Global registry object for mapping registry functions and registry equivalent functions across multiple operating systems in a cross-platform program

• US 6,446,255 B1
• Filed: 03/29/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Curtis, Bryce Allen, Hsu, Jimmy Ming-Der
• Primary Examiner(s): Morse, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US09/280,371
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 717/1, 717/11, 717/5, 717/100, 717/174, 717/136, 717/175, 717/108, 717/116, 717/121, 717/147, 717/165, 717/168, 709/219, 709/228, 709/311, 709/319, 709/327-328, 713/300, 713/1, 713/100
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

The system, method, and program of this invention enables a developer to write a platform independent program that can read, create, modify, delete, and enumerate registry type of information regardless of whether or not a targeted operating system supports a registry or registry equivalent functionality. More specifically, as disclosed herein, in a first preferred embodiment, there is a global registry object for carrying out, i.e., mapping, registry functions or registry equivalent functions across multiple operating systems. In a second preferred embodiment, the global registry object is used to read, create, modify, delete, and enumerate registries for the Windows operating system in a simplified manner. In a third preferred embodiment, the global registry object is used to map registry equivalent functions in an OS/2 operating system environment. In a fourth preferred embodiment, the global registry is used to map registry equivalent functions in an AIX operating system environment. In a fifth preferred embodiment, a system independent registry is created for those systems that do not have a registry equivalent.

Claims

1. A computer program, on a computer usable medium, comprising:

means for enabling the computer program to function on a plurality of operating systems; and

means for mapping a global registry object, having a structure comprising key name, key value, and value type, to a plurality of operating systems to provide registry functionality in each of the plurality of operating systems independently of whether each one of the plurality of operating systems provides native support for registry functionality.

2. The computer program of claim 1 wherein the global registry object comprises a plurality of fields consisting of a filename, a keyname, a key root, a key value, and a value type.

3. The computer program of claim 2 wherein the fields are used to map the global registry object to the various operating systems.

4. A computer program, on a computer usable medium, comprising:

means for enabling the computer program to function on a plurality of operating systems;

means for combining registry functionality and equivalent registry functionality of a set of the plurality of operating systems into a global registry object, having a structure comprising key name, key value, and value type; and

means for mapping the global registry object to each operating system of the set of operating systems to provide registry functionality in each of the plurality of operating systems independently of whether each one of the plurality of operating systems provides native support for registry functionality.

5. A toolkit program, on a computer usable medium, comprising:

means for enabling a creation of a cross-platform program;

means for enabling use of a global registry object, having a structure comprising key name, key value, and value type, for each one of a plurality of operating systems; and

means for enabling a mapping of the global registry object to any given one of the plurality of operating systems to provide registry functionality in each of the plurality of operating systems independently of whether each one of the plurality of operating systems provides native support for registry functionality.

6. The toolkit of claim 5, wherein the cross-platform program is an install program.

7. A computer system comprising:

a toolkit program, executing on the computer system, for enabling a creation of a cross-platform program;

means for enabling a use of a global registry object, having a structure comprising key name, key value, and value type, for each one of a plurality of operating systems; and

means for enabling a mapping of the global registry object to any given one of the plurality of operating systems to provide registry functionality in each of the plurality of operating systems independently of whether each one of the plurality of operating systems provides native support for registry functionality.

8. A computer system, having a specific operating system, comprising:

a program, executing on the computer system, having a capability to operate in a different operating system environment;

a global registry object, having a structure comprising key name, key value, and value type, for enabling registry functionality, and

means for mapping the global registry object to each one of the specific operating system and the different operating system to provide registry functionality in each of the specific and different operating systems independently of whether any one of the operating systems provides native support for registry functionality.

9. A computer implemented method comprising:

creating a cross-platform program;

using a global registry object, having a structure comprising key name, key value, and value type, for any one of a plurality of operating systems; and

mapping the global registry object to any given one of the plurality of operating systems to provide registry functionality in each of the plurality of operating systems independently of whether each one of the plurality of operating systems provides native support for registry functionality.