Programmatic Application State Indexing for Search
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current application development frameworks require complex custom programming and the use of APIs or SDKs for application indexing, leading to increased effort, memory requirements, and processing complexity for developers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing programmatic application state indexing, which allows applications to be indexed for searching without custom programming, APIs, or SDKs, by systematically exploring and identifying application states through UI element interactions, creating a search index that maps content to application states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If custom programming and APIs/SDKs are used for application indexing, then application indexing functionality is achieved, but developer effort and application complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The application itself automatically provides indexing information through its existing UI elements and state transitions. The system captures UI element metadata (text, attributes, relationships) and state transition information automatically during application execution, eliminating the need for developers to manually implement custom programming or provide specialized indexing data.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary indexing system is introduced between the application and the search engine. This intermediary captures UI element information and state transitions automatically, acting as a bridge that translates application behavior into searchable indices without requiring the application to implement complex custom programming or use specialized APIs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom programming and APIs/SDKs are used for application indexing, then application indexing functionality is achieved, but developer effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The application automatically generates its own indexing information by exposing its UI elements and state transitions to the indexing system. Developers simply need to ensure their application has standard UI elements and state management, which are already present in most applications, eliminating the need for additional development work.
Solution Approach 2:
The indexing system works universally with any application that has standard UI elements and state transitions, regardless of the specific application type or framework. This multi-functional approach allows the same indexing mechanism to handle diverse applications without requiring application-specific custom programming.
3Adaptability or versatility
If custom programming and APIs/SDKs are used for application indexing, then application indexing functionality is achieved, but memory and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The indexing functionality is extracted from the application itself and placed in a separate indexing system. The application only needs to provide basic UI element information and state transitions, while the heavy lifting of indexing, searching, and retrieving information is performed by the external indexing system, reducing the processing burden on the application.
Solution Approach 2:
The indexing system performs preliminary capture and processing of UI element information and state transitions as the application executes normally. By capturing this information in advance during application operation, the system avoids the need for complex real-time indexing operations that would increase processing requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Technologies are disclosed for enabling application search through the use of programmatic application state indexing. The disclosed technologies enable applications to be systematically explored using a program to identify the various states of the application. For example, UI displays provided by an application can be explored and text or other content can be captured from each UI display. The text or other content can then be indexed and utilized to search applications and to navigate directly to specific application states.