Visualization framework for customizable types in a development environment

• US 9,772,822 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2015
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Narayanan, Suriya, Shah, Nitinkumar, Strajan, George, Chen, Zhaoqi, Carraway, Devin, Badawy, Robert, Beck, Ian, Kotapalle, Suresh Kumar Reddy, Kaminski, Tomasz
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Ziaul A
• Application Number:
  US14/753,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20160274867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A development system comprises, in one example, a customization component configured to detect user development inputs to develop elements of a computing system, the elements comprising types modeled in the computing system, a display system configured to generate user interface displays, and a visualization system configured to identify a set of customized elements, a set of non-customized elements, and a customization type for each of the customized elements. The visualization system comprises a display system controller configured to control the display system to generate an integrated view user interface display that visually distinguishes the set of customized elements from the set of non-customized elements and indicates the customization types for the customized elements.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a set of non-customized elements of a computing system;

identifying a set of customized elements of the computing system, that have been customized from base elements of the computing system;

identifying a customization type for each customized element of the set of customized elements, the customization type indicating a type of customization that has been applied to the customized element;

generating a representation of an integrated view user interface display that includes a filter criterion user input mechanism, wherein the integrated view user interface display visually distinguishes the set of customized elements from the set of non-customized elements, and the integrated view user interface display includes a set of visual indicators corresponding to the set of customized elements, each visual indicator in the set of visual indicators being visually associated with one of the customized elements and visually identifying the customization type for the associated customized element,

wherein the set of customized elements comprise metadata elements, and the integrated view of the user interface display comprises visual indicia for at least one of;

a metadata element having a property customized in a customization layer;

a metadata element added in a customization layer; and

a metadata element that has been re-parented in a customization layer;

receiving an indication of user actuation of the filter criterion user input mechanism;

based on the indication of user actuation of the filter criterion user input mechanism, identifying a filtering criterion that is based on at least one of;

the customizations applied to the set of customized elements;

or

conflicts between the customizations applied to the set of customized elements;

based on the filtering criterion, identifying a filtered set of elements; and

generating a representation of a filtered view user interface display that comprises representations of the filtered set of elements.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the filtered view user interface display comprises switching from the integrated view user interface display to the filtered view user interface display by filtering one or more of the non-customized elements.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the filtered view user interface display comprises at least one of:

displaying only elements that have been customized;

or

displaying only elements that have customization conflicts.

4. An electronic development system comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing instructions executable by the processor, wherein the instructions configure the electronic development system to provide;

a customization component configured to;

receive an indication of a user input; and

based on the indication of the user input, customize a computing system; and

a visualization component configured to;

identify a set of customized elements of the computing system;

identify a set of non-customized elements of the computing system;

identify a customization type for each customized element of the set of customized elements, the customization type indicating a type of customization that has been applied to the customized element; and

generate a representation of an integrated view user interface display that visually distinguishes the set customized elements from the set of non-customized elements, wherein the integrated view user interface display includes a set of visual indicators corresponding to the set of customized elements, each visual indicator in the set of visual indicators being visually associated with one of the customized elements and visually identifying the customization type for the associated customized element; and

wherein the set of customized elements comprise metadata elements, and the visual indicators comprises visual indicia for at least one of;

a metadata element having a property customized in a customization layer;

a metadata element added in a customization layer; and

a metadata element that has been re-parented in a customization layer.

5. The electronic development system of claim 4, wherein each customized element is customized, according to the customization type, from a base element in the computing system.

6. The electronic development system of claim 4, wherein the set of customized elements comprises model elements that are customized over a plurality of different customization layers, the model elements comprising a first model element having a first customization type and a second model element having a second customization type that is different than the first customization type, and wherein the visual indicators associated with the first and second model elements visually indicate that the first and second model elements have different customization types.

7. The electronic development system of claim 6, wherein the customization component is configured to restrict development of a particular model element based on a determination of the customization layer at which the particular model element was added.

8. The electronic development system of claim 4, wherein the integrated view user interface display comprises a customization removal user input mechanism associated with a particular one of the customized elements, and wherein the customization component is configured to:

receive an indication of user actuation of the customization removal user input mechanism; and

based on the indication of user actuation of the customization removal user input mechanism, remove a customization from the particular customized element.

9. The electronic development system of claim 4, wherein the set of customized elements comprise code elements, and the integrated view user interface display comprises different visual indicia for each of:

a code element having a method added in one of the customization layers; and

a code element having a method customized in one of the customization layers.

10. The electronic development system of claim 4, wherein the integrated view user interface display comprises a development user input mechanism, and the indication of the user input comprises an indication of user actuation of the development user input mechanism.

11. The electronic development system of claim 10, wherein the customization component is configured to:

based on the indication of user actuation of the development user input mechanism, change a method order for a particular one of the customized elements in a code editor;

store an indication of the changed method order;

receive an indication of a user request to access the particular customized element; and

based on the indication of the user request, access the stored indication and generate a representation of a user interface display that presents the customized element with the changed method order in the code editor.

12. The electronic development system of claim 4, wherein the visualization component is configured to receive an indication of a view change user input and, based on the indication of the view change user input, switch from the integrated view user interface display to a non-integrated view user interface display.

13. The electronic development system of claim 12, wherein the visualization component is configured to:

based on the indication of the view change user input, define a filter criterion, and wherein the instructions configure the electronic development system to provide;

a filtering component configured to filter the set of customized elements and the set of non-customized elements for display in the non-integrated view user interface display based on the filter criterion.

14. The electronic development system of claim 13, wherein the non-integrated view user interface display displays the set of customized elements without one or more of the non-customized elements in the set of non-customized elements.

15. The electronic development system of claim 14, wherein the non-integrated view user interface display displays only customized elements that have customization conflicts.

16. The electronic development system of claim 4, and further comprising:

a conflict detection system configured to detect a given one of the customized elements that has a customization conflict, wherein the integrated view user interface display visually indicates the customization conflict; and

a conflict resolution system configured to resolve the customization conflict based on a detected conflict resolution user input.