Action Flow Fragment Management for Web Apps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing web application technologies lack efficient mechanisms for reusing portions of action flows, limiting the ability to incorporate subsets of steps into other action flows at runtime, which restricts flexibility and efficiency in web application development and execution.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of action flow fragments, which are subsets of steps that can be dynamically incorporated into parent action flows through an action flow fragment expression, allowing for execution and reuse within other action flows, enabling more flexible and efficient web application design and execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If action flows are implemented as complete, monolithic sequences of steps, then execution reliability is improved, but adaptability and reusability deteriorate because portions of action flows cannot be independently reused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides action flows into smaller, independent action flow fragments that can be selectively reused. Each fragment represents a portion of the complete action flow that can be independently defined, stored, and executed. This segmentation allows specific portions to be reused across different parent action flows without requiring the entire action flow to be replicated, thereby improving adaptability while maintaining execution reliability through structured fragment management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts specific portions of action flows as separate, reusable fragments that can be removed from their original context and incorporated into different parent action flows. This extraction enables independent reuse of action flow portions without affecting the integrity of the original action flow or requiring modification of the complete sequence, thus enhancing versatility while preserving execution reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If action flow fragments are dynamically incorporated into parent action flows at runtime, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for fragment management mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal action flow fragment management system that handles multiple functions through a single integrated mechanism. The fragment management system can define, store, retrieve, validate, and execute fragments across different parent action flows using a common set of data structures and processing logic. This universal approach reduces complexity by avoiding the need for separate management mechanisms for each parent action flow, thereby enabling dynamic incorporation while keeping the system manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying mechanisms to replicate action flow fragments from a centralized storage location into parent action flows at runtime. Instead of creating complex management systems that modify or reference fragments in place, the system creates copies of fragment definitions that can be independently managed and executed. This copying approach simplifies fragment management by decoupling the storage and execution contexts, reducing the complexity of runtime incorporation while maintaining flexibility.
3Ease of operation
If complete action flows are executed without fragment reuse, then ease of operation is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to redundant execution of common step sequences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-defining and storing action flow fragments in a centralized repository before they are needed in parent action flows. Common step sequences are identified, defined, and stored as reusable fragments in advance, allowing them to be quickly incorporated into multiple parent action flows without redefining them each time. This preliminary preparation maintains ease of operation by providing pre-validated, ready-to-use fragments while dramatically improving productivity by eliminating redundant definition and execution of common sequences across multiple action flows.
Data Source
AI summary
Action flow fragment management includes executing a parent action flow including multiple steps. At least two steps are distinct pages of a web application. During execution of the parent action flow, an action flow fragment expression is obtained and executed using data gathered from a data source to obtain an action flow fragment identifier. An action flow fragment corresponding to the action flow fragment identifier is selected and executed. When execution of the action flow fragment completes, execution of the parent action flow continues.