Systems and methods for programming mobile devices
Embodiments of a system and method are described for generating and distributing programming to mobile devices over a network. Devices are provided with Players specific to each device and Applications that are device independent. Embodiments include a full-featured WYSIWYG authoring environment, including the ability to bind web components to objects.
1. A system of generating code to provide dynamically generated content on a display of a device, said system comprising:
computer memory storing:
a) symbolic names required for evoking one or more web components each related to a set of outputs of a web service obtainable over a network, where the symbolic names are character strings that do not contain either a persistent address or pointer to an output value accessible to the web service, where each symbolic name has an associated data format class type corresponding to a subclass of User Interface (UI) objects that support the data format type of the symbolic name, and where each symbolic name has a preferred UI object and
b) an address of the web service;
an authoring tool configured to author two or more single page applications that can be dynamically updated, where said authoring tool is configured to:
define a UI object for presentation on the display,
where said defined UI object corresponds to a web component included in said computer memory having an output of the web service, where each defined UI object is either:
1) selected by a user of the authoring tool; or
2) automatically selected by the system as the preferred UI object corresponding to the symbolic name of the web component selected by the user of the authoring tool,
access said computer memory to select the symbolic name corresponding to the web component of the defined UI object,
associate the selected symbolic name with the defined UI object, where the selected symbolic name is only available to UI objects that support the defined data format associated with that symbolic name,
complete the build of one or more single page applications, where at least one single page application of said one or more single page applications includes the symbolic name corresponding to said defined UI object, and
store the one or more single page applications in a database; and a player that is executed on said device to:
cause to be retrieved the at least one single page application stored in said database when the user of the device provides one or more input values associated with an input symbolic name to an input of the defined UI object,
identify the web component corresponding to the defined UI object in said at least one single page application,
execute said web component,
receive output symbolic names and one or more output values from the web component, and
generate, on the display, at least a portion of a web page utilizing the at least one single page application and the output symbolic names and the one or more output values retrieved from the web component,
such that the device displays views of the at least one single page application including dynamically generated output of the defined UI object.
2. The system of claim 1 , where said web component is a text chat, a video chat, a video, an image, a slideshow, an RSS display, or an advertisement.
3. The system of claim 1 , where said at least one single page application and player include three or more codes, where one of said three or more codes is device specific, and where two of said three or more codes are device independent.
4. The system of claim 1 , where said at least one single page application is provided over said network.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said defined UI object corresponds to a widget.
6. The system of claim 1 , where said player is activated and runs in a web browser.
7. The system of claim 1 , where said player is a native program.
8. A method of displaying dynamically generated content on a display of a device having a player, said method utilizing a) symbolic names required for evoking one or more web components each related to a set of outputs of a web service obtainable over a network, where the symbolic names are character strings that do not contain either a persistent address or pointer to an output value accessible to the web service, where each symbolic name has an associated data format class type corresponding to a subclass of User Interface (UI) objects that support the data format type of the symbolic name, and where each symbolic name has a preferred UI object, and b) an address of the web service, said method comprising:
authoring one or more single page applications that can be dynamically updated, where said authoring includes:
defining a UI object for presentation on the display,
where said defined UI object corresponds to a web component included in said computer memory having an output of the web service, where each defined UI object is either:
1) selected by a user of the authoring tool; or
2) automatically selected by the system as the preferred UI object corresponding to the symbolic name of the web component selected by the user of the authoring tool,
accessing said computer memory to select the symbolic name corresponding to the web component of the defined UI object,
associating the selected symbolic name with the defined UI object, where the selected symbolic name is only available to UI objects that support the defined data format associated with that symbolic name,
complete the building of one or more single page applications, where at least one single page application of said one or more single page applications includes the symbolic name corresponding to said defined UI object and
storing the one or more single page applications in a database; and executing a player on said device, where said executing the player includes:
causing to be retrieved the at least one single page application stored in said database when the user of the device provides one or more input values associated with an input symbolic name to an input of the defined UI object,
identifying the web component corresponding to the defined UI object in said at least one single page application,
executing said web component,
receiving output symbolic names and one or more output values from the web component, and
generating, on the display, at least a portion of a web page utilizing the at least one single page application and the output symbolic names and one or more output values retrieved from the web component,
such that the device displays views of the at least one single page application including dynamically generated output of the defined UI object.
9. The method of claim 8 , where said web component is a text chat, a video chat, a video, an image, a slideshow, an RSS display, or an advertisement.
10. The method of claim 1 , where said at least one single page application and player include three or more codes, where one of said three or more codes is device-specific, and where two of said three or more codes are device-independent.
11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
providing said at least one single page application and player over said network.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein said UI object corresponds to a widget.
13. The method of claim 8 , where said player is activated and runs in a web browser.
14. The method of claim 8 , where said player is a native program.
15. The method of claim 8 , and such that said player interprets dynamically received, device independent values of the web component defined in the at least one single page application.