Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for visually processing instance data. A visual placeholder for a data instance is provided as part of the design experience. A runtime configurable metadata store is provided to maintain the mappings between types and designers. Thus, configurations can be altered at the runtime of the control, rather than a fixed set of potential templates being provided at design time. Item presenters render contained data instances of a type using a designer specified in the metadata store. Item presenters can be used when a data instance is exposed as a property on the containing type. As such, property values can be visually moved to and from other properties, potentially within multiple owning objects.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to providing an application model to deploy and manage composite applications and to providing model-driven software coding assistance. In an embodiment, a computer system instantiates an application design interface that is configured to display composite application components and relationships between the components. Each component includes information specifying how communication is to be conducted with the component. The computer system accesses an application manifest that includes the components and component relationships of the application. The computer system displays the composite application's components and component relationships in the instantiated visual application design interface according to the application manifest.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for visually manipulating instance collections. Items presenters present data collections along with custom designers for each data element in the data collections. The customer designers also permit data elements in the collection to be edited in situ. Items presenters maintain data elements in a position aware fashion. Thus, data elements can be inserted into (potentially at a specified location) and deleted from an items presenter to corresponding add and delete the data elements from a data collection. Data elements can be visually moved from an items presenter in one root user interface to an items presenter in another root user interface to corresponding move the data elements between corresponding data collections.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for assigning type parameters. Embodiments of the invention permit using a visual editor to edit arbitrary object instances in a graphical fashion. Instances of generic types can be manipulated to change the type parameters for that generic (to be able to change a List<Customer> to a List<Product>, for instance).

Abstract: The generation and/or use of a hierarchical structure of model elements such as those that might be portions of a computer program. If it is determined that if a particular one of the model elements should be changed from one model element type to another model element type, that change is automatically made. The determination of whether the change should be made may be based on monitoring of actual behavior of the software program. The determination might alternatively be made based on expressed gestures of an author using an authoring program that visualizes the hierarchical structure of model elements.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for structured arrangement of visual endpoints in diagrams. Generally, endpoint arrangements are consistently used on shapes in a domain (diagram type) based on common information flow characteristics of the domain. In addition, shape specific positioning of endpoints can be based on a shape's unique characteristics. Diagrams are more readable across an organization because diagrams have a more consistent flow structure in the form of endpoints and connections. Diagrams are also easier to construct because endpoints have predictable locations.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to interpreting declarative program types at runtime without compiling and mapping between a declarative type and a dynamic runtime type. A computer system accesses a portion of a declarative program, where the declarative program includes fully modeled activity types. The computer system dynamically constructs a dynamic activity type based on one of the fully modeled activity types of the declarative program, where the dynamic activity type is configured for interpretive execution without compilation. The computer system also interpretively executes the dynamically constructed dynamic activity type such that the dynamic activity is executed without compilation.

Abstract: Developing a declarative workflow application. In a first instance of a workflow designer application, user input is received defining a declarative workflow definition with workflow elements. Some of the workflow elements may be dummy workflow elements having no underlying imperative code. This declarative workflow definition can be provided to a developer. The developer can cause the workflow definition to be loaded into a second instance of a workflow designer application where it is graphically displayed. The developer can provider user input in the second instance of the workflow designer selecting workflow elements to be replaced. Workflow elements can be replaced with existing replacement workflow elements, or by workflow elements developed by the developer to replace selected elements. Embodiments may also include the ability to in-line imperative code editors instantiated by selecting workflow elements to replace.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for visually processing instance data. A visual placeholder for a data instance is provided as part of the design experience. A runtime configurable metadata store is provided to maintain the mappings between types and designers. Thus, configurations can be altered at the runtime of the control, rather than a fixed set of potential templates being provided at design time. Item presenters render contained data instances of a type using a designer specified in the metadata store. Item presenters can be used when a data instance is exposed as a property on the containing type. As such, property values can be visually moved to and from other properties, potentially within multiple owning objects.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for visually manipulating instance collections. Items presenters present data collections along with custom designers for each data element in the data collections. The customer designers also permit data elements in the collection to be edited in situ. Items presenters maintain data elements in a position aware fashion. Thus, data elements can be inserted into (potentially at a specified location) and deleted from an items presenter to corresponding add and delete the data elements from a data collection.