Integrated visualization for modeled customizations

• US 9,280,319 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2013
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Badawy, Robert, Aggag, Khalid, Shah, Nitinkumar, Narayanan, Suriya
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, THUY CHAN
• Application Number:
  US14/058,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20150113500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

An integrated view is generated for a model element being customized. The integrated view shows an integrated visualization of the model element in the base system as well as a plurality of different extensions to the model element. The integrated view also facilitates editing of an extension document that represents a customization currently being made.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of visualizing customizations to a computer system having types modeled with model elements, comprising:

receiving an indication of a user selection input, at a development and customization system, indicative of a selected model element to be visualized as a current extension model, the current extension model modeling customizations of the selected model element from a base model; and

instructing a display device to display an integrated view of the selected model element that visually identifies the base model corresponding to the selected model element and visually identifies customizations to the selected model element made in the current extension model, separately from the base model, the current extension model being customizable from the integrated view and the base model being viewable from the integrated view, the integrated view including a hierarchical tree view having parent and child nodes indicative of items in the selected model element, each node having a visual model indication indicating a model to which it belongs, the integrated view identifying other customizations to the selected model element, other than those modeled in the current extension model, as belonging to other extension models, by identifying the other customizations separately from the base model and separately from the customizations in the current extension model, and by displaying a visual customization model indication identifying a model in which each node in the hierarchical tree view has been customized.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein instructing the display device to display the integrated view comprises:

instructing the display device to display a visual re-ordering indication identifying that a given node in the hierarchical tree view has been customized to be re-ordered relative to other nodes in the hierarchical tree view.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein instructing display device to display the integrated view comprises:

instructing the display device to display a visual re-parenting indication identifying that a given node in the hierarchical tree view has been customized to be re-ordered to have a different parent node in the hierarchical tree view.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein instructing the display device to display the integrated view comprises:

instructing the display device to display the integrated view with user input mechanisms so that user interaction to customize the selected model element in its corresponding extension model is the same across other extension models and model elements in the other extension models as well as user interaction with a base model to customize the base model element in the base model.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the customizations are reflected in a hierarchy of models, and wherein instructing the display device to display the integrated view comprises:

instructing the display device to display nodes in the hierarchical tree view as customizable if they are in the current extension model or in a higher layer of models in the hierarchy of models than the current extension model.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 and further comprising:

receiving an indication of user inputs indicative of whether the user is to customize a model element within an existing project or in a new project.

7. The computer-implemented method of 1 wherein receiving an indication of a user selection input comprises:

receiving an indication of the user selection input to select a model element comprising one of a table, a form, a menu, an enumeration, a method, and other model elements.

8. A development system, comprising:

a model generator that receives indications of user model inputs and generates a first model that models a type in a computer system, the first model including first model elements, the model generator receiving indications of model customization inputs and generating a customization model that models customizations to the first model elements;

a visualization component that receives an indication of a user element selection that selects a model element, from the first model elements, to be visualized, the visualization component instructing a display device to display an integrated view of the selected model element that identifies the first model and that also visually indicates customizations to the selected model element made in the generated customization model, separately from the first model, the generated customization model being customizable from the integrated view and the first model being viewable from the integrated view, wherein the integrated view includes a hierarchical tree view having parent and child nodes indicative of items in the selected model element, each node having a visual model indication indicating a model to which it belongs, the integrated view identifying other customizations to the selected model element made in one or more other customization models, other than the generated customization model by identifying the other customizations separately from the first model and separately from the customizations in the generated customization model, wherein the integrated view includes a visual customization model indication identifying a model in which each node in the hierarchical tree view has been customized; and

a computer processor that is a functional part of the development system and that is activated by the model generator and the visualization component to facilitate model generation and instructing the display device to display the integrated view of the selected model.

9. The development system of claim 8 wherein the visualization component instructs the display device to display the integrated view to identify which parts of the selected model element are modeled by which of the other customization models.

10. The development system of claim 9 wherein the visualization component instructs the display device to display the integrated view so that parts of the selected model element that are modeled by the customization model are customizable by the model generator from the integrated view and so that parts of the selected model element customized in the other customization models are read only in the integrated view.

11. The development system of claim 10 wherein the visualization component instructs the display device to display the integrated view so that parts of the selected model element that are modeled by the first model are read only in the integrated view.

12. The development system of claim 8 wherein the hierarchical tree view displays parent nodes and child nodes, a given child node being dependent on a given parent node, the hierarchical view identifying which nodes are modeled by the first model, which nodes are modeled by the customization model and which nodes are modeled by the other customization models.

13. The development system of claim 12 wherein the visualization component instructs the display device to display a visual re-ordering indication adjacent nodes that have been re-ordered in the hierarchical tree view.

14. The development system of claim 8 wherein the computer system comprises a business system.

15. A computer readable storage medium that stores computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, comprising:

receiving an indication of a user selection input indicative of a selected model element to be visualized as a current extension model; and

instructing a display device to display an integrated view of the selected model element that identifies a base model corresponding to the selected model element and identifies customizations in the current extension model, separately from the base model, the current extension model being customizable from the integrated view and the base model being viewable from the integrated view, the integrated view including a hierarchical tree view having parent and child nodes indicative of items in the selected model element, each node having a visual model indication indicating a model to which it belongs, the integrated view identifying all other customizations to the selected model element, other than those modeled in the current extension model, as belonging to other extension models, by identifying all the other customizations separately from the base model and separately from the customizations in the current extension model, and by displaying a visual customization model indication identifying a model in which each node in the hierarchical tree view has been customized.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein instructing the display device to display the integrated view comprises:

instructing the display device to display parts of the selected model element that are modeled by the current extension model as being customizable and displaying parts of the selected model element modeled by the base model as being read only.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the integrated view is displayed so that parts of the selected model element that are modeled by the current extension model are customizable from the integrated view and so that parts of the selected model element customized in the other extension models are read only in the integrated view.