Container independent data binding system

Details Container independent data binding system Container independent data binding system

1998-06-30

2002-10-08

Breene, John (Department: 2177)

Data processing: database and file management or data structures

Database design

Data structure types

Reexamination Certificate

active

06463442

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of data processing systems, and in particular to a global data binding system that facilitates data binding between a data consumer and a data source in a manner that can be independent of any container that may be associated with the data consumer.
PROBLEM
Data binding is the technique of creating a logical association or link between a data consumer and a data source. A data consumer is typically implemented in a container and uses data in a manner that can include, but is not limited to, displaying data on a display screen by way of a display mechanism, manipulating data, or associating data with properties of non-visual objects. A container is a type of component that contains one or more other components within a component family hierarchy, and can include but is not limited to a viewer or other visual object on a display screen such as a button, data entry field or form, and/or a list box. The display mechanism is an object referred to as a bound control that has properties that include data presently being displayed, background color, title, and other visible properties that can each be linked to a different data source. For example, the title of a bound control may be linked to a first data source, and the data displayed within the bound control may be linked to a second data source. A bound control is responsible for displaying properties to a user so that the user may view or modify the properties of the bound control.
A data source typically includes a data store, a data source control, and a cursor. A data store is typically a non-volatile storage device that on which data persistently resides often in a tabular row and column form called records and fields. A data source control is an object that is the interface between the data consumer and the data store that controls the display and implementation of data manipulation options. A cursor is an object that maintains a subset of the data store called a result set of a query, and maintains a present data item location indicator called a currency. The cursor supports operations that can be performed on a result set from the data store that include, but are not limited to, retrieving a record from the result set at a present location called the currency, modifying a record at the currency location, and moving the currency to refer to a desired record of a result set.
FIG. 2
illustrates an example of an existing data binding model
200
in block diagram form. Note that the context of the basic computing system components identified with
1
xx series reference numbers are disclosed in further detail with the text accompanying
FIG. 1
found in the Detailed Description of the Invention section of this document.
Display screen or monitor
191
is illustrated as displaying two display areas
210
and
220
that are also referred to as containers. The visual components
211
-
213
within display area
210
are controlled by container application
230
of the application programs
135
in system memory
130
. The visual components in the present example include, but are not limited to, user-visible bound controls
211
and
212
, and a user-visible data source control
213
. The binding components
231
-
234
of container application
230
can include, but are not limited to, a binding control
231
that controls user-visible bound control
211
, a binding control
232
that controls user-visible bound control
212
, a data source control
233
that controls user-visible data source control
213
, and a cursor control
234
. Similarly, the visual components
221
-
222
within display area
220
are controlled by container application
240
of the application programs
135
in system memory
130
. The visual components in the present example include, but are not limited to, user-visible bound control
221
, and user-visible data source control
222
. The binding components
241
-
243
of container application
240
include, but are not limited to, a binding control
241
that controls user-visible bound control
221
, a data source control
242
that controls user-visible data source control
222
, and a cursor control
243
. Both container applications
230
and
240
are operatively connected to the data
250
in the non-volatile secondary data store
141
. The binding components within the respective container applications
230
and
240
are internal binding arbiters between display areas
210
and
220
as data consumers, and data
250
in data store
141
as the data source.
The operational aspects of data binding can be appreciated by considering a situation where a data consumer that has a local copy of data from the data store of a data source, and the data consumer has the data displayed on a display screen under the control of a data source control. Because the data consumer and the data source are logically linked, modifications to the data consumer's copy of the data result in an update of the data of the data source. Similarly, modifications to the data source's copy of the data result in an update of the data of the data consumer. However, existing data binding configurations and their operational techniques to facilitate data binding such as that illustrated in the
FIG. 2
example, are undesirable for several reasons.
One reason existing data binding techniques are undesirable is because existing data binding models are unique to each container application. This data binding uniqueness requires a programmer to duplicate a relatively standard service from one container application to the next and to customize the container application to accommodate a specific data access protocol and interface set. Generating a customized data binding implementation for each application is inefficient and results in programming language code that is dedicated to a given data access method in addition to being difficult to maintain by programmers unfamiliar with the original container design and/or data binding model. Further, a customized data binding implementation results in data binding dependencies on specific data access methods. Such dependencies limit the expandability and/or adaptability of the data binding model to new data access interfaces without significant binding logic changes. For these reasons, existing data binding models and their uniqueness from container to container are undesirable.
Another reason existing data binding techniques are undesirable is because existing data binding models are visual container dependent so that there is no way to accomplish data binding for non-visual objects. Non-visual objects that can benefit from data binding can include, but are not limited to applications that do not have a user interface such as middle-tier business logic objects in a three-tier system. Due to this limitation, existing data binding models and their limited applicability to visual objects are undesirable.
Another reason existing data binding techniques are undesirable is due to the lack of programmer control over application details that occurs once the binding relationship between the data source and the data consumer is established. The lack of control is the result of the container's internal binding arbiter that buffers and mediates all data access communication and interactivity between every component of the data consumer and every component of the data source. For this reason, existing data binding models are undesirable.
For these and other reasons, there exists an ongoing need for a uniform system of supporting data binding and data access features for visible and non-visible components across multiple applications. A system of this type has heretofore not been known prior to the invention disclosed below.
SOLUTION
The present invention solves the above identified and other problems by a container independent data binding system that independently facilitates data binding by way of a binding system object, also known as a binding agent, that is accessible to any visual and/or non-visual component. The binding system is

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