Abstract: A technique for permitting a developer to be presented with a visual programming environment which includes different representations of a class library from which a developer may select classes for inclusion in an application under development. The environment includes a class window, a composition editor window, and a methods window. To permit greater understanding of the class library that the developer is working with, the class library can be presented in the class window in a class tree format, in a class list format, or in a graphical format which includes graphical representations of the classes. The developer may select a class for inclusion in the application under development from any of the three formats. The methods window is provided for displaying the methods (code) for a selected class. The methods of a class may be modified or new methods added via the methods window after the class has been added to the application under development.

Abstract: The present invention provides a more flexible version of an EJB container which permits easy definition an EJB component which observes a behavior pattern which is not typical of a session, entity or message driven bean types. In this flexible EJB container, behavior characteristics normally fixed by the bean type of the EJB component, such as passivation policy, usage, recoverability, and relocatability can be separately defined for each EJB component.

Abstract: A server processing method for use in a client/server computing system which carries out transactions, has steps of: receiving a command instructing the server to carry out a step of a transaction; beginning the transaction; and determining whether a predetermined triggering event has occurred during the carrying out of the transaction, and only if the triggering event has occurred, creating a means for coordinating the transaction with respect to a plurality of elements that are involved in carrying out the transaction.

Abstract: Provided are an execution monitoring tool, a method and a computer program product for monitoring a message processing program or system. The execution monitoring tool identifies locations within the message processing program corresponding to a predefined set of execution progress stages, and inserts execution progress report generator components at these locations. Execution progress reports (including a representation of the message contents and structure) are then sent to the execution monitoring controller which maps the report data to its own representation of the program to determine the current position within an execution program. The message contents and structure, as well as the structure of the program and the current execution position, are displayed during execution on a test system. The execution reports include the current execution status as well as the position within the execution flow.

Abstract: A computer system for generating and analyzing application trace data includes a monitor for launching Java language virtual machines using the Java Platform Debug Architecture to enable the virtual machines to generate event data on the occurrence of specified events during application execution on the virtual machines. The event data is placed on an event queue and the monitor removes the event data from the event queue for forwarding to a logging service. The logging service records the event data in a trace file. A set of problem determination tools use defined product description, and the trace file data to provide an analysis to a user based on a defined level of analysis selected by the user from product, component, code and logical levels of analysis.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for flexibly including descriptive information items, and the various media resources used for those items, in a user interface (UI). One markup language document is used for the UI data content, and a separate markup language document is used for specifying the descriptive items and media resources to be used along with that content. This technique enables dynamically altering the descriptive items and media resources to be used for a UI document, without requiring change to the UI document itself This technique also enables developing the descriptive items and media resources separately from developing the UI document, without a requirement to share common files between these development efforts. The specifications of descriptive information items and media resources can be efficiently reused among multiple UI documents.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for maximizing a transfer of data to a target. A set of packets using the first packet size and the second packet size is sent to the target to form a set of transferred packets. Round trip times and service times are identified for the set of transferred packets. Optimal packet size is selected using the round trip times and service times for the set of packets, wherein the optimal packet size is used in transferring the data to the target.

Abstract: User interfaces, methods, systems, and computer program products for improving interactions with users of pervasive computing devices such as personal digital assistants, Web-enabled cellular phones, Web appliances, wearable computing devices, so-called “smart” appliances in the home, and so forth. A multi-functional application launcher is defined that is specifically adapted for use on devices with limited display space and which use pen-based input or other similar input means. This application launcher enables improved navigation, and provides an improved way to show task status information to the device user. Multiple functions per task are supported, and status information is provided, all from an application launcher view.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of defining an object union in an object oriented programming environment, comprising the steps of: selecting a first class from which a first object to be contained in the object union will be instantiated at runtime; selecting a second class from which a second object to be contained in the object union will be instantiated at runtime; selecting a policy function for operating on the first and second classes, at runtime, in order to define which methods supported by the first and second classes will be accessible via the object union at runtime.

Abstract: A method and apparatus in a distributed data processing system for handling requests. Processing of requests received at a server system is monitored, wherein the server system includes a plurality of servers. A work load is estimated at each of the plurality of servers. The request is forwarded to a server within the plurality of servers having an estimated smallest work load.

Abstract: Improved techniques are defined for dynamically loading components which have prerequisite relationships more complex than the simple single inheritance chains which are supported with prior art dynamic class loading techniques. Multiple prerequisites are supported in this improved technique, and in preferred embodiments, an arbitrary number of prerequisites may be explicitly specified for a component. Furthermore, techniques are disclosed which enable delaying the loading and initialization of components until such time as a class in the component is actually needed, thereby improving overall efficiency of the system. Optional filtering and export aspects may also be supported to selectively expose classes for use by dependent components and to enable a component to opt out of re-exporting the classes of its prerequisites, respectively.

Abstract: A method and apparatus in a distributed data processing system for handling requests. The processing of each request received at a server system is monitored, wherein the server system includes a plurality of servers. An average work load size is estimated for the plurality of servers based on previous actual work load information in response to completion of processing of a request. A most recent value of the average work load size is assigned for the plurality of servers to each request arriving at the server system. The request is forwarded to a server within the plurality of servers having a lowest estimated amount of work to process.

Abstract: A technique for permitting collaboration and coordination between the content displayed in multiple web browsers, such as the browser for a customer and the browser for a company agent. An HTTP request is sent from a customer browser to a web server via a collaboration server. The web server then sends an HTTP message responding to this request to the customer web browser via the collaboration server. At this time, the collaboration server refers to stored information, such as past history information and customer purchasing records. When the HTTP message includes data which corresponds to a predetermined condition relative to the stored information, the collaboration server embeds a program for displaying predetermined information in the HTTP message. The modified HTTP message is then sent to one of a customer browser or the browser of a collaborating agent collaborating with the customer or both, and the embedded program is executed and predetermined information is displayed.

Abstract: Provided are an execution monitoring tool, a method and a computer program product for monitoring execution of an hierarchical visual program. Execution progress reports are sent to an execution monitoring controller which maps the report data to its own representation of the hierarchical program to determine the current position within an execution program. The hierarchical structure of the program and the current execution position are displayed during execution on a test system. The execution monitoring controller maintains an hierarchical representation of the visual program's structure, builds an execution stack from the execution progress reports, and compares the received reports with the hierarchical representation to determine a current execution position. The execution reports include the current execution status as well as the position within the execution flow.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synchronizing an XML document object model with the corresponding object model on the fly and in real time such that changes in either the document object model or the object model can be immediately reflected in the other without re-parsing the XML document. The invention utilizes a series of DOM/object model adapter software modules, each responsible for one (or more) object model properties and document object model nodes, respectively. Each adapter is registered to receive notification of a change in an object model property or DOM node for which it is responsible and updates the corresponding DOM node or object model property, respectively.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a technique for improving the handling of notification items related to the execution of process model instances and/or activity instances within a Workflow Management System (WFMS) or a computer system with comparable functionality. A notification group definition associates a notification group with at least one process model and/or at least one activity. The process model and/or the activity are associated with a notification specification referring to an addressee, for whom the WFMS creates and to whom the WFMS sends a notification item if an instance of the associated process model and/or an instance of the associated activity is not completed according to certain conditions. The WFMS is responsive to the notification group definition by sending a notification group item to the addressee as representative of one or many created notification items of associated process models and/or associated activities.

Abstract: A technique for managing life cycles of objects which are created by mapping layer software in response to retrieving data from a relational database. Object-level cursors are defined, where an object cursor is mapped to a database cursor for a particular cursored query. When the application traverses from one root object to another, the object-level cursor is advanced and memory used to store the objects corresponding to the previous subset of cursored rows is released, freeing memory space for a next set of objects corresponding to a next subset of cursored rows. The database cursor is also advanced to align with a row corresponding to the current root object to be processed by the application. Using this technique, result sets may be arbitrarily large without impacting system performance or efficiency.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for conducting business via the worldwide Web in which business programming is isolated from Web user interface programming. In accordance with the invention, a gateway servlet interfaces between a consumer's browser's software and a e-business retailer's back-end business software running, for instance, on a separate mainframe. The gateway servlet receives input information from the consumer and forwards it to the back-end software for business processing. The back-end software returns a user interface record object to the gateway which then instantiates a Java bean and invokes a Java Server Page in order to generate a HTML page to be returned to the user based on the user input information and the business back-end processing thereof.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product for programmatically manipulating a user interface process to maintain synchronization of object-oriented programming language methods during a rollback operation in a procedural logic debugger. This technique is designed for use in integrated execution environments that provide seamless execution of, and transfer of control between, objects written in an object-oriented programming language and business logic written in a procedural programming language, and which span multiple programming models based on different technologies. The disclosed technique enables developers to have greater control over the debugging process by manipulating the next statement to be executed. The procedural debugger automatically positions to the selected statement, and a corresponding user interface process is then programmatically adjusted to bring the user interface into synchronization with the selected statement.

Abstract: A software debugging tool for assisting a programmer in locating errors in content or coding, etc. generated at the client, e.g., using scripts and/or dynamic HTML. Whereas current debugging tools, such as the “View Source” option of popular Web browsing software, permits the programmer to view only the hard-coded HTML coding as it is received from a Web server, the present invention permits the programmer to view the HTML coding and/or content generated at the client. This assists the programmer to locate errors in, or “debug”, software, since it is frequently easier to detect errors in the results of an executed script than it is to detect errors in the script itself.