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US 7624075 B2 Abstract A Q Framework, or QFX for short, is provided for performing efficient tree transformation in a generalized manner that achieves preservation of action semantics for FSTs that support action information in their representations across a diverse set of types of representations for FSTs. Among other features, the QFX also enables the preservation of ordered and unordered nest information while performing tree transformation, supports the transformation of non-deterministic data structures to a deterministic data structure and enables intersection operations on machines having action semantics.
Claims(20) 1. A method for transforming at least one data structure specifying at least one tree structure in a computing system to at least one modular finite state transducer (MFST), comprising:
employing at least one processor to store computer executable instructions on memory for receiving at least one data structure specifying at least one tree structure representing at least one finite state transducer (FST) including action semantics for defining action information; and
for any type of finite state machine (FSM) model represented by the at least one data structure, transforming the at least one data structure to at least one MFST while preserving the action information of the at least one data structure in the at least one MFST, wherein said transforming includes performing any of an intersection, union and complement operation, or performing any transformation operation that is reducible to any of an intersection, union and complement operation, on the at least one data structure, wherein it is determinable whether the resulting MFST accepts a non-empty input.
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10. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for performing the method of
11. A computing device comprising means for performing the method of
12. A transformation framework for transducing directed graph data structures representing finite state transducers (FSTs) to a modular finite state transducer (MFST) in a computing system, comprising:
means for storing a plurality of directed graph data structures of varying types for representing FSTs in a computing system including action semantics information of the plurality of directed graph data structures; and
means for employing a transducer that analyzes the plurality of directed graph data structures based on a pre-defined tree grammar and transduces the plurality of directed graph data structures to at least one MFST while preserving action semantics information of the plurality of directed graph data structures, wherein the transducer performs any of intersect, complement and union operations, or performs any transformations that are reducible to any of intersection, union and complement operations, on the plurality of directed graph data structures, wherein it is determinable whether the resulting MFST accepts a non-empty input.
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an interface for receiving a directed graph data structure of the plurality of directed graph data structures that defines and translates directed graph data structures according to said pre-defined tree grammar.
19. A compiler for transforming directed graph data structures representing finite state transducers (FSTs) to a modular finite state transducer (MFST) in a computing system, comprising:
a plurality of directed graph data structures representing FSTs for processes in a computing system including action information defining actions for the processes; and
a transducer that analyzes the plurality of directed graph data structures based on a pre-defined tree grammar and transduces the plurality of directed graph data structures to at least one MFST while preserving the action information of the plurality of directed graph data structures, wherein the transducer performs any of intersect, complement and union operations, or performs any transformation operations that are reducible to any of intersection, union and complement operations, on the plurality of directed graph data structures to generate said at least one MFST, wherein it is determinable whether the generated MFST accepts a non-empty input.
20. The compiler of
Description This application is related to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/532,374, filed Sep. 15, 2006, entitled �TRANSFORMATION OF MODULAR FINITE STATE TRANSDUCERS�, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. A portion of the disclosure of this patent document may contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice shall apply to this document: Copyright� 2005-2006, Microsoft Corp. The invention is directed generally to finite state automata, such as finite state transducers, and more specifically, to the transformation thereof. By way of general background, finite state machines (FSMs), also known as finite state automata (FSA) are models of behavior for systems composed of states, transitions and actions. FSMs, or FSA, can be represented in a variety of conceptual ways, using state diagrams, state transition diagrams, state tables, labeled directed graphs, trees, etc, which preserve the relationships of states, transitions and actions that comprise the machines, or automata. There are different kinds of FSMs or FSA, equivalencies among them, and various known conversions among some of them as well. Presently, some graph transducers and tree transducers exist that accomplish some aspects of transforming a set of systems modeled by FSTs, e.g., for some types of directed graph data structure(s), to form a new FST or set of FSTs, e.g., new directed graph data structure(s), however, such systems are limited for various reasons. The Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT), for instance, is an XML-based language used for the transformation of XML documents. When used to transform other XML documents, the document is not changed; rather, a new document is created based on the content of the existing XML document. The new document may be serialized (output) by the processor in standard XML syntax or in another format, such as HTML or plain text. XSLT is often used to convert data between different XML schemas or to convert XML data into web pages or PDF documents. In essence, XSLT allows the creation of an XML document that describes the transformation of other XML documents, which may in turn be translated to different formats. However, XSLT fails to take into account action semantics that can be represented in FSTs. In this respect, an action might be �when in a pre-defined state, once certain information is recognized, e.g., a name, perform some action.� However, to the extent that such arbitrary actions can be defined for an FST, XSLT is unable to handle calls to such arbitrary actions as part of its transformative capabilities. In addition, XSLT is unable to perform all of the complement, intersect and union operations on machines. Still further, existing transforms, such as XSLT, are also unable to match and compose FSMs having both ordered and unordered hierarchical information, such as ordered and unordered nests (e.g., as represented as a tree structure). While, in certain circumstances, there are some systems that can handle preservation of only ordered information when transforming trees, and there are some systems that can handle preservation of only unordered information when transformation, neither XSLT, nor any other known system, includes transformative capabilities that can preserve both ordered and unordered nests across directed graphs or tree structures. These and other deficiencies in the state of the art of transformation of finite state transducers will become apparent upon description of the various exemplary non-limiting embodiments of the invention set forth in more detail below. In consideration of the above-described deficiencies of the state of the art, the invention provides a general framework for performing efficient tree transformation for FSTs, e.g., intersections, unions, complements, etc., that preserves action semantics across transformative operations for FSTs that support action information in their representations across a diverse set of types of representations. The framework for performing efficient tree transformation for FSTs is also able to preserve ordered and unordered nest information while performing tree transformation and is capable of supporting the transformation of non-deterministic data structures to a deterministic data structure. In one embodiment, a method for transforming data structure(s) specifying tree structure(s) in a computing system to modular finite state transducer(s) (MFSTs). The method includes receiving data structure(s) specifying tree structure(s) representing finite state transducer(s) (FSTs) including action semantics for defining action information. For any type of finite state machine (FSM) model represented by the data structure(s), the method includes the ability to transform the data structure(s) to MFSTs while preserving the action information of the data structure(s) in the MFSTs, wherein the transforming includes performing any of an intersection, union and complement operation, or any operations that are reducible to any of intersection, union and complement operations, on the data structure(s). In another aspect of the invention, it can be decided from the result FSM, whether the resulting FSM accepts a non-empty input. A simplified summary is provided herein to help enable a basic or general understanding of various aspects of exemplary, non-limiting embodiments that follow in the more detailed description and the accompanying drawings. This summary is not intended, however, as an extensive or exhaustive overview. The sole purpose of this summary is to present some high level concepts related to the various exemplary non-limiting embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows. The techniques for transforming tree grammars for modular finite state transducers, and associated processes, of the invention are further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: As mentioned in the background, current frameworks for transforming FSTs and tree data structures, e.g., labeled directed graphs as they tend to be represented in computing memory, are not versatile enough to preserve some types of information when transforming across all types of FSTs. For instance, current frameworks are unable to preserve action semantics of some FSTs, or both ordered and unordered nest information represented by FSTs across a host of types of FSTs. Accordingly, the invention provides a general framework, termed the Q Framework (or QFX) herein, for performing efficient tree transformation that achieves preservation of action semantics for FSTs that support action information in their representations. The Q framework for performing efficient tree transformation of the invention is also able to preserve ordered and unordered nest information while performing its efficient tree transformation. As will be appreciated from the following description, the QFX also enables a host of other novel aspects relating to transformative capabilities for a defined tree grammar and corresponding translations, transducer diagrams, a transformation engine and operations performed by the transformation engine, translation cases, and determinization including variable renaming, as described in more detail below. In one embodiment of the invention, the invention enables at least intersection, union, complement and emptiness test transforms on tree representations or sets of tree representations. By way of further introduction, modular finite state transducers (MFSTs) are state machines that implement transformations. In particular, MFSTs are MFAs augmented with program fragments called �actions�. Common actions include construction of objects from other objects stored in an environment, binding of variables within an environment, and execution of predicates during pattern-matching. In this regard, at a high level, the Q Framework (QFX) of the invention enables programmers to define regular tree grammars with actions and to translate these grammars to MFSTs. QFX supports use of any Domain Specific Language (DSL) to define actions. In addition, QFX provides special support for variable-binding actions, yielding a kind of tree grammar called an attributed tree grammar. The following exemplary, non-limiting implementation(s) of the invention describe how QFX is able to compile and execute attributed tree grammars. In this regard, the compilation approach of the present invention is advantageous for a number of reasons. The compilation approach provides support for high-performance transformation via optimizations and other high-performance approaches. The compilation technique also enables simplification of run-time components so that the production of simple transformation machines can be easily achieved. As will be described in exemplary non-limiting detail below, the compilation techniques described herein also provide a set of clear semantics. In this respect, the compilation approach of the invention makes it easy for programmers to reason about the semantics of a tree grammar, including composition and side-effects. In general, as shown by the flow diagram of Thus, in various non-limiting embodiments, the invention enables the transformation of tree data structures in a computing system to a modular finite state transducer (MFST). The tree data structures, representing FSMs (e.g., FSTs), include action semantics defining action information pertaining to the FSMs that is preserved through the transformation process. In one embodiment, for any type of FSM model represented by the tree data structures, e.g., directed graph data structures, XML documents, etc., the invention transforms the tree data structures to an MFST while preserving the action information. An extensible, pre-defined translation grammar is implemented by a transformation engine that preserves the action information irrespective of the type of FSM model represented by the tree data structures, preserves both ordered and unordered nest information of the tree data structures and transforms non-deterministic data structures to a deterministic MFST. Advantageously, the invention can handle complements, intersection and union of type of FSM as part of the transformation process. In further embodiments, the invention includes a Q framework (QFX) including components and software for performing transduction of directed graphs to a modular finite state transducer (MFST) including the ability to analyze directed graph data structures of any type in a computing system and transducer the directed graph data structures to a MFST based on the analysis while preserving action semantics of the directed graph data structures. The QFX performs control flow analysis algorithm(s) on the finite state machines (FSMs) represented by the directed graph data structures in a way that preserves the action semantics information of the directed graph data structures across any type of directed graph representation. In addition, the QFX includes a transformation engine that performs specialized binding handling in connection with transducing the directed graph data structures. The specialized binding handling includes performing binding for the action semantics information during pattern matching. Furthermore, the transducing includes the ability to in-line at least one transducer definition as defined by a directed graph data structure of the directed graph data structures. Also, the transducing includes compiling variable bindings of the directed graph data structures to slots in the existing activation record and also includes register analysis of the finite state machines (FSMs) represented by the directed graph data structures. A grammar defined by the invention that achieves the above effects and advantages of the invention may be implemented via a software interface, such as a C# interface, that describes directed graph data structures including action semantics information. In addition, in various embodiments, the invention implements lexical analysis with variable binding. Still further, QFX is extensible, providing efficient interoperability with different transformation providers. Additionally, the invention implements control over the trade-off between compilation and execution performance, i.e., implementations can interpret patterns without expensive compilation, and compile particular patterns for repeated use. Lastly, runtime components can participate in the QFX scheduling discipline by supplying variable-granularity continuation points, enabling use of the same mechanism to supply either single or multiple results. The following simplified tree grammar syntax of Table I below is an exemplary non-limiting model that may be utilized in connection with compilation processes in accordance with the invention.
In the above grammar, an exemplary operator precedence that may be applied is REPEAT>BIND>SEQUENCE>AND>OR. In the description that follows, x is used to represent a variable; b is used to represent a base symbol (a type or a value of a base type); T is used to represent an MFST; α is used to represent an action; and T Ref is used to represent a reference to T. With respect to the state of the art of translation of regular expressions to NFAs and with respect to the determinization of NFAs, a general review of such translation techniques can be found, for instance, in Aho et al., �Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools,� Addison-Wesley (1986) or, in Hopcroft et al.'s �Introduction to Automata Theory, Language and Computation,� Addison-Wesley (2000). As an improvement on such state of the art techniques, in accordance with the QFX, regular tree grammars defined via the techniques of the invention can be expanded with actions to MFSTs. Also, the translations discussed in Aho et al. purport to cover the following cases from the above grammar: OR, AND, BASE, SEQUENCE, REPEAT and REF; however, to handle (1) actions, (2) nesting and (3) variable binding according to the invention, translations are desired for the following additional cases, notated as shown in Table II below:
The ACTION-REGEX and REGEX-ACTION cases handle compilation of tree grammars with general actions. The BIND-REF, BIND-GROUP, BIND-NEST, BIND-REF-REPEAT, BIND-GROUP-REPEAT, and BIND-NEST-REPEAT cases handle compilation of variable bindings. The BIND-NEST cases also extend regular expressions to nested regular expressions. Though not shown in the simplified tree grammar syntax of Table I, non-terminal definitions in accordance with the invention may have both regular parameters and type parameters. In one embodiment, the compiler handles regular parameters as inherited attributes and handles type parameters using the BIND-REF and BIND-REF-REPEAT translations. The transformations to MFSTs in accordance with the invention may be described in exemplary fashion using state machine diagrams that define the MFSTs. In the diagrams, transitions are labeled as follows: b/α where b is the input symbol consumed and α is the action performed. ε/α represents a transition that consumes no input, but performs some action. This class of transition is referred to as an action transition. In executing transducers, in one embodiment of the invention, a maximal progress policy is implemented which assigns a lower priority to the action transitions from a state than all of the input-consuming transitions from that state. In the diagrams, the special symbols �[� and �]� represent the beginning and ending, respectively, of input collections. Variable bindings are written as x=expr and apply to the current environment of the transducer. For the repetition operators, i.e. �+�, �*�, and �?�, collections of results are accumulated using lists, but the mechanism can be generalized to cover accumulation of results into any collection type, e.g., by using the corresponding join operator. In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the BIND-REF and BIND-REF-REPEAT cases are expanded in two ways: inline and call. The inline expansion trades space for time and thus, in one non-limiting implementation of the invention, the inline expansion is preferred when determinizing an MFST. Generally, the call expansion is used in three cases. The first case is when compiling for interpretation. In this case, the compiler does not determinize the MFST and expands all references as calls. The second case is recursion. For instance, if T Ref refers to the start symbol, the compiler expands the reference as a call. The third case is extension. If T Ref refers to an opaque MFST, the compiler expands the reference as a call. The compiler of the invention translates tree grammars to instructions for a virtual machine called a transformation engine (XE). The XE supports the following: (1) Definition and operation of transducers, (2) Transfer of control to other transformation engine instances and (3) Management of and access to environments. With respect to the first category, techniques for persisting and interpreting state machine definitions are known. Accordingly, described below are exemplary non-limiting methods for achieving the second and third instruction categories: Transfer and Management. In accordance with the invention, these instructions are defined as methods in a pair of interfaces. The compiler does not generate calls to these interfaces directly; rather, the compiler generates XE instructions that are interpreted by an XE implementation. An XEControlInstructions interface provided in accordance with the invention is illustrated in the exemplary pseudo-code 200 of A Mark method provided in exemplary embodiments of QFX records the current location in the input term on the mark stack. A Yield method pops a mark M off the mark stack and returns the portion of the input term between M and the current location. In one embodiment, QFX implements these methods by indirection through a traversal-provider interface. Such an approach advantageously separates term representation and traversal from term transformation. Traversal providers can thus implement traversal by applying the QFX transformation framework to any particular data representation. A Call method provided in accordance with the invention creates a new environment E and saves continuation and callingEnvironment in E (see, e.g., XEControlInstructions interface 200 of A NewEnvironment method creates a new environment in accordance with the invention. In addition, the exemplary non-limiting pseudo-code 210 and pseudo-code 220 of The PushEnvironment method saves the current environment on an internal environment stack and creates a new environment, e.g., named tempEnv. PushEnvironment then binds tempEnv to variableName, sets the current environment to tempEnv and calls Mark to record the current input location. The PopEnvironment method records in the variable �term� the sub-term matched since the preceding Mark call. PopEnvironment then restores the current environment from the environment stack. PopEnvironment does not save the popped environment because the corresponding call to PushEnvironment has already bound the popped environment. Additionally, an Exec method executes an action in accordance with the invention. In an exemplary implementation of QFX, an ActionReference is a table index corresponding to a separately persisted and loaded table of method pointers. An XEEnvironmentInstructions interface provided in accordance with the invention is illustrated in the exemplary pseudocode 230 of A ChildEnv method creates a new nested environment whose parent is �this� of the this pointer. A Bind method binds a variable to a value, returning true if the binding succeeds. In an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment, if variableName has a current binding, the Lookup method sets value to that binding and returns true. Otherwise, it returns false. Operation of the transformation engine (XE) of the invention supports assignment of priorities to state transitions. The compiler addresses ambiguity arising from choices among patterns by ordering the transitions possible on each state. In one non-limiting embodiment, all transitions on normal input take precedence over wildcard transitions, which take precedence over action transitions. Also, within these precedence groups, the programmer may optionally assign priorities to particular transitions. XE instances may address generation of multiple results by supporting a mode in which they use all applicable transitions to continue from a state, queueing continuations in priority order. In this regard, first, the transducer creates an empty list and binds it to x. Next, the transducer appends the result of executing a [T] to x. The execution and append steps are rendered optional by the forward ε transition marked �Use this arc for �*� and �?�. The execution and append steps may be optionally repeated by traversal of the backward ε transition marked �Use this arc for �*� and �+�. Call(T, CurrentContinuation, CurrentEnvironment) The CurrentContinuation at the point of the call is the intermediate state IS11 at the end of the transition arrow. The called transducer returns its environment in the variable result. Finally, the calling transducer binds the result to x. The translation cases not described so far in Determinization describes how subset construction techniques can be formulated to account for transitions that may have actions in accordance with the invention. In accordance with the invention, association of actions with both transitions and states is enabled. While deterministic transducers may be constructed with actions only on transitions, that choice makes the algorithms more complex, whereas it is straightforward to efficiently to store actions for both states and transitions. Simplifying some details, Overall, advantageously, this method for determinization in accordance with the invention achieves the following guarantees:
In this respect, attributed tree grammars enable programmers to take advantage of the above guarantees. Using attribute grammars, a programmer can express all actions as variable bindings within the current environment. Such actions can take one of two forms: either x:T or x=expression, where expression may read values from the current environment or invoke code to compute a value. As long as the code executed by an expression does not introduce ordering dependencies, the result of executing a tree grammar is deterministic. Programmers can use attribute grammars to defer side effects until it is unambiguous that the side effect should be invoked. For example, to traverse a tree printing text, a programmer could gather the text into a string using attributes and then print the string from the final action associated with the tree grammar's start symbol. The programmer could also choose to print sub-trees �on the fly� by deferring print actions to unambiguous non-terminal definitions. With respect to variable renaming in accordance with exemplary, non-limiting embodiments of the invention, to ensure the independence of variable-binding actions, the compiler renames variables so that each variable bound in an MFST is unique. If the compiler is also generating code for a given action, the compiler renames variables in α as well. If a code block B is opaque to the compiler, the compiler arranges to pass to B an environment that looks up the original variable names indirectly through their updated names. Optionally, the variable renaming can be optimized by performing live range analysis and having several original variables share the same updated name. Also, transducer performance may be improved by implementing variable reference as array access using a compiler-determined offset. Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention provides a general framework for performing efficient tree transformation that achieves preservation of action semantics for FSTs that support action information in their representations across a diverse set of representations of FSTs. Any of the intersection, union and complement transformation operations, and other Boolean operators with composition, can be performed on FSTs while preserving action semantics. In addition, as mentioned in the background, under limited circumstances, there are some systems that can preserve ordered nest information across tree transforms and some systems that can preserve unordered nest information across tree transforms, but there are no systems yet that can preserve both ordered and unordered tree information across tree transforms, e.g., intersection, union, complement, etc. Accordingly, in various non-limiting embodiments, the framework for performing efficient tree transformation also preserves ordered and unordered nest information while performing tree transformations for FSTs. The distinction between ordered and unordered information is conceptually illustrated in An example of a list pattern matching scenario in a computing system might be the entry of a password, wherein the password is a sequential set of numerals. Since each character entered for the password must be entered in a specific order in order to match against the correct password stored in the system for the user, the password matching scenario will match patterns based on a tree structure having ordered information. An example of a set pattern matching scenario in a computing system might be searching for a set of specified files, e.g., Pic_Amy, Pic_Greg, Pic_Neyda, in a file system. When searching for the folder in which these pictures appear, what is being matched is their occurrence, not in what order they appear, in the folder. In other words, the user in the search scenario only cares to find a folder having each of these files, and the order in which the pictures were stored in the system is unimportant to the user. Another example of a set pattern matching scenario is finding a certain first, middle and last name together in a database, where the result does not depend on whether the data was stored as �last name, first name, middle name,� �first name, middle name, last name� or �first name, last name, middle name.� Any occurrence of all three in any order satisfies the database query. In accordance with the framework of the invention, transformations can be performed on MFSTs while preserving both ordered and unordered information represented by the tree data structures including any of intersect, union and complement transformations. Transformations can thus be performed on patterns that combine set and list assumptions about children of the tree. Thus, either ordered or unordered information that is nested in the nodes of the tree structures is preserved across transformations. As shown by the flow diagram of In accordance with the block diagram of As illustrated by the example of In this regard, as shown in the block diagram of Subtyping can also be captured during transformation in accordance with the invention as shown illustrated by the block diagram of Accordingly, as shown by Next, ∪(P1∪LP2) is re-labeled so that run labeling is consistent. For instance, re-labeling is achieved by re-writing every l in a group of redundant labels R. From R, an arbitrary member z (e.g., the lowest-numbered label or the lowest-ordered bit in the above-described bit per label implementation) is selected, and l is re-written to z for each l in R. For instance, as shown in As mentioned, the �*� operator LUCP of Thus, for a member z in R1* R2 (i.e., the cross product of R1 and R2), UL is computed as either (l1, [x1, y1])U(l2, [x2, y2]) or the empty set. R1 UL R2 is then computed by taking the union over those results to form a resulting set S. If S has the same cardinality as R1 and R2, then R1ULR2 is S with labels, e.g., Label(R1) and Label(R2). Otherwise, R1ULR2is {R1, R2} in which case R1 and R2 are disjoint and they are kept with separate labels. For example, if:
For another example, if:
For another example, if:
To summarize, R1ULR2, the definition of UL for runs R1 and R2 in accordance with the invention, is first computed according to the above-described procedure. Then, the result is refined by taking the intersection of R1 with (R1ULR2) and the intersection of R2 with (R1ULR2), i.e., R1∩(R1ULR2) and R2∩(R1ULR2). R1∩(R1ULR2) and R2 ∩(R1 UL R2) are performed using a similar methodology as for the union operator UL, but with interval intersection instead of interval union operations. To achieve this, in exemplary, non-limiting embodiments of the invention, the union run is divided into pieces R1, R2, and R1∩R2. These pieces R1, R2, and R1∩R2 are then labeled with Label(R1), Label(R2), and Label(R1), Label(R2), respectively. Accordingly, where P1 and P2 are unordered patterns, the determination of P1ULP2 can be performed. In this regard, the invention enables P1ULP2 to be calculated as an unordered pattern with a union pattern portion and a set of accepting runs of the union pattern, with each run labeled with labels from P1, P2 or both. P1ULP2 can then be unions with some other unordered pattern P3, which also has a union pattern and a set of labeled runs, and so on for another unordered pattern P4. For supplemental understanding, a variety of usage scenarios of the present invention illustrate the broad variety of applications to which pattern matching using the Q framework of the invention may be applied in computing systems. The ability to match while preserving action semantics or ordered and unordered information embedded in the trees being transformed thus enables a broad set of pattern matching systems in a computing systems. The actual scenarios chosen, however, are merely exemplary and thus are not to be taken as limiting on the universe of pattern matching to which the invention applies. Indeed, the capabilities of transforming MFSTs in accordance with the invention are, by definition, quite broad since one need not be concerned with losing information pertaining to action constraints, or ordered and unordered information embedded in the tree representations being transformed. In this regard, as mentioned above, the Q framework enables preservation of such action or ordered and unordered information when transforming MFSTs according to at least the intersection, union and complement transforms. With these three transform operations, a property on tree data structures can be performed known to those of skill in the art as structural compatibility, or sub-typing. Oftentimes, a computing application will want to know whether a given tree is a subset of another given tree, or set of trees (or some transform operation of those trees defined by union, complement or intersection). Another important class of scenarios to which the invention may be applied is the host of applications that perform static type checking, wherein a compiler looks at a program, and asks for procedural compatibility. Procedural compatibility checks involve pattern matching for a set of trees, and is helpful for finding bugs in computer programs. Generally, the classes of tests that a user or computing system may wish to implement against a set of tree data, or subset of tree data is limitless. However, some recurring tests generally occur. For instance, often a test will wish to know whether a first tree or set of trees intersects with a second tree or set of trees. Or, one will wish to know whether there is summing for a set of trees, and whether there is coverage of all of the paths of tree traversal. Or a user may wish to know what trees result in a default case. One may also wish to test the empty test, which asks the question of whether any trees are accepted as a pattern match at all. As mentioned, in one embodiment of the invention, the invention enables the following four transform tests: intersection, union, complement and emptiness testing. The advantageous use of the invention with compilers was mentioned above. The invention can also be used for a host of other scenarios as well, such as schema validation. For instance, a message comes in with a purchase order, and the question is whether the purchase order is compatible against some schema. The pattern matching of the invention can be used to validate the message against the schema regardless of action semantics or ordered/unordered information while preserving the same in the outcome. Contract checking is another exemplary use of the invention. For instance, a company might have a policy concerning a human resources computing system for the company that states that it must adhere to a set of computer requirements representing a physical system (e.g., X amount of Storage, Y amount of security, Z amount of processing power, etc.). In this regard, each configuration can be represented as a set of requirements in tree representations and according to the tree transform capabilities of the framework of the invention, a systems analyst can transform a computer configuration according to a pre-defined transform and see whether the new computer configuration matches the contract required for the HR computing system. The invention could further be applied to finding security hole patterns in a set of log data recorded by a computing system, or to determine possible configurations for a computing system. The invention could be applied to a firewall where the messages coming in and out of the firewall can be viewed as trees, and wherein pattern matching can be employed to observe whether any given message should not be left through the firewall. Since the transformation boolean operations mentioned herein and supported by the Q framework can be utilized to form any logic statement, any system of rules in a computing system can be reduced to a tree, and pattern matching can be applied to determine adherence to those rules. Thus, it should be clear that the applications of the invention are limitless. For additional context, a finite state machine (FSM) or finite state automaton (FSA) is a model of behavior composed of states, transitions and actions. A state of an FSM stores information about the past, i.e., a state reflects the input changes from the start of a system to a present moment. A transition indicates a state change and is described by a condition that requires fulfillment to enable the transition. An action is a description of an activity that is to be performed at a given moment. There are several action types: Entry, Exit, Input and Transition Actions. Entry actions execute the action when entering the state. Exit actions execute the action when exiting the state. Input actions execute the action dependent on present state and input conditions. Transition actions execute the action when performing a certain transition. Finite state transducers (FSTs) are a type of FSM that generate output(s) based on given input(s) and/or state(s) using action(s), and can be used for control applications, construction of computer programs, and the like. Thus, one can appreciate that many different kinds of computer systems and processes can be modeled as FSMs and FSTs. For instance, any extensible markup language (XML) document can be represented as an FSM using directed graphs. Relational data in a relational database may also be represented in this fashion, e.g., whereby input (e.g., queries) is translated by the FST, which represents the underlying relational store, to outputs (e.g., query results). In general, when used to model computer processes, FSTs are typically represented as edge-labeled directed graphs, where each vertex represents one of n states and each edge a transition from one state to the other on receipt of the alphabet symbol that labels the edge. When many complex subsystems and processes in a computer system are communicatively coupled as part of an overall system, to design software for the overall system, a designer might first represent each of the subsystems and processes as FSTs, e.g., as directed graphs, or other equivalent representations. Then, to create a complex computer program for a single system that connects different subsystems, the FSTs, e.g., directed graphs, may be combined or otherwise transformed according to various operations in order to form new directed graph(s) that represent the behavior of the overall system. For instance, suppose a user Jane makes a request from a client computer to an Internet server via the Internet for a friend John's vacation photographs stored in a database and served by an application on the Internet server. As can be appreciated, the end to end communications that take place according to such a request are numerous, beginning with authentication of Jane and ensuring that Jane is authorized to view John's photos in addition to performing the request itself. As a simple example, the making and handling of the request itself can be modeled as a first FST. At the server, a second FST may model the behavior of checking if Jane is a friend of John's with reference to various rules, such as may be found in a set of access control lists (ACLs) and corresponding policy, which might be represented as a chain of XML fragments, trees, or directed graphs. Additionally, a third FST may model the relational database itself. By transforming, combining, matching, translating, etc. the first, second and third sets of FSTs, a new directed graph can be formed that represents the system, and returns a yes (�authorized�) or (�unauthorized�) answer for the specific input request, and that handles delivery of the photos. In general, an FSM can be represented using a state diagram (or state transition diagram) as in the simple state transition diagram of Besides diagrams, different types of state transition tables can also be used to represent FSA. A common representation of such a state transition table STT1 is shown in There are, however, FSM definitions including the full actions information using state tables. For instance, an FSM defined in a virtual environment is called a virtual finite state machine (VFSM) which relates to a software specification method used to describe the behavior of a control system using assigned names of input control properties and of output actions. The virtual environment characterizes the environment in which a VFSM operates and is defined by three sets of names: input names, output names and state names. Input names are represented by the control properties of all available variables. Output names are represented by all the available actions on the variables and state names are defined for each of the states of the FSM. The input names are used to build virtual conditions to perform state transitions or input actions. The virtual conditions are built using positive logic algebra. The output names are used to trigger actions (entry actions, exit actions, input actions or transition actions). A state table defines the details of the behavior of a state of a VFSM, as shown by the exemplary state table ST1 of In addition to their use in modeling reactive systems presented here, FSA are significant in many different areas, including linguistics, computer science, philosophy, biology, mathematics, and logic. Finite state machines are one type of the automata studied in automata theory and the theory of computation. In computer science, finite state machines are widely used in modeling of application behavior, design of hardware digital systems, software engineering, compilers, and the study of computation and languages. A complete survey of the applications of FSAs is virtually impossible�sufficed to say, there are virtually limitless applications of FSAs to systems everywhere. In general, a transducer computes a relation between two formal languages. In the context of FSMs and FSAs, transducers generate output based on a given input and/or a state using actions, and can be used for control applications. Two types of transducer FSMs are generally distinguished: Moore models and Mealy models. In practice, mixed models are often used. For illustrative purposes, Yet another distinction for finite automata is between deterministic finite automata (DFA) and non-deterministic (NDFA) or generalized non-deterministic finite automata (GNFA). In deterministic automata, for each state, there is exactly one transition for each possible input. In non-deterministic automata, there can be none or more than one transition from a given state for a given possible input. This distinction is relevant in practice, but not in theory, as there exists an algorithm which can transform any NDFA into an equivalent DFA, although this transformation typically significantly increases the complexity of the automaton. An FSM with only one state is called a combinatorial FSM and uses only input actions. This concept is useful in cases where a number of FSM are required to work together, and where it is convenient to consider a purely combinatorial part as a form of FSM to suit the design tools. In general, a transducer computes a relation between two formal languages. The class of relations computed by finite state transducers (FSTs) is known as the class of rational relations. FSTs are typically useful in natural language processing research. An FST is a finite state machine with two tapes, which is contrasted with an ordinary finite state automaton, which has a single tape. As a matter of nomenclature, an automaton is said to recognize a string if the content of its tape is viewed as input. In other words, the automaton computes a function that maps strings into the set {0, 1}. Alternatively, it is said that an automaton generates strings, which means its tape is viewed as an output tape. On this view, the automaton generates a formal language, which is a set of strings. The two views of automata are equivalent: the function that the automaton computes is precisely the indicator function of the set of strings it recognized. The class of languages generated by finite automata is known as the class of regular languages. The two tapes of a transducer are typically viewed as an input tape and an output tape. In this regard, a transducer is said to transduce (i.e., translate) the contents of its input tape to its output tape, by accepting a string on its input tape and generating another string on its output tape. It may do so nondeterministically and it may produce more than one output for each input string. A transducer may also produce no output for a given input string, in which case it is said to reject the input. For additional context, formally, a finite state transducer T is a tuple (Q, Σ, Γ, I, F, δ) such that:
(Q, δ) can be viewed as a labeled directed graph, known as the transition graph of T: the set of vertices is Q, and (q, a, b, r)εδ means that there is a labeled edge going from vertex q to vertex r. In this respect, a is the input label and b the output label of that edge. Define the extended transition relation δ* as the smallest set such that:
The extended transition relation is essentially the reflexive transitive closure of the transition graph that has been augmented to take edge labels into account. The elements of δ* are known as paths. The edge labels of a path are obtained by concatenating the edge labels of its constituent transitions in order. The behavior of the transducer T is the rational relation [T] defined as follows: x[T]y if and only if there exists iεI and fεF such that (i, x, y, f)εδ*. This is to say that T transduces a string xεΣ* into a string yεΓ* if there exists a path from an initial state to a final state whose input label is x and whose output label is y. The following operations defined on finite automata also apply to finite transducers: Union, concatenation, Kleene closure, composition, projection of the input tape and projection of the output tape. With respect to the union operation, given transducers T and S, there exists a transducer T∪S such that x[T∪S]y if and only if x[T]y or x[S]y. With respect to the concatenation operation, given transducers T and S, there exists a transducer T�S such that wx[T�S]yz if and only if w[T]y and x[S]z. With respect to the Kleene closure operation, given a transducer T, there exists a transducer T* with the following properties: (1)ε[T*]ε; (2) if w[T*]y and x[T]z then wx[T*]yz; and x[T*]y does not hold unless mandated by (1) or (2). Note that there is no notion of intersection of transducers. Instead, there is an operation of composition, which is specific to transducers and whose construction is similar to that of intersection of automata. Composition is defined as follows: Given a transducer T on alphabets Σ and Γ and a transducer S on alphabets Γ and Δ, there exists a transducer T∘S on Σ and Δ such that x[T∘S]z if and only if there exists a string yεΓ* such that x[T]y and y[S]z. One can also project out either tape of a transducer to obtain an automaton. There are two projection functions: π1 preserves the input tape, and π2 preserves the output tape. The first projection, π1 is defined as follows: Given a transducer T, there exists a finite automaton π1T such that π1T accepts x if and only if there exists a stringy for which x[T]y. The second projection, π2 is defined similarly. In addition, finite state machines can be used to represent a partial order, which formalizes the intuitive concept of an ordering, sequencing, or arrangement of a set's elements. A partial order need not necessarily be a total order, which guarantees the mutual comparability of all objects in the set. In this regard, a total order is a kind of partial order defined for all pairs of items of a set. Thus, a partial order is defined for some, but not necessarily all, pairs of items. For instance, the sets {a, b} and {a, c, d} are subsets of {a, b, c, d}, but neither is a subset of the other. So �subset of� is a partial order on sets. For another example, ≦ (less than or equal to) is a total order on integers, since, for any two integers, one of the integers is always less than or equal to the other. As shown in One of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that the invention can be implemented in connection with any computer or other client or server device, which can be deployed as part of a computer network, or in a distributed computing environment, connected to any kind of data store. In this regard, the present invention pertains to any computer system or environment having any number of memory or storage units, and any number of applications and processes occurring across any number of storage units or volumes, which may be used in connection with embodiments of the QFX of the present invention. The present invention may apply to an environment with server computers and client computers deployed in a network environment or a distributed computing environment, having remote or local storage. The present invention may also be applied to standalone computing devices, having programming language functionality, interpretation and execution capabilities for generating, receiving and transmitting information in connection with remote or local services and processes. As described earlier, MFSTs have ubiquitous applicability to software processes across multiple machines and computing devices, and thus the techniques for translating grammars to MFSTs in accordance with the present invention can be applied with great efficacy in a variety of computing environments. Distributed computing provides sharing of computer resources and services by exchange between computing devices and systems. These resources and services include the exchange of information, cache storage and disk storage for objects, such as files. Distributed computing takes advantage of network connectivity, allowing clients to leverage their collective power to benefit the entire enterprise. In this regard, a variety of devices may have applications, objects or resources that may implicate the QFX of the invention. It can also be appreciated that an object, such as 920 c, may be hosted on another computing device 910 a, 910 b, etc. or 920 a, 920 b, 920 c, 920 d, 920 e, etc. Thus, although the physical environment depicted may show the connected devices as computers, such illustration is merely exemplary and the physical environment may alternatively be depicted or described comprising various digital devices such as PDAs, televisions, MP3 players, etc., any of which may employ a variety of wired and wireless services, software objects such as interfaces, COM objects, and the like. There are a variety of systems, components, and network configurations that support distributed computing environments. For example, computing systems may be connected together by wired or wireless systems, by local networks or widely distributed networks. Currently, many of the networks are coupled to the Internet, which provides an infrastructure for widely distributed computing and encompasses many different networks. Any of the infrastructures may be used for exemplary communications made incident to embodiments of the QFX of the invention. In home networking environments, there are at least four disparate network transport media that may each support a unique protocol, such as Power line, data (both wireless and wired), voice (e.g., telephone) and entertainment media. Most home control devices such as light switches and appliances may use power lines for connectivity. Data Services may enter the home as broadband (e.g., DSL, Cable modem, etc.) and are accessible within the home using either wireless (e.g., HomeRF or 802.11B) or wired (e.g., Home PNA, Cat 5, Ethernet, even power line) connectivity. Voice traffic may enter the home either as wired (e.g., Cat 3) or wireless (e.g., cell phones) and may be distributed within the home using Cat 3 wiring. Entertainment media, or other graphical data, may enter the home either through satellite or cable and is typically distributed in the home using coaxial cable. IEEE 1394 and DVI are also digital interconnects for clusters of media devices. All of these network environments and others that may emerge, or already have emerged, as protocol standards may be interconnected to form a network, such as an intranet, that may be connected to the outside world by way of a wide area network, such as the Internet. In short, a variety of disparate sources exist for the storage and transmission of data, and consequently, any of the computing devices of the present invention may share and communicate data in any existing manner, and no one way described in the embodiments herein is intended to be limiting. The Internet commonly refers to the collection of networks and gateways that utilize the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols, which are well-known in the art of computer networking. The Internet can be described as a system of geographically distributed remote computer networks interconnected by computers executing networking protocols that allow users to interact and share information over network(s). Because of such wide-spread information sharing, remote networks such as the Internet have thus far generally evolved into an open system with which developers can design software applications for performing specialized operations or services, essentially without restriction. Thus, the network infrastructure enables a host of network topologies such as client/server, peer-to-peer, or hybrid architectures. The �client� is a member of a class or group that uses the services of another class or group to which it is not related. Thus, in computing, a client is a process, i.e., roughly a set of instructions or tasks, that requests a service provided by another program. The client process utilizes the requested service without having to �know� any working details about the other program or the service itself. In a client/server architecture, particularly a networked system, a client is usually a computer that accesses shared network resources provided by another computer, e.g., a server. In the illustration of A server is typically a remote computer system accessible over a remote or local network, such as the Internet or wireless network infrastructures. The client process may be active in a first computer system, and the server process may be active in a second computer system, communicating with one another over a communications medium, thus providing distributed functionality and allowing multiple clients to take advantage of the information-gathering capabilities of the server. Any software objects utilized pursuant to the QFX of the invention may be distributed across multiple computing devices or objects. Client(s) and server(s) communicate with one another utilizing the functionality provided by protocol layer(s). For example, HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a common protocol that is used in conjunction with the World Wide Web (WWW), or �the Web.� Typically, a computer network address such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address or other reference such as a Universal Resource Locator (URL) can be used to identify the server or client computers to each other. The network address can be referred to as a URL address. Communication can be provided over a communications medium, e.g., client(s) and server(s) may be coupled to one another via TCP/IP connection(s) for high-capacity communication. Thus, In a network environment in which the communications network/bus 940 is the Internet, for example, the servers 910 a, 910 b, etc. can be Web servers with which the clients 920 a, 920 b, 920 c, 920 d, 920 e, etc. communicate via any of a number of known protocols such as HTTP. Servers 910 a, 910 b, etc. may also serve as clients 920 a, 920 b, 920 c, 920 d, 920 e, etc., as may be characteristic of a distributed computing environment. As mentioned, communications may be wired or wireless, or a combination, where appropriate. Client devices 920 a, 920 b, 920 c, 920 d, 920 e, etc. may or may not communicate via communications network/bus 14, and may have independent communications associated therewith. For example, in the case of a TV or VCR, there may or may not be a networked aspect to the control thereof. Each client computer 920 a, 920 b, 920 c, 920 d, 920 e, etc. and server computer 910 a, 910 b, etc. may be equipped with various application program modules or objects 135 a, 135 b, 135 c, etc. and with connections or access to various types of storage elements or objects, across which files or data streams may be stored or to which portion(s) of files or data streams may be downloaded, transmitted or migrated. Any one or more of computers 910 a, 910 b, 920 a, 920 b, 920 c, 920 d, 920 e, etc. may be responsible for the maintenance and updating of a database 930 or other storage element, such as a database or memory 930 for storing data processed or saved according to the invention. Thus, the present invention can be utilized in a computer network environment having client computers 920 a, 920 b, 920 c, 920 d, 920 e, etc. that can access and interact with a computer network/bus 940 and server computers 910 a, 910 b, etc. that may interact with client computers 920 a, 920 b, 920 c, 920 d, 920 e, etc. and other like devices, and databases 930. As mentioned, the invention applies to any device wherein it may be desirable to apply techniques of the QFX defined in accordance with the invention. It should be understood, therefore, that handheld, portable and other computing devices and computing objects of all kinds are contemplated for use in connection with the present invention, i.e., anywhere that a device may implement software processes representing state machines or otherwise receive, process or store data. Accordingly, the below general purpose remote computer described below in Although not required, the invention can partly be implemented via an operating system, for use by a developer of services for a device or object, and/or included within application software that operates in connection with the component(s) of the invention. Software may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by one or more computers, such as client workstations, servers or other devices. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations and protocols. With reference to Computer 1010 a typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer 1010 a. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CDROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computer 1010 a. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The system memory 1030 a may include computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) and/or random access memory (RAM). A basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 1010 a, such as during start-up, may be stored in memory 1030 a. Memory 1030 a typically also contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 1020 a. By way of example, and not limitation, memory 1030 a may also include an operating system, application programs, other program modules, and program data. The computer 1010 a may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. For example, computer 1010 a could include a hard disk drive that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk, and/or an optical disk drive that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk, such as a CD-ROM or other optical media. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM and the like. A hard disk drive is typically connected to the system bus 1021 a through a non-removable memory interface such as an interface, and a magnetic disk drive or optical disk drive is typically connected to the system bus 1021 a by a removable memory interface, such as an interface. A user may enter commands and information into the computer 1010 a through input devices such as a keyboard and pointing device, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 1020 a through user input 1040 a and associated interface(s) that are coupled to the system bus 1021 a, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A graphics subsystem may also be connected to the system bus 1021 a. A monitor or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 1021 a via an interface, such as output interface 1050 a, which may in turn communicate with video memory. In addition to a monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers and a printer, which may be connected through output interface 1050 a. The computer 1010 a may operate in a networked or distributed environment using logical connections to one or more other remote computers, such as remote computer 1070 a, which may in turn have media capabilities different from device 1010 a. The remote computer 1070 a may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, or any other remote media consumption or transmission device, and may include any or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 1010 a. The logical connections depicted in When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1010 a is connected to the LAN 1071 a through a network interface or adapter. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1010 a typically includes a communications component, such as a modem, or other means for establishing communications over the WAN, such as the Internet. A communications component, such as a modem, which may be internal or external, may be connected to the system bus 1021 a via the user input interface of input 1040 a, or other appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1010 a, or portions thereof, may be stored in a remote memory storage device. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown and described are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used. Various distributed computing frameworks have been and are being developed in light of the convergence of personal computing and the Internet. Individuals and business users alike are provided with a seamlessly interoperable and Web-enabled interface for applications and computing devices, making computing activities increasingly Web browser or network-oriented. For example, MICROSOFT�'s managed code platform, i.e., .NET, includes servers, building-block services, such as Web-based data storage and downloadable device software. Generally speaking, the .NET platform provides (1) the ability to make the entire range of computing devices work together and to have user information automatically updated and synchronized on all of them, (2) increased interactive capability for Web pages, enabled by greater use of XML rather than HTML, (3) online services that feature customized access and delivery of products and services to the user from a central starting point for the management of various applications, such as e-mail, for example, or software, such as Office .NET, (4) centralized data storage, which increases efficiency and ease of access to information, as well as synchronization of information among users and devices, (5) the ability to integrate various communications media, such as e-mail, faxes, and telephones, (6) for developers, the ability to create reusable modules, thereby increasing productivity and reducing the number of programming errors and (7) many other cross-platform and language integration features as well. While some exemplary embodiments herein are described in connection with software, such as an application programming interface (API), residing on a computing device, one or more portions of the invention may also be implemented via an operating system, or a �middle man� object, a control object, hardware, firmware, intermediate language instructions or objects, etc., such that the embodiments of the QFX in accordance with the invention may be included in, supported in or accessed via all of the languages and services enabled by managed code, such as .NET code, and in other distributed computing frameworks as well. There are multiple ways of implementing the present invention, e.g., an appropriate API, tool kit, driver code, operating system, control, standalone or downloadable software object, etc. which enables to use the QFX of the invention. The invention contemplates the use of the invention from the standpoint of APIs (or other software object), as well as from the viewpoint of data structures, software or hardware object that may implement at least part of the QFX in accordance with the invention. Thus, various implementations of the invention described herein may have aspects that are wholly in hardware, partly in hardware and partly in software, as well as in software. The word �exemplary� is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as �exemplary� is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms �includes,� �has,� �contains,� and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, for the avoidance of doubt, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term �comprising� as an open transition word without precluding any additional or other elements. As mentioned above, while exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in connection with various computing devices and network architectures, the underlying concepts may be applied to any computing device or system in which it is desirable to include MFSTs implementing transformations. For instance, the QFX of the invention may be applied to the operating system of a computing device, provided as a separate object on the device, as part of another object, as a reusable control, as a downloadable object from a server, as a �middle man� between a device or object and the network, as a distributed object, as hardware, in memory, a combination of any of the foregoing, etc. While exemplary programming languages, names and examples are chosen herein as representative of various choices, these languages, names and examples are not intended to be limiting. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that there are numerous ways of providing object code and nomenclature that achieves the same, similar or equivalent functionality achieved by the various embodiments of the invention. As mentioned, the various techniques described herein may be implemented in connection with hardware or software or, where appropriate, with a combination of both. As used herein, the terms �component,� �system� and the like are likewise intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on computer and the computer can be a component. One or more components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. Thus, the methods and apparatus of the present invention, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. In the case of program code execution on programmable computers, the computing device generally includes a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output device. One or more programs that may implement or utilize the QFX of the present invention, e.g., through the use of a data processing API, software object, or the like, are preferably implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combined with hardware implementations. The methods and apparatus of the present invention may also be practiced via communications embodied in the form of program code that is transmitted over some transmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via any other form of transmission, wherein, when the program code is received and loaded into and executed by a machine, such as an EPROM, a gate array, a programmable logic device (PLD), a client computer, etc., the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code combines with the processor to provide a unique apparatus that operates to invoke the functionality of the present invention. Additionally, any storage techniques used in connection with the present invention may invariably be a combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, the disclosed subject matter may be implemented as a system, method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof to control a computer or processor based device to implement aspects detailed herein. The term �article of manufacture� (or alternatively, �computer program product�) where used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. For example, computer readable media can include but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips . . . ), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD) . . . ), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick). Additionally, it is known that a carrier wave can be employed to carry computer-readable electronic data such as those used in transmitting and receiving electronic mail or in accessing a network such as the Internet or a local area network (LAN). The aforementioned systems have been described with respect to interaction between several components. It can be appreciated that such systems and components can include those components or specified sub-components, some of the specified components or sub-components, and/or additional components, and according to various permutations and combinations of the foregoing. Sub-components can also be implemented as components communicatively coupled to other components rather than included within parent components (hierarchical). Additionally, it should be noted that one or more components may be combined into a single component providing aggregate functionality or divided into several separate sub-components, and any one or more middle layers, such as a management layer, may be provided to communicatively couple to such sub-components in order to provide integrated functionality. Any components described herein may also interact with one or more other components not specifically described herein but generally known by those of skill in the art. In view of the exemplary systems described supra, methodologies that may be implemented in accordance with the disclosed subject matter are better appreciated with reference to the flowchart of Furthermore, as will be appreciated various portions of the disclosed systems above and methods below may include or consist of artificial intelligence or knowledge or rule based components, sub-components, processes, means, methodologies, or mechanisms (e.g., support vector machines, neural networks, expert systems, Bayesian belief networks, fuzzy logic, data fusion engines, classifiers . . . ). Such components, inter alia, can automate certain mechanisms or processes performed thereby to make portions of the QFX more adaptive as well as efficient and intelligent. While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various Figs., it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. For example, while exemplary network environments of the invention are described in the context of a networked environment, such as a peer to peer networked environment, one skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is not limited thereto, and that the methods, as described in the present application may apply to any computing device or environment, such as a gaming console, handheld computer, portable computer, etc., whether wired or wireless, and may be applied to any number of such computing devices connected via a communications network, and interacting across the network. Furthermore, it should be emphasized that a variety of computer platforms, including handheld device operating systems and other application specific operating systems are contemplated, especially as the number of wireless networked devices continues to proliferate. While exemplary embodiments refer to utilizing the present invention in the context of particular programming language constructs, the invention is not so limited, but rather may be implemented in any language and applies to translating any grammars that include actions. Still further, the present invention may be implemented in or across a plurality of processing chips or devices, and storage may similarly be effected across a plurality of devices. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims. Patent Citations
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-05-12-2012 #1
Rams Finish Up Rookie Minicamp ..
Posted by nickwagoner on May 12, 2012 6:30 PM
- The Rams just got off the practice field for Saturdays final rookie minicamp practice. Coach Jeff Fisher was pleased with how his group got oriented to the way he wants things done and said everything went smoothly.
- Now, the rookies will have a few more meetings this afternoon before calling it a camp. On Sunday, they will be headed to the Cardinals game to watch the Redbirds take on the Braves. Then, back to work on Monday in anticipation of the Tuesday arrival of the veterans for the beginning of OTAs. Thats when the real fun begins.
- In the meantime, Fisher was happy with what was accomplished the past couple of days
We basically saw what we expected to see out there, Fisher said. Weve got a long way to go, a lot of improvement to make. But I was pleasantly surprised with how they were able to absorb all the information and bring it to the practice field.
- K Greg Zuerlein and punter Johnny Hekker didnt do much kicking at all this weekend. Fisher said he wanted them to get some mechanical work before they started booting balls. That will likely happen at the upcoming OTAs.
- A few quick second day impressions from this camp:
One player the media will certainly be rooting for (and you would too if you got to meet him) is LSU G T-Bob Hebert. Talk about charisma. Hebert charmed the local media for about 10 minutes in an interview after practice, discussing his cajun roots and some of the misunderstanding that occurred because he doesnt have the Cajun background of his family (he spent most of his childhood in Georgia). In one childhood story, Heberts grandfather said to him Grabbabat (not sure how to spell the cajun version). Hebert asked his grandfather multiple times what he was saying before he went out to his garage and got a baseball bat. When he returned, he was informed that he was supposed to be taking a bath.
On the field, it appears the Rams might have a pair of promising young safeties in Dukes Matt Daniels and Virginias Rodney McLeod. Both continued to look the part in Saturdays practice making good reads and getting to the ball. They actually complement each other quite well. Daniels is a big, physical player with a knack for hard hits. McLeod is an athlete who can cover ground on the back end. Keep an eye on these two.
Tip of the cap to Daniels, too. Hes heading back to Durham to graduate with his class tomorrow with a degree in Public Policy. He has designs on a political career when hes done with football (which might not be for awhile).
WR Brian Quick might not have made as many flashy plays on Saturday as he did on Friday but he was better in some ways, according to Fisher. He said Quick settled down some and Quick was again smooth and solid running routes and catching passes.
Not much changed from yesterday in terms of the cornerbacks. Both Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins again looked smooth and polished in passing drills. Expect that to become a familiar refrain.
Watched the Rams work a number of players on punt return and many of them looked capable. Not sure if theyll want to use him there if hes starting but Jenkins absolutely looks like a natural returner. Even if it doesnt become his permanent job, hed merit getting the occasional chance back there because he seems to have the juice to bring a dynamic element in the return game.
QB Austin Davis had a solid first weekend. Fisher was pleased with his performance. Davis was a bit scattershot on Friday but seemed to be settled and more accurate on Saturday.
Another sleeper to keep an eye on: WR Nick Johnson of Henderson State. He is quick and had a nice day Saturday.
Still hard to glean much if anything from the two lines without pads and hitting.
Well know a lot more this coming week when the veterans return. Will be interesting to see how the rookies stack up then. Still a long way to go for this group to prove itself.
-05-12-2012 #2
Re: Rams Finish Up Rookie Minicamp ..
I'm pushing for Joe Long. Hopefully he can be like his bro.
-05-12-2012 #3
Re: Rams Finish Up Rookie Minicamp ..
On the field, it appears the Rams might have a pair of promising young safeties in Duke's Matt Daniels and Virginia's Rodney McLeod. Both continued to look the part in Saturday's practice making good reads and getting to the ball. They actually complement each other quite well. Daniels is a big, physical player with a knack for hard hits. McLeod is an athlete who can cover ground on the back end. Keep an eye on these two.
CB: Janoris Jenkins
FS: Rodney McLeod
SS: Matt Daniels
CB: Trumaine Johnson
Not sayin'....just....sayin'."Before the gates of excellence the high gods have placed sweat; long is the road thereto and rough and steep at first; but when the heights are reached, then there is ease, though grievously hard in the winning." --- Hesiod
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