Patent ID: 7434215

Claim:
A computer implemented method for selecting a class loader to load a plug-in class within a class loader hierarchy, the method comprising the steps of: generating a class loader hierarchy comprising a plurality of class loaders that includes two or more application class loaders, one for each of two or more application classes, wherein each of said application class loaders can selectively load its application class, or delegate the loading of its application class to another class loader of said class loader hierarchy; providing a different plug-in class loader for each class loader of said class loader hierarchy, wherein each plug-in class loader is associated with only a single class loader of said hierarchy, and wherein each plug-in class loader is associated with the single class loader in that it delegates to its associated class loader; identifying the class loader of said hierarchy that is used to load a specified one of said two or more application classes; configuring a first application class to load a first plug-in class using a target class, wherein the name of the target class is specified in a configuration file and the target class resides at a point at or below the application class in the application class loader hierarchy; identifying a target class loader within the class loader hierarchy that loaded the target class; identifying a plug-in class loader that is associated with and delegates to the target class loader; and loading the first plug-in using the identified plug-in class loader.