Method and apparatus for building an application interface
View Patent ↗Embodiments of the invention comprise a design tool for designing an application interface. The design tool includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that visually represents a hierarchy of data and the relationships between the data. Thus, the design tool eliminates the need for an interface designer to have independent knowledge of the structure of the data (i.e., the data fields and relationships between the data). The design tool's GUI represents the data and the relationships between the data in a hierarchical display referred to as a data palette. An output hierarchy comprised of output levels is created as the user selects fields from the data palette to be displayed in the application's interface. When a data field is selected, the design tool automatically determines the appropriate interface component and output level of the output hierarchy using the relationships defined for the data. Output levels are associated with interface components that comprise the application's interface. Examples of interface components that can be used in the application's interface include a form, view and subband.
1. A computer implemented method of building an application having one or more user interface components for hierarchically displaying a primary data table having a set of data fields stored at a relational database and providing an indication of relationships between one or more data fields stored at the relational database comprising:
obtaining hierarchical display information from the relational database regarding the set of data fields associated with the primary data table and relationships defined for said data fields;
creating a hierarchical display that displays at least the set of data fields associated with the primary data table and relationships defined for said data fields;
selecting from said hierarchical display at least one data field of said set of data fields;
assigning a selected one of said data fields to at least one of the one or more user interface components;
generating an output hierarchy using said relationships to automatically provide a plurality of output levels, the plurality of output levels comprising at least one user interface component for displaying at least one data field having a relationship with said selected data field within said set of data fields; and
displaying said output hierarchy, wherein each of said plurality of output levels displays a level of detail associated with said selected data field.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more of said relationships obtained from the relational database comprise a many-to-one relationship.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more of said relationships obtained from the relational database comprise a one-to-one relationship.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said assigning a selected one of said data fields is performed automatically.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said interface component comprises a form.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said interface component comprises a view.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said interface component comprises a subband.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating an output hierarchy using said relationships step further comprises traversing a table hierarchy to identify one of said plurality of output levels for said selected data field.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of output levels comprises a child output level associated with the primary table output level.
10. A computer implemented system for building an application having one or more user interface components for hierarchically displaying a primary data table having a set of data fields stored at a relational database and providing an indication of relationships between one or more data fields stored at the relational database comprising:
computer readable medium encoded with a computer program configured to cause a computer device to obtain hierarchical display information from the relational database regarding the set of data fields associated with the primary data table and relationships defined for said data fields;
computer readable medium encoded with a computer program configured to cause a computer device to create a hierarchical display that displays the set of data fields associated with the primary data table and relationships defined for said data fields;
computer readable medium encoded with a computer program configured to allow a user to select from said hierarchical display at least one data field of said set of data fields;
computer readable medium encoded with a computer program configured to cause the computer device to assign a selected one of said data fields to at least one of the one or more user interface components;
computer readable medium encoded with a computer program configured to cause the computer device to generate an output hierarchy using said relationships to automatically provide a plurality of output levels, each of said plurality of output levels comprising at least one interface component for displaying at least one data field having a relationship with said selected data field within said set of data fields; and
computer readable medium encoded with a computer program configured to cause the computer device to display said output hierarchy, wherein each of said plurality of output levels displays a level of detail associated with said selected data field.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein one or more of said relationships obtained from the relational database comprise a many-to-one relationship.
12. The system of claim 10 wherein one or more of said relationships obtained from the relational database comprise a one-to-one relationship.
13. The system of claim 10 wherein said computer code configured to cause the computer device to assign a selected one of said data fields is configured to perform said assignment automatically.
14. The system of claim 10 wherein said interface component comprises a form.
15. The system of claim 10 wherein said interface component comprises a view.
16. The system of claim 10 wherein said interface component comprises a subband.
17. The system of claim 10 wherein said computer code configured to cause a computer to generate an output hierarchy using said relationships further comprises computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to traverse a table hierarchy to identify on of said plurality of output levels for said selected data field.
18. The system of claim 10 wherein at least one of said plurality of output levels comprises a child output level associated with the primary table output level.