Object oriented software development tool with the ability to create or purchase new components and add them to an inventory (catalog)

摘要

A computing system for creating an extensible N-tiered software application (figure 6, 70) is described, comprising at least one processing unit, at least one memory store operatively connected to the processing unit, extensible N-tiered software executable within the at least one processing unit, a communications pathway operatively connected to the processing unit, and at least one extensible tier capable of residing in the memory store, the tier further comprising a logically grouped set of a predetermined number of executable software components (figure 6, 74), each executable software component further comprising an external interface, each software component further capable of communicating with each other software component. A method for generating a software application in a computing system for creating an extensible N-tiered software application (figure 6, 86) using the system comprises determining a set of application requirements and then, for each of the set of application requirements, reviewing the inventory of software components for software components that match at least one of the set of application requirements. For each application requirement in the set of application requirements for which a software component match does not exist in the software component inventory, a new software component is created to match that application requirement and then stored in the software component inventory. Each of the matching or new software components is associated with a respective tier of the predetermined set of tiers and the software application created by assembling the predetermined set of tiers.