External resource files for application development and management

Abstract

A method and system are provided for efficient development of software application programs with user interfaces. Customarily, several specialists, including designers and developers, cooperate during the development stage of an application program. The invention teaches a strategy for making resource files external to the other compiled executable files in an application such that the information from the resource file may be obtained at runtime as needed without the need for compilation. Furthermore, the external resource file may be edited at runtime to allow designers to modify the look and feel for an application's interface without having to depend on developers to implement changes in the interface. Compartmentalization of the effort in developing and porting an application is facilitated for protection of source code and better management of designers and developers working on different aspects of a software application due to externalization of the resource files needed primarily by the designers.

1 .- 37 . (canceled)  
   
   
       38 . A system for developing computer software applications, the system comprising: 
 a graphical control locator for locating one or more external resource files; and    a parser for identifying a requested parameter stored in the one or more external resource files at runtime of a corresponding compiled application program, the compiled application program corresponding to the one or more external resource files, the one or more external resource files being external to the compiled application program, the one or more external resource files being configured such that information from the one or more external resource files is obtainable at runtime of the compiled application program without need for compilation of the one or more external resource files.    
   
   
       39 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the one or more external resource files are written in a markup language, at least one of the external resource files comprising at least one extensible markup language tag associated with at least one of a plurality of platform namespaces.  
   
   
       40 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein different ones of at least some of the plurality of platform namespaces correspond to different computing platforms.  
   
   
       41 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein different ones of at least some of the plurality of platform namespaces correspond to different computing platform versions.  
   
   
       42 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein different ones of at least some of the plurality of platform namespaces correspond to different graphical user interface (GUI) implementations.  
   
   
       43 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the system comprises a plurality of graphical control locators and each graphical control locator corresponds to at least one of the plurality of platform namespaces.  
   
   
       44 . The system of  claim 43 , wherein each graphical control locator corresponds to different ones of the plurality of platform namespaces.  
   
   
       45 . The system of  claim 39 , further comprising: 
 an application, the application comprising at least one graphical control wherein at least some of the information contained in the at least one extensible markup language tag recognized by the graphical control locator is supplied to at least one of the at least one graphical control.    
   
   
       46 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the one or more external resource files are configured to be modified by a first group of system users responsible for modifying the one or more external resource files.  
   
   
       47 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the one or more external resource files are configured to be modified by a first group of system users responsible for modifying the one or more external resource files wherein at least one system user in the first group of system users cannot access the computer software code directly without authorization.  
   
   
       48 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the compiled application program corresponds to computer software code written by a second group of users wherein at least one system user in the second group of system users cannot access the one or more external resource files without authorization.  
   
   
       49 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the one or more external resource files are generated dynamically.  
   
   
       50 . The system of  claim 38 , further comprising: 
 a plurality of graphical controls; and    a runtime tree built from the one or more external resource files in response to a resource request that references at least one of the plurality of graphical controls.    
   
   
       51 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein at least one of the external resource files comprises a plurality of extensible markup language tags, the plurality of extensible markup language tags comprising: 
 at least one extensible markup language tag recognized by the graphical control locator; and    at least one extensible markup language tag not recognized by the graphical control locator.    
   
   
       52 . A method for developing computer software applications, the method comprising: 
 locating one or more external resource files;    identifying a requested parameter stored in the one or more external resource files at runtime of a corresponding compiled application program, the compiled application program corresponding to the one or more external resource files, the one or more external resource files being external to the compiled application program, the one or more external resource files being configured such that information from the one or more external resource files is obtainable at runtime of the compiled application program without need for compilation of the one or more external resource files; and    building a runtime tree from the one or more external resource files in response to a resource request.    
   
   
       53 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein locating the one or more external resource files comprises locating the one or more external resource files wherein the one or more external resource files are generated dynamically.  
   
   
       54 . A computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for developing computer software applications, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising: 
 locating one or more external resource files wherein the one or more external resource files are written in a markup language, at least one of the external resource files comprising at least one extensible markup language tag associated with at least one of a plurality of platform namespaces; and    identifying a requested parameter stored in the one or more external resource files at runtime of a corresponding compiled application program, the compiled application program corresponding to the one or more external resource files, the one or more external resource files being external to the compiled application program, the one or more external resource files being configured such that information from the one or more external resource files is obtainable at runtime of the compiled application program without need for compilation of the one or more external resource files.    
   
   
       55 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 54 , wherein locating the one or more external resource files comprises locating the one or more external resource files wherein different ones of at least some of the plurality of platform namespaces correspond to different computing platforms.  
   
   
       56 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 54 , wherein locating the one or more external resource files comprises locating the one or more external resource files wherein different ones of at least some of the plurality of platform namespaces correspond to different computing platform versions.  
   
   
       57 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 54 , wherein locating the one or more external resource files comprises locating the one or more external resource files wherein different ones of at least some of the plurality of platform namespaces correspond to different graphical user interface (GUI) implementations.