Methods and systems for a real time transformation of declarative model and layout into interactive, digital, multi device forms

• US 9,280,361 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genpact USA, Inc. (Genpact Limited)
• Original Assignee: PNMsoft Ltd. (Genpact Limited)
• Inventors: Naftulin, Stas
• Primary Examiner(s): Dyer, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/531,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 715/221, 715/222
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Methods and system of creating a multi device interactive form. At design time a declarative data model having a plurality of queries each said query having a data source definition and plurality of fields and plurality of data entry view for a runtime data model of said declarative data model are defined and associated. At runtime the runtime data model is generated using reflection classes and annotation attributes the data entry view is presented as an interactive form having UI controls to a user.

Claims

1. A method of creating an interactive form, comprising:

at design time;

defining a declarative data model having a plurality of queries according to user input data received from a designer platform hosted by a browser running a client terminal, each query of said plurality of queries has a data source and a plurality of fields;

defining a plurality of data entry views for a runtime data model of said declarative data model, each said data entry view is defined for a different operating system or a different platform having a plurality of data entry view data sources and a plurality of user interface (UI) controls; and

associating between each one of said plurality of UI controls and a field of said plurality of fields;

at runtime;

generating said runtime data model using a plurality of reflection classes annotated with attributes;

automatically creating a plurality of adapters using data bound control extenders according to a selected data entry view from said plurality of data entry views, said plurality of adapters being used to assign said query data from said plurality of data entry view data sources into said plurality of UI controls;

instructing a presentation of said selected data entry view as an interactive multi device form having said plurality of UI controls; and

using said runtime data model for loading query data into said plurality of data entry view data sources using data context object that is created from the runtime model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said defining a data entry view comprises:

associating between said plurality of data entry view data sources and said plurality of queries, and between said plurality of data entry view data sources and a plurality of data bound controls which includes said plurality of user interface (UI) controls.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said declarative data model and said data entry view are defined by separate wizards which are presented to a user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said declarative data model is used for creating a plurality of runtime models;

each said runtime model is associated with a different of a plurality of different data entry views.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating is performed without compilation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating comprises creating an in-memory object representing said runtime data model.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising adjusting said runtime data model in said in-memory object by editing said declarative data model and without creating a new in-memory object.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising adjusting at least one of said plurality of data entry view data sources and said plurality of user interface (UI) controls without creating a new in-memory object.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating comprises:

generating a builder object,

inputting an XML schema into a container generated by said builder object according to said declarative data model.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said inputting is performed using a builder object.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said queries are represented in said runtime data model by at least one reflected properties or methods, wherein the reflected properties or methods are generated according to said reflection classes.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each said field having a plurality of properties which are represented in said runtime data model by at least one reflected property.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising using said runtime data model to retrieve query data from said query data sources into said reflected type instance that is generated from the data context.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said interactive multi device form includes different data entry views defined for the same declarative data model, each data entry view adapted for at least one of a different operating system and a different platform.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing user input data received from said plurality of UI controls according to said association between each one of the said plurality of UI controls and said plurality of fields.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions adapted to perform the method of claim 1.

17. A computer program product for creating an interactive form, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to define a declarative data model having a plurality of queries according to user input data received from a designer platform hosted by a browser running a client terminal, each query of said plurality of queries has a plurality of fields and a plurality of data sources for a runtime data model of said declarative data model, to define a plurality of data entry views for said runtime data model of said declarative data model, each said data entry view is defined for a different operating system or a different platform having a plurality of data entry view data sources and a plurality of user interface (UI) controls, and associating between a plurality of data entry view data sources and said plurality of queries and between said plurality of data entry view data sources and a plurality of data bound controls each having a plurality of user interface (UI) controls;

second program instructions to associate between each one of said plurality of UI controls and a field of said plurality of fields;

third program instructions to generate said runtime data model using a plurality of reflection classes;

fourth program instructions to use said runtime data model for loading query data into said plurality of data entry view data sources;

fifth program instructions to create automatically a plurality of adapters using data bound control extenders according to a selected data entry view from said plurality of data entry views, said plurality of adapters being used to assign said query data from said plurality of data entry view data sources into said plurality of UI controls; and

sixth program instructions to present automatically said selected data entry view as an interactive form having said plurality of UI controls;

wherein said first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth program instructions are stored on said non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

18. A system of creating an interactive form, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions executable by the processor, comprising;

instructions to allow a user, at design time, to define a declarative data model having a plurality of queries according to user input data received from a designer platform hosted by a browser running a client terminal, each query of said plurality of queries has a data source and a plurality of fields, and defining a plurality of data entry views for a runtime data model of said declarative data model, each said data entry view is defined for a different operating system or a different platform having a plurality of data entry view data sources and a plurality of user interface (UI) controls, and associating between a plurality of data entry view data sources and said plurality of queries and between said plurality of data entry view data sources and a plurality of data bound controls each having a plurality of user interface (UI) controls;

instructions to use a plurality of extenders to associate between each one of said plurality of UI controls and a field of said plurality of fields; and

instructions for execution at runtime, to generate said runtime data model using a plurality of reflection classes and automatically creates a plurality of adapters using data bound control extenders according to a selected data entry view from said plurality of data entry views;

wherein said runtime data model is set to load query data into said plurality of data entry view data sources and assigns said query data into said plurality of UI controls using said plurality of adapters, and

instructions to present said selected data entry view as an interactive form having said plurality of UI controls.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising an interface which allows said user to define said declarative data model and said data entry view via a remote terminal.

20. A method of creating an interactive form, comprising:

allowing a user to define, at design time, a declarative data model having a plurality of queries according to user input data received from a designer platform hosted by a browser running a client terminal, and a plurality of data entry views for a runtime data model of said declarative data model, each said data entry view is defined for a different operating system or a different platform having a plurality of data entry view data sources and a plurality of user interface (UI) controls, each query of said plurality of queries has a plurality of fields and said data entry view having a plurality of data entry view data sources and a plurality of user interface (UI) controls which are associated with UI control extender which is associated with said plurality of fields;

generating said runtime data model at runtime and without compilation according to a selected data entry view from said plurality of data entry views;

using said runtime data model for loading query data into said plurality of data entry view data sources.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

automatically assigning said query data from said plurality of data entry view data sources into said plurality of UI controls, and

presenting said data entry view as an interactive form having said plurality of UI controls.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said generating is performed using a plurality of reflection classes and properties annotated with attributes.