Software development tool that supports use of a design-time data feed

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a software development tool, identification of a design-time data feed for at least one run-time data feed that is referenced in a software application under development, wherein one or more displayed elements are displayed in the software application under development and reference the at least one run-time data feed, wherein the referenced at least one run-time data feed provides run-time data for display at run-time and the design-time data feed provides design-time data for display if the run-time data is not accessible by the software development tool at design-time;

storing said identification of said design-time data feed for the referenced at least one run-time data feed as metadata associated with said software application under development, wherein the identification of the design-time data feed is a key in a key-value pair, wherein the key-value pair associates the design-time data feed with the one or more displayed elements, wherein the design-time data feed is a database;

accessing, by the software development tool at design-time, the design-time data feed in place of the referenced at least one run-time data feed; and

displaying, via the software development tool, the one or more displayed elements with the design-time data from the design-time data feed, wherein the design-time data feed is separate from the software application under development.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said storing comprises:

storing said identification of said design-time data feed for the referenced at least one run-time data in a design-notes file associated with said software application under development.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said software application under development comprises a web page.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the design-time data feed is representative of the referenced at least one run-time data feed.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the design-time data feed comprises characteristics consistent with the referenced at least one run-time data feed.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the characteristics comprise whether the referenced at least one run-time data feed is a dynamic or static feed.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the characteristics comprise being a streaming feed.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

when the software application under development is developed, deploying the developed software application in a run-time environment, wherein the deployed software application accesses the referenced at least one run-time data feed.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving comprises:

receiving, by a software development tool, identification of said design-time data feed for a plurality of run-time data feeds that are referenced in the software application under development; and wherein said accessing comprises accessing, by the software development tool at design-time, the design-time data feed in place of the referenced plurality of run-time data feeds.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, by the software development tool, that the software application under development contains a reference to a run-time data feed that is not available for access by the software application under development; and

responsive to said determining, outputting, by the software development tool, a prompt requesting identification of a design-time data feed for the unavailable run-time data feed.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the referenced run-time data feed is not available for access by the software application under development for at least one of the following reasons:

the referenced run-time data feed is not yet developed, the referenced run-time data feed is not yet active, the referenced run-time data feed is not yet stored to a location accessible by the software application under development, and the software application under development does not yet have access rights granted to it for accessing the referenced run-time data feed.

12. A method comprising:

determining, by a software development tool, whether access to a run-time data feed referenced in a software application under development is available for access by said software application under development;

when determined to be unavailable, the software development tool outputting a prompt requesting definition of a design-time data feed to be used by the software development tool in place of the referenced run-time data feed;

storing an identification of said design-time data feed as metadata associated with said software application under development, wherein the identification of the design-time data feed is a key in a key-value pair, wherein the key-value pair associates the design-time data feed with one or more displayed elements, wherein the design-time data feed is a database, wherein the one or more displayed elements are displayed in the software application under development and reference the run-time data feed, wherein the referenced run-time data feed provides run-time data for display at run-time and the design-time data feed provides design-time data for display if the run-time data is not accessible by the software development tool at design-time; and

displaying, via the software development tool, the one or more displayed elements with the design-time data from the design-time data feed, wherein the design-time data feed is separate from the software application under development.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

when determined to be unavailable, the software development tool accessing a corresponding user-defined design-time data feed in place of the referenced run-time data feed.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

determining, by the software development tool, the corresponding user-defined design-time data feed to access in place of the referenced run-time data feed.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

when determined to be available, the software development tool accessing the referenced run-time data feed.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein said determining comprises:

determining if the referenced run-time data feed is not available for access by the software application under development for at least one of the following reasons:

the referenced run-time data feed is not yet developed, the referenced run-time data feed is not yet active, the referenced run-time data feed is not yet stored to a location accessible by the software application under development, and the software application under development does not yet have access rights granted to it for accessing the referenced run-time data feed.

17. A method comprising:

determining, by a software development tool, from metadata associated with a software application under development, whether a design-time data feed is defined for at least one run-time data feed referenced in the software application under development;

for any determined design-time data feed defined for the at least one run-time data feed referenced in the application under development, the software development tool accessing said design-time data feed in place of the referenced at least one run-time data feed for which the design-time data feed is defined;

wherein one or more displayed elements are displayed in the software application under development and reference the at least one run-time data feed, wherein the referenced at least one run-time data feed provides run-time data for display at run-time and the design-time data feed provides design-time data for display if the run-time data is not accessible by the software development tool at design-time;

wherein an identification of the design-time data feed is stored as metadata associated with said software application under development, wherein the identification of the design-time data feed is a key in a key-value pair, wherein the key-value pair associates the design-time data feed with the one or more displayed elements, wherein the design-time data feed is a database; and

displaying, via the software development tool, the one or more displayed elements with the design-time data from the design-time data feed, wherein the design-time data feed is separate from the software application under development.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the metadata associated with the software application under development comprises:

a design-notes file associated with the software application under development.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the design-time data feed is representative of the referenced at least one run-time data feed for which the design-time data feed is defined.

20. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory; and

a software development environment that comprises a software development tool;

said software development tool operable to determine whether a design-time data feed is defined for at least one run-time data feed referenced in a software application under development;

said software development tool further operable to access any determined design-time data feed in place of the referenced at least one run-time data feed for which the design-time data feed is defined;

wherein one or more displayed elements are displayed in the software application under development and reference the at least one run-time data feed, wherein the referenced at least one run-time data feed provides run-time data for display at run-time and the design-time data feed provides design-time data for display if the run-time data is not accessible by the software development tool at design-time;

wherein an identification of the design-time data feed is stored as metadata associated with said software application under development, wherein the identification of the design-time data feed is a key in a key-value pair, wherein the key-value pair associates the design-time data feed with the one or more displayed elements, wherein the design-time data feed is a database; and

said software development tool further operable to display the one or more displayed elements with the design-time data from the design-time data feed, wherein the design-time data feed is separate from the software application under development.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said software development tool is operable to present a code view of the software application under development, wherein reference to the referenced at least one run-time data feed is presented in the code view.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said software development tool is further operable to present a graphical-based design-time view of the software application under development, wherein said determined design-time data feed is presented in the graphical-based design-time view in place of the referenced at least one run-time data feed for which the design-time data feed is defined.

23. The system of claim 20 further comprising:

a run-time environment, wherein the software application under development, when deployed in the run-time environment, accesses the referenced at least one run-time data feed.

24. Computer-executable software code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which when executed by a computer provides a software development environment that comprises a software development tool with which a designer can interact to develop a software application, and when executed by the computer the computer-executable software code causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving input identifying a design-time data feed for at least one run-time data feed that is referenced in a software application under development, wherein one or more displayed elements are displayed in the software application under development and reference the at least one run-time data feed, wherein the referenced at least one run-time data feed provides run-time data for display at run-time and the design-time data feed provides design-time data for display if the run-time data is not accessible by the software development tool at design-time;

storing said identification of said design-time data feed for the referenced at least one run-time data feed as metadata associated with said software application under development, wherein the identification of the design-time data feed is a key in a key-value pair, wherein the key-value pair associates the design-time data feed with the one or more displayed elements, wherein the design-time data feed is a database;

accessing the design-time data feed in place of the referenced at least one run-time data feed; and

displaying the one or more displayed elements with the design-time data from the design-time data feed, wherein the design-time data feed is separate from the software application under development.

25. The computer-executable software code of claim 24 wherein the design-time data feed comprises at least one of: a dynamic feed and a static feed.

26. The computer-executable software code of claim 24 wherein the design-time data feed comprises a streaming feed.