Method for customizing software applications
View Patent ↗Techniques for overlaying objects of a software application with other objects allow modification and customization of the application by one or more users in different ways, without storing multiple modified copies of the application. The technique allows configuring the software application to execute using overlaid objects instead of the base objects contained in the software application. In some embodiments, the base objects for the software application and the overlaid objects are stored in a datastore, and a runtime embodiment causes execution of the overlaid objects instead of the base objects.
1. A method, comprising:
while a processor associated with a computer system is one of interpreting, in an interpreted computer environment, and compiling, in a compiled computer environment, a software application, determining at least one base object of the software application has at least one corresponding overlaid object;
associating, by the processor, a first overlaid object with a first base object of the software application, the first overlaid object being configured to change a construct definition of the first base object of the software application;
configuring, by the processor, the software application to execute in the computer system using the first overlaid object instead of the first base object; and
configuring, by the processor, the software application to execute in the computer system using the first base object instead of the first overlaid object.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
associating a second overlaid object with the first overlaid object; and
configuring the software application to execute in the computer system using the second overlaid object instead of the first base object or the first overlaid object.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
associating a second base object of the software application with a second overlaid object;
configuring the software application to execute in the computer system using the second overlaid object instead of the second base object; and
configuring the software application to execute in the computer system using the second base object instead of the second overlaid object.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
configuring the software application to execute in the computer system using the first overlaid object and the second overlaid object; and
configuring the software application to execute in the computer system using the first overlaid object and the second base object.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
defining an overlay group comprising the first overlaid object; and
associating a first user with the overlay group, wherein the act of configuring the software application to execute in the computer system using the first overlaid object instead of the first base object is performed responsive to receiving a request from the first user to execute the software application.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
defining a first overlay group comprising the first overlaid object;
associating a second base object of the software application with a second overlaid object, the second overlaid object associated with a second overlay group; and
configuring the software application to execute in the computer system using the second overlaid object instead of the second base object, responsive to a first request to execute the software application by a first user associated with the second overlay group, wherein
the act of configuring the software application to execute in a computer system using the first overlaid object instead of the first base object is performed responsive to a second request to execute the software application by a second user associated with the first overlay group.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the act of configuring the software application to execute in a computer system using the first overlaid object instead of the first base object is performed responsive to a request to execute the software application by a first user having a first permission, and wherein
the act of configuring the software application to execute in the computer system using the first base object instead of the first overlaid object is performed responsive to a request to execute the software application by a second user having a second permission.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
associating a second overlaid object with the first overlaid object; and
configuring the software application to execute in the computer system using the second overlaid object instead of the first base object or the first overlaid object; and
configuring the software application to execute in the computer system using the first overlaid object instead of the second overlaid object or the first base object.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the act of associating a first overlaid object with a first base object of a software application comprises:
storing a definition of the first base object in a dictionary; and
storing a definition of the first overlaid object in the dictionary, indicating that the first overlaid object overlays the first base object.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein
the software application is interpreted by an interpretation environment, and wherein
the act of configuring the software application to execute in a computer system using the first overlaid object instead of the first base object comprises:
querying the dictionary for information regarding objects associated with the software application, responsive to a request to execute the software application; and
determining whether to execute the first base object or the first overlaid object.
11. A networked computer system, comprising:
a server computer;
a datastore, coupled to the server;
a client computer, communicatively coupled to the server computer;
a plurality of software application base objects, stored in the datastore;
a plurality of software application overlaid objects, stored in the datastore, each of the plurality of software application overlaid objects being configured to change a construct definition of a corresponding software application base object of the plurality of software application base objects; and
a runtime environment, stored in the datastore, comprising instructions that when executed cause the server to perform actions comprising:
receiving a request from the client computer to execute a software application, the software application comprising a first application base object of the plurality of software application base objects;
selecting a first software application overlaid object of the plurality of software application overlaid objects to be executed by the client instead of the first application base object, responsive to the request; and
sending information to the client computer to use the first software application overlaid object instead of the first application base object while the client computer is one of interpreting, in an interpreted computer environment, and compiling, in a compiled computer environment, the software application.
12. The networked computer system of claim 11 , further comprising:
a dictionary, stored in the datastore, comprising:
information associating each of the plurality of software application base objects with a software application; and
information associating each of the plurality of software application overlaid objects with a member of the plurality of software application objects or a member of the plurality of software application overlaid objects, wherein
the act of selecting a first software application overlaid object of the plurality of software application overlaid objects to be executed by the client instead of the first application base object, responsive to the request comprises:
querying the dictionary.
13. The networked computer system of claim 12 , the dictionary further comprising:
information associating each of the plurality of software application overlaid objects with an overlay group of a plurality of overlay groups, wherein
the act of querying the dictionary comprises:
selecting overlaid objects of the plurality of software application overlaid objects that are associated with a first overlay group of the plurality of overlay groups.
14. The networked computer system of claim 11 , wherein the software application is interpreted on the client computer by an interpretation environment.
15. The networked computer system of claim 11 , further comprising:
access control software, stored on the datastore, wherein
the act of selecting a first software application overlaid object of the plurality of software application overlaid objects to be executed by the client instead of the first application base object, responsive to the request comprises:
considering only those members of the plurality of software application overlaid objects to which access is permitted by the access control software.
16. A computer system, comprising:
a processor;
a datastore, coupled to the processor;
a plurality of software application base objects, stored in the datastore;
a plurality of software application overlaid objects, stored in the datastore, each of the plurality of software application overlaid objects being configured to change a construct definition of a corresponding software application base object of the plurality of software application base objects;
a software application, stored in the datastore, configured for execution by the processor, comprising:
a first software application base object; and
a runtime environment for the software application, stored in the datastore, comprising instructions that when executed, while the processor is one of interpreting, in an interpreted computer environment, and compiling, in a compiled computer environment, the software application, cause the processor to perform actions comprising:
selecting a first software application overlaid object of the plurality of software application overlaid objects associated with the first application base object; and
executing the first software application overlaid object instead of the first application base object.
17. The computer system of claim 16 , further comprising:
a plurality of overlay groups, each comprising a member of the plurality of software application overlaid objects.
18. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the runtime environment further comprises instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform actions comprising:
executing the first software application base object instead of the first software application overlaid object.
19. The computer system of claim 18 , wherein
the act of executing the first software application overlaid object instead of the first software application base object is performed responsive to execution of the software application by a first user, and wherein
the act of executing the first software application base object instead of the first software application overlaid object is performed responsive to execution of the software application by a second user.
20. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein
the act of executing the first software application overlaid object instead of the first software application base object is performed responsive to execution of the software application by a first user, and wherein
the runtime environment further comprises instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform actions further comprising:
selecting a second software application overlaid object of the plurality of software application overlaid objects associated with the first application base object; and
executing the second software application overlaid object instead of the first application base object responsive to execution of the software application by a second user.