Patent ID: 6766520
Filing Date: 2004-07-20
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
In an object oriented programming (OOP) environment, wherein object instances are allocated properties from a message passing entity, wherein said message passing entity can be an external program or an object instance, and wherein an object instance can be allocated a non-legacy format data file entity, and wherein said object instance within said OOP environment has routines that operate to cause said object instances to be responsive to messages passed to them, an emulator-type object instance comprising:a link for accessing, manipulating, and writing data in said allocated data file entity in accord with an instruction received by said emulator-type object instance from said message passing entity through said OOP environment, wherein said data file entity has a set of data fields, each data field comprising a body field and an associated header field, said header field comprising data descriptive of said body field's size, wherein said link provides for passing of instructions and data in a legacy format, a set of mnemonics identifying said emulator-type object instance as a unique instance of an emulator object class, a set of property parameters, each property parameter identifying said emulator-type object instance's state, a set of routines enabling actions to be performed in accord with said passed legacy instructions and data by said emulator-type object instance, including at least a first routine for modifying data in a data file entity which may be allocated to said emulator-type object, wherein said data file entity alloctated to said emulator-type object is a one of said non-legacy format data file entities, and wherein, when an instruction is received by said emulator-type object instance, and said instruction requests said emulator-type object instance to act on data of said allocated data file entity, at least one of said set of property parameters specifies location information in said legacy format for said first routine.