US 5,671,398 AGranted

Method for collapsing a version tree which depicts a history of system data and processes for an enterprise

AssigneeUnisys Corporation

InventorRonald Jay Neubauer

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Abstract

The method of the present invention is useful in a computer system having a user interface, a memory, a database and a repository operative in the computer system for accessing the database. The method is implemented by the computer system for collapsing a version tree that depicts a history of objects stored in the database. The method, which is stored in the memory at run-time, comprises the steps of validating collapse request by insuring that the target object is not a ghost object, the end object is not a ghost, the end object is on the same version tree as the target object, and the end object is a later version than the target object. An empty array representing path objects is initialized from the target object to the end object; and if an end object is supplied, a function is called to build up an array of objects representing paths from the target object to the end object. The array of objects built up in the preceding steps is processed. For each nextVersion of the target object, a function is called to collapse the versions starting from nextVersion; and, a function is also called to destruct the target object.

Claims23

Dependent claims

In a computer system having a user interface, a memory, a database and repository operative in said computer system for accessing said database, a method implemented by said computer system for collapsing a version tree that depicts a history of objects stored in said database, said method being stored in said memory at run time and comprising the steps of:

a. validating collapse request by insuring that target object is not a ghost object, the end object is not a ghost, end object is on the same version tree as said target object, and end object is a later version than said target object;
b. initializing an empty array representing path objects from said target object to said end object;
c. if an end object is supplied, calling a function to build up an array of objects representing paths from said target object to said end object, processing said array of objects built up in step c hereof;
d. for each nextVersion of said target object, calling a function to collapse versions starting from nextVersion;
e. calling a function to destruct said target object;
f. for each nextVersion of target object, initializing a continueWalk flag to TRUE;
g. if this nextVersion is in path, setting pathFound to TRUE;
h. if this nextVersion is not in the path, and if variant name of this nextVersion is not the same as the variant name of target object, and if variant name of nextVersion is not the same as variant name of endObject, and if workObject is not the start of a branch, setting continueWalk to FALSE;
i. if this nextVersion is the end object, setting pathFound to TRUE;
j. if this nextVersion is not the end object, and if variant name of this nextVersion is not the same as the variant name of target object, and if variant name of nextVersion is not the same as variant name of endObject, and if workObject is not the start of a branch, setting continueWalk to FALSE;
k. if continueWalk is TRUE, calling a function to continue building a path starting from this nextVersion;
l. if said function returned TRUE, and if this nextVersion is not the endObject, adding this nextVersion to said path;
m. setting pathFound to TRUE;
n. if there are more workObjects, repeating the process steps above until all workObjects have been processed;
and,
o. exiting this process and returning a value for pathFound.

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a. validating a collapse request by insuring that variant name supplied is a viable variant name and earlier version number is non-negative;
b. if collapse request is not valid, exiting this process;
c. initializing to null the earlier and later versioned objects;
d. if later version number is not zero, locating object with specified variant and later version number;
e. if later object not found, issuing an error;
f. if earlier version number is zero, locating root object of specified variant branch;
g. if earlier version number is not zero, locating object at earlier branch and version;
h. sending message to earlier object;
i. specifying later object as end object;
j. validating collapse request by insuring that target object is not a ghost object, the end object is not a ghost, end object is on the same version tree as said target object, and end object is a later version than said target object;
k. initializing an empty array representing path objects from said target object to said end object;
l. if an end object is supplied, calling a function to build up an array of objects representing paths from said target object to said end object, and processing said array of objects built up in this step;
m. for each nextVersion of said target object, calling a function to collapse versions starting from nextVersion;
n. calling a function to destruct said target object;
and,
o. exiting the process.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.