Multilingual hierarchial scripting environment

• US 6,256,772 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1997
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Ping, Apte, Ajay Arvind, Sanchez, John Conrad
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Ted T.
• Application Number:
  US08/976,779
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 395/701, 395/702, 395/703, 395/704, 395/712, 717/1, 717/2, 717/3, 717/4, 717/11
• US Class Current: 717/100
• 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

Abstract

A scripting environment component provides predefined interfaces for scripting registered objects. A scripting component implemented for a user-selected scripting language, which implements all methods and interfaces specific to the selected scripting language, connects a scripting engine for the selected language to the scripting environment and the objects registered with the scripting environment. Scripting components for specific scripting languages are subclassed from a generic scripting component. To create and edit scripts connecting objects registered with the scripting environment, the appropriate scripting component is selected to provide connections between the scripting engine for the selected scripting language and the interfaces defined by the scripting environment. Runtime-only information for generated scripts may be saved to a separate storage space. At runtime, the scripts may call other scripts, possibly written in a different language, and respond to events fired by a registered object. Scripted objects may be nested, with different scripts connecting objects at different levels of nesting.

Claims

1. A method of providing a flexible scripting environment in a software component architecture, comprising:

connecting a scripting environment component to an assembly surface application having an associated registry in which components to be scripted are registered, wherein the scripting environment component provides an interface to the application;

connecting a scripting language specific scripting component selected from a plurality of scripting language specific scripting components each utilizing a different scripting language and subclassed from a generic scripting component between a scripting engine and the scripting environment component, wherein the selected language specific scripting component implements all scripting language dependent methods and interfaces; and

creating an object handle within the selected language specific scripting component for components registered with the assembly surface for scripting.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a scripting component for a user specified scripting language from a plurality of scripting components, wherein the user specified scripting language is selected from Java, Visual Basic, LotusScript, Netrexx, Small Talk, and Emacs Lisp.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of connecting a scripting component between a scripting engine and the scripting environment component further comprises:

connecting a scripting component including interfaces to an integrated development environment between the scripting environment component and the integrated development environment.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting the scripting component to an event processing module.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

selecting a scripting component implementing a plurality of methods which may be invoked by the scripting environment component and which may fire events to the event processing module.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a scripting component implementing a plurality of methods which may be invoked by the scripting environment component or an integrated development environment and which may fire events to the event processing module or the integrated development environment.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of connecting a scripting language specific scripting component selected from a plurality of scripting language specific scripting components each utilizing a different scripting language and subclassed from a generic scripting component between a scripting engine and the scripting environment component further comprising:

connecting two or more different scripting language specific scripting components selected from the plurality of scripting language specific scripting components between the scripting environment component and respective scripting engines for a scripting language of the selected language specific scripting components.

18. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of connecting a scripting component including interfaces to an integrated development environment between the scripting environment component and the integrated development environment further comprising:

connecting an IDE scripting component subclassed from the generic scripting component to the integrated development environment, wherein the IDE scripting component notifies the integrated development environment of registration, deregistration, and renaming of a component registered for scripting, provides class information for each component registered for scripting to the integrated development environment, and retrieves requirements from the integrated development environment for saving or running a script.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of creating an object handle within the selected language specific scripting component for components registered with the assembly surface for scripting further comprising:

creating an object handle owned by the selected language specific scripting component for each component registered with the assembly surface for scripting, wherein each object handle contains a unique name for the respective component and the respective component.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of creating an object handle owned by the selected language specific scripting component for each component registered with the assembly surface for scripting further comprises:

storing an integrated development environment editable instance of each component registered for scripting within the object handle for the component registered for scripting.

7. A mechanism for providing a flexible scripting environment in a software component architecture, comprising:

a scripting environment component connected to an assembly surface application, wherein the scripting environment component provides an interface to the assembly surface application;

a registry in which components to be scripted are registered, the registry associated with the assembly surface application;

a scripting language specific scripting component selected from a plurality of scripting language Specific scripting components each utilizing a different scripting language and subclassed from a generic scripting component connected between a scripting engine and the scripting environment component, wherein the selected language-specific scripting component implements all scripting language dependent methods and interfaces; and

an object handle within the selected language specific scripting component for a component registered with the assembly surface application for scripting.

8. The mechanism of claim 7, wherein the scripting component further comprises:

interfaces to an integrated development environment, wherein the scripting component is connected between the scripting environment component and the integrated development environment.

9. The mechanism of claim 7, further comprising:

an event processing module connected to the scripting component.

10. The mechanism of claim 9, further comprising:

a plurality of methods implemented within the scripting component which may be invoked by the scripting environment component; and

a plurality of events which the scripting component may fire to the event processing module.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

a plurality of methods implemented within the scripting component which may be invoked by the scripting environment component or an integrated development environment;

a plurality of events which the scripting component may fire to the event processing module or to the integrated development environment; and

a plurality of events which the integrated development environment may fire to the scripting component.

12. A computer program product within a computer usable medium, comprising:

instructions within the computer usable medium for connecting a scripting environment component to an assembly surface application having an associated registry in which components to be scripted are registered, wherein the scripting environment component provides an interface to the application;

instructions within the computer usable medium for connecting a scripting language specific scripting component selected from a plurality of scripting language specific scripting components each utilizing a different scripting language and subclassed from a generic scripting component between a scripting engine and the scripting environment component, wherein the selected language specific scripting component implements all scripting language dependent methods and interfaces; and

instructions within the computer usable medium for creating an object handle within the selected language specific scripting component for components registered with the assembly surface for scripting.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

instructions within the computer usable medium for selecting a scripting component for a user specified scripting language from a plurality of scripting components.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the instructions for connecting a scripting component between a scripting engine and the scripting environment component further comprise:

instructions for connecting a scripting component including interfaces to an integrated development environment between the scripting environment component and the integrated development environment.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

instructions within the computer usable medium for connecting the scripting component to an event processing module.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

instructions within the computer usable medium for selecting a scripting component implementing a plurality of methods which may be invoked by the scripting environment component and which may fire events to the event processing module.