4822results about "Visual/graphical programming" patented technology

A system and method for creating a graphical program, wherein the graphical program is operable to access capabilities of an object. During creation of the graphical program, the user operates to place an object node in the graphical program, wherein the object node is operable to access capabilities of the object. This preferably includes the user arranging on the screen the graphical program, including the object node and various other nodes, and connecting the various nodes to create the graphical program. The user then configures the object node to receive information on the object, preferably by the user configuring the object node with a reference to the object, e.g., a pointer, address, or other information which specifies the identity and / or location of the object. The user also selects one or more methods to be invoked on the object and / or one or more properties to get / set on the object. Once the graphical program has been created, then during execution of the graphical program, the object node accesses the capabilities of the object.

A software development system develops a product from core library of source code elements, the core library being categorized into components having one or more features. A configurator develops configuration state data based on a designated platform type and the source code elements. A graphical user interface displays a visual and logical representation of the product according to the configuration state data, includine visual indications of any unresolved dependencies. A product make routine then generates the product from the source code elements according to the configuration state data.

A task management system including a task server linking a plurality of system users, including at least one task definer, at least one task requestor and at least one task fulfiller all linked over a communications link. The task server includes a task processor for processing tasks, a task memory for storing task definitions and one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for interfacing the system users to the task server to facilitate operation of said task processing system. The GUIs include task view interfaces, task fulfiller interfaces, which are used by task requesters and task fulfillers to request and fulfill tasks, respectively. The GUIs also include a plurality of administrative editor interfaces, which are used by task definers to define, group and sequence tasks.

The user is allowed to automatically generate a program by using a visual programming method and a system adopting the method for automatically generating a program wherein an object selection means 8 is used for selecting a behavioral graphical object defining the behavior of a load connected thereto, a behavior selection means 9 is used for selecting the type of the behavior of the behavioral graphical object, a relevant object selection means 10 is used for selecting relevant graphical objects related to the behavior of the behavioral graphical object and a behavioral rule setting means 11 is used for setting behavioral rules of the behavioral graphical object whereas a behavioral characteristic selection unit 3509 is used for selecting a behavior of a behavioral graphical object selected by using a behavioral object selection unit 3508, behavioral condition setting unit 3510 is used for setting conditions for the behavior of the behavioral graphical object and a relevant object selection unit 3511 is used for defining a relation.

The present invention relates to a method of dynamically modifying a deployed application including an embedded library, including: during execution of the application, the library transmitting a model about the visual appearance of the application to an editing component; receiving input from a user at the editing component to generate instructions utilising the model; and transmitting the instructions to the application which, in turn, modify the application. A system for dynamically modifying a deployment application is also disclosed.

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for interacting with a user to define business rules in a declarative manner. The invention operates to display a rule set as an editable list of conditions and an editable list of actions, the conditions and actions being linked to each other by the combination of an editable list of if-values and an editable list of then-values, wherein if-values and then-values are explicitly linked to each other, conditions and if-values are explicitly linked to each other, and then-values and actions are explicitly linked to each other in the displayed lists.

Systems and methods for user interface (UI) flagging. The methods involve setting a first visual indicator on or adjacent to a first UI element of a UI when code that generates the first UI element has been added to an application or modified so as to change at least one functional characteristic of the first UI element. The methods also involve setting a second visual indicator on a first UI object of the application when code that generates the first UI object has been modified so as to remove a second UI element therefrom. The visual indicators are set by adding UI flagging code to the code that generates the first UI element and / or first UI object. Also, third visual indicators can be set on or adjacent to second UI objects that have “trails” to the first UI element and / or the first UI object.

Software architectures, platforms, and data constructs are disclosed which provide a system for enabling a non-technical or lay user to perform discrete technical tasks necessary to build a complete network-based, multiuser application. The system also allows the user to have a uniform user experience throughout development of the application. For example, the platform can be used to construct and maintain an Internet or online Web site capable of handling e-commerce transactions or can be used to develop a customer relationship management system. A software architecture is described that enables many users to perform a variety of tasks via a wide-area network, such as an enterprise network or the Internet. The architecture has several services, systems, and an extensible database for storing data objects. The database has an underlying structure referred to as a schema that can be extended with previously undefined attributes without having to alter the basic format of the schema. The architecture also includes an integrated platform that enables each of the users to perform the tasks by controlling interaction or communication between the services and systems, and the extensible database.

The present invention provides a mobile application ecosystem comprising a mobile application development kit and store, both of which are implemented as web-based services such that creation, testing, and distribution of mobile applications, as well as discovery, investigation, and delivery of same, can all be performed using a standard web browser. The mobile application development kit offers common capabilities across all target mobile device brand and brand groups, allowing the same application construct to work unmodified on all, while building the application in a manner that is native to each, thereby avoiding any requirement to embed a separate common runtime or virtual machine on every mobile device.

Methods and apparatuses to enable the development, deployment and update of composite applications on mobile devices. In one embodiment, a method processor in a mobile device may include a workflow engine and a cache manager which looks ahead of the current execution of a workflow to preload modules. The method processor may present modal user interfaces in a non-modal way to eliminate flicker, and use a logger to stamp the workflow related data with real time measurements, such as time, location, and vehicle bus information. The logger may capture screen images and global data of the workflow during the execution. The log data stream may be collected and sent from the mobile device in real time, or in a batch mode, for monitoring, debugging, diagnosing or tuning the execution of a workflow, for providing hot update, help and guidance against deviation during the execution, and for other features.

A graphical user interface and method for creating a mapping between a source object and a destination or target object are provided. The user interface includes a source screen region which displays a graphical representation of a source object, a target screen region which displays a graphical representation of a target object, and a mapping screen region which allows a user to create a mapping between the graphical representation of the source object and the graphical representation of the target object using graphical mapping indicia. The methodology includes displaying a graphical representation of a source object in a source screen region, displaying a graphical representation of a target object in a target screen region, creating a mapping between the graphical representation of the source object and the graphical representation of the target object in a mapping screen region using graphical mapping indicia, and displaying the mapping in the mapping screen region. The source and target objects may be schemas, spreadsheets, documents, databases, or other information sources, and the graphical mapping indicia may include link indicia and / or function objects linking nodes in the target object with nodes in the source object. The mapping may be compiled into code used by a runtime engine to translate source documents into target documents.

Systems and methods for developing, customizing, and deploying mobile device applications are provided through a mobile application development and deployment platform. Preferably, these systems and methods are implemented in an Internet based environment that allows non-technical users to build sophisticated, highly-customizable cross-platform mobile applications. The platform allows users to select, input, create, customize, and combine various content, design characteristics, and application components, such as modules, some of which utilize features and functionality associated with various mobile devices and mobile operating systems. In certain embodiments, the platform allows users to compile, and generate a configuration file for, the mobile application that can be distributed to end users for execution on various mobile devices and mobile operating systems. When the mobile application is installed on, or executed by the mobile device, the configuration file may enable the retrieval of various data associated with the mobile application.

An integrated configuration viewing system for use in a process plant includes a computer readable memory and a plurality of template configuration objects stored on the computer readable memory. Each of the plurality of template configuration objects includes a graphical representation of a physical entity within the process plant, a parameter storage adapted to communicate with the process plant to obtain and store device parameter information associated with the physical entity within the process plant, and a configuration storage adapted to store configuration parameters associated with the physical entity within the process plant. A first routine is stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to present a library section on a user interface. The library section is adapted to present depictions of the plurality of template configuration objects to a user via the user interface. A second routine is stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to present a configuration area on the user interface. And a third routine is stored on the computer readable memory and adapted to be executed on the processor to enable a user to select one of the plurality of template configuration objects from the library section and to place the selected template configuration object within the configuration area to create a process configuration module within the configuration area.

A system and method for intelligently generating computer code. The system being comprised of a local computer, which is connected to a remote computer via a network system or the Internet and which is capable of exchanging files with the remote computer. The local computer is further comprised of a document manager for transferring files between the local computer and the remote computer and for providing enhanced file management functions. The document manager works in connection with the server module, the site manager and the connectivity layer to connect to remote computers, to transparently exchange files with the remote computer and to manage server profiles and connection information that is related to remote computers and transferred files. Once the file is transferred to the local computer, the editor can modify the code associated with the file; the editor is also capable of creating new files. The visualizer is capable of displaying a program flow diagram and a data flow diagram, which are comprised of program flow icons and data flow arrows to depict the code in terms of processing blocks and data blocks. To assist in developing new code or editing existing code, the template manager allows the user to browse through a directory of existing code sections or templates and to copy templates into the selected code for editing. For allowing the editor to process code that is written in different Data Management System programming languages and for creating the program flow icons, the parser layer detects the file type of a selected file and activates the rules and logic that apply to the corresponding Data Management System.

A system and method for creating a graphical program, wherein the graphical program is operable to invoke execution of textual code. The user selects a code node for inclusion in the graphical program, wherein the code node is displayed on the screen. The user then selects or enters textual code that is comprised in or displayed in the code node. The textual code may be code from a text-based language, such as Perl, Mathematica, or Java, etc., or may be a script from a scripting language. The user may manually enter the textual code into the code node, or import the textual code from a file. The textual code comprised in the code node is user viewable and editable. During execution of the graphical program, the code node is operable to invoke execution of the textual code comprised in the code node. The textual code is preferably executed by an instance of a server program. During execution of the graphical program, the graphical programming system provides the textual code to the server program, as well as any input data received by the code node. The server program then executes the textual code, using any input data received by the code node, and produces an output which is provided back to the graphical program. The present invention thus enables a user of a graphical programming system to more easily incorporate, view, edit and debug textual based code from within the graphical programming system.

A distributed spreadsheet application executes at a server and a client in a network. The networked spreadsheet application can generally be used without requiring a user to install any specific spreadsheet software prior to using the application. In one implementation, the spreadsheet application may include a client engine that executes within browser programs of a plurality of client computing devices and server logic. The server logic may be configured to distribute the client engines to the plurality of client computing devices of the spreadsheet application when requested through the browser programs of each of the plurality of client computing devices. The server logic synchronizes a single spreadsheet document that is simultaneously open at the plurality of client computing devices.

A system and method for programmatically generating a graphical program or a portion of a graphical program in response to receiving program information is disclosed. During execution of a graphical program generation (GPG) program, the GPG program receives program information specifying functionality of the graphical program to be generated. In one embodiment the program information does not specify specific nodes in the graphical program or connections among the nodes. In response to the program information, the GPG program programmatically generates a graphical program (or graphical program portion) that implements the specified functionality.

A multimedia authoring system uses a graphic interface display which is implemented as a part of a flow editor and is used to create and to program interactive multimedia presentations and coursework. The authoring system also includes other editors (e.g., a database editor, an expression editor, and an object editor) used to perform other editing functions required to create presentations. The system also includes control systems (e.g., an applications mover, a videodisc controller, and a help system) which also enable the user to create, program, execute and manipulate interactive multimedia presentations. Finally, the system includes an evaluator which evaluates a programmed presentation and implements the presentation. A process of creating and evaluating a presentation using selectable icons from an icon menu area of the display screen and a grid area of the display screen includes receiving an input selecting an icon from the icon menu area, storing in the memory a data structure associated with the selected icon, displaying a new icon corresponding to the data structure on the grid area, and performing an action represented by an action identifier included in the data structure.

Methods and systems are provided for partitioning and distributing the model processing of a graphical model to provide an executable form of the graphical model. The methods and systems determine tasks of the model processing that can be processed separately and concurrently from other tasks. A distribution scheme for distributing the model processing tasks is determined that considers the characteristics of the model processing tasks in view of the characteristics of available computing resources. Variations of partitioning and distributing the model processing tasks can be determined to provide for distributed processing in an optimized or desired manner. The results of the distributed processing of the model processing tasks are obtained and combined to provide an executable form for the graphical model.

A data integration method and system that enables data architects and others to simply load structured data objects (e.g., XML schemas, database tables, EDI documents or other structured data objects) and to visually draw mappings between and among elements in the data objects. From there, the tool auto-generates software program code required, for example, to programmatically marshal data from a source data object to a target data object.

A user may utilize a prototyping environment to create a sequence of motion control, machine vision, and / or data acquisition (DAQ) operations, e.g., without needing to write or construct code in any programming language. For example, the environment may provide a graphical user interface (GUI) enabling the user to develop / prototype the sequence at a high level, by selecting from and configuring a sequence of operations using the GUI. The prototyping environment application may then be operable to automatically, i.e., programmatically, generate graphical program code implementing the sequence. For example, the environment may generate a standalone graphical program operable to perform the sequence of operations.

An apparatus having a programmable processor and a memory for performing a plurality of user-selectable control functions includes a database for storing a plurality of items associated with each of the control functions. The items include, for each function, at least one procedure for performing an action associated with the control function and a specification of at least one state associated with the control function. The apparatus further includes software routines stored on the memory and adapted to be executed by the processor that facilitate selection of a procedure in the database, that access the database and cause performance of the selected procedure to achieve the state specified therein, and that monitor at least one resource associated with the action of the procedure and, based thereon, determine whether the specified state has been achieved.

An ink-enabled user interface for building a componentized workflow model. A touch screen display device allows each step of the workflow to be modeled as an activity that has metadata to describe design time aspects, compile time aspects, and runtime aspects of the workflow step. A user selects and arranges the activities via the touch screen device to create the workflow via user interfaces or application programming interfaces. The metadata associated with each of the activities in the workflow is collected to create a persistent representation of the workflow. Users extend the workflow model by authoring custom activities.