Flexible management user interface from management models
View Patent ↗A user interface is composed using methods and systems that allow modifying or re-using existing user interfaces, or creating new user interfaces. In providing for such interfaces, context-sensitive or context specific attributes that are associated with a particular user, user groups, and/or application(s) are used as the basis of composition. This allows for the dynamic creation of user interfaces based upon the situation.
1. A method performed at a computing network comprising:
providing a management model by a server computer of the computing network to a client computer of the computing network;
defining context-sensitive attributes particular to a higher level user interface by the server computer through the management model;
accessing a client side library of the client computer by the server computer through the management model, the client side library comprising data objects;
associating the data objects with the context-sensitive attributes by the server computer through the management model;
processing the context-sensitive attributes with the data objects by the server computer through the management model; and
implementing the higher level user interface by the server computer through the management model with artifacts that are associated with the data objects on the client computer, with the higher level user interface being connected to the artifacts via:
a) directly through a class of the artifacts associated with the higher level user interface; or
b) inheritance through all lower level user interfaces that are connected directly with respective lower level artifacts.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the defining context-sensitive attributes is directed to one or more of the following: user, user groups, computer, computer group, and application programs.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the management model based on the context-sensitive attributes.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the associating includes one or more of the following data objects: UI controls, tasks, available transactions, and management objects.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the associating is based on inheritance, wherein the association is based on higher level associations.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the presenting is performed by user interface model that that defines how the artifacts are presented on the user interface.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inheritance allows for filtering of properties of the lower level user interfaces.
8. A method performed at computing network comprising:
providing a management model by a server computer of the computing network to a client computer of the computing network, wherein the management model describes data objects used for a higher level user interface;
defining context-sensitive attributes particular to the higher level user interface by the server computer through the management model;
accessing a client side library of the client computer by the server computer through the management model, the client side library comprising data objects;
associating the data objects with the context-sensitive attributes by the server computer through the management model;
processing the context-sensitive attributes with the data objects by the server computer through the management model; and
implementing the higher user interface by the server computer through the management model with artifacts that are associated with the data objects on the client computer, with the higher level user interface being connected to the artifacts via:
a) directly through a class of the artifacts associated with the higher level user interface; or
b) inheritance through all lower level user interfaces that are connected directly with respective lower level artifacts;
receiving user commands directed to activation of one or more of the artifacts; and
acting on one or more application programs based on the user commands that are received.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the user interface model includes one or more of the following data objects: user interface controls, tasks, available transactions, and management objects.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the receiving is initiated by a user through a user interface device connected to the computing device.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the acting is performed by the management model.
12. A computer network comprising:
a client computer;
a server computer providing a management model to the client computer, the client computer comprising:
a processor;
a higher level user interface implemented by the processor, the processor controlled by the server computer through the management model, wherein the higher level user interface is generated based on context-sensitive attributes;
a user interface compositor that composes the higher level user interface with artifacts based on the management model and user interface model that associates the context-sensitive attributes; and
a library that is accessed by the client computer through the management model to provide data objects to the user interface compositor wherein the library includes data objects that are associated with the context-sensitive attributes, the data objects being associated with the artifacts, with the higher level user interface being connected to the artifacts via:
a) directly through a class of the artifacts associated with the higher level user interface; or
b) inheritance through all lower level user interfaces that are connected directly with respective lower level artifacts.
13. The computer of claim 12 , wherein the user interface is generated by the user interface model.
14. The computer of claim 12 , wherein the user interface supports a particular operating system.
15. The computer of claim 12 , wherein the user interface compositor further performs one or more of the following: instantiating user interfaces, accepting user activated instructions, deciding based on the user activated instructions which of available transitions to invoke, and determining queries to run.
16. The computer of claim 12 , wherein the data objects of the library include one or more of the following: user interface controls, tasks, available transactions, and management objects.
17. The computer of claim 12 , wherein the management model is described by system definition model.
18. The computer of claim 12 , further comprising input/output to receive and transmit over one or more networks, based on particular communication and transport protocols.