Extensibility support for an application object framework
AssigneeSap SE
InventorOliver Klemenz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An application object framework provides a developer with an ability to provide customers with an ability to add custom extension data and an associated generic extension mechanism(s). Accordingly, each customer may be provided with an ability, e.g., to use its own data structures and data definitions to define desired data, and support persistence and process integration thereof. Further, each customer may be enabled to make such extension data available on a corresponding graphical user interface (GUI), e.g., including read/write access using the GUI, in a manner defined by each customer.
Claims20
A computer program product, the computer program product being tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and comprising instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause at least one computing device to:
- receive a request from a client for an application object of an application object framework;
- load the application object and associated application object metadata;
- load at least one application object extension and associated application object extension metadata;
- merge the application object metadata and the application object extension metadata to obtain merged metadata;
- and
- provide a runtime metadata object to the application object framework, using the merged metadata, wherein the runtime metadata object is configured to process the request using the application object extension.
A server comprising:
- an application object framework in which a plurality of application objects are stored in a database and instantiated for execution of an application object framework runtime to provide a functionality of a client application;
- a development environment configured to generate an application object extension for a corresponding application object of the plurality of application objects, the application object extension configured to provide additional functionality of the client application;
- and
- an extension engine configured to
- load the application object,
- derive application object metadata characterizing the functionality,
- determine, from the application object, that the application object extension is available,
- load the application object extension,
- derive application object extension metadata characterizing the additional functionality,
- merge the application object metadata and the application object extension metadata to obtain merged metadata, and
- provide the merged metadata to the application object framework runtime for use thereby in providing the functionality and the additional functionality.
A method comprising:
- receiving a request from a client for an application object of an application object framework;
- loading the application object and associated application object metadata;
- loading at least one application object extension and associated application object extension metadata;
- merging the application object metadata and the application object extension metadata to obtain merged metadata;
- and
- providing a runtime metadata object to the application object framework, using the merged metadata, wherein the runtime metadata object is configured to process the request using the application object extension.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.