Methods and systems for providing a user interface in a multi-tenant database environment

• US 8,914,438 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Pletter, Daniel L., Waite, Andrew, Chasman, Doug, Mooney, James K., Troup, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Chung, Hoon J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wang, Yaotang
• Application Number:
  US12/970,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20110289476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 717/106, 717/108, 717/114, 715/234, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Methods, devices and systems for providing a user interface in an on-demand software service environment are described. Some implementations involve receiving a component request from a first client device, locating class-level definition source code for a component definition corresponding to the component request, identifying the component definition within the source code, determining a language of the component definition and selecting a parser according to the language of the component definition. Such implementations may also involve parsing the source code to create the component definition and transmitting an intermediate representation of the requested component to the client device. The intermediate representation may allow the client device to create an instance of the requested component.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing a user interface in an on-demand software service environment, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface; and

a processor system comprising at least one processor, the processor system configured for;

receiving, via the network interface, a component request from a first client device;

determining a first component definition corresponding to the component request includes a second component definition, the second component definition being at a lower level of a component definition hierarchy than the first component definition, the first component definition being associated with a first component type, and the second component definition being associated with a second component type, the first component definition and the second component definition being associated with one or more components of a user interface;

determining access to the second component definition is allowed;

locating class-level definition source code for the first component definition upon the determination the access to the second component definition is allowed;

identifying the first component definition within the source code;

determining a language of the first component definition;

determining a language of the second component definition;

selecting a parser according to the language of the first component definition;

parsing the source code to create the first component definition;

storing the first component definition in a first registry associated with the first component type and the second component definition in a second registry associated with the second component type, wherein the first registry is selected for storing the first component definition based on a first reference to the first registry in a master registry indicating the first component type and the language of the first component definition, and the second registry is selected for storing the second component definition based on a second reference to the second registry in the master registry indicating the second component type and the language of the second component definition; and

transmitting, to the first client device, an intermediate representation of the requested component, the intermediate representation allowing the first client device to create an instance of the requested component.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the on-demand software service environment includes a multi-tenant database accessible to a plurality of tenants, and wherein the first client device is associated with one of the plurality of tenants.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor system is further configured to determine whether the class-level definition is cached, and wherein the locating process is performed if the processor system determines that the class-level definition is not cached.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parsing process comprises extracting language metadata.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parsing process comprises inserting definition descriptors for component dependencies.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor system is further configured to convert at least part of the component request into a definition descriptor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor system is further configured to iterate through the first component definition and to make a list of dependencies that will need to be compiled.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor system is further configured to compile listed dependencies serially.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor system is further configured to determine whether a listed first dependency has one or more second dependencies.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a temporary registry that is used for a compilation process.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor system is further configured to identify a definition type of the first component definition.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor system is further configured to locate a registry for the definition type.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the selecting process comprises selecting the parser for the language within the registry.

14. A method for providing a user interface in an on-demand software service environment, the method comprising:

receiving a component request from a first client device;

determining a first component definition corresponding to the component request includes a second component definition, the second component definition being at a lower level of a component definition hierarchy than the first component definition, the first component definition being associated with a first component type, and the second component definition being associated with a second component type, the first component definition and the second component definition being associated with one or more components of a user interface;

determining access to the second component definition is allowed;

locating class-level definition source code for the first component definition upon the determination the access to the second component definition is allowed;

identifying the first component definition within the source code;

determining a language of the first component definition;

determining a language of the second component definition;

selecting a parser according to the language of the first component definition;

parsing the source code to create the first component definition;

storing the first component definition in a first registry associated with the first component type and the second component definition in a second registry associated with the second component type, wherein the first registry is selected for storing the first component definition based on a first reference to the first registry in a master registry indicating the first component type and the language of the first component definition, and the second registry is selected for storing the second component definition based on a second reference to the second registry in the master registry indicating the second component type and the language of the second component definition; and

transmitting, to the first client device, an intermediate representation of the requested component, the intermediate representation allowing the first client device to create an instance of the requested component.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the on-demand software service environment includes a multi-tenant database accessible to a plurality of tenants, and wherein the first client device is associated with one of the plurality of tenants.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the parsing process comprises extracting language metadata.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the parsing process comprises inserting definition descriptors for component dependencies.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising converting at least part of the component request into a definition descriptor.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

iterating through the first component definition;

making a list of dependencies that will need to be compiled; and

compiling dependencies on the list serially.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the selecting process comprises:

identifying a definition type of the first component definition;

locating a registry for the definition type; and

selecting the parser for the language within the registry.

21. A non-transitory machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for providing a user interface in an on-demand software service environment, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the processes of:

receiving a component request from a first client device;

determining a first component definition corresponding to the component request includes a second component definition, the second component definition being at a lower level of a component definition hierarchy than the first component definition, the first component definition being associated with a first component type, and the second component definition being associated with a second component type, the first component definition and the second component definition being associated with one or more components of a user interface;

determining the access to the second component definition is allowed;

locating class-level definition source code for the first component definition upon the determination that access to the second component definition is allowed;

identifying the first component definition within the source code;

determining a language of the first component definition;

determining a language of the second component definition;

selecting a parser according to the language of the first component definition;

parsing the source code to create the first component definition;

storing the first component definition in a first registry associated with the first component type and the second component definition in a second registry associated with the second component type, wherein the first registry is selected for storing the first component definition based on a first reference to the first registry in a master registry indicating the first component type and the language of the first component definition, and the second registry is selected for storing the second component definition based on a second reference to the second registry in the master registry indicating the second component type and the language of the second component definition; and

transmitting, to the first client device, an intermediate representation of the requested component, the intermediate representation allowing the first client device to create an instance of the requested component.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the on-demand software service environment includes a multi-tenant database accessible to a plurality of tenants, and wherein the first client device is associated with one of the plurality of tenants.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the processes of:

iterating through the first component definition;

making a list of dependencies that will need to be compiled; and

compiling dependencies on the list serially.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the selecting process comprises:

identifying a definition type of the first component definition;

locating a registry for the definition type; and

selecting the parser for the language within the registry.