Object-oriented system, method and article of manufacture for a client-server graphical user interface (#9) framework in an interprise computing framework system

• US 6,434,598 B1
• Filed: 07/01/1996
• Issued: 08/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Gish, Sheri L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Courtenay, III, St. John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BULLOCK JR, LEWIS ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US08/675,266
• Time in Patent Office: 2,234 Days
• Field of Search: 395/701, 395/682, 709/300, 709/201, 709/203, 709/310, 709/328, 709/315
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

An interprise computing manager in which an application is composed of a client (front end) program which communicates utilizing a network with a server (back end) program. The client and server programs are loosely coupled and exchange information using the network. The client program is composed of a User Interface (UI) and an object-oriented framework (Presentation Engine (PE) framework). The UI exchanges data messages with the framework. The framework is designed to handle two types of messages: (1) from the UI, and (2) from the server (back end) program via the network. The framework includes a component, the mediator which manages messages coming into and going out of the framework. The system includes software for a client computer, a server computer and a network for connecting the client computer to the server computer which utilize an execution framework code segment configured to couple the server computer and the client computer via the network, by a plurality of client computer code segments resident on the server, each for transmission over the network to a client computer to initiate coupling; and a plurality of server computer code segments resident on the server which execute on the server in response to initiation of coupling via the network with a particular client utilizing the transmitted client computer code segment for communicating via a particular communication protocol. A graphical user interface provides links to other displays for application development, administration and configuration tasks.

Claims

1. A server for a distributed system, comprising:

(a) a client computer;

(b) a server computer;

(c) a network connecting the client computer to the server computer, wherein the network operates according to the TCP/IP protocol;

(d) an execution framework code segment configured to couple the server computer and the client computer via the network, comprising;

(1) a plurality of client computer code segments resident on the server, each one of the plurality of client computer code segments containing Java code of a single application program initiated on one of a plurality of client computers and suitable for execution on any one of the plurality of client computers, each of the client computer code segments being suitable and intended for transmission over the network to any one of the plurality of client computers to initiate coupling;

(2) a plurality of server-only computer code segments resident on the server computer, each one of the plurality of server-only computer code segments containing code of the single application program initiated on the client computer and non-server computer specific which execute on the sever computer in response to initiation of coupling via the network with a particular client computer utilizing the transmitted client computer code segment for communicating via a particular communication protocol, thereby enabling execution of the particular application program in a distributed manner between the client computer and the server computer;

(e) the client computer code segment including a mediator state machine which determines whether an invocation of the single application program should be handled by the plurality of client computer code segments or by the plurality of server-only computer code segments and forwards a message associated with the invocation for further processing to the execution framework;

(f) the execution framework dispatches the message and initiates events in response to characteristics of the message transferred by the mediator state machine; and

(g) a graphical user interface application provides links to other displays.

2. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, including a link to application development tools from the graphical user interface application.

3. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 2, wherein the application development tools include application installation tools.

4. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 2, wherein the application development tools include application configuration tools.

5. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 4, wherein the application development tools include communication configuration tools.

6. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 1, including a link to execution administration tools from the graphical user interface application.

7. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 6, wherein the execution administration tools include report generation tools.

8. The server for a distributed system as recited in claim 6, wherein the execution administration tools include performance tools.

9. A method for distributing computing between a server computer and a client computer coupled by a network, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing an execution framework code segment configured to couple the server computer and the client computer via the network operating according to the TCP/IP protocol, comprising;

(1) a plurality of client computer code segments resident on the server, each one of the plurality of client computer code segments containing Java code of a single application program initiated on one of a plurality of client computers and suitable for execution on any one of the plurality of client computers, each of the client computer code segments being suitable and intended for transmission over the network to any one of the plurality of client computers to initiate coupling;

(2) a plurality of server-only computer code segments resident on the sever computer, each one of the plurality of server-only computer code segments containing code of the single application program initiated on the client computer and non-server computer specific, which execute on the server computer in response to initiation of coupling via the network with a particular client computer utilizing the transmitted client computer code segment for communication via a particular communication protocol, thereby enabling execution of the single application program in a distributed manner between the client computer and the server computer;

(b) determining whether an invocation of the single application program should be handled by the plurality of client computer code segments or by the plurality of server-only computer code segments and forwarding a message associated with the invocation for further processing to the execution framework by a mediator state machine in the client code segment;

(c) dispatching the message and initiating events in response to characteristics of the message transferred by the mediator state machine by the execution framework; and

(d) providing links to other displays via a graphical user interface application.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, including the step of providing a link to application development tools from the graphical user interface application.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the application development tools include application installation tools.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the application development tools include application configuration tools.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the application development tools include communication configuration tools.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, including the step of initiating a link to execution administration tools from the graphical user interface application.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the execution administration tools include report generation tools.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the execution administration tools include performance tools.

17. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system including a client computer and a server computer, comprising:

(a) an execution framework code segment configured to couple the server computer and the client computer via the network, comprising;

(1) a plurality of client computer code segments resident on the server, each one of the plurality of client computer code segments containing code of a single application program initiated on one of a plurality of client computers and suitable for execution on any one of the plurality of client computers, each of the client computer code segments being suitable and intended for transmission over the network to any one of the plurality of client computers to initiate coupling;

(2) a plurality of server-only computer code segments resident on the server computer, each one of the plurality of server-only computer code segments containing code of the single application program initiated on the client computer and non-server computer specific, which execute on the sever computer in response to initiation of coupling via the network with a particular client computer utilizing the transmitted client computer code segment for communicating via a particular communication protocol, thereby enabling execution of the single application program in a distributed manner between the client computer and the server computer;

(b) the client computer code segment including a mediator state machine which determines whether an invocation of the single application program should be handled by the plurality of client computer code segments or by the plurality of server-only computer code segments and forwards a message associated with the invocation for further processing to the execution framework;

(c) the execution framework dispatches the message and initiates events in response to characteristics of the message transferred by the mediator state machine; and

(d) a codes segment which enables a graphical user interface application provides links to other displays.

18. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system including a client computer and a server computer as recited in claim 17, including a code segment which enables a link to application development tools from the graphical user interface application.

19. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system including a client computer and a server computer as recited in claim 18, wherein the application development tools include application installation tools.

20. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system including a client computer and a server computer as recited in claim 18, wherein the application development tools include application configuration tools.

21. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system including a client computer and a server computer as recited in claim 20, wherein the application development tools include communication configuration tools.

22. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system including a client computer and a server computer as recited in claim 17, including a code segment providing a link to execution administration tools from the graphical user interface application.

23. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system including a client computer and a server computer as recited in claim 22, wherein the execution administration tools include report generation tools.

24. The computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for enabling a distributed computer system including a client computer and a server computer as recited in claim 22, wherein the execution administration tools include performance tools.