International Business Machines Corporation

Lok Tin Loi

Vladimir Klicnik

Sebastian Carbajales

Hiroshi Tsuji

Tak Seng Chau

John Mourra

Dirk Alexander Seelemann, Ii

Christopher Lawrence Brealey

Jeffrey Grant Johnston

David Martin Lauzon

Raymond L Kong

Xiaobin Zhang

Alina Y Rotarescu

Kelly Michelle Lalonde

The present invention provides an extensible dependency management framework and method. Specifically, the present invention provides dependency management handler(s) and dispatcher(s) (e.g., revalidation and/or refactoring). The handlers are created and registered by users of the framework. When a change to a resource is detected, a notification is received by a dispatcher from an external caller. Upon receipt, the dispatcher will query an index to identify dependents, and then call a dependency management handler associated with the changed resource to obtain and implement updates for the dependents. In so doing, a list of the dependents will be provided to the dependency management handler.

Extensible dependency management framework and method

A method of synchronizing artifacts of a first domain with artifacts of a second domain is provided. The method includes: loading a first set of transformed artifacts and a first artifact map from a first domain into a second domain; generating an association model based on an evaluation of the first artifact map and a second artifact map; comparing a first transformed artifact of the first set of transformed artifacts with a second artifact of a second set of artifacts corresponding to the second artifact map based on the association model; determining differences based on the comparing; and selectively updating the second artifact map based on the differences.

Synchronization of artifacts across different domains

Techniques for implicitly extending an object model, even those that do not provide an extension mechanism, in a manner that is transparent, independent, and non-disruptive to the model itself. An 'extension' is preferably created for each object to be extended, and comprises a reference to the object and contains an 'extension object' that specifies the particular extensions.

Model extension framework

The present invention provides a file management system that includes a file indexing framework that allows third parties to contribute index handlers that are responsible for populating index entries for the artifacts they own and/or generate. The framework manages the creation, maintenance, and update of the index, and calls the index handlers at appropriate times so they can parse files that they understand for values that need to be stored in the index. The framework also provides APIs for querying the standardized fields of the index, so applications can search for standard types of data contributed for any of the indexed files. The present invention also provides a mechanism to keep track of symbolic name associations for every file/entity in the system. Specifically, the present invention provides a session-based and transient shadow table of symbolic names previously used by the files (even beyond the lifetime of the files themselves).

File indexing framework and symbolic name maintenance framework

A solution for managing a set of artifacts for a runtime environment is provided, which enables improved tooling that supports runtime extensions to a runtime environment. In one embodiment, an extension handler is obtained for a runtime extension to the runtime environment. The runtime extension comprises a program code that can be included in the runtime environment to extend the default capabilities of a runtime engine/framework. The extension handler provides tooling support for extension artifacts that use/require the runtime extension. When a tooling request for an extension artifact is obtained, the tooling request is processed using the extension handler. In this manner, a tooling solution is shielded from needing to know the specifics of the extension artifact or corresponding runtime extension. Similarly, the developer of the extension handler for the runtime extension is shielded from needing to know any specifics of the tooling environment. As a result, the invention provides a tooling solution that is extensible to support the tooling requirements of an extensible runtime engine.

Artifact management for an extensible runtime environment

Conversion from a graphical representation to a structural, text-based representation of a business process. A method and system identifies shared nodes in the graphical representation having more than one incoming control connection. Segmenting a graph based on the initial graphical representation based on the location of the shared nodes. Converting each segment of the graph to a set of corresponding segment-based structural, text-based representations. Creating a resultant structural text-based representation comprising the set of corresponding representations in which each of the segment-based representations is defined to potentially execute concurrently. Generating synchronization elements in the resultant representation defined with reference to the incoming control connections of the previously identified shared nodes, while maintaining the semantics of the initial graphical representation in the resultant structural text-based representation.

System and method for conversion from graphical business process representations to structural text-based business process representations

A metadata repository for use in an integrated development environment is provided. The metadata repository is layered to define levels of common behaviour useful to different types of application development tools. The most general use tools have access to metadata at the level of simple constructed types; more specialised tools have access to components that contain properties of a target language; highly specialised tools have access to composed partitionable part metadata that can be used for constructing distributed applications.

Hierarchical metadata store for an integrated development environment

When data, such as tool data, is commonly accessible, there is a danger that concurrent user processes will make overlapping modifications and leave the data in an incomplete or incomprehensible state. The invention provides a locking mechanism to guard against this. The lock objects are maintained in pool or repository. Two types of lock objects are provided; shareable locks that may be shared by many user processes and permit only read access to the locked data, and exclusive locks, useable by only one user process at a time, that permit the owning process to modify the locked data.

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Toronto, Canada

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