Single composition of pattern modules

A computer-implemented method, system, and computer program product for generating an application based on a selection of one or more application patterns. A model of an operation of the application is generated. A design time application component to provide content for the model is provided, as well as a runtime application component to execute the operation associated with the model based with the content. The model, design time application component, and runtime application component are linked together to form a pattern module, the pattern module being an executable and portable operation of the application.

BACKGROUND

This document relates to data processing by digital computer in a visual modeling language environment, and more particularly to generating a pattern-based application in a visual modeling environment.

Application programs, sometimes referred to simply as applications, are programs that an end-user runs to accomplish certain tasks. Applications typically work in conjunction with one or more back-end systems, which store the data to be worked on (e.g., business objects and other business data), as well as logic for manipulating the data (e.g., transactions or other business logic). Examples of back-end systems include database systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. A user interface (UI) is designed to work in concert with application programs, and facilitates interaction between humans and computers by inviting and responding to user input.

Traditional techniques for creating applications involved extensive programming using a specific and complex programming language, which could only be done by an expert of such programming language. New, visual modeling tools such as the Visual Composer tool by SAP AG of Walldorf Germany simplify the creation and management of applications by providing graphical patterns that can connected together to automatically generate code represented by the graphical patterns. However, even visual modeling tools make it difficult to manage, modify, and propagate modifications to applications that are created and run on multiple client systems.

The visual modeling tool enables a business expert to create applications in a modeling environment in a declarative, problem centric, code free way. Experience showed that for certain reasons this is best done in a clear defined and restricted application domain. However, the more restricted such a domain, the less abstract the modeling environment. An application domain is characterized by a set of requirements that are realized by the applications of the domain. Unfortunately, such a restricted environment will not persist for long, but will change according to new or modified requirements. Accordingly, what is needed is a model based development environment which can smoothly be aligned with new and changing requirements.

SUMMARY

This document discloses a computer-implemented method, system and computer program product for generating an application based on a selection of one or more application patterns. According to one aspect, a method includes generating a model of an operation of the application, and providing a design time application component to provide content for the model. The method further includes providing a runtime application component to execute the operation associated with the model based with the content. According to another aspect, a method includes linking the model, design time application component, and runtime application component to form a pattern module, the pattern module including portable and executable parts of the application.

According to another aspect, a computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, is operable to cause a data processing apparatus to generate a model of an operation of the application, provide a design time application component to provide content for the model, and provide a runtime application component to execute the operation associated with the model based with the content. The computer program product is further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to link the model, design time application component, and runtime application component to form a pattern module, the pattern module being an executable and portable operation of the application.

According to yet another aspect, a system for generating an application based on a selection of one or more application patterns includes a pattern module. The pattern module includes a model of an operation of the application, a design time application component to provide content for the model, and a runtime application component to execute the operation associated with the model based with the content. The system further includes a visual modeling tool to generate a visual representation window, the visual representation window to display a graphical representation of the pattern module.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1is a screen shot of a visual modeling tool100for code-free creation of composite applications. The visual modeling tool100is platform-independent, as well as independent of any technology or programming language. The visual modeling tool100is preferably a web-based, rich-client presentation layer application in a client/server computer architecture. The visual modeling tool100includes a visual representation window102, also known as a “storyboard,” a palette104of selectable logic elements, and at least one control interface106such as a control or command bar. The visual representation window102displays a graphical representation of an application108, or portion thereof.

The application108includes application logic and process flows as represented by a number of application objects109. Each application object109can represent a functional step in a logical process or a data flow, and include one or more inputs and one or more outputs. Each application object109acts as a model for the execution, testing, simulation, debugging and document creation related to the application108. A view of the visual modeling tool100can be configured to show only a high-level functional view of the application108and hide the details, however the view can be adjusted, particularly within each application object109, so that increasing levels of detail (to the code level) can be viewed in the visual representation window102.

The selectable logic elements displayed in the palette104can include interactors110that modify the view of the visual representation window102, flow control objects112that provide a directive of data flow, and data operators114that define an operation to be executed on data within each application object106. The selectable logic elements can be “dragged” from the palette and “dropped” into the visual representation window102. The visual modeling tool100can also include property editors, design assistants, drawing tools, an interaction manager, and a code generator that generates code based on the high-level functional view of the application108.

The application108can be formed, or composed, by establishing relationships104between the application objects109, and to generate a graphical representation of the application108. The visual modeling tool100provides modifiability (composition, decomposition, and recomposition) of an application108through visual programming. The composition capabilities of the visual modeling tool100are an integral part of the visual modeling tool100itself and based on a component concept which is shared with the runtime environment. The elements of composition are defined by the pattern modules. The modeling tool also provides a diagram language used to visualize the composition elements. The graphical representation of the application108can lead to automatic code generation if the runtime parts are realized as generators/compilers and not interpreters. Once modeled in the storyboard, an application108can be run everywhere irrespective of platform or programming language. Variations can be made to a modeled application108, while usability and portability is preserved. Changes to the model can be recomputed by the visual modeling tool100, and propagated to as many versions of an application108as desired. In an exemplary embodiment, a composed application is associated with a unique uniform resource locator (URL) that can be accessed by any client computer using any browser, for runtime execution of the application108.

In an exemplary embodiment, the visual modeling tool100is similar to the Visual Composer Modeling System developed by SAP AG of Walldorf Germany, as part of their Netweaver platform for business intelligence and analytics. The visual modeling tool100can utilize a visual modeling language, such as the GUI Machine Modeling Language (GML) to implement the storyboard. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the storyboard is used to draw and compose model diagrams using a simple and intuitive visual notation, and user interactions such as “drag and drop” operations of application objects. The model is stored in a knowledge base using a machine-readable modeling language, and a number of pre-built graphical modeling kits enable automatic code generation without any programming by a developer.

FIG. 3illustrates a model-driven architecture of an application generation system300, in which models302are used by a virtual modeling tool310to generate code and as a baseline configuration for future modifications. In some embodiments of a model-driven architecture, an application consists a model302, a design time application component304to provide content for the model, and a runtime application component306to execute the model302with the content provided by the design time component304.

The model302represents the basic functional and operational data flow and layout of an application, i.e. an application pattern that can be centrally defined and delivered to an enterprise for customization. The design time application component304includes data content, user interface logic of the application specified by the model302. The design time application component304uses data content from a knowledge base320(e.g. database, infocube, etc.) accessed through a design time application and connectivity module312. The runtime application component306is a platform-independent execution engine that runs the logic of the application specified in the design time application component304. The runtime application component306executes the application and data content from the knowledge base320through a runtime application and connectivity module314. The design time application and connectivity module312and runtime application and connectivity module314can run in a server arrangement.

The model302, design time application component304and runtime application component306can be linked together to form a pattern module308. The pattern module308is an executable file that can be stored in a knowledge base as a single unitary object. Accordingly, if changes need to be made to the model302, each component of the pattern module308need not be decomposed, rather the changes are propagated throughout the design time application component304and the runtime application component306as well. The pattern module308can also be exported via an enterprise portal316and delivered to client systems318via a communications network322, such as the Internet, to include a wireless communication network, broadband communication network, or other interactive communication medium.

Each composition of the model302, design time application component304and runtime application component306can be used to compose an overall model, design time application, and runtime application for a web-based application system. Accordingly, the pattern module308simplifies modifications to, distribution (e.g. portability), and execution of applications created using a visual modeling tool.

FIG. 4is a flowchart of a method400for creating a pattern-based application. At402, a model of one or more operations of an application is generated. The model represents a high-level abstraction of a pattern, which can be all or a portion of the application. At404, a design time application component is provided to supply content to the model. At406, a runtime application component is provided to execute the model based on the content supplied by the design time application component. At408, the model, the design time application component, and the runtime application component are linked, to form, at410a pattern module. The pattern module can be distributed and executed among heterogeneous client systems within an enterprise, yet modifiable at the design source such that modifications are easily propagated throughout the pattern module.

With reference toFIGS. 5-7the use of a pattern module in a model driven architecture is shown. With specific reference toFIG. 7, a development system includes three different roles: the end user(s) running the applications, the business expert modeling the applications, and a developer providing pattern modules developed or modified for specific requirements. The requirements are created by the end users and are taken into account by the business experts and developers. The application domain and the requirements do not exist on a physical basis.

The development system has two repositories, a pattern module repository for storing the pattern modules and their meta descriptions, and a model repository for storing the models that are created by the business expert. The end user executes the models. A model as created by the business expert has two different types of content: a composition and a set of configurations. The composition is basically a graph where each node refers to a configuration and to a pattern module.

A pattern module contains three parts: a design time part which is an executable entity in a certain design time environment, a runtime part which is an executable entity in a certain runtime environment, and a model which is the metamodel of a configuration of a composition node pointing to this pattern module. Additionally, a pattern module contains a set of interface descriptions, as illustrated inFIG. 5, defining how the parts of different modules can be combined/composed. The composition capabilities on parts defined by their interfaces define, in a canonical manner, composition capabilities of pattern modules. Two pattern modules can be combined if, and only if, their parts can be combined according to their interfaces.

A business expert composing an application is running a visual modeling tool such as Visual Composer can plug in design time parts from pattern modules located in the pattern module repository. The design time parts actually used are defined by the composition created by the business expert. A particular design time part enables the business expert to configure/model a particular part of an application. A new application parts can be created by composition. The design time environment uses the meta information of the pattern module to determine which other modules can be attached to the current pattern module. If a certain application part supported by a particular pattern module is selected, the environment loads the design time part of the pattern module in order to support configuration of this application part.

When the end user executes such a model, the runtime environment first loads the composition and, for any part of the application that is actually in use, loads the runtime part of the pattern module referred to in the composition. The runtime part that has been loaded for a node in the composition graph will execute the configuration attached to the node in the composition which refers to the pattern module from which the runtime was loaded.

This mechanism is based on “single composition” i.e. the same composition is used to compose the model content, which is the composition of all configurations. The composition is used to compose the model (or meta model of the content) by composing the model parts of the pattern modules referred to by each composition node. Accordingly, the composition is used to compose the total design time by composing the design time parts, etc.

Since the parts of the pattern modules depend on the interfaces they use and implement, new pattern modules can be added to the overall system without modifying existing ones. If certain requirements of an application cannot be realized with a given set of pattern modules, new pattern modules can be developed and deployed to the pattern module repository. This allows modifying the application domain while still providing a restrictive model based on the modules chosen in an actual composition.

Embodiments of the invention and all of the functional operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of them. Embodiments of the invention can be implemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer readable medium, e.g., a machine readable storage device, a machine readable storage medium, a memory device, or a machine-readable propagated signal, for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.

The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. The apparatus can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of them. A propagated signal is an artificially generated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, that is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus.

A computer program (also referred to as a program, software, an application, a software application, a script, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to, a communication interface to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks.

Moreover, a computer can be embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio player, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, to name just a few. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

Certain features which, for clarity, are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features which, for brevity, are described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Particular embodiments of the invention have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. For example, the steps recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. In addition, embodiments of the invention are not limited to knowledge base architectures that include a relational database; for example, the invention can be implemented to provide indexing and archiving methods and systems for databases built on models other than the relational model, e.g., navigational databases or object oriented databases, and for databases having records with complex attribute structures, e.g., object oriented programming objects or markup language documents. The processes described may be implemented by applications specifically performing archiving and retrieval functions or embedded within other applications.