MANAGING ADVISORIES FOR COMPLEX MODEL NODES IN A GRAPHICAL MODELING APPLICATION

• US 20100138795A1
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wrp IP Management, LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: POUYER, TIMOTHY A., KONSTANTINOU, ALEXANDER V., BLANCETT, BRAD L., MAKIN, NARINDER, SWANKE, JOHN E., ELDER, MICHAEL D., BERG, DANIEL C., HOLLIDAY, CHAD M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A system for managing advisories for complex model nodes that can include a complex model, a graphical modeling application, and an advisory manager. The complex model can be configured to graphically represent a user-defined system as multiple nodes and relationships. The graphical modeling application can be configured to execute operations upon the complex model. The graphical modeling application can store data defining the graphical characteristics of the complex model as a notation model and data defining the semantic characteristics of the complex model as a semantic model. The notation model and the semantic model can be stored as separate data entities. The advisory manager can be configured to aggregate notifications and potential resolutions for the nodes of the complex model. The notifications and potential resolutions can be visually presented within the graphical modeling application.

Claims

1. A system for managing advisories for complex model nodes comprising:

a complex model configured to graphically represent a user-defined system as a plurality of nodes and relationships;

a graphical modeling application configured to support execution of a plurality of operations upon the complex model, wherein said graphical modeling application stores data defining graphical characteristics of the complex model as a notation model and stores data defining semantic characteristics of the complex model as a semantic model, wherein the notation model and the semantic model are stored in a storage medium as separate data entities; and

an advisory manager configured to aggregate notifications and potential resolutions for the plurality of nodes of the complex model, wherein said notifications and potential resolutions are visually presented within the graphical modeling application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical modeling application and advisory manager utilize at least one of an ECLIPSE Modeling Framework (EMF) and a Graphical Editing Framework (GEF).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the advisory manager further comprises:

a notification handler configured to correlate and analyze the notation model and the semantic model associated with the complex model to identify and aggregate the notifications for each node of the complex model, wherein an aggregate of notifications for a node encompasses notifications for semantically-related nodes;

a resolution handler configured to determine the potential resolutions to the notifications identified by the notification handler;

a plurality of processing rules defining operational guidelines for the at least one of the notification handler and the resolution handler; and

an interface handler configured to manage interactions between the graphical modeling application, the notification handler, and the resolution handler.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the interactions managed by the interface handler comprise at least one of a presentation of notifications, a presentation of potential resolutions, and an execution of a potential resolution.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the execution of the potential resolution modifies at least one of the notation model and the semantic model associated with the complex model.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of processing rules comprises a set of at least one user-configurable parameter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a notification for a node comprises at least one of a warning, an unsatisfied requirement, an optional requirement, an unsatisfied capability, an optional capability, and an incompatibility notice.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the advisory manager is an integrated component of the graphical modeling application.

9. A method for managing advisories for complex model nodes comprising:

determining at least one related node for a node of a complex model, wherein a relationship to the at least one related node is captured in a notation model and a semantic model associated with the complex model, and, wherein the complex model is presented within a graphical modeling application;

creating an aggregate of notifications for the node from notifications of the at least one determined related node, wherein said notifications are generated by the graphical modeling application; and

in response to a user-selected command, presenting said aggregate of notifications for the node in a distinct viewing area within a graphical user interface of the graphical modeling application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said notifications comprise at least one of a warning, an unsatisfied requirement, an optional requirement, an unsatisfied capability, an optional capability, and an incompatibility notice.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the aggregating of the notifications further comprises:

locating the node within the notation model and the semantic model;

correlating a relationship of the node within the notation model with corresponding semantic data of the semantic model for the at least one related node;

identifying an existence of notifications associated with the at least one related node; and

determining an inclusion of a notification from the at least one related node within the aggregate of notifications for the node.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the inclusion of the notification further comprises:

assessing an advisory type of the notification for the at least one related node;

analyzing the semantic data of the relationship between the node and the at least one related node with respect to the assessed advisory type; and

based said analysis, adjusting the advisory type of the notification within the aggregate of notifications.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the analysis of the semantic data utilizes a plurality of predetermined processing rules.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining at least one potential resolution for the aggregate of notifications for the node; and

presenting the at least one potential resolution within the distinct viewing area coupled with the aggregate of notifications, wherein said presented at least one potential resolution is coupled with a user-selectable initiation mechanism to execute the at least one potential resolution.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein execution of a potential resolution modifies at least one of the notation model and the semantic model associated with the complex model.

16. A computer program product for managing advisories for complex model nodes comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:

computer usable program code configured to determine at least one related node for a node of a complex model, wherein a relationship to the at least one related node is captured in a notation model and a semantic model associated with the complex model, and, wherein the complex model is presented within a graphical modeling application;

computer usable program code configured to create an aggregate of notifications for the node from notifications of the at least one determined related node, wherein said notifications are generated by the graphical modeling application; and

computer usable program code configured to present said aggregate of notifications for the node in a distinct viewing area within a graphical user interface of the graphical modeling application in response to a user-selected command.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the aggregating of the notifications further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to locate the node within the notation model and the semantic model;

computer usable program code configured to correlate a relationship of the node within the notation model with corresponding semantic data of the semantic model for the at least one related node;

computer usable program code configured to identify an existence of notifications associated with the at least one related node; and

computer usable program code configured to determine an inclusion of a notification from the at least one related node within the aggregate of notifications for the node.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein determining the inclusion of the notification further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to assess an advisory type of the notification for the at least one related node;

computer usable program code configured to analyze the semantic data of the relationship between the node and the at least one related node with respect to the assessed advisory type; and

computer usable program code configured to adjust the advisory type of the notification within the aggregate of notifications based said analysis.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to determine at least one potential resolution for the aggregate of notifications for the node; and

computer usable program code configured to present the at least one potential resolution within the distinct viewing area coupled with the aggregate of notifications.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer program product utilizes at least one of an ECLIPSE Modeling Framework (EMF) and a Graphical Editing Framework (GEF).