Method to create a declarative model that dynamically drives both a UI and the back-end runtime with a one to one correspondence

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11003465-B2
Application number	US-201715440914-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2017
Priority date	Feb 23, 2017
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

A system executes an operation in a back end system by creating a declarative language definition of the operation for execution of the operation. The declarative language definition defines at least one input required to execute the operation, and comprises user interface template information for a user interface template that accepts at least one input. The system dynamically generates a user interface panel from the declarative language definition. The user interface panel is generated from the user interface template, and comprises at least one input field. The system receives from a user through the user interface panel the input and an invocation of the operation, and executes the operation using the declarative language definition of the operation and the input received via the user interface panel. The system maintains synchronization between the back end system and a user interface by performing modifications of the operation within the declarative language definition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of executing an operation in a back end system, the method comprising:
creating a plurality of declarative language definitions of a plurality of operations available for execution at the back end system on data in a database, the plurality of declarative language definitions defining the plurality of operations and comprising interface template information for a plurality of user interface templates corresponding to the plurality of operations,
wherein each given declarative language definition of the plurality of declarative language definitions defines a given operation of the plurality of operations and at least one argument required to be inputted by a user invoking the given operation, the at least one given argument required to execute the given operation on the data in the database,
wherein each given declarative language definition of the plurality of declarative language definitions further comprises given interface template information for a given user interface template of the plurality of user interface templates corresponding to the given operation, the given user interface template comprising information for at least one input field for accepting an input of the at least one argument from the user;

during runtime:
receiving, by the back end system, a request from a web browser client for the plurality of operations available for execution at the back end system on the data in the database;
compiling, by the back end system and in response to the request, the plurality of declarative language definitions for the plurality of operations;
sending, by the back end system, the plurality of declarative language definitions to the web browser client;
in response to receiving the plurality of declarative language definitions, presenting on a user interface, by the web browser client, the plurality of operations according to the plurality of declarative language definitions;
receiving, by the web browser client, a user selection of a given data in the database and the given operation;
in response to receiving the user selection of the given operation, generating, by the web browser client, a given user interface panel for the given operation using the given user interface template comprised in the given declarative language definition, wherein the given user interface panel comprises the at least one input field for accepting the at least one argument to be input by the user;
receiving, by the web browser client through the given user interface panel, the at least one argument input by the user and an invocation of the given operation to be executed on the given data in the database;
inserting, by the web browser, the at least one argument input by the user into the given declarative language definition;
sending, by the web browser client, the given declarative language definition comprising the inserted at least one argument and the invocation of the given operation to the back end system; and

in response to receiving the given declarative language definition comprising the inserted at least one argument and the invocation of the given operation, executing, by the back end system, the given operation on the given data in the database using the given declarative language definition of the given operation comprising the inserted at least one argument.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
maintaining synchronization between the given operation in the back end system and the given user interface panel by performing modifications of the given operation within the given declarative language definition.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the given operation on the given data in the database using the given declarative language definition of the given operation comprising the inserted at least one argument comprises:
obtaining, from the given declarative language definition, metadata to facilitate the execution of the given operation on the given data in the database using the at least one argument;
transmitting, from the back end system, to the web browser client, a result of the execution of the given operation on the given data in the database; and
rendering, by the web browser client, the result of the execution of the given operation on the given data in the database.

4. A computer program product for executing an operation in a back end system, the computer program product comprising:
a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a computer processor to:
create a plurality of declarative language definitions of a plurality of operations available for execution at the back end system on data in a database, the plurality of declarative language definitions defining the plurality of operations and comprising interface template information for a plurality of user interface templates corresponding to the plurality of operations,
wherein each given declarative language definition of the plurality of declarative language definitions defines a given operation of the plurality of operations and at least one argument required to be inputted by a user invoking the given operation, the at least one given argument required to execute the given operation on the data in the database,
wherein each given declarative language definition of the plurality of declarative language definitions further comprises given interface template information for a given user interface template of the plurality of user interface templates corresponding to the given operation, the given user interface template comprising information for at least one input field for accepting an input of the at least one argument from the user;

during runtime:
receive, by the back end system, a request from a web browser client for the plurality of operations available for execution at the back end system on the data in the database;
compile, by the back end system and in response to the request, the plurality of declarative language definitions for the plurality of operations;
send, by the back end system, the plurality of declarative language definitions to the web browser client;
in response to receiving the plurality of declarative language definitions, present on a user interface, by the web browser client, the plurality of operations according to the plurality of declarative language definitions;
receive, by the web browser client, a user selection of a given data in the database and the given operation;
in response to receiving the user selection of the given operation, generate a given user interface panel for the given operation using the given user interface template comprised in the given declarative language definition, wherein the given user interface panel comprises the at least one input field for accepting the at least one argument to be input by the user;
receive, by the web browser client through the given user interface panel, the at least one argument input by the user and an invocation of the given operation to be executed on a given data in the database;
insert, by the web browser, the at least one argument input by the user into the given declarative language definition;
send, by the web browser client, the given declarative language definition comprising the inserted at least one argument and the invocation of the given operation to the back end system; and
in response to receiving the given declarative language definition comprising the inserted at least one argument and the invocation of the given operation, execute, by the back end system, the given operation to be executed on the given data in the database using the given declarative language definition comprising the inserted at least one argument.

5. The computer program product of claim 4 further configured to:
maintain

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Hiremath Jay
• Mamou Jean-Claude
• Nusbickel Wendi L
• Hagelund Peter

Classifications

• G06F8/38

  for implementing user interfaces · CPC title

• G06F9/451 Primary

  Execution arrangements for user interfaces · CPC title