System and method for specification and implementation of MVC (model-view-controller) based web applications

• US 8,549,469 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2006
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akin B. Bolarinwa
• Original Assignee: Akin B. Bolarinwa
• Inventors: Bolarinwa, Akin B
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): BANES, ADAM RICHARD
• Application Number:
  US11/551,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,536 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system and method for requirement specification for entire MVC (Model-View-Controller) based web applications, by providing processes and artifacts that are suitable for each of the areas of concerns, and cohesively combining them with standard object modeling. Some of the areas provided for include general static as well as the dynamic aspects presentation, web navigation and actions, and view to model data mapping; also provides the system and method to create application for target platforms using the resulting design specification and platform mapping information.

Claims

1. A method for specifying an entire active web application that is based on the MVC (Model View Controller) architecture, comprising:

capturing platform agnostic, non-automated specifications for the MVC view tier of an MVC web application,

wherein the specifications are captured prior to the implementation phase of the software development life cycle and prior to runtime of the web application,

wherein the specifications for the MVC view tier of the web application include specifications for static and dynamic aspects of page presentation that are captured prior to the implementation phase of the software development life cycle and prior to runtime for the web application,

wherein the specifications for the MVC view tier are captured by content artifacts prior to the implementation phase of the software development life cycle and prior to runtime for the web application, and

wherein the content artifacts include annotations of pre-implementation source code for presentation aspects of the web application wherein the annotations of pre-implementation source code identify segments of the pages of the web application where presentation of the page segments depends on server side information; and

creating descriptors for elements of the source code that are affected by server side information wherein each descriptor specifies a presentation from a plurality of presentations based on server side information for the corresponding element.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the descriptors include a page descriptors, the method further comprising deriving platform agnostic specifications for the MVC controller and model tier of the MVC web application based on the descriptors.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising converting the platform agnostic specifications for the MVC view, controller, and model tiers of the web application into application code suitable for a target platform.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said content artifacts are static web application files including, HTML source files, style sheets source files, graphics and animations files and client scripts.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the annotations of pre-implementation source code identify dynamic segments of the pages of the web application.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said descriptors include a link descriptor.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said descriptors include a form descriptor.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said descriptors include a segment descriptor.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein converting the platform agnostic specifications for the MVC view, controller, and model tiers of the web application into application code suitable for a target platform comprises identifying elements in the pre-implementation source code for conversion to active elements and components;

performing active elements and attributes mapping of static elements in the pre-implementation source code to application code suitable for the target platform-, behavior mapping, and transfer of descriptors information into elements, components and behavior attributes for the target platform.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the descriptors include an element descriptor.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the descriptors include a behavior descriptor.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a set of instructions for specifying an entire active web application that is based on the MVC (Model View Controller) architecture, the computer readable medium which, if executed by a processor, cause a computer to display pre-implementation source code for presentation aspects of the web application;

annotate, based on user input, segments of the source code corresponding to page segments of the web application that depend on server side information;

display templates for descriptors of elements of the source code;

store descriptors based on user input wherein each descriptor specifies a presentation from a plurality of presentations based on server side information for the corresponding element, derive platform agnostic specifications for the MVC controller and model tier of the MVC web application based on the descriptors, and convert the platform agnostic specifications for the MVC view, controller, and model tiers of the web application into application code suitable for a target platform.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the descriptors include a page descriptor.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the descriptors include a link descriptor.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the descriptors include a form descriptor.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the descriptors include a segment descriptor.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the descriptors include a element descriptor.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the descriptors include a behavior descriptor.