Dynamic user interface content adaptation and aggregation

• US 8,578,278 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Rauh, Alexander, Erbe, Lars, Gieselmann, Thomas, Mueller, Franz, Haffner, Stefan, Tomar, Vibhor, Schmidt, Holger, Vidhyaan, Sri, Paul, Nina Tabitha
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, TUYETLIEN T
• Application Number:
  US12/976,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 715/762, 715741-744
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Upon receiving a request for a user interface view from a user interface, a user identity and a user authorization class for a user of the user interface can be checked against a user registry and an authorization class registry, respectively. A user interface view component can be retrieved according to the user identity and the user authorization class. The user interface view can be generated by aggregating the retrieved user interface view component with at least one other user interface view component consistent with the user identity and user authorization class, and the generated user interface view can be returned for display to the user via the user interface. Related systems, articles of manufacture, and computer-implemented methods are described.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request for a user interface view from a user interface;

checking a user identity and a user authorization class for a user of the user interface against a user registry and an authorization class registry, respectively;

retrieving a user interface view component according to the user identity and the user authorization class;

analyzing an individual load variant of a user interface model during retrieval of metadata associated with answering of the request;

generating the user interface view by aggregating the retrieved user interface view component with at least one other user interface view component consistent with the user identity and user authorization class; and

returning the user interface view for display to the user via the user interface.

2. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the retrieving of the user interface view component comprises accessing an assignment for a system scoping element from a scope persistency, the scoping assignment comprising a designation of at least one business content type corresponding to a given scope element, the at least one business content type being selected from a process component, a business process variant type, a business object, and a business feature.

3. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the user interface view component comprises at least one of an application view component defined by a specific application as a static user interface model and a generic view component that adapts its metadata based on at least one other available view component.

4. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the request for the user interface view occurs automatically in response to a detection of a content change, the content change comprising at least one of installation of a new software version and addition of a new software feature, hot fix, or upgrade of an existing software version that requires at least one of a regeneration of the user authorization class, an adaptation of a scoping decision, and an adaptation of an existing user assignment.

5. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request for a user interface view from a user interface;

checking a user identity and a user authorization class for a user of the user interface against a user registry and an authorization class registry, respectively;

retrieving a user interface view component according to the user identity and the user authorization class;

generating the user interface view by aggregating the retrieved user interface view component with at least one other user interface view component consistent with the user identity and user authorization class; and

returning the user interface view for display to the user via the user interface,

wherein the user interface is provided to the user via a client tenant of a multi-tenant system comprising an application server providing access for each of a plurality of organizations to one of a plurality of client tenants, each of the plurality of client tenants comprising a customizable, organization-specific version of a core software platform that also integrates business functionality provided by at least one external software provider, the data repository comprising core software platform content relating to the operation of the core software platform and that is common to all of the plurality of client tenants, system content having a system content format defined by the core software platform and containing system content data that are unique to specific client tenants of the plurality of client tenants, and tenant-specific content items whose tenant-specific content formats and tenant-specific content data are defined by and available to only one of the plurality of client tenants.

6. A computer program product as in claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

retrieving a cache key corresponding to a current user interface view active at the user interface, the cache key specifying the user identity and at least one of an assigned work center view of the user, a user interface model metadata state, and business configuration state; and

comparing the cache to a user interface framework status and user access registry comprising current user interface state information for the core software platform, an external service provider, and tenant-specific content metadata associated with the customized version of the core software platform provided to the user by the client tenant.

7. A system comprising:

at least one programmable processor; and

a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request for a user interface view from a user interface;

checking a user identity and a user authorization class for a user of the user interface against a user registry and an authorization class registry, respectively;

retrieving a user interface view component according to the user identity and the user authorization class;

analyzing an individual load variant of a user interface model during retrieval of metadata associated with answering of the request;

generating the user interface view by aggregating the retrieved user interface view component with at least one other user interface view component consistent with the user identity and user authorization class; and

returning the user interface view for display to the user via the user interface.

8. A system in claim 7, wherein the retrieving of the user interface view component comprises accessing an assignment for a system scoping element from a scope persistency, the scoping assignment comprising a designation of at least one business content type corresponding to a given scope element, the at least one business content type being selected from a process component, a business process variant type, a business object, and a business feature.

9. A system in claim 7, wherein the user interface view component comprises at least one of an application view component defined by a specific application as a static user interface model and a generic view component that adapts its metadata based on at least one other available view component.

10. A system in claim 7, wherein the request for the user interface view occurs automatically in response to a detection of a content change, the content change comprising at least one of installation of a new software version and addition of a new software feature, hot fix, or upgrade of an existing software version that requires at least one of a regeneration of the user authorization class, an adaptation of a scoping decision, and an adaptation of an existing user assignment.

11. A system comprising:

at least one programmable processor; and

a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request for a user interface view from a user interface;

checking a user identity and a user authorization class for a user of the user interface against a user registry and an authorization class registry, respectively;

retrieving a user interface view component according to the user identity and the user authorization class;

generating the user interface view by aggregating the retrieved user interface view component with at least one other user interface view component consistent with the user identity and user authorization class; and

returning the user interface view for display to the user via the user interface,

wherein the user interface is provided to the user via a client tenant of a multi-tenant system comprising an application server providing access for each of a plurality of organizations to one of a plurality of client tenants, each of the plurality of client tenants comprising a customizable, organization-specific version of a core software platform that also integrates business functionality provided by at least one external software provider, the data repository comprising core software platform content relating to the operation of the core software platform and that is common to all of the plurality of client tenants, system content having a system content format defined by the core software platform and containing system content data that are unique to specific client tenants of the plurality of client tenants, and tenant-specific content items whose tenant-specific content formats and tenant-specific content data are defined by and available to only one of the plurality of client tenants.

12. A system in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

retrieving a cache key corresponding to a current user interface view active at the user interface, the cache key specifying the user identity and at least one of an assigned work center view of the user, a user interface model metadata state, and business configuration state; and

comparing the cache to a user interface framework status and user access registry comprising current user interface state information for the core software platform, an external service provider, and tenant-specific content metadata associated with the customized version of the core software platform provided to the user by the client tenant.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request for a user interface view from a user interface;

checking a user identity and a user authorization class for a user of the user interface against a user registry and an authorization class registry, respectively;

retrieving a user interface view component according to the user identity and the user authorization class;

analyzing an individual load variant of a user interface model during retrieval of metadata associated with answering of the request;

generating the user interface view by aggregating the retrieved user interface view component with at least one other user interface view component consistent with the user identity and user authorization class; and

returning the user interface view for display to the user via the user interface.

14. A method as in claim 13, wherein the retrieving of the user interface view component comprises accessing an assignment for a system scoping element from a scope persistency, the scoping assignment comprising a designation of at least one business content type corresponding to a given scope element, the at least one business content type being selected from a process component, a business process variant type, a business object, and a business feature.

15. A method as in claim 13, wherein the user interface view component comprises at least one of an application view component defined by a specific application as a static user interface model and a generic view component that adapts its metadata based on at least one other available view component.

16. A method as in claim 13, wherein the request for the user interface view occurs automatically in response to a detection of a content change, the content change comprising at least one of installation of a new software version and addition of a new software feature, hot fix, or upgrade of an existing software version that requires at least one of a regeneration of the user authorization class, an adaptation of a scoping decision, and an adaptation of an existing user assignment.

17. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, wherein at least one of the receiving, the checking, the retrieving, the generating, and the returning is performed by at least one programmable processor.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request for a user interface view from a user interface;

checking a user identity and a user authorization class for a user of the user interface against a user registry and an authorization class registry, respectively;

retrieving a user interface view component according to the user identity and the user authorization class;

generating the user interface view by aggregating the retrieved user interface view component with at least one other user interface view component consistent with the user identity and user authorization class; and

returning the user interface view for display to the user via the user interface,

wherein the user interface is provided to the user via a client tenant of a multi-tenant system comprising an application server providing access for each of a plurality of organizations to one of a plurality of client tenants, each of the plurality of client tenants comprising a customizable, organization-specific version of a core software platform that also integrates business functionality provided by at least one external software provider, the data repository comprising core software platform content relating to the operation of the core software platform and that is common to all of the plurality of client tenants, system content having a system content format defined by the core software platform and containing system content data that are unique to specific client tenants of the plurality of client tenants, and tenant-specific content items whose tenant-specific content formats and tenant-specific content data are defined by and available to only one of the plurality of client tenants.