Application system independent dynamic process oriented help

1. A method for generating help from an application system for a process, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a help request to trigger help for a process in response to a user selection of help, wherein an identification of an application system for which help is requested and an identifier of a task for which help is requested are passed as a parameter in the help request that triggers help, wherein the application system for which help is requested is modeled in a repository, wherein a plurality of different application systems are modeled in the repository and the different application systems share a part of connection-relations in the repository, the repository provides an application programming interface (API) that navigates and accesses (i) objects in the repository and (ii) process model definitions in the repository, wherein the process for which help is requested is derived from a process model definition stored in the repository, the repository is accessed through an application programming interface (API), the repository stores, for each application system, the process model definition used to implement the each application system, each process model definition includes relations that define navigation between objects that provide functions in the application system;

determining, by the processor, in response to the help request, which configuration of a plurality of configurations stored in a dynamic process help generator (DPHG) storage to use to provide help, based on the identification of the application system which is passed as the parameter in the help request that triggers help;

obtaining, by the processor, from the determined configuration in the DPHG storage, information indicating (i) the relations of the repository, said relations consisting essentially of relations from which the application system was implemented, and (ii) process models and objects in the repository for said relations;

requesting, by the processor, from the repository through the API of the repository, (i) the process models and the objects consisting of those from which the application system was implemented based on the information obtained from the determined configuration, and (ii) information that indicates how to identify a task which is a current task currently being executed in the application system and how to navigate from the current task to process models consisting essentially of those used by the current task in the application system, wherein the application system was implemented from the relations; and causing the processor to perform navigation through the repository from which the plurality of application systems are modeled, wherein the navigation is limited to (a) the relations and (b) the process models and (c) the objects, which are both specific to the application system which was actually implemented and used by the current task; and

providing, by the processor, as a response to the help request, the relations, and the process models and the objects consisting essentially of the relations, the process models, and the objects, from which the application system was implemented and over which the processor navigated as triggered by the help request, which are received by the processor in response to the help request for the application system,

wherein the limited navigation starts at a typed-object which is the task for which help is requested, and steps iteratively through the repository via the connection-relations using as input a typed-object which results from a previous step to get a next typed-object in the repository, and results of each of the steps of the limited navigation of the repository are collected and provided as the response to the help request for the process.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing of the response to the help request further comprises

delivering, by the processor, to a renderer, the relations, and the process models and the objects which are received by the processor in response to the requesting; and

formatting, in the renderer, a visualization of the relations, the process models and the objects, as the response to the user selection of help.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein

the repository is a business process repository (BPR) in which a plurality of application systems are stored, and the API provides access to the BPR;

the process models are business process models, and the objects further belong to the business process models.

4. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the help request received by the processor to trigger help includes the identification of the repository, the application system, and the task for which help is requested in the application system,

wherein the configurations stored in the DPHG further describe (i) how to identify, in the repository, the task in the process model used to implement the application system, and (ii) how to navigate between the task and the relations connecting the task to objects in the repository in the process model used to implement the task, and

wherein the configuration, which is used to provide help, is based on the task; the process models and the objects, which are requested from the repository, are based on the task; and the response to the help request specifies the process models and the objects based on the task.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the response provided to the help request, indicates only the relations, and the process models and the objects that are relevant to a combination of the application system and the task.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the help request received by the processor to trigger help is a single help-link that includes the identification of the repository, the application system, the task for which help is requested in the application system, and a user of the task that generated the help request.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising creating the help request, by the processor, responsive to a help-request from the task in the application system executing on the processor.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

when the relations of the application system indicate plural process models and plural objects, receiving the plural process models and the plural objects for the plural process models;

then filtering the plural process models and the plural objects by predetermined type;

wherein the processor provides, as the response to the help request, the relations, and the plural process models and the plural objects as filtered by the predetermined type.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1 .

10. A system that generates help from an application system for a process, the system comprising:

a processor, the processor is configured to

receive a help request to trigger help for a process in response to a user selection of help, wherein an identification of an application system for which help is requested and an identifier of a task for which help is requested are passed as a parameter in the help request that triggers help, wherein the application system for which help is requested is modeled in a repository, wherein a plurality of different application systems are modeled in the repository and the different application systems share a part of connection-relations in the repository, the repository provides an application programming interface (API) that navigates and accesses (i) objects in the repository and (ii) process model definitions in the repository, wherein the process for which help is requested is derived from a process model definition stored in the repository, the repository is accessed through an application programming interface (API), the repository stores, for each application system, the process model definition used to implement the each application system, each process model definition includes relations that define navigation between objects that provide functions in the application system;

determine, in response to the help request, which configuration of a plurality of configurations stored in a dynamic process help generator (DPHG) storage to use to provide help, based on the identification of the application system which is passed as the parameter in the help request that triggers help;

obtain, from the determined configuration in the DPHG storage, information indicating (i) the relations of the repository, said relations consisting essentially of relations from which the application system was implemented, and (ii) process models and objects in the repository for said relations;

request, from the repository through the API of the repository, the process models and the objects consisting of those from which the application system was implemented based on the information obtained from the determined configuration, and (ii) information that indicates how to identify a task which is a current task which is currently executed in the application system and how to navigate from the current task to process models consisting essentially of those used by the current task in the application system, wherein the application system was implemented from the relations; and cause the processor to perform navigation through the repository from which the plurality of application systems are modeled, wherein the navigation is limited to (a) the relations and (b) the process models and (c) the objects, which are both specific to the application system which was actually implemented and used by the current task; and

provide, as a response to the help request, the relations, and the process models and the objects consisting essentially of the relations, the process models, and the objects, from which the application system was implemented and over which the processor navigated as triggered by the help request, which are received by the processor in response to the help request for the application system,

wherein the limited navigation starts at a typed-object which is the task for which help is requested, and steps iteratively through the repository via the connection-relations using as input a typed-object which results from a previous step to get a next typed-object in the repository, and results of each of the steps of the limited navigation of the repository are collected and provided as the response to the help request for the process.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured, to provide the response, to:

deliver, to a renderer, the relations, and the process models and the objects which are received by the processor in response to the requesting; and

format, in the renderer, a visualization of the relations, the process models and the objects, as the response to the user selection of help.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein

the repository is a business process repository (BPR) in which a plurality of application systems are stored, and the API provides access to the BPR;

the process models are business process models, and the objects further belong to the business process models.

13. The system of claim 10 ,

wherein the help request that is received to trigger help includes the identification of the repository, the application system, and the task for which help is requested in the application system,

wherein the configurations stored in the DPHG further describe (i) how to identify, in the repository, the task in the process model used to implement the application system, and (ii) how to navigate between the task and the relations connecting the task to objects in the repository in the process model used to implement the task, and

wherein the configuration, which is used to provide help, is based on the task; and the process models and the objects, which are requested from the repository, are based on the task; and the response to the help request specifies the process models and the objects based on the task.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the response provided to the help request, indicates only the relations, and the process models and the objects that are relevant to a combination of the application system and the task.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the help request that is received to trigger help is a single help-link that includes the identification of the repository, the application system, the task for which help is requested in the application system, and a user of the task that generated the help request.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to create the help request, responsive to a help-request from the task in the application system.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to

when the relations of the application system indicate plural process models and plural objects, receive the plural process models and the plural objects for the plural process models;

wherein the response provided to the help request, indicates the relations, and the plural process models and the plural objects.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to filter the plural process models and the plural objects by predetermined type;

wherein the response, provided to the help request, indicates only the relations, and the plural process models and the plural objects that are relevant to a combination of the application system, the task, the predetermined type, and the user.

19. A method for generating help from an application system for a process, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a processor, a help request to trigger help for a process in response to a user selection of help, wherein an identification of an application system for which help is requested and an identifier of a task for which help is requested are passed as a parameter in the help request that triggers help, wherein the application system for which help is requested is modeled in a repository, wherein a plurality of different application systems are modeled in the repository and the different application systems share a part of connection-relations in the repository, wherein the repository provides an application programming interface (API) that navigates and accesses (i) objects in the repository and (ii) process model definitions in the repository, wherein the process for which help is requested is derived from a process model definition stored in the repository, the repository is accessed through an application programming interface (API), the repository stores, for each application system, the process model definition used to implement the each application system, each process model definition includes relations that define navigation between objects that provide functions in the application system;

wherein the help request to trigger help is a single help-link that includes the identification of the repository, the application system, and the task for which help is requested, the task being in the process model used to implement the application system, and

receiving, by the processor, a response to the help request, wherein the response includes the relations, the process models, and the objects consisting essentially of the relations, the process models, and the objects, contained in the repository from which the application system was modeled and which are both specific to the application system which was actually implemented and used by the task being currently executed in the application system,

wherein the response to the help request for the process includes results of each of steps of limited navigation through the repository starting at a typed-object which is the task for which help is requested, stepping iteratively through the repository via the connection-relations using as input a typed-object which results from a previous step to get a next typed-object in the repository.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising

rendering, by the processor, using the API, a visualization of the relations, the process models, and the objects received in the response to the help request;

providing, by the processor, as the response to the user selection of help, a display of the visualization rendered of the relations, the process models and the objects contained in the repository which are limited to a combination of the application system, and the task.