Extension Expression for Form Control Design Time Customization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current business systems face challenges in managing customized design time behavior for form controls without altering the underlying system metadata, leading to inconsistencies between design and runtime behaviors.

Innovation Solution

A customization environment using a customization system that models customizations to a base computer system, generating an extension expression to define design time behavior through attributes or code in an extensibility framework, allowing developers to specify and separate design time behavior from runtime behavior.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If developers modify system metadata to change design time behavior, then design time behavior can be customized, but the base system structure is altered and consistency between design and runtime behavior is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomization capabilityVSAvoidsystem metadata consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides customization into two separate layers: design time behavior customization (through extension expressions) and runtime behavior customization (through configuration). This segmentation allows developers to customize design time behavior without modifying the base system metadata, resolving the contradiction between customization capability and system consistency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an extension expression as an intermediary mechanism between the base system and customizations. Extension expressions act as a mediator that defines design time behavior without directly modifying system metadata, thus maintaining system stability while enabling adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If developers access system metadata directly to change design time behavior, then customization is achieved, but system complexity and maintenance difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedesign time behavior customizationVSAvoidcustomization system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The customization system provides self-service capabilities through a user interface that automatically generates extension expressions from developer inputs. Developers can customize design time behavior through intuitive interface elements without manually accessing or modifying system metadata, reducing complexity while maintaining customization capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical process of directly accessing and modifying system metadata with a higher-level abstraction mechanism. The user interface and extension expression generation system substitute for manual metadata manipulation, simplifying the customization process while achieving the same functional result.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If design time behavior is separated from runtime behavior, then consistent customization is achieved, but the system requires additional extensibility framework components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedesign-time consistencyVSAvoidextensibility framework complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The extension expression mechanism serves multiple functions: it defines design time behavior, maintains consistency between design and runtime, and provides a foundation for further customization. This multi-functionality justifies the added framework complexity by delivering multiple benefits through a single mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary action by generating extension expressions that pre-define design time behavior before runtime execution. This preliminary configuration ensures consistency between design and runtime while allowing the actual runtime behavior to be independently configured, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10372844B2Expressing extensions with customized design time behavior

Publication Date: 2019.08.06 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A customization environment uses a customization system that models customizations to a base computer system. The customization system receives developer inputs that customize the design time behavior of a form control by modeling it with an extension model. Based on the developer inputs, the customization system generates an extension expression that expresses the design time behavior of the form control. The extension expression can express the design time behavior through the addition of attributes representing the design time behavior or through code authored in an extensibility framework.