Balking pattern

Abstract: An object comprising a Web document is transferred by a server to a client over a client-server data communications network. Alternatively, the object comprising the Web document can be executed by the server. The object, in turn, causes each object contained therein to execute and output a representation of the object in whatever format is requested by the client. For example, a client can send a request to the server over the data communications network. The requests specifies a particular Web document. The server searches its collection of objects in its object space for the object requested. The server, upon finding the object, and depending upon the nature of the client's request, will transmit the object as is to the client, or execute the object. The object outputs a representation of each object contained within the object in a format specified by the client. Thus, if the client requests an HTML formatted Web document, the server executes the object representing the Web document, passing as input to the object an input argument indicating the output of each object within the Web document is to be formatted in HTML.

Abstract: An Undo/Redo feature for a graphical programming system which minimizes the required data storage. The graphical programming system includes a plurality of interconnected objects, including fixed size objects and variable size objects. A variable size object is an object which typically changes in size, i.e., grows or shrinks, in response to user modification, whereas fixed size objects do not change in size. When an object is modified by the user, the method of the present invention stores a backup copy for undo purposes. For modification of an object, the backup is performed differently depending on whether the object is a variable size object or a fixed size object. For a variable size object, the method stores the original object as the previous object in the backup list, and the method stores a copy of the original object as the current object in the backup list. For a fixed size object, the method stores a copy of the original object as the previous object in the backup list, and the method stores the original object as the current object in the backup list. For a fixed size object, the original object thus remains as the current or foreground object in the graphical program. Since the original object stays in the foreground, other objects which reference this object maintain their references, and thus are not also required to be backed up. Therefore, the present invention provides a unique system and method for performing undo/redo in a graphical system which minimizes the amount of memory required for undo purposes.

Abstract: A mechanism for passing a request from a calling object in a first address space to a target object in a second address space. First, the request is passed from the calling object to an object request broker (more general term?) to which the calling object is written which normally handles requests to remote objects for the calling object. Responsive to a determination that the target object is foreign to the object request broker, a foreign object request broker to which the target object is written is located. A proxy object is generated according to the protocol of the foreign object request broker and stored in the first address space. A pointer is returned to calling object so that communication from the calling object to the target object may be established through the proxy object.

Abstract: The invention is a method and system of loading a data object representative of carrier data and possible command structures, which can be identified by both name and date fields characteristics, into a Data Access System of a carrier management system. The method begins with receiving a request for an object and then determining whether or not the object resides in a first data table which is indicative of a plurality of characteristics of the object. If the object is not resident in the first data table, then the system assigns an initial time stamp and a permanence value to the object. Additionally, the method and system must determine the memory space, in the Data Access System, required for storing the object. De-referenced objects are removed from the memory until space is available that is greater than or equal to the memory requirement of the object. After memory is allocated to the object, the object is then loaded into the memory for use within the carrier management system. A directory table is then established for the object. The directory table includes: an object name; a set of associated data; and, an object table data pointer. The associated data includes an effective date; an expiration date; and, the modification status of the file.