Sub-graph interface generation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10671669-B2
Application number	US-201615384508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2016
Priority date	Dec 21, 2015
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

A specification including a description of a first directed graph including a first plurality of components interconnected by a first set of one or more directed links is received. A graph interface is formed for the first plurality of components including: forming a first interface element of the graph interface, the first interface element being associated with a first port of a first component of the first number of components, and configuring one or more properties of the first interface element such that the first port of the first component is consistent with the one or more properties of the first interface element. A first implementation of the graph interface is formed including the first number of components, the forming including forming a first correspondence between the first interface element and the first port of the first component of the first number of components.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method including:
receiving a specification including a description of a first directed graph including a first plurality of components interconnected by a first set of one or more directed links;
forming a graph interface for the first plurality of components including,
forming a first flow junction of the graph interface, the first flow junction representing a connection between a flow of data outside the graph interface to or from a port of a component not in the first plurality of components, and a flow of data inside the graph interface to or from a first port of a first component of the first plurality of components, and
configuring one or more properties of the first flow junction such that the first port of the first component is consistent with the one or more properties of the first flow junction;

forming a first implementation of the graph interface including the first plurality of components, the forming including forming a first correspondence between the first flow junction and the first port of the first component of the first plurality of components; and
storing, separately from the specification, both the graph interface and the first implementation of the graph interface in a data storage system.

2. The method of claim 1 further including storing, in the data storage system, a specification including a description of a second directed graph including a second plurality of components interconnected by a second set of one or more directed links, identifying an instance of the first plurality of components interconnected by the first set of one or more directed links of the first directed graph in the second directed graph, and replacing the identified instance of the first plurality of components interconnected by the first set of one or more directed links in the second directed graph with the graph interface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring the one or more properties of the first flow junction includes determining one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the first port of the first component and configuring the one or more properties of the first flow junction based on the determined one or more descriptors.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein configuring the one or more properties of the first flow junction based on the determined one or more descriptors includes determining a direction of propagation of one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the first port of the first component and configuring the one or more properties of the first flow junction based on the determined direction of propagation.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein determining a direction of propagation of one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the first port of the first component includes identifying the first port as a port that propagates descriptors of data or computational characteristics to the first flow junction and assigning an outward direction of propagation to the first flow junction based on the identification.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein determining a direction of propagation of one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the first port of the first component includes identifying the first port as a port that does not propagate descriptors of data or computational characteristics to the first flow junction and assigning an inward direction of propagation to the first flow junction based on the identification.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein forming the graph interface includes:
forming a second flow junction of the graph interface, the second flow junction representing a connection between a flow of data outside the graph interface to or from a port of a component not in the first plurality of components, and a flow of data inside the graph interface to or from a second port of a second component of the first plurality of components;
determining a direction of propagation of one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the second port of the second component including identifying the second port as a port that does not propagate descriptors of data or computational characteristics to the second flow junction and assigning an inward direction of propagation to the second flow junction based on the identification; and
identifying a relationship between the one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the first port of the first component and the one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the second port of the second component and forming a representation of the identified relationship between the first flow junction and the second flow junction.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the representation of the relationship includes a constraint indicating that one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the first flow junction are the same as one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the second flow junction.

9. The method of claim 1 further including modifying the one or more properties of the first flow junction such that ports of one or more other components conform to the one or more properties of the first flow junction.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein modifying the one or more properties of the first flow junction includes receiving user input and modifying the one or more properties of the first flow junction based on the user input.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein modifying the one or more properties of the first flow junction includes analyzing the one or more other components to determine one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the ports of the one or more other components and modifying the one or more properties of the first flow junction based on the determined one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the ports of the one or more other components.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein modifying the one or more properties of the first flow junction includes analyzing the one or more other components to determine a direction of propagation of one or more descriptors of data or computational characteristics associated with the ports of the one or more other components and modifying the one or more properties of the first flow junction based on the determined direction of propagation.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the graph interface further includes identifying a parameter associated with the first plurality of components and adding an flow junction associated with the parameter to the graph interface.

14. The method of claim 13 further including identifying a parameter value corresponding to the parameter and configuring the graph interface to use the identified parameter value as a default value.

15. The method of claim 2 further including preparing the second directed graph for execution including:
reading the first implementation of the graph interface from the data storage system, and
inserting the first implementation into the second directed graph including establishing a directed link between the first port of the first component of the first plurality of components in the first implementation of the graph interface and the first flow junction of the graph interface based on the first correspondence between the first flow junction and the first port of the first component of the first plurality of components in the first implement

Assignees

• Ab Initio Technology Llc

Inventors

• Abaya Victor T
• Bryan Russell L
• Larson Brond
• Offner Carl
• Teven Daniel J

Classifications

• G06F8/34

  Graphical or visual programming · CPC title

• G06F16/22

  Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures · CPC title

• G06F16/9024 Primary

  Graphs; Linked lists (G06F16/9027 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F16/211

  Schema design and management · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title