Method and system for platform-independent file system interaction

• US 7,672,955 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2004
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Vignette Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: White, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hwa; Shyue Jiunn
• Application Number:
  US10/947,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20050038802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,986 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/164 File meta data generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for platform-independent file system interaction that can abstract the system-level idiosyncrasies associated with multi-platform, multi-language, multi-encoding file system interactions. One embodiment of the method of this invention can comprise instantiating a string object via a development environment coded calling process and setting a file name and a file path, having an easily-identifiable format, for the string object with the calling process. The string object can determine the encoding of the file name and the file path and the calling process can forward the string object and an associated file operation to an operating system level file system interface handler. The operating system level file system interface handler can call an operating system naming function to format the string object. The string object naming function can be compiled along with an encoding marker indicating the target operating system for the desired file operation. The file name and the file path can be transcoded, based on the encoding marker value, to the encoding of the target operating system. The transcoded file name and file path can be returned to the development environment (e.g., to a developer'"'"'s application) by the string object naming function. The operating system level file system interface handler can then execute the file operation.

Claims

1. A method for platform-independent file system interaction, comprising:

in a development environment computer having an operating system, a file system and a programmatic interface for applications to access file specifications;

receiving a bit string into a string-encoding class on said development environment computer running an application development environment;

instantiating, via a development environment coded calling process within an application, a string object of said string-encoding class to automatically transcode said bit string from a first encoding to a second encoding;

setting a file name and file path for said string object, wherein said calling process performs the setting;

associating at said development environment computer said string object with said first encoding of said file name and said file path that has been passed to said string object;

passing said string object and an operating system (OS) file operation associated with said string object to an operating system level file system interface handler, wherein said OS level file system interface handler interfaces with said string object at back-end in a manner transparent to a user of said development environment computer and wherein said calling process performs the passing;

calling an OS naming function to operate on said string object, wherein said OS level file system interface handler performs the calling;

compiling said OS naming function with an encoding marker indicating a target OS for said OS file operation, wherein a target computer supports said target OS;

based on said encoding marker, transcoding said file name and file path from said first encoding to said second encoding of said target OS supported by said target computer, wherein the string object performs the transcoding;

returning said transcoded file name and file path to said application, wherein said OS naming function performs the returning; and

performing said OS file operation associated with said bit string utilizing said transcoded file name and file path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said OS level file system interface handler calling said OS naming function to name or format said string object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said encoding marker indicates an operating system platform switch.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the bit string at the application development environment computer from a second computer.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising initiating the calling process at the second computer.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving the file name and path name from the second computer.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the second computer provides a physical user interface.

8. A computer system, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium accessible by the processor and storing a set of computer instructions executable by the processor to;

receive a bit string into a string-encoding class on said development environment computer running an altercation development environment;

instantiate, via a development environment coded calling process within an application, a string object of the string-encoding class to automatically transcode the bit string from a first encoding to a second encoding;

set a file name and file path for the string object, wherein said calling process performs the setting;

associate said string object with said first encoding of the file name and the file path that has been passed to said string object;

pass the string object and an operating system (OS) file operation associated with said string object to an operating system level file system interface handler, wherein said OS level file system interface handler interfaces with said string object at back-end in a manner transparent to a user of said development environment computer and wherein said calling process performs the passing;

call an OS naming function to operate on said string object, wherein said OS level file system interface handler performs the calling;

compile said OS naming function with an encoding marker indicating a target OS for said OS file operation, wherein a target computer supports said target OS;

based on said encoding marker, transcode said file name and file path from said first encoding to said second encoding of said target OS supported by said target computer, wherein the string object performs the transcoding;

return said transcoded file name and file path to said application via said OS naming function; and

perform said OS file operation associated with said bit string utilizing said transcoded file name and file path.

9. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising computer instructions executable to:

call said OS naming function to name or format the string object.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the encoding marker indicates an operating system platform switch.

11. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising computer instructions executable to perform the operating system file operation at the operating system level file system interface handier.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein a first computer comprises the processor and the computer readable storage medium and wherein the system further comprises a second computer coupled to the first computer via a transmission channel.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second computer provides a user interface for the first computer.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the second computer runs an application that initiates the coded calling process.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second computer provides the file name and path name to the first computer.

16. A computer readable storage medium storing computer instructions executable by a processor to:

provide an application development environment on a computer having an operating system (OS) and a file system;

receive a bit string into a string-encoding class on said computer;

instantiate, via a development environment coded calling process within an application, a string object of the string-encoding class to automatically transcode the bit string from a first encoding to a second encoding;

set a file name and file path for the string object, wherein said calling process performs the setting;

associate said string object with said first encoding of the file name and the file path that has been passed to said string object;

pass the string object and an operating system file operation associated with said string object to an operating system level file system interface handler, wherein said OS level file system interface handler interfaces with said string object at back-end in a manner transparent to a user of said development environment computer and wherein said calling process performs the passing;

call an OS naming function on said computer to operate on said string object, wherein said OS level file system interface handler performs the calling;

compile said OS naming function with an encoding marker indicating a target OS for said OS file operation, wherein a target computer supports said target OS;

based on said encoding marker, transcode said file name and file path from said first encoding to said second encoding of said target OS supported by said target computer, wherein the string object performs the transcoding;

return said transcoded file name and file path to said application via said OS naming function; and

perform said OS file operation associated with said bit string utilizing said transcoded file name and file path.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computer instructions executable to:

call said OS naming function to name or format the string object.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the encoding marker indicates an operating system platform switch.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computer instructions executable to perform the operating system file operation at the operating system level file system interface handler.