Base project resource management and application synthesis

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for constructing an application includes detecting a change to a design of an application, evaluating the design against hardware resources associated with application projects to identify one or more applicable application projects, receiving a user selection of an applicable application project, and constructing the application using the selected application project.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system in which embodiments of the present invention may operate.

FIG. 2 illustrates a firmware stack model in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a processing device maker.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary design composition user interface.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary device selection user interface.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for constructing a custom application.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for instantiating channels for a specific base project.

FIG. 8A illustrates an exemplary pin assignment user interface.

FIG. 8B illustrates data components of a placeable channel.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a base project synthesis method.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a processing device.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a computer system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: upon detecting a change to a design of an application, evaluating the design against hardware resources associated with application projects to identify one or more applicable application projects;receiving a user selection of one of the applicable application projects; andconstructing the application using the selected application project.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the application is an embedded application for a processing device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the change to the design comprises at least one of an addition of an application object, a deletion of an application object, and a modification of an application object property.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the application object is any one of an application input, an application output, and a valuator.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein evaluating the design comprises: identifying channels for drivers associated with the design;determining, for each processing device family, whether the family can accommodate the identified channels; andif the family can accommodate the identified channels, adding an application project associated with the family to a list of applicable application projects.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the determination as to whether the family can accommodate the identified channels is performed using a processing device with the largest number of pins in the family.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein receiving a user selection of one of the applicable application projects comprises: for each application project associated with a family, assessing all processing devices in the family to identify processing devices that can accommodate the identified channels;for each family, presenting application projects associated with processing devices that can accommodate the identified channels; andallowing the user to select one of the presented application projects.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the applicable application projects comprises metadata describing resources available on a corresponding processing device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein constructing the application comprises: mapping the identified channels onto resources specified in the selected application project; andplacing user modules associated with the identified channels in the selected application project.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising: setting parameters pertaining to the user modules according to the identified channels.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising: compiling the constructed application into a binary file to be downloaded to a corresponding processing device.

12. An article of manufacture comprising: a machine-readable medium including a plurality of instructions which when executed perform a method comprising:upon detecting a change to a design of an application, evaluating the design to identify one or more applicable application projects;receiving a user selection of one of the applicable application projects; andconstructing the application using the selected application project.

13. The article of manufacture method of claim 12 wherein: the change to the design comprises at least one of an addition of an application object, a deletion of an application object, and a modification of an application object property; andthe application object is any one of an application input, an application output, and a valuator.

14. The article of manufacture method of claim 12 wherein evaluating the design comprises: identifying channels for drivers associated with the design;determining, for each processing device family, whether the family can accommodate the identified channels; andif the family can accommodate the identified channels, adding an application project associated with the family to a list of applicable application projects.

15. An apparatus comprising: an evaluator to detect a change to a design of an application, and to evaluate the design to identify one or more applicable application projects;a application project catalog to allow a user to select one of the applicable application projects; anda processing device designer to construct the application using the selected application project.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the application is an embedded application for a processing device.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein: the change to the design comprises at least one of an addition of an application object, a deletion of an application object, and a modification of an application object property; andthe application object is any one of an application input, an application output, and a valuator.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the evaluator is to evaluate the design by identifying channels for drivers associated with the design,determining, for each processing device family, whether the family can accommodate the identified channels, andif the family can accommodate the identified channels, adding an application project associated with the family to a list of applicable application projects.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each of the applicable application projects comprises metadata describing resources available on a corresponding processing device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the processing device designer is to construct the application by mapping the identified channels onto resources specified in the selected application project, andplacing user modules associated with the identified channels in the selected application project.