Visual App Workflow Updating With Automatic Artifact Reflow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Managing complex app development environments requires advanced coding knowledge and involves numerous manual steps, making it difficult and time-consuming to update workflows efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A visual model-based and low-code app development platform that provides an interactive user interface for inserting workflow artifacts, automatically determines overlaps, and rearranges artifacts along a flow direction to avoid overlaps, using a moving borderline to maintain the layout and allowing user confirmation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If advanced coding knowledge and manual steps are used to update workflows, then workflow updates can be performed, but the process becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual drag-and-drop operations with an automated insertion mechanism. When a user inserts a workflow artifact at a specified position, the system automatically calculates overlaps with existing artifacts and performs rearrangements, substituting the mechanical manual adjustment process with an automated computational system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting overlaps caused by inserted artifacts and autonomously rearranging workflow artifacts to eliminate overlaps. This self-adjusting capability reduces the need for manual intervention and simplifies the user interface.
2Stability of the object's composition
If workflow artifacts are manually rearranged to avoid overlaps, then layout consistency can be maintained, but numerous manual steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-calculating the positions of workflow artifacts and preparing rearrangement plans before final insertion. This allows the system to maintain layout consistency proactively rather than reactively, reducing the time needed for actual updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual artifact rearrangement with an automated computational system that calculates optimal positions and performs insertions automatically, maintaining layout consistency without requiring manual steps.
3Ease of operation
If the user interface provides detailed workflow editing capabilities, then workflow updates can be performed, but the interface becomes complex and difficult to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides self-service by automatically handling the complex task of overlap detection and artifact rearrangement. The user interface only needs to provide simple insertion operations, while the system manages the complexity of maintaining layout consistency automatically.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the complex overlap management functionality from the user interface and implements it as an automated background process. This separation allows the interface to remain simple and easy to operate while the underlying system handles the complexity of workflow artifact rearrangement.
Data Source
AI summary
For an improved management of an app (120), a computer-implemented method is suggested comprising: •capturing the user's intent to insert an additional workflow artifact (122a) into the workflow (124) in response to user interactions with the app development UI (116); •inserting the additional workflow artifact (122a) to the workflow (124) according into the captured user's intent; •determining an overlap (126) of at least two of the workflow artifacts (122) caused by the inserted workflow artifact (122a); •determining a flow direction (128) of the workflow (124) from the preceding workflow artifact (122p) to the following workflow artifact (122f), the preceding and the following workflow artifact (122p, 122f) preceding and following the inserted workflow artifact (122a), respectively; •determining at least one workflow artifact (122m) of the workflow (124) which needs to be moved along the determined flow direction (128) to avoid the determined overlap (126); •determining an updated workflow (124′) by moving the respective, determined workflow artifact (122m) along the determined flow direction (128) at least until the determined overlap (126) is removed; •displaying at least the preceding workflow artifact (122p), the inserted workflow artifact (122a), and the following workflow artifact (122f) to the user in the app development UI (116); and •developing the app (120) through the app development UI (116) by using the updated workflow (124′).