Hierarchical modular software packages and associated development tool
View Patent ↗A hierarchical modular software development tool provides a graphical user interface to allow development of hierarchical module software components. The software development tool allows graphical creation of a software component processing hierarchy and then generates a software component using this specified processing hierarchy. The packages developed using this tool are able to include event modules that allow sub-branches of the software component processing hierarchy to be executed without requiring processing of modules of the software component hierarchy that precede the event nodes. Further nodes that are able to be included in the processing hierarchy include action nodes, that contain operational software, and conditional nodes that allow condition testing and conditional execution of processing branches.
1. A computer implemented method for developing a modular software component, the method comprising:
using a processor to perform the following:
providing a graphical user interface adapted to accept operator inputs;
defining, through the graphical user interface, a hierarchical representation for at least one software component, the hierarchical representation comprising:
an event node able to be associated with a selected external event such that child nodes of the event nodes execute in response to an occurrence of the selected external event;
at least one action node arranged as a child node to the event node within the hierarchical representation, the at least one action node having a respective associated child software action module; and
a parent node arranged as a parent node to the event node within the hierarchical representation, the parent node having an associated parent software action module,
the hierarchical representation indicating that the respective associated child software action module executes:
in the absence of an occurrence of the selected external event associated with the event node and
in response to completion of execution of the complete parent software action module associated with the parent node, and
the respective associated child action module executes in response to an occurrence of the selected external event associated with the event node in the absence of execution the parent software module;
accepting an input through the graphical user interface, the input identifying the selected event external to the software component and the input also identifying the selected software component within the at least one software component;
associating, in response to the accepting through the graphical user interface, the event node with the selected external event external to the software component; and
creating a software package comprising the child software action module and the parent software action module as defined by the hierarchical representation,
the child software action module is executes independently of execution of the parent software action module and in response to the selected external event and
the child software action module executes upon completion of execution of the complete parent software action module.
2. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 , further comprising distributing the software package to a plurality of computer workstations for execution on each computer workstation within the plurality of computer workstations.
3. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the software package comprising the child software action module and the parent software action module as defined by the hierarchical representation is for altering a configuration of a computer workstation.
4. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the hierarchical representation comprises a plurality of nodes, each node in the plurality of nodes being selected, through the graphical user interface, from a set of pre-defined nodes comprising all of:
an event node being associated, through the graphical user interface, with the selected external event,
an action node being associated, through the graphical user interface, with an executable software module,
a condition node defining, through the graphical user interface, at least one conditional to be satisfied in order to execute child action modules, and
a combination module defined, through the graphical user interface, as a combination of a plurality of the event modules, the action modules and the condition modules, and
wherein the child software node is selected from at least one of the event node and the combination node.
5. The computer implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the software package is for controlling a computer workstation.
6. A non-transitory machine readable medium tangibly encoded with computer software component, the computer software component comprising:
a hierarchical representation comprising:
an event node able to be associated with a selected external event such that child nodes of the event nodes execute in response to an occurrence of the selected external event;
at least one action node arranged as a child node to the event node within the hierarchical representation, the at least one action node having a respective associated child software action module; and
a parent node arranged as a parent node to the event node within the hierarchical representation, the parent node having an associated parent software action module,
the hierarchical representation indicating that the respective associated child software action module executes:
in the absence of an occurrence of the selected external event associated with the event node and
in response to completion of execution of the complete parent software action module associated with the parent node, and
the respective associated child action module executes in response to an occurrence of the selected external event associated with the event node in the absence of execution of the parent software module;
the event node being associated with a selected external event external to the software component; and
at least one child software action module,
wherein the child software action module is a child of the parent software action module as defined by the hierarchical representation,
wherein of the child software action module executes independently of execution of the parent software action module and in response to the selected external event and
the child software action module executes upon completion of execution of the complete parent software action module.
7. The computer software component according to claim 6 , wherein the hierarchical representation comprises a plurality of nodes, each node in the plurality of nodes being selected, through the graphical user interface, from a set of pre-defined nodes comprising all of:
an event node being associated, through the graphical user interface, with the selected external event,
an action node being associated, through the graphical user interface, with an executable software module,
a condition node defining, through the graphical user interface, at least one conditional to be satisfied in order to execute child action modules, and
a combination module defined, through the graphical user interface, as a combination of a plurality of the event modules, the action modules and the condition modules, and
wherein the child software node is selected from at least one of the event node and the combination node.
8. A software development system adapted to developing a modular software component, the software development system comprising:
a graphical user interface adapted to:
accepting operator inputs;
defining a hierarchical representation for at least one software component, the hierarchical representation comprising:
an event node able to be associated with a selected external event such that child nodes of the event nodes execute in response to an occurrence of the selected external event;
at least one action node arranged as a child execution node to the event node within the hierarchical representation, the at least one action node having a respective associated child software action module; and
a parent node arranged as a parent node to the event node within the hierarchical representation, the parent node having an associated parent software action module,
the hierarchical representation indicating that the respective associated child software action module executes:
in the absence of an occurrence of the selected external event associated with the event node and
in response to completion of execution of the complete parent software action module associated with the parent node, and
the respective associated child action module executes in response to an occurrence of the selected external event associated with the event node in the absence of execution of the parent software module; and
accepting an input through the graphical user interface, the input identifying the selected event external to the software component and the input also identifying the selected software component within the at least one software component;
an event manager adapted to associating, through the graphical user interface and in response to the accepting, the event node with the selected external event external to the software component; and
a software component generator adapted to creating a software package comprising the child software action module and the parent software action module as defined by the hierarchical representation,
the child software action module executes independently of execution of the parent software action module and in response to the selected external event and
the child software action module executes upon completion of execution of the complete parent software action module.
9. The software development system according to claim 8 , further comprising a software distribution processor adapted to distributing the software package to a plurality of computer workstations for execution on each computer workstation within the plurality of computer workstations.
10. The software development system according to claim 8 , wherein the software component generator is further adapted to adapting the software package comprising the child software action module and the parent software action module as defined by the hierarchical representation for altering a configuration of a computer workstation.
11. The software development system according to claim 8 , wherein the hierarchical representation comprises a plurality of nodes, each node in the plurality of nodes being selected, through the graphical user interface, from a set of pre-defined nodes comprising all of:
an event node being associated, through the graphical user interface, with the selected external event,
an action node being associated, through the graphical user interface, with an executable software module,
a condition node defining, through the graphical user interface, at least one conditional to be satisfied in order to execute child action modules, and
a combination module defined, through the graphical user interface, as a combination of a plurality of the event modules, the action modules and the condition modules, and
wherein the child software node is selected from at least one of the event node and the combination node.
12. A non-transitory machine readable medium tangibly encoded with a machine executable program, the machine executable program comprising instructions for:
providing a graphical user interface adapted to accept operator inputs;
defining, through the graphical user interface, a hierarchical representation for at least one software component, the hierarchical representation comprising:
an event node able to be associated with a selected external event such that child nodes of the event nodes execute in response to an occurrence of the selected external event;
at least one action node arranged as a child node to the event node within the hierarchical representation, the at least one action node having a respective associated child software action module; and
a parent node arranged as a parent node to the event node within the hierarchical representation, the parent node having an associated parent software action module,
the hierarchical representation indicating that the respective associated child software action module executes:
in the absence of an occurrence of the selected external event associated with the event node and
in response to completion of execution of the complete parent software action module associated with the parent node, and
the respective associated child action module executes in response to an occurrence of the selected external event associated with the event node in the absence of execution the parent software module;
accepting an input through the graphical user interface, the input identifying the selected event external to the software component and the input also identifying the selected software component within the at least one software component;
associating, in response to the accepting through the graphical user interface, the event node with the selected external event external to the software component; and
creating a software package comprising the child software action module and the parent software action module as defined by the hierarchical representation,
the child software action module executes independently of execution of the parent software action module and in response to the selected external event and
the child software action module executes upon completion of execution of the complete parent software action module.
13. The machine readable medium according to claim 12 , the machine executable program further comprising instructions for distributing the software package to a plurality of computer workstations for execution on each computer workstation within the plurality of computer workstations.
14. The machine readable medium according to claim 12 , wherein the software package comprising the child software action module and the parent software action module as defined by the hierarchical representation is for altering a configuration of a computer workstation.
15. The machine readable medium according to claim 12 , wherein the hierarchical representation comprises a plurality of nodes, each node in the plurality of nodes being selected, through the graphical user interface, from a set of pre-defined nodes comprising all of:
an event node being associated, through the graphical user interface, with the selected external event,
an action node being associated, through the graphical user interface, with an executable software module,
a condition node defining, through the graphical user interface, at least one conditional to be satisfied in order to execute child action modules, and
a combination module defined, through the graphical user interface, as a combination of a plurality of the event modules, the action modules and the condition modules, and
wherein the child software node is selected from at least one of the event node and the combination node.