Process flow builder for extensible web component sequences

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12106077-B2
Application number	US-202117301796-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2021
Priority date	Apr 14, 2021
Publication date	Oct 1, 2024
Grant date	Oct 1, 2024

Abstract

Database systems and methods are provided for visual design and customization of processes for web applications. One method involves obtaining, from a process flow builder graphical user interface (GUI) display at a client device, a sequence of configured components within a region of the process flow builder GUI display, automatically generating process flow code corresponding to the sequence of configured components within the region of the process flow builder GUI display, modifying one or more references within the process flow code from a first namespace associated with a first package corresponding to a virtual application supported by an application platform to a generic namespace, resulting in modified process flow code, and storing the modified process flow code to a location within a second package independent of the application platform.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
obtaining, from a process flow builder graphical user interface (GUI) display at a client device, a sequence of configured components within a region of the process flow builder GUI display;
automatically generating process flow code comprising one or more references to one or more configured web components corresponding to the sequence of configured components within the region of the process flow builder GUI display by compiling the sequence of configured components using a managed package namespace corresponding to a virtual application supported by an application platform;
after compiling the sequence of configured components into a compiled sequence of configured components using the managed package namespace associated with the application platform;
parsing the compiled sequence of configured components to identify the one or more references to the one or more configured web components within the managed package namespace; and
modifying the one or more references to the one or more configured web components within the managed package namespace associated with the process flow code to transform the compiled sequence of configured components from the managed package namespace to a generic namespace, wherein modifying the one or more references comprises replacing a reference to a field of a record in a database associated with the application platform within the compiled sequence of configured components with a platform-independent application programming interface (API) call for retrieving data from the field in the database, resulting in modified process flow code comprising the platform-independent API call for retrieving the data from the field of the record in the database and one or more references within the generic namespace to one or more counterpart components corresponding to the one or more configured web components supported by the application platform; and

storing the modified process flow code to a location within an off-platform package independent of the application platform.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generic namespace comprises an open source namespace.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
automatically generating the process flow code comprises creating a plurality of web components configurable to support the sequence of configured components within the region of the process flow builder GUI display using the managed package namespace associated with the application platform; and
modifying the one or more references comprises transforming the plurality of web components into a second plurality of web components configurable to support the sequence of configured components using the generic namespace.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising updating web page code of a web page file at the location to invoke the second plurality of web components.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the one or more references comprises parsing the process flow code to replace namespace references relative to the managed package namespace with updated namespace references relative to the generic namespace.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the one or more references comprises substituting executable open source code for implementing functionality of a platform-specific API at a corresponding location within an off-platform representation of a web component.

7. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, when executed by a processor, are configurable to cause said processor to perform operations comprising:
providing a process flow builder graphical user interface (GUI) display at a client device over a network, wherein the process flow builder GUI display comprises a menu of configurable components for integration in a web page;
obtaining, from the process flow builder GUI display, a sequence of configured components from the menu of configurable components added to a region on the process flow builder GUI display corresponding to a process flow for a web application;
automatically generating process flow code comprising one or more references to one or more configured web components corresponding to the sequence of configured components within the region of the process flow builder GUI display for implementing the process flow by compiling the sequence of configured components using a managed package namespace corresponding to a virtual application associated with an application platform;
after compiling the sequence of configured components into a compiled sequence of configured components using the managed package namespace associated with the application platform:
parsing the compiled sequence of configured components to identify the one or more references to the one or more configured web components within the managed package namespace; and
modifying one or more references to the one or more configured web components within the process flow code to transform the compiled sequence of configured components from the managed package namespace to a generic namespace independent of the application platform, wherein modifying the one or more references comprises replacing a reference to a field of a record in a database associated with the application platform within the compiled sequence of configured components with a platform-independent application programming interface (API) call for retrieving data from the field in the database, resulting in modified process flow code comprising the platform-independent API call for retrieving the data from the field of the record in the database and one or more references within the generic namespace to one or more counterpart components corresponding to the one or more configured web components supported by the application platform; and

downloading the modified process flow code to an off-platform package at a static resource on the network.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the generic namespace comprises an open source namespace.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions are configurable to cause said processor to:
automatically generate the process flow code by creating a plurality of web components configurable to support the sequence of configured components within the region of the process flow builder GUI display using the managed package namespace associated with the application platform; and
modify the one or more references by transforming the plurality of web components into a second plurality of web components configurable to support the sequence of configured components using the generic namespace.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions are configurable to cause said processor to update web page code of a web page file to invoke the second plurality of web components.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions are configurable to cause said processor to modify the one or more references by parsing the process flow code to replace namespace references relative to the managed package namespace with updated namespace references relative to the generic namespace.

12. A system comprising:
a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium that stores software; and
a processor, coupled to the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, to execute the software that implements a visual process design service and that is configurable to:
provide a process flow builder graphical user interface (GUI) display at a client device over a network, wherein the process flow builder GUI display comprises a menu of con

Assignees

• Salesforce Com Inc
• Salesforce Inc

Inventors

• Stone David
• Garcia Armando I Ruiz
• Gao Jun

Classifications

• G06F8/76

  Adapting program code to run in a different environment; Porting · CPC title

• G06F8/36

  Software reuse · CPC title

• G06F16/958

  Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title