Abstract: The current document is directed to automated application-release-management facilities that, in a described implementation, coordinate continuous development and release of cloud-computing applications. The application-release-management process is specified, in the described implementation, by application-release-management pipelines, each pipeline comprising one or more stages, with each stage comprising one or more tasks.

Abstract: In various embodiments, an automatic presentation/document builder is disclosed, where in a first phase a database/datastore is constructed from previously assembled presentations and documents including ratings/rankings for components/segments based on actions of viewers of the previously assembled presentations. In a second phase, a new presentation/document is automatically created based on interactive guidance with respect to desired goals, points, and storylines. Presentation components are automatically chosen and/or automatically suggested based on search functionality using Content Rank Scores that include weighted parameters. Newly created documents are thus assembled from segments of previously assembled presentations/documents with the new draft presentation/document based on user guidance and a stated desired outcome. In the last phase, the user is provided with machine assisted recommendation to enhance the automatically assembled presentation/document.

Abstract: A method for performing a search includes receiving a search query having one or more query terms from a remote device and generating a collection of one or more analyzed tokens based on the search query. The analyzed token collection is indicative of at least a subset of the query term(s). The method includes inputting the analyzed token collection into different parsers that each parse the analyzed token collection and/or the search query according to a parsing operation specific to the parser and output a parsed query including a list of one or more parsed tokens. Each parsed token includes a string, and at least one parsed token of at least one of the parsed queries includes one or more properties of the string. The method further includes generating a retrieval query based on the parsed queries outputted by the parsers and generating search results based on the retrieval query.

Abstract: Disclosed examples to configure an application for deployment involve displaying a user-selectable control in a user interface. A selected state and an unselected state of the user-selectable control distinguish between whether different components of the application are to be deployed in a same cloud and whether the different components of the application are to be deployed in separate clouds. When the user-selectable control indicates that the different components of the application are to be deployed in the separate clouds, a first one of the different components is bound to a first cloud and a second one of the different components is bound to a second cloud in an application deployment profile. When the user-selectable control indicates that the different components of the application are to be deployed in the same cloud, the different components of the application are bound to the same cloud in the application deployment profile.

Abstract: A method for performing a search includes receiving a search query having one or more query terms from a remote device and generating a collection of one or more analyzed tokens based on the search query. The analyzed token collection is indicative of at least a subset of the query term(s). The method includes inputting the analyzed token collection into different parsers that each parse the analyzed token collection and/or the search query according to a parsing operation specific to the parser and output a parsed query including a list of one or more parsed tokens. Each parsed token includes a string, and at least one parsed token of at least one of the parsed queries includes one or more properties of the string. The method further includes generating a retrieval query based on the parsed queries outputted by the parsers and generating search results based on the retrieval query.

Abstract: The current document is directed to automated application-release-management facilities that, in a described implementation, coordinate continuous development and release of cloud-computing applications. The application-release-management process is specified, in the described implementation, by application-release-management pipelines, each pipeline comprising one or more stages, with each stage comprising one or more tasks. Current application-release-management pipelines are linear, with the stages sequentially ordered within the pipeline. The current document is directed to an automated application-release-management facility that supports branch points within application-release-management pipelines where, as a result of inter-application dependencies, a task within a stage of the first pipeline associated with a first application launches a second pipeline associated with a second application.

Abstract: The current document is directed to an automated-application-release-management subsystem that executes application-release-management pipelines that includes one or more tasks and/or stages, execution of which launch execution of scripts on specified host computers. The capability for launching scripts from application-release-management-pipeline tasks and stages provides flexibility in design and development of application-release-management pipelines and provides an incremental path for migration of legacy-script-based application-release management to automated pipeline-based application-release management.

Abstract: The current document is directed to an automated-application-release-management subsystem, or facility, that organizes and manages the application-development and application-release processes to allow for continuous application development and release. The current document is particularly directed to implementations in which the automated application-release-management subsystem is highly modularized to provide plug-in compatibility with a large variety of external, third-party subsystems, libraries, and functionalities. This highly plug-in-compatible architecture provides for decreasing dependencies on various subsystems and components of a workflow-based cloud-management system in which the plug-compatible automated application-release-management subsystem is incorporated.

Abstract: The current document is directed to automated application-release-management facilities that, in a described implementation, coordinate continuous development and release of cloud-computing applications. The application-release-management process is specified, in the described implementation, by application-release-management pipelines, each pipeline comprising one or more stages, with each stage comprising one or more tasks.

Abstract: Disclosed examples to configure an application blueprint involve selecting, during a runtime phase, a first service and a second service from a plurality of services mapped to a service template, the service template bound to a node by an application blueprint, the application blueprint generated during a design phase; generating, during the runtime phase, a first deployment profile to deploy a first application on the node in a cloud environment, the first deployment profile based on the application blueprint, the first deployment profile identifying the first service; and generating, during the runtime phase, a second deployment profile to deploy a second application on the node in the cloud environment based on the application blueprint, the second deployment profile identifying the second service.

Abstract: Disclosed examples to configure an application blueprint involve, during a design phase, binding a service template to a node of the application blueprint. The application blueprint defines an application to be deployed in a cloud environment. The service template is mapped to a plurality of services that are selectable during a runtime phase to implement the node in the cloud environment. During the runtime phase, a first one of the services is bound to the node of the application blueprint based on the first one of the services being mapped to the service template and being selected during the runtime phase. An application deployment profile is generated based on the binding of the first one of the services to the node.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and systems are disclosed to update application deployments in cloud computing environments. An example method disclosed herein includes identifying an update profile to promote across the plurality of deployment environments, the update profile to update a component of the application, in response to a notification of promotion of the update profile received at a first deployment environment. The example method also includes displaying a user-selectable control in a user interface, the user-selectable control to specify whether to apply the update profile to the component of the application deployed in the first deployment environment, based on selection of the user-selectable control, performing a compatibility check of the first deployment environment and the update profile, and based on an outcome of the compatibility check, applying the update profile to the component of the application deployed in the first deployment environment.

Abstract: A server includes a network communication device, a storage device, and a processing device. The processing device executes computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to: receive contextual data from a client computing device via the network communication device, the contextual data indicates a first application view displayed on the client computing device; identify a first application function ID that identifies a first application function corresponding with the first application view; determine a first user intent ID that corresponds with the first application function ID; determine a second user intent ID that transitions from the first user intent ID; identify a second application function ID that corresponds with the second user intent ID; retrieve a card object corresponding with the second application function ID from the storage device; and transmit the card object to the client computing device via the network communication device.

Abstract: A system and method for efficiently replacing clients running a large scale application uses a pool of clients, which includes a group of active clients running the large scale application and at least one standby client. When a particular active client is identified to be replaced, one of the at least one standby client is selected as a replacement client for the particular active client. The particular active client is replaced with the selected replacement client with respect to the running of the large scale application such that the particular client is removed from the group of active clients and the selected replacement client is added to the group of active clients.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed to scale application deployments in cloud computing environments using virtual machine pools. An example method disclosed herein includes preparing a virtual machine pool including a virtual machine for use in a scaling operation, the virtual machine prepared in accordance with a blueprint of the application deployed in a deployment environment separate from the virtual machine pool, in response to receiving a request to scale the application, determining by executing an instruction with a processor, whether configuration information of the virtual machine pool satisfies a scaling requirement included in the request, and based on the determination, executing an instruction with the processor to transfer the virtual machine from the virtual machine pool to the deployment environment to perform the scaling operation in accordance with the request to scale.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed to scale application deployments in cloud computing environments using virtual machine pools.

Abstract: Disclosed examples to configure an application for deployment involve displaying a user-selectable control in a user interface. A selected state and an unselected state of the user-selectable control distinguish between whether different components of the application are to be deployed in a same cloud and whether the different components of the application are to be deployed in separate clouds. When the user-selectable control indicates that the different components of the application are to be deployed in the separate clouds, a first one of the different components is bound to a first cloud and a second one of the different components is bound to a second cloud in an application deployment profile. When the user-selectable control indicates that the different components of the application are to be deployed in the same cloud, the different components of the application are bound to the same cloud in the application deployment profile.

Abstract: Disclosed examples to configure an application for deployment across a plurality of deployment environments involve displaying a user-selectable control in a user interface. The user-selectable control is to specify whether the application is to be deployed across the plurality of deployment environments. Based on selection of the user-selectable control, a blueprint of the application stores an indication of whether the application is to be deployed across the plurality of deployment environments. Based on the indication in the blueprint, an application deployment profile is generated to specify the plurality of deployment environments across which to deploy the application.

Abstract: Disclosed examples to configure an application blueprint involve, during a design phase, binding a service template to a node of the application blueprint. The application blueprint defines an application to be deployed in a cloud environment. The service template is mapped to a plurality of services that are selectable during a runtime phase to implement the node in the cloud environment. During the runtime phase, a first one of the services is bound to the node of the application blueprint based on the first one of the services being mapped to the service template and being selected during the runtime phase. An application deployment profile is generated based on the binding of the first one of the services to the node.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed to scale application deployments in cloud computing environments using virtual machine pools.