Collaboration interface for a multi-channel collaboration window with context support

A computer program product for enabling a collaboration window providing a graphical user interface to a user for facilitating communication over at least one of a plurality of communication channels while providing data relevant to the communication and available from a backend application, the computer program product being tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and including executable code that, when executed, is configured to operate at least one data processing apparatus in accordance therewith, wherein the computer program product includes:

• a collaboration component configured to implement a common collaboration interface with a component manager associated with the collaboration window, to thereby implement at least one of the plurality of communication channels by relaying the communication between the component manager and a server implementing the channel, the collaboration component including
• a lifecycle manager configured to receive commands from the component manager using the common collaboration interface and to configure a state of the collaboration component based thereon,
• a connector configured to communicate with the backend application using the common collaboration interface and to provide the data therefrom that is relevant to the communication in conjunction with the communication, and
• a channel manager configured to exchange the communication with the component manager using the common collaboration interface, and configured to exchange the communication with the server implementing the channel.

A method of supplementing a collaboration window providing a graphical user interface to a user for facilitating communication over at least one of a plurality of communication channels while providing data relevant to the communication and available from a backend application, the method comprising:

• developing, based on a reference collaboration component, a collaboration component configured to implement a common collaboration interface with a collaboration manager associated with the collaboration window, to thereby implement at least one of the plurality of communication channels by relaying the communication between the collaboration manager and a server implementing the channel;
• simulating operation of the collaboration component using a test collaboration window and test version of the backend application, the operation including relaying the communication and providing the relevant data from the backend application;
• certifying compatibility of the collaboration component with the component manager using the common collaboration interface;
• and
• providing the collaboration component to the collaboration window.

A method of supplementing a collaboration window providing a graphical user interface to a user for facilitating communication over at least one of a plurality of communication channels while providing data relevant to the communication and available from a backend application, the method comprising:

• generating the collaboration window including the graphical user interface, and configured to provide and receive information therewith regarding the communication;
• receiving a request, via the collaboration window, to execute the communication over a communication channel of the plurality of channels;
• selecting a selected collaboration component from among the plurality of collaboration components, based on the request, the selected collaboration component associated with the communication channel for executing the communication;
• selecting a component manager corresponding to the selected collaboration component from among a plurality of component managers, the component manager being configured to communicate with the selected collaboration component by way of a common collaboration interface that is associated with each of the plurality of component managers and the plurality of collaboration components;
• and
• exchanging information between the collaboration window and a server implementing the communication channel, using the component manager, the common collaboration interface, and the collaboration component.