Method, system, and storage medium for facilitating application development

Abstract

A method for facilitating application development, the method including initializing a page token in response to receiving a request. The page token comprises an abstract model component containing a specification for obtaining data designated to be sent in a response to the request or a specification for updating data obtained from the request, and also a view component for providing referential format specifications for data provided in the abstract model component. The method further includes passing the page token between at least two components of a modified model-view-controller architecture via a standard interface. The components include a user interface controller, a user interface builder implementing a first standard interface, an application layer implementing a second standard interface, a data access manager implementing a third standard interface, and at least one data access utility implementing a fourth standard interface. The method further includes applying business logic to contents of the page token as a result of the passing, and presenting a response to the request based upon results of applying the business logic.

1 . A method for facilitating application development, comprising: 
 initializing a page token in response to receiving a request, the page token comprising an abstract model component containing a specification for obtaining data designated to be sent in a response to the request or a specification for updating data obtained from the request, and a view component operable for providing referential format specifications for the data provided in the abstract model component;    passing the page token between at least two components of a modified model-view-controller architecture via a standard interface, the components of the modified model-view-controller architecture including: 
 a user interface controller;  
 a user interface builder implementing a first standard interface;  
 an application layer implementing a second standard interface;  
 a data access manager implementing a third standard interface; and  
 at least one data access utility implementing a fourth standard interface;  
   applying business logic to contents of the page token as a result of the passing; and    presenting a response to the request based upon results of the applying business logic.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the business logic is one of default business logic and custom business logic.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the request includes at least one of: 
 a browser-initiated hypertext transport protocol request;    a request for at least one of data, a document, an image, and multi-media content;    a search request; and    a request to launch an application.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising updating the page token via at least one of: 
 the default business logic, wherein the default business logic is applied by a call to the at least one data access utility, and the page token is updated with data from a data store or data from the user interface builder operable for rendering panels; and    the custom business logic, wherein the custom business logic is applied by a call to the application layer, and wherein further the custom business logic is operable for updating data retrieved or for updating a view.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising updating a data store with data in the page token by the default business logic.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the response to the request includes at least one of: 
 a search result;    at least one of data, a document, an image, and multi-media content; and    a web page.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the user interface controller interacts with the user interface builder via the first standard interface;    the user interface builder interacts with the application layer via the second standard interface;    the application layer interacts with the data access manager via the third standard user interface; and    the data access manager interacts with the at least one data access utility via the fourth standard interface.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising managing panel flow via the user interface controller.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the panel flow is managed using specification information in the page token and machine status information tracked by the user interface controller.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the user interface builder performs: 
 extracting data from the request and placing extracted data into the page token;    identifying fields, data, and text designated for placement on a current panel; and    identifying a format for the fields, data, and text.    
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the application layer performs: 
 validating the extracted data by applying business logic to the page token.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the data access manager performs: 
 parsing the specification contained in the abstract model component into segments, each of the segments classified by a corresponding type of data store, each type of data store associated with a data access utility.    
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein types of data stores include: 
 eXtensible Markup Language;    Lightweight Directory Access Protocol;    Structured Query Language; and    DB2.    
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising: 
 translating each of the segments using the data access utility associated with a data store specified by the segment, the translating including translating each of the segments into a language understood by the data store;    executing an operation based upon results of the translating;    updating the segments to reference the results when the operation executed is one that yields results;    aggregating the segments in the abstract model component of the page token; and    passing the page token back to the application layer.    
   
   
       15 . A modified model-view-controller architecture, wherein components of the modified model-view-controller architecture include: 
 a user interface controller;    a user interface builder, wherein the user interface controller is in communication with the user interface builder via a first standard interface;    an application layer, wherein the user interface builder is in communication with application layer via a second standard interface;    a page token comprising an abstract model component containing a specification for obtaining data designated to be sent in a response to a request or updating data obtained from a request, and a view component operable for providing referential format specifications for data provided in the abstract model component;    wherein, the page token is initialized by the user interface controller and passed to one of the components via the first standard interface; and    wherein further, business logic is applied to contents of the page token as a result of passing, and a response to the request is presented based upon results of applying the business logic.    
   
   
       16 . The modified model-view-controller architecture of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 a data access manager, wherein the application layer is in communication with the data access manager via a third standard interface; and    concrete models, wherein the data access manager is in communication with the concrete models via a fourth standard interface, each of the concrete models comprising a corresponding data access utility and a corresponding data store;    wherein in response to receiving the page token from the application layer, the data access manager parses the abstract model component and sends parsed data to one or more concrete models associated with the parsed data; and    wherein further, corresponding data access utilities associated with the one or more concrete models translate the parsed data into a language understood by corresponding data stores, execute an operation specified in the parsed data, and return results of the executed operation to the data access manager.    
   
   
       17 . The modified model-view-controller architecture of  claim 16 , wherein in response to receiving the results of the executed operation, the data access manager updates the page token with the results and passes the page token back to the application layer.  
   
   
       18 . The modified model-view-controller architecture of  claim 17 , wherein in response to receiving the page token, the application layer applies business logic and passes the page token back to the user interface builder.  
   
   
       19 . The modified model-view-controller architecture of  claim 18 , wherein in response to receiving the page token, the user interface builder formats the data in the page token into a page for viewing and passes the page back to the user interface controller.  
   
   
       20 . The modified model-view-controller architecture of  claim 19 , wherein in response to receiving the page, the user interface controller sends the page to a display device.  
   
   
       21 . The modified model-view-controller architecture of  claim 20 , wherein the display device includes one of: 
 a web browser; and    a cell phone.    
   
   
       22 . A storage medium encoded with machine-readable program code for facilitating application development, the program code including instructions for causing a host system to implement a method, comprising: 
 initializing a page token in response to receiving a request, the page token comprising an abstract model component containing a specification for obtaining data designated to be sent in a response to the request or a specification for updating data obtained from the request, and a view component operable for providing referential format specifications for the data provided in the abstract model component;    passing the page token between at least two components of a modified model-view-controller architecture via a standard interface, the components of the modified model-view-controller architecture including: 
 a user interface controller;  
 a user interface builder implementing a first standard interface, an application layer implementing a second standard interface;  
 a data access manager implementing a third standard interface; and  
 at least one data access utility implementing a fourth standard user interface;  
   applying business logic to contents of the page token as a result of the passing; and    presenting a response to the request based upon results of the applying business logic.    
   
   
       23 . The storage medium of  claim 22 , wherein the business logic is one of default business logic and custom business logic.  
   
   
       24 . The storage medium of  claim 23 , wherein the request includes at least one of: 
 a browser-initiated hypertext transport protocol request;    a request for at least one of data, a document, an image, and multi-media content;    a search request; and    a request to launch an application.    
   
   
       25 . The storage medium of  claim 24 , further comprising instructions for causing the host system to perform: 
 updating the page token via at least one of: 
 the default business logic, wherein the default business logic is applied by a call to the at least one data access utility, and the page token is updated with data from a data store or data from the user interface builder operable for rendering panels; and  
 the custom business logic, wherein the custom business logic is applied by a call to the application layer, and wherein further the custom business logic is operable for updating data retrieved or for updating a view; and  
   updating a data store with data in the page token by the default business logic.    
   
   
       26 . The storage medium of  claim 23 , wherein: 
 the user interface controller interacts with the user interface builder via the first standard interface;    the user interface builder interacts with the application layer via the second standard interface;    the application layer interacts with the data access manager via the third standard user    interface; and    the data access manager interacts with the at least one data access utility via the fourth standard interface.    
   
   
       27 . The storage medium of  claim 23 , further comprising instructions for causing the host system to implement managing panel flow via the user interface controller, wherein the panel flow is managed using specification information in the page token and machine status information tracked by the user interface controller.  
   
   
       28 . The storage medium of  claim 27 , wherein the user interface builder performs: 
 extracting data from the request and placing extracted data into the page token;    identifying fields, data, and text designated for placement on a current panel; and    identifying a format for the fields, data, and text.    
   
   
       29 . The storage medium of  claim 28 , wherein the application layer performs: 
 validating the extracted data by applying business logic to the page token.    
   
   
       30 . The storage medium of  claim 29 , wherein the data access manager performs: 
 parsing the specification contained in the abstract model component into segments, each of the segments classified by a corresponding type of data store, each type of data store associated with a data access utility;    translating each of the segments using the data access utility associated with a data store specified by the segment, the translating including translating each of the segments into a language understood by the data store;    executing an operation based upon results of the translating;    updating the segments to reference the results when the operation executed is one that yields results;    aggregating the segments in the abstract model component of the page token; and    passing the page token back to the application layer.