Extensible action sequences coordinating independently created components

• US 20080184202A1
• Filed: 01/26/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goncharenko, Dmitry, Wirfs-Brock, Allen E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,743,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for creating and executing extensible processes across multiple application components. A declarative feature is provided to allow partially ordered steps in an extensible process spanning multiple application components to be defined in a declarative format. A developer can define the minimum base steps in a first application component. Other application components can then provide additional partially ordered steps and/or actions to the extensible process. The declarative feature allows the partially ordered steps to have an associated step action. A sequencer is provided that assembles the partially ordered steps together from the multiple application components into a computational sequence having a total ordering. The sequencer executes the computational sequence in that total ordering upon receiving an execution request.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform steps comprising:

provide a declarative feature that is operable to allow a plurality of partially ordered steps in an extensible process spanning multiple application components to be defined in a declarative format, the declarative feature allowing at least some of the partially ordered steps to have an associated step action; and

provide a sequencer that is operable to assemble the plurality of partially ordered steps together from the multiple application components into a computational sequence having a total ordering, and to execute the computational sequence in the total ordering upon receiving an execution request.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the declarative feature is operable to allow the plurality of partially ordered steps to be defined using declarative metadata.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the sequencer is operable to pass a context object to each of the associated step actions upon execution.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the sequencer is operable to receive an execution request at runtime.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the sequencer is operable to dynamically discover the plurality of partially ordered steps in the extensible process.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the sequencer is further operable to analyze metadata associated with the plurality of partially ordered steps to generate the computational sequence in a total ordering that satisfies a set of constraints of the partially ordered steps.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the declarative feature is operable to allow a separate application component to define one or more additional partially ordered steps.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the declarative feature is operable to allow a separate application component to define specific actions that should occur before or after a particular one of the partially ordered steps.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the declarative feature is operable to allow at least some of the partially ordered steps to be declared in a first application component as a minimum set of steps to be performed by the extensible process.

10. A method for creating an extensible process across application components comprising the steps of:

receiving input from a developer to define a plurality of partially ordered steps in an extensible process in a first application component, the partially ordered steps being defined using a declarative format, with at least some of the partially ordered steps having an associated step action; and

publishing the existence of the plurality of partially ordered steps to other application components.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the partially ordered steps are a minimum set of steps to be performed by the extensible process.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving input from a same or different developer to define at least one additional partially ordered step to the extensible process in a second application component.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing a sequencer that is operable to assemble the plurality of partially ordered steps together into a computational sequence having a total ordering, and to execute the computational sequence in that total ordering upon receiving an execution request.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the sequencer is operable to assemble the plurality of partially ordered steps from the first application component along with additional partially ordered steps from one or more additional application components into the computational sequence.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the declarative format allows the plurality of partially ordered steps to be defined using declarative metadata.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the steps recited in claim 10.

17. A method for extending a process created by another application component comprising the steps of:

determining an existence of an extensible process created by another application component, the extensible process having an original set of partially ordered steps;

receiving input from a developer to add one or more additional partially ordered steps to the extensible process, the additional partially ordered steps being added using a declarative format, with at least some of the additional partially ordered steps having an associated step action; and

publishing the existence of the one or more additional partially ordered steps.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving input from the developer to define at least one specific action that should occur before or after a particular one of the additional partially ordered steps or the original set of partially ordered steps.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one specific action is not published with the existence of the one or more additional partially ordered steps.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the steps recited in claim 17.