Systems And Methods For Automatically Generating Applications

Systems and methods for automatically generating applications are provided. The system includes an application design platform and at least one user device. The application design platform has a visual editing environment for designing applications. The user device edits configuration data and material data corresponding to a subject application using the visual editing environment. The application design platform determines whether the editing of the subject application is completed. When the editing of the subject application is completed, the application design platform reads the configuration data corresponding to the subject application and obtains the material data corresponding to the subject application, and packs the configuration data and the material data into at least one application package for at least one operating system platform.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Systems and methods for automatically generating applications are provided.

FIG. 1is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a system for automatically generating applications of the invention. The system for automatically generating applications100can comprise at least one user device (131,132) and an application design platform110. It is understood that, the user device can be any electronic device having network connection capabilities, such as a personal computer, or a portable device, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a GPS (Global Positioning System), or a notebook. The respective user device can connect to the application design platform110via a network120, such as the Internet, for performing design operations for applications.

FIG. 2is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of an application design platform of the invention. As shown inFIG. 2, the application design platform110comprises a visual editing environment111, at least one PERL program code (112a,112b), and a processing unit113. The visual editing environment111has a graphical interface. The graphical interface can comprise a plurality of predefined components, such as graphical components, touch-sensitive components, and APP action components. Users can directly drag these components to complete the design of an application, such as the editing operations corresponding to the configuration data, the material data, and/or the output platform setting. Each PERL program code can correspond to an operating system, such as the iOS platform, the Android platform, the Windows platform, or any operating system for personal computers. Based on the operating system platform designated in the output platform setting, the respective PERL program code can pack the configuration data and the material data corresponding to the application into an application package corresponding to the designated operating system platform. The processing unit113can control the operations of related hardware, firmware, and/or software in the application design platform110, and related details are discussed latter.

As described, users can edit the configuration data310, the material data320, and the output platform330corresponding to a subject application in the visual editing environment111provided by the application design platform110. The application design platform110can pack the edited data into an application interactive language package300, as shown inFIG. 3. It is understood that, in some embodiments, users can further edit media interaction data corresponding to the subject application in the visual editing environment111provided by the application design platform110. The application design platform110can generate a media interaction engine (not shown inFIG. 3) in the application interactive language package300according to the media interaction data, wherein when the subject application executes, the media interaction engine can control the media interaction operations. Further, in some embodiments, users can further edit game data corresponding to the subject application in the visual editing environment111provided by the application design platform110. The application design platform110can generate a game engine (not shown inFIG. 3) in the application interactive language package300according to the game data, wherein when the subject application executes, the game engine can control the game actions corresponding to a game.

After the application interactive language package300is generated, the PERL program code packs the application interactive language package300into an application package for the corresponding operating system platform. As shown inFIG. 4, the application package400can comprise a native component library and execution procedures410, a multi-media interpreter420corresponding to the operating system platform, and the application interactive language package300, wherein when the application package400executes, the multi-media interpreter420reads and interprets the application interactive language package300, and executes according to the native component library and the execution procedures410.

FIG. 5is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for automatically generating applications of the invention.

In step S510, a user device connects to an application design platform via a network, such as the Internet. It is understood that, the user device can be any electronic device having network connection capabilities, such as a personal computer, or a portable device, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a PDA, a GPS, or a notebook. The application design platform can have a visual editing environment for designing applications. The visual editing environment has a graphical interface. The graphical interface can comprise a plurality of predefined components, such as graphical components, touch-sensitive components, and APP action components. In step S520, the user device edits configuration data and material data corresponding to a subject application in the visual editing environment provided by the application design platform. As described, the graphical interface can comprise a plurality of predefined components. Users can directly drag these components to complete the design of an application. In step S530, the application design platform determines whether the editing of the subject application is completed. It is understood that, in some embodiments, the application design platform can periodically check whether the editing of the subject application is completed. Further, in some embodiments, when the editing of the subject application is completed, the user device can transmit a completion instruction corresponding to the subject application to the application design platform. After the application design platform receives the completion instruction, the application design platform knows the editing of the subject application is completed. If the editing of the subject application is not completed (No in step S530), the procedure remains at step S530. If the editing of the subject application is completed (Yes in step S530), in step S540, the application design platform reads the configuration data corresponding to the subject application and obtains the material data corresponding to the subject application, and in step S550, packs the configuration data and the material data into at least one application package for at least one operating system platform. It is understood that, in some embodiments, after the at least one application package corresponding to the subject application is generated, the application design platform can transmit a notification to the user device for notifying the user device to download the at least one application package.

FIG. 6is a flowchart of another embodiment of a method for automatically generating applications of the invention.

In step S610, a user device connects to an application design platform via a network, such as the Internet. Similarly, the user device can be any electronic device having network connection capabilities, such as a personal computer, or a portable device, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a PDA, a GPS, or a notebook. The application design platform can have a visual editing environment for designing applications. The visual editing environment has a graphical interface. The graphical interface can comprise a plurality of predefined components, such as graphical components, touch-sensitive components, and APP action components. In step S620, the user device edits configuration data, material data, and an output platform setting corresponding to a subject application in the visual editing environment provided by the application design platform. Specifically, the versions corresponding to different operating systems that the subject application is expected to output can be specified in the output platform setting. As described, the graphical interface can comprise a plurality of predefined components. Users can directly drag these components to complete the design of an application. Additionally, in some embodiments, users can further edit media interaction data corresponding to the subject application in the visual editing environment provided by the application design platform. The application design platform can generate a media interaction engine according to the media interaction data, wherein when the subject application executes, the media interaction engine can control the media interaction operations. Further, in some embodiments, users can further edit game data corresponding to the subject application in the visual editing environment provided by the application design platform. The application design platform can generate a game engine according to the game data, wherein when the subject application executes, the game engine can control the game actions corresponding to a game. It is understood that, after the editing of the subject application is completed, related editing data, such as the configuration data, the material data, the output platform setting, media interaction engine, and/or the game engine can be packed into an application interactive language package. In step S630, the application design platform determines whether the editing of the subject application is completed. Similarly, in some embodiments, the application design platform can periodically check whether the editing of the subject application is completed. Further, in some embodiments, when the editing of the subject application is completed, the user device can transmit a completion instruction corresponding to the subject application to the application design platform. After the application design platform receives the completion instruction, the application design platform knows the editing of the subject application is completed. If the editing of the subject application is not completed (No in step S630), the procedure remains at step S630. If the editing of the subject application is completed (Yes in step S630), in step S640, at least one thread is generated according to the number of the operating system platform specified in the output platform setting, and in step S650, each thread respectively executes the PERL program code corresponding to the respective operating system platform to read the configuration data corresponding to the subject application and obtain the material data corresponding to the subject application. Then, in step S660, the configuration data and the material data is packed into the application package for the corresponding operating system platform. In step S670, the application design platform transmits a notification to the user device for notifying the user device to download the application package.

It is noted that again, in the present application, the application package can comprise a native component library and execution procedures, a multi-media interpreter corresponding to the operating system platform, and an application interactive language package. When the application package executes, the multi-media interpreter can read and interpret the application interactive language package, and execute according to the native component library and the execution procedures.

Therefore, the systems and methods for automatically generating applications of the present invention can edit applications in a visualized manner, and related editing data can be automatically packed into application packages corresponding to different operating system platforms, thereby saving related costs, such manpower and time resources for development and maintenance of applications.