association from an originating class of application software objects to the particular class of software objects.

8. The method of claim 44, wherein the CMI comprises at least one of an item class representative of a particular class of application software objects to be accessed or a model item class representative of a particular class of reflective application software objects to be accessed.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the item class or a descendent thereof comprises an indicator of a custom adapter software component to be used to access application software objects of the particular class.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the item class or a descendent thereof comprises at least one of an indicator of an icon to be displayed in conjunction with displayed instances of the particular class of application software objects or an indicator of text to be displayed in conjunction with displayed instances of the particular class of application software objects.

14. The method of claim 44, wherein the CMI comprises a property class representative of an attribute of a particular class of application software objects to be accessed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the property class or a descendent thereof comprises at least one of an indicator of an editor to be used to edit the attribute and an indicator of whether instances of the attribute are modifiable.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the property class or a descendent thereof comprises at least one of an indicator of an icon to be displayed in conjunction with displayed instances of the attribute or an indicator of text to be displayed in conjunction with displayed instances of the attribute.

22. The method of claim 44, wherein the manner of accessing the application software objects indicated by the CMI comprises an indication of an attribute of the application software objects to be accessed.

23. The method of claim 44, wherein the manner of accessing the application software objects indicated by the CMI comprises an indication of an associated application software object of the application software objects to be accessed.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the associated application software object is contained by the application software objects.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the application software object is based on an object oriented application model, and wherein the indication of an associated application software object to be accessed comprises a sequence of rolenames comprising at least one rolename from an originating class of the object oriented application model to the class of the associated application software object.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the CMI comprises:

at least one class identifying the set of application software objects that may be accessed when representing the set of application software objects using the CMI; and

a get adapter method that determines, individually for each application software object in the set of application software objects, whether the generic adapter software component or a custom adapter software component is to be utilized when rendering said application software object.

46. An apparatus for configuring at least one adapter software component to selectively access a set of application software objects including at least one reflective application software object, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

access a configuration model instance (CMI) external to the adapter software component;

determine, based on the CMI, individually for each application software object in the set of application software objects, whether a generic adapter software component of the at least one adapter software component is to be utilized or a custom adapter software component of the at least one adapter software component is to be utilized when rendering the application software object in an object editor;

access the application software objects in the set of application software objects using one of the generic adapter software component or a customer adapter software component in a manner specified by the CMI to provide a view for representing properties of the application software objects in the object editor; and

present the view of the application software objects in the object editor.

47. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

access a configuration model instance (CMI) external to the adapter software component;

determine, based on the CMI, individually for each application software object in the set of application software objects, whether a generic adapter software component of the at least one adapter software component is to be utilized or a custom adapter software component of the at least one adapter software component is to be utilized when rendering the application software object in an object editor;

access the application software objects in the set of application software objects using one of the generic adapter software component or a customer adapter software component in a manner specified by the CMI to provide a view for representing properties of the application software objects in the object editor; and

present the view of the application software objects in the object editor.