Patent ID: 7607110

Claim:
A method of generating identifier data for persistently identifying a user interface element of interest in a graphical user interface of a source computer program, the method comprising: receiving data indicative of the user interface element of interest from a first software component; and in response to receiving the data indicative of the user interface element of interest, generating an element path identifier of the user interface element of interest for persistently and uniquely identifying the user interface element of interest across different states of the first software component and returning at least the unique element path identifier to the first software component, the generating comprising storing exposed identifiers associated with selected ancestor nodes of a leaf node within a tree structure representation of the graphical user interface, the selected ancestor nodes located along a path of the tree structure representation from the leaf node to a designated root node, the selected ancestor nodes excluding at least one ancestor node of the leaf node located along the path that is uniquely identifiable from at least one first ancestor node of the leaf node located along the path within a scope of a strongly named branch of the tree structure representation having a second ancestor node of the leaf node located along the path as the strongly named branch root node, the excluded at least one ancestor node being located between the strongly named branch root node and the at least one first ancestor node along the path, the exposed identifiers associated with the selected ancestor nodes being stored in the element path identifier, the leaf node representing the specified user interface element of interest; wherein persistently and uniquely identifying the user element of interest comprises persistently and uniquely identifying the user interface element of interest across reboots of a computer running the source computer program.