System and method for building an application on a computing device which includes an environment-controlling process
View Patent ↗Disclosed is a system and method of creating a build on a computer. The process involves special files which are checked into a version controlling system. One of these files includes only those parameters which are particular to the environment in the build is going to occur. This file may be edited by the programmer, enabling that programmer to configure the application for different environments. These environmental configurations by simply editing the environmental file on the first computing device, and these changes will later be propagated to all the server classes in the second computing device that make up the application.
1. A method of building an application having one or more versions, said method including the steps of:
providing a first computing device;
providing a second computing device having a controlling process for an environment, said environment having parameters, said controlling process managing at least one group of servers in said environment;
selecting at least one file directed to a selectable version of said application from said one or more versions using said first computing device for the purpose of building the selectable version of the application on said second computing device;
deleting said at least one group of servers which are associated with the application using said controlling process wherein said deleting step comprises the additional step of: including as said at least one file, an environmental-configuration file, which includes a plurality of environmental configurations for the parameters of the controlling process environment;
creating at least one new server group in the environment; and
building said selectable version of said application on said second computing device.
2. The method of claim 1 including the step of:
using said environmental-configuration file to message the controller to accomplish the deleting step.
3. The method of claim 1 including the step of:
including scripts within said environmental-configuration file;
using said scripts to message the controller to accomplish the deleting step.
4. The method of claim 3 comprising the additional step of:
using said scripts to configure new server groups in the environment.
5. The method of claim 3 comprising the additional step of:
providing a command interface for enabling said scripts to message said controller.
6. The method of claim 5 comprising:
selecting Pathcom™ as the command interface which is provided for enabling said scripts to message said controller.
7. The method of claim 1 comprising:
providing a scheduler;
creating a build schedule using said scheduler;
repeating the selecting, deleting, and building steps according to said build schedule.
8. The method of claim 7 including the step of:
creating said build schedule such that the selecting locating, deleting, and building steps to occur daily.
9. The method of claim 1 comprising:
enabling the selecting locating, deleting, and building steps to occur on-demand.
10. The method of claim 1 including the additional steps of:
checking said selectable version of said application into a version control system;
associating the selectable version with a tag; and
referencing said selectable version in a version control system using said tag in order to accomplish said selecting step.
11. The method of claim 1 comprising:
including in said selectable version of the application an environmental-configuration containing XML file.
12. The method of claim 11 comprising:
including in said selectable version of the application an object-XML file.
13. The method of claim 12 comprising:
including with said selectable version of said application a plurality of XSL files.
14. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon to perform a method comprising: providing a first file that substantially includes only the parameters for configuration of an application that do no depend upon a specific environment; providing a second file that substantially includes only the parameters for configuration of said application that are environment-specific wherein said first and second files are accessed by a first computing device to enable the building of an application on a second computing device, wherein building an application includes the step of deleting said at least one group of servers which are associated with the application using said controlling process including as said at least one file, an environmental-configuration file, which includes a plurality of environmental configurations for the parameters of the controlling process environment.
15. The computer-storage media of claim 14 in which said first and second files are XML files.
16. The computer-storage media of claim 14 in which the second file further comprises:
a label for identifying an environment into which the application is to be run;
a group of environmental parameters which are specific to the environment, but not specific to the application; and
a group of application parameters which are specific to the environment.
17. The computer-storage media of claim 16 in which said second file further comprises:
a number of parameters specific to at least one server.
18. The computer-storage media of claim 17 , further comprising:
a set of scripts that accept the first and second files as inputs to create output files that are useable in the second computing device.
19. The computer-storage media of claim 14 in which the environmental requirements of an environment in the second computing device may be configured by editing said second file in said first computing device making the application dynamically adaptable to multiple environments in the second computing device.
20. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of building an application, said method comprising: providing a first file first file that substantially includes only the parameters for configuration of an application that do no depend upon a specific environment; providing a second file that substantially includes only the parameters for configuration of said application that are environment; a first computing device utilizing said first and second files to access selectable files to enable the building an application on a second device, wherein building an application includes the step of deleting said at least one group of servers which are associated with the application using said controlling process, including as said at least one file, an environmental-configuration file, which includes a plurality of environmental configurations for the parameters of the controlling process environment.
21. The computer-storage media of claim 20 , further comprising:
creating said first and second files in XML.
22. The computer-storage media of claim 21 , further comprising:
identifying an environment into which the application is to be run using a label;
including a group of environmental parameters in said second file which are specific to the environment, but not specific to the application; and
including a group of application parameters in said second file which are specific to the environment.
23. The computer-storage media of claim 22 , further comprising:
including a number of parameters specific to at least one server in said second file.
24. The computer-storage media of claim 23 , further comprising:
including in said second file a script that accepts the first and second files as inputs to create output files that are useable in the second computing device.
25. The computer-storage media of claim 20 , further comprising:
dynamically adapting the application to multiple environments in said second computing device by editing said second file.