Method, system, and computer program product for generating a front end graphical user interface for a plurality of text based commands

• US 20090158153A1
• Filed: 12/16/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Courteaux, Francis
• Granted Patent: US 8,954,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A method, computer program product, and system are disclosed for generating a graphical user interface (GUI) for a plurality of text based commands, in which environment mapping definitions may link generic GUI components with predefined command structures. The plurality of text based commands may be command-line interface (CLI) commands. The environment mapping definitions may be applied to a command specification defining characteristics of the plurality of text based commands in a standard format in order to build a GUI from generic GUI components. The command specification may be generated by providing an interpretation reference defining CLI conventions and parsing a command description to extract the command specification with reference to the interpretation reference.

Claims

1. A method for generating a graphical user interface for a plurality of text based commands, said method comprising applying environment mapping definitions to a command specification defining characteristics of said plurality of text based commands in a standard format, wherein said environment mapping definitions link generic graphical user interface components with predefined command structures.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said environment mapping definitions map said generic graphical user interface components onto said predefined command structures.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said environment mapping definitions map said predefined command structures onto said generic graphical user interface components.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising building said graphical user interface from said generic graphical user interface components via an interface generator.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said graphical user interface is a graphical user interface for all structures of said plurality of text based commands.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predefined command structures comprise arguments.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said arguments comprise a command flag, a flag parameter, a command parameter, or a sub parameter.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising using a list of instructions to parse a description file, which is at least partially based on said command specification, in order to retrieve components or structures of said plurality of text based commands.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising modifying said command specification.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of text based commands are command-line interface commands.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said command specification is a flat file.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein said command specification is a XML style file.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein said command specification is a relational database.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

said command specification defines characteristics of multiple commands; and

said command specification defines the relationship between each command defined by said command specification and the relationship between flags and parameters in each command.

9. A method for generating a command specification defining characteristics of a plurality of text based commands, said method comprising:

providing an interpretation reference defining command-line interface conventions; and

parsing a command description to extract said command specification with reference to said interpretation reference.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said command description is a human-readable command description describing said plurality of text based commands.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein said command description is a help file or a help file extract.

18. A system for generating a graphical user interface for a plurality of text based commands, wherein said system is configured for applying environment mapping definitions to a command specification defining characteristics of said plurality of text based commands in a standard format, and wherein said environment mapping definitions link generic graphical user interface components with predefined command structures.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said system is further configured for building said graphical user interface from said generic graphical user interface components via an interface generator.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein said system is further configured for modifying said command specification.