Method for supporting object modeling in a repository

• US 5,644,764 A
• Filed: 01/31/1995
• Issued: 07/01/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Peter, Iyengar, Sridhar Srinivasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US08/382,303
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/650
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

In a computer system having a user interface, a memory, a repository and a database, a repository program operating in the computer system for accessing the database, the repository program executing a method for supporting modeling, the method comprising the steps of examining a collection of types forming a model; sorting object types into data and persistent type objects; creating all data type objects and adding to a collection of all objects owned by the model; creating all persistent type objects and adding to a collection of all objects owned by the model; initializing all persistent type objects in the collection of objects.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a user interface, a memory, a repository and a database, a repository program operating in said computer system for accessing said database, said repository program executing a method for supporting object modeling, said method comprising the steps of:

a. examining a collection of types forming a model stored in said repository;

b. sorting object types into data and persistent type objects;

c. creating all data type objects and adding to a collection of all objects owned by said model;

d. creating all persistent type objects and adding to a collection of all objects owned by said model;

e. initializing all persistent type objects in said collection of objects by;

1) examining each persistent type object in said collection for features thereof;

2) sorting said features into operations, attributes and references;

3) creating an operation type object for all operations sortedby said step of sorting;

4) creating an attribute type object for all attributes sorted by said step of sorting;

5) creating a reference type object for all references sortedby said step of sorting; and

,

6) adding all features created into a collection of features owned by said persistent types.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein said step of creating an operation comprises the steps of:

a. examining a collection of parameters of said operation;

b. creating a parameter object for each parameter examined in said first step;

c. adding each of said parameters to a collection of parameters for an operation; and

,

d. determining if said operation returns an operation type.

3. In a computer system having a user interface and a database, each being coupled to said system, a repository program operating in said computer system for accessing said database, said repository program executing a method for supporting object modeling, said method comprising the steps of:

a. creating a model object to represent a model in said repository;

b. for each type of said model determining if an individual one of said types is a data type, and if so;

c. creating a data type object and adding it to a collection of types owned by said model;

d. if said individual one of said types is not a data type, creating a persistent type object and adding it to said collection of types owned by said model;

e. after all types of said model have been processed in accordance with the preceding steps, determining if each type object is to be initialized, and if so;

f. getting next type object from said collection of types owned by said model;

g. determining if said next type object is a data type, and if not it must be a persistent type;

h. initializing each of said persistent type objects; and

,

i. after all type objects have been processed in accordance with steps e through h hereof, stopping said program.

4. A method as in claim 3 wherein said step of initializing said persistent type objects further comprises:

a. determining if there are more features of said persistent type to create, and if yes;

b. determining if said feature of said persistent type is an operation object, and if so;

c. creating an operation object and adding it to a collection of features owned by said persistent type;

d. if said feature of said persistent type is not an operation type, determining if said feature is an attribute, and if so;

e. creating an attribute object and adding it to said collection of features owned by said persistent type;

f. if said feature of said persistent type is not an attribute, creating a reference object and adding it to said collection of features owned by said persistent type; and

,

g. when there are no more features of said persistent type to create, stopping initialization of said persistent type and returning to step h of claim 3.

5. A method as in claim 4 wherein said step of creating an operation object further comprises:

a. for each parameter to be defined, creating a parameter object;

b. setting a value type reference of an individual parameter object to a reference type object;

c. adding said individual parameter object to a collection of parameters of said operation object;

d. when there are no more parameters to define, determining if said operation object returns a value, and if so;

e. setting a value type reference of said operation object to a type object;

f. if said operation object does not return a value, stopping creation of said operation object and returning to step c of claim 4.

6. A method as in claim 4 wherein said step of creating an attribute object further comprises:

a. setting a value type reference of said attribute object to a data type object; and

,

b. stopping creation of said attribute object and returning to step e of claim 4.

7. A method as in claim 4 wherein said step of creating a reference object further comprises:

a. setting a value type reference of said reference object to a persistent type object;

b. determining if said reference has an inverse, and if so;

c. linking said reference object to an inverse reference; and

,

d. if said reference does not have an inverse, stopping creation of said reference object and returning to step f of claim 4.