Software Component Framework State Model Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing frameworks for managing software components lack a standardized approach to execute and manage reusable components, making it difficult for developers to reuse components across different applications and understand their implementation, leading to complexity in component management.
Innovation Solution
A framework that utilizes a state model with defined interfaces and mandatory state transitions, allowing components to implement a projection of the framework state model, enabling dynamic publication of available state transitions and user-directed state changes, and providing a predefined user interface for managing components without requiring knowledge of their implementation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If software components are structured into reusable components that encapsulate functionality, then component reuse and development efficiency are improved, but the complexity of managing and executing these components across different applications increases
Solution Approach 1:
The framework segments component management into distinct state transitions (design time, runtime, deployment time) and separates concerns between component implementation details and management interfaces. This segmentation allows components to be reused across applications while the framework handles the management complexity through structured state models.
Solution Approach 2:
The framework acts as an intermediary between component developers and component users. It provides standardized interfaces and state management mechanisms that hide implementation details, allowing components to be managed without requiring deep understanding of their internal workings, thus reducing management complexity while maintaining reuse efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a standardized framework with defined interfaces and state transitions is implemented, then component manageability and interoperability are improved, but the initial framework implementation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The framework implements universal state management mechanisms that work across different component types and applications. The standardized interfaces and state transition models provide multi-functional capabilities, allowing the same framework infrastructure to manage diverse components, thereby improving interoperability while amortizing implementation complexity across multiple uses.
Solution Approach 2:
The framework uses parameterized state models where components specify their particular state transitions and interfaces based on their needs. This allows the general framework structure to adapt to specific component requirements through configuration rather than complex customization, improving versatility while keeping implementation manageable.
3Ease of operation
If components implement a projection of the framework state model, then the ease of managing components without understanding implementation is improved, but the flexibility of component implementation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The framework allows components to dynamically publish their available state transitions at runtime based on their current state. This dynamic adaptation enables components to implement only the state transitions relevant to their specific needs while still conforming to the overall framework state model, thus maintaining ease of management while preserving implementation flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Components segment their implementation by projecting only the necessary portion of the framework state model onto their specific needs. Each component implements a customized view of the state model that matches its functionality, making it easy to manage through standardized interfaces while retaining flexibility in implementation details.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for a framework for managing software components. The framework uses a framework state model with model state transitions and implements one or more interfaces. Each component implements a respective component state model that is a projection of the framework state model and one or more of the interfaces. Each component implements operations to perform state transitions supported by the component. The framework can use the interfaces to cause components to perform component operations and to provide component state information to the framework. The interfaces define methods usable to determine a current state of a component, determine available state transitions for the current state, and direct the component to perform an available state transition. The available state transitions are one or more of the allowable state transitions that are implemented by the selected component for the current state.