Automatic extraction, modeling, and code mapping of application user interface display screens and components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9338063-B2
Application number	US-201514705109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2015
Priority date	Jan 29, 2013
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

Managing user applications is provided. A display screen data package that includes images of user interface display screens of a user application located on a client device and screen position coordinates corresponding to components displayed within the user interface display screens is received from the client device via a network. The display screen data package is parsed to identify each component within each of the user interface display screens. A visual model of user interface display screens of a user application is generated. A runtime policy for each component in a selected set of components within the user interface display screens of the user application is generated based on user interaction with the generated visual model of the user interface display screens. The generated runtime policy for each component in the selected set of components is sent to the client device via the network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer implemented method for managing user applications, the computer implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a computer, a display screen data package that includes images of user interface display screens of a user application located on a client device and screen position coordinates corresponding to components displayed within the user interface display screens from the client device via a network;
responsive to the computer parsing the display screen data package to identify each component within each of the user interface display screens of the user application, generating, by the computer, a visual model of the user interface display screens by mapping the components displayed within the user interface display screens to screen position coordinates and by mapping the screen position coordinates corresponding to the components to original source code of the user application;
generating, by the computer, a runtime policy for each component in a selected set of components within the user interface display screens of the user application based on user interaction with the generated visual model of the user interface display screens;
sending, by the computer, the generated runtime policy for each component in the selected set of components within the user interface display screens of the user application to the client device via the network; and
tracking, by the computer, activity of each component in the selected set of components within the user interface display screens of the user application running on the client device using data that is tracked and logged on the client device based on the generated runtime policy for each component in the selected set of components.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
associating, by the computer, labels with the components displayed within the user interface display screens of the user application in the generated visual model.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
displaying, by the computer, a rendering of a user interface display screen that is currently being displayed on the client device on a display device coupled to the computer.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
mapping, by the computer, the screen position coordinates corresponding to the components displayed within the user interface display screens to defined areas within the user interface display screens.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining, by the computer, whether a runtime policy corresponding to a particular component within a user interface display screen of the user application located on the client device has been modified; and
responsive to the computer determining that the runtime policy corresponding to the particular component within the user interface display screen of the user application located on the client device has been modified, sending, by the computer, the modified runtime policy corresponding to the particular component within the user interface display screen of the user application to registered client devices that include the user application via the network.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the computer maps the screen position coordinates corresponding to the components to the original source code of the user application without accessing the original source code of the user application.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Ligman Joseph W
• Pistoia Marco
• Ponzo John J
• Thomas Gegi

Classifications

• G06F21/552 Primary

  involving long-term monitoring or reporting · CPC title

• H04L41/22 Primary

  comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04L41/0226

  Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols · CPC title

• H04L67/535

  Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34) · CPC title