Visual Software Development System for Disparate Platform Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing visual programming tools are limited in their ability to integrate with existing software systems, particularly those without open APIs, leading to the majority of software solutions being manually created by programmers at great expense and time, due to the lack of standard APIs and the need for programmers to write source code to define algorithms.
Innovation Solution
A visual software development system that uses adapters to interrogate the interfaces of disparate software systems, generating descriptions that can be incorporated into a design, allowing users to build software solutions graphically without writing code, and integrate elements from multiple software systems, such as Web and Windows technologies, through a loader that executes the defined algorithms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If visual programming tools are used to integrate software systems, then the ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability deteriorates because they cannot integrate with systems without open APIs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer called a 'driver' that sits between the visual programming tool and the target software system. This driver translates visual programming operations into platform-specific calls, enabling integration with systems that lack open APIs. The driver acts as a mediator that bridges the gap between the high-level visual interface and the low-level closed system interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual representations or copies of existing software system interfaces. By capturing the interface structure and behavior of closed systems and creating equivalent virtual interfaces that the visual programming tool can manipulate, the system enables graphical programming without requiring direct access to the original closed system's undocumented interfaces.
2Adaptability or versatility
If programmers manually create software solutions, then the adaptability is improved, but the productivity deteriorates due to time-consuming manual coding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-defining drivers for common software systems and pre-creating visual representations of their interfaces. This preparation work is done in advance so that when users need to integrate these systems, they can simply drag and drop pre-configured components rather than manually coding connections, significantly improving productivity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The visual programming tool automatically generates the necessary integration code by interpreting the graphical connections between components. Instead of requiring programmers to manually write code for each integration, the system uses meta-programming capabilities to automatically translate the visual design into executable code, making the system self-sufficient in code generation.
3Ease of operation
If standard APIs are used for software integration, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for multiple adapters and drivers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal driver framework that can handle multiple different software systems through a single unified interface. Rather than requiring separate integration mechanisms for each system, the visual programming tool uses a universal set of abstraction mechanisms that work across all supported systems, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A visual software development system in which a user can graphically build a design or software solution without having to write software code includes one or more adapters that interrogate interfaces of the software platform that a software system or systems is built in accordance with and generate descriptions that the user can then incorporate into the design. The software systems can be of disparate technology platforms, an adapter provided that suits each platform. The descriptions can be represented graphically for the user with icons in an integrated development environment (IDE), and the user can build the design by dragging or otherwise selecting descriptions to be used and connecting them together to graphically represent the flow of information or communication of events among the descriptions.