Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Jochen Seemann

Stuart J H Kent

Gareth A Jones

Stephen J Cook

Patrick Shyhuei Tseng

Alan Cameron Wills

Use of declarative constraints in an error validation framework of a graphical modeling tool. The declarative constraints define one or more rules that objects of a graphical model should adhere to. When enforced against the graphical model, objects that do not conform to the rules may be identified. A declarative relationship between the non-conforming object and its visual representation in a graphical diagram may be used to allow for visually identifying the visual representation in the graphical diagram.

Error handling using declarative constraints in a graphical modeling tool

Source code of a graphical designer application may be generated from a definition of graphical elements that can be employed to develop graphical models using the graphical designer application, a definition of one or more object types that can be represented in graphical models developed using the graphical designer application, and a definition of a mapping between the one or more object types and the graphical elements. One or more of these definitions may be stored within a file formatted in accordance with a markup language such as SGML or XML. The graphical designer application may be customized and extended by modifying one or more of the definitions and regenerating the source code and/or by modifying the source code itself. One or more of the definitions may be generated based on a graphical designer template corresponding to a particular model domain.

Generating a graphical designer application for developing graphical models

Dynamically laying out a graphical diagram based on a graph-like visual language into a two dimensional tree-like structure to allow ease of user interaction with and optimal display. A graphical tree-like structure is displayed that includes at least one branch that starts at the root of the tree-like structure and includes one or more sub-portions that are configured to be modified in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction. The sub-portions represent an overall object model in terms of functional relationships and internal behaviors for one or more objects, attributes, operations, and associations. User input is received that modifies one or more of the sub-portions other than the end portion. Based on the user input, one or more sub-portions are modified horizontally, vertically, or both to allow for ease of user interaction, optimization of the display of the graphical tree-like structure or both.

Two dimensional trees to edit graph-like diagrams

The reuse of one or more shared components of graphical modeling tools amongst multiple graphical modeling tools. Graphical designers, or graphical modeling tools, allow for the construction of graphical representations of models in which objects, object properties, and object interrelationships may be visualized. Thus, a variety of graphical modeling tools may be supported and populated with portions of other graphical modeling tools.

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Duvall, WA, United States of America

Jochen Seemann