US 6,665,734 B1Granted

Blending object-oriented objects with traditional programming languages

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsAlex Abraham Akilov, Tuyet Diem Huynh, Anthony Hayden Lindsey, Beth Bridgers Lindsey, Timothy Wilson

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product for blending object-oriented (OO) programming languages with traditional (non-OO) programming languages such that they can execute and share data in a coordinated and integrated manner. Occurrence of a special keyword construct within a non-OO function triggers invocation of an OO method or script, the name of which is preferably specified as a parameter. The OO script executes synchronously, returning control to the non-OO function upon completion. The disclosed technique enables OO scripts to provide a more natural, logical interface to users wherein results of the non-OO function may be provided when most appropriate to the logic being executed, rather than requiring the non-OO function to be artificially designed as in prior art systems which must account for the limitations of their non-integrated execution environment.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A computer program product for seamlessly integrating execution of an object-oriented programming language and a procedural programming language, the computer program product embodied one or more computer-readable media and comprising:

computer-readable program code means for selecting, by a user of the computer program product, an event from a graphical user interface, wherein the event is operably associated with a selected one of one or more procedural components written in the procedural programming language, and wherein at least one of the procedural components contains an invocation of at least one of one or more object-oriented methods written in the object-oriented language;
computer-readable program code means for executing the selected procedural component under control of a procedural run-time engine, responsive to the computer-readable program code means for selecting;
computer-readable program code means for detecting, during execution of the selected procedural component, each of the invocations, along with a particular one of the object-oriented methods identified by the detected invocation;
computer-readable program code means for performing, responsive to the computer-readable program code means for detecting, a synchronization of data values used by the executing selected procedural component such that they are available to the particular one of the object-oriented methods, without requiring the selected procedural component to obtain a handle of the particular object-oriented method or of constructs identifying the data values;
computer-readable program code means for transferring control from the procedural run-time engine to the particular one of the object-oriented methods, responsive to the computer-readable program code means for performing;
computer-readable program code means for executing the particular object-oriented method under control of an object-oriented run-time engine, responsive to the computer-readable program code means for transferring control;
and
computer-readable program code means for returning control from the object-oriented run-time engine to the procedural run-time engine upon completion of the execution of the particular object-oriented method.

5 more elements

A computer program product for executing object-oriented methods and procedural programming language components and sharing data between the methods and the components, the computer program product embodied one or more computer-readable media and comprising:

computer-readable program code means for executing, in an object-oriented run-time engine, one or more object-oriented methods written in an object-oriented programming language;
computer-readable program code means for executing, in a procedural run-time engine, one or more procedural components written in a procedural programming language;
and
computer-readable program code means for synchronously executing a selected object-oriented method during execution of a processing path of a selected procedural component, wherein data values set by the selected procedural component are available to the selected object-oriented method without requiring parameter passing from the selected procedural component to the selected object-oriented method.

1 more element

A system for seamlessly integrating execution of an object-oriented programming language and a procedural programming language, comprising:

means for selecting, by a user of the system, an event from a graphical user interface, wherein the event is operably associated with a selected one of one or more procedural components written in the procedural programming language, and wherein at least one of the procedural components contains an invocation of at least one of one or more object-oriented methods written in the object-oriented language;
means for executing the selected procedural component under control of a procedural run-time engine, responsive to the means for selecting;
means for detecting, during execution of the selected procedural component, each of the invocations, along with a particular one of the object-oriented methods identified by the detected invocation;
means for performing, responsive to the means for detecting, a synchronization of data values used by the executing selected procedural component such that they are available to the particular one of the object-oriented methods, without requiring the selected procedural component to obtain a handle of the particular object-oriented method or of constructs identifying the data values;
means for transferring control from the procedural run-time engine to the particular one of the object-oriented methods, responsive to the means for performing;
means for executing the particular object-oriented method under control of an object-oriented run-time engine, responsive to the means for transferring control;
and
means for returning control from the object-oriented run-time engine to the procedural run-time engine upon completion of the execution of the particular object-oriented method.

5 more elements

A method for seamlessly integrating execution of an object-oriented programming language and a procedural programming language, comprising the steps of:

selecting, by a user of the method, an event from a graphical user interface, wherein the event is operably associated with a selected one of one or more procedural components written in the procedural programming language, and wherein at least one of the procedural components contains an invocation of at least one of one or more object-oriented methods written in the object-oriented language;
executing the selected procedural component under control of a procedural run-time engine, responsive to the selecting step;
detecting, during execution of the selected procedural component, each of the invocations, along with a particular one of the object-oriented methods identified by the detected invocation;
performing, responsive to the detecting step, a synchronization of data values used by the executing selected procedural component such that they are available to the particular one of the object-oriented methods, without requiring the selected procedural component to obtain a handle of the particular object-oriented method or of constructs identifying the data values;
transferring control from the procedural run-time engine to the particular one of the object-oriented methods, responsive to the performing step;
executing the particular object-oriented method under control of an object-oriented run-time engine, responsive to the transferring control step;
and
returning control from the object-oriented engine to the procedural run-time engine upon completion of the execution of the particular object-oriented method.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.