SYSTEM AND METHOD OF IMPLEMENTING AN EXTENSIBLE COMMAND-LINE INTERFACE

• US 20080209316A1
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: ZANDSTRA, Matt
• Application Number:
  US11/679,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20080209316A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/00 Arrangements for software engineering testing or debugging G06F11/36; administrative, planning or organisation aspects of software project management G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons

Abstract

A system and method of implementing an extensible command-line interface may be employed to extend a command-line application. In accordance with one aspect, a plug-in management engine may define a contract that allows access to a command-line interface and may allow plug-ins honoring the contract to interface with the command-line application through the interface.

Claims

1. A method of extending a command-line application;

said method comprising;

providing a plug-in management engine defining a contract that allows access to the command-line interface;

maintaining a directory of plug-ins that define additional functionality for the command-line application; and

allowing plug-ins that honor the contract to interface with the command-line application.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said defining a contract comprises accessing a metadata file containing relationship information associated with the contract.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the metadata file is an extensible Markup Language (XML) file.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the metadata file contains a list of components that are committed to honoring the contract.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said maintaining comprises storing a plug-in that is designed by a user.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said maintaining further comprises storing a plug-in that has a user-defined extension point.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said defining a contract comprises specifying a command interface.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said allowing comprises enabling the plug-ins that honor the contract to offer an extension point representing the contract to extender plug-ins.

9. A command-line interface system comprising:

a plug-in management engine to define a contract that allows access to a command-line interface;

said interface to allow access to a command-line application; and

a directory of plug-in components that define additional functionality for the application;

wherein said plug-in management engine allows plug-ins that honor the contract to extend the application through said interface.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said plug-in management engine accesses a metadata file containing relationship information to define the contract.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the metadata file is an extensible Markup Language (XML) file.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the metadata file contains a list of components that are committed to honoring the contract.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein said directory stores a plug-in that is designed by a user.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said directory stores a plug-in that has a user-defined extension point.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the contract specifies a command interface.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein said plug-in management engine enables the plug-ins that honor the contract to offer an extension point representing the contract to extender plug-ins.

17. A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer-executable program to perform the method comprising:

providing a plug-in management engine defining a contract that allows access to the command-line interface;

maintaining a directory of plug-ins that define additional functionality for the command-line application; and

allowing plug-ins that honor the contract to interface with the command-line application.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein said defining a contract comprises accessing a metadata file containing relationship information associated with the contract.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the metadata file is an extensible Markup Language (XML) file.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the metadata file contains a list of components that are committed to honoring the contract.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein said maintaining comprises storing a plug-in that is designed by a user.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein said maintaining further comprises storing a plug-in that has a user-defined extension point.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein said defining a contract comprises specifying a command interface.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein said allowing comprises enabling the plug-ins that honor the contract to offer an extension point representing the contract to extender plug-ins.