Method to reduce input parameter interface error and inconsistency for servlets

• US 20020178175A1
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Jin
• Granted Patent: US 6,983,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A GUI utility tool running on a web application development environment is presented that acts to eliminate inconsistency between a given HTML user input form description file and a corresponding servlet program file. The tool allows the user to specify an HTML file. The tool may then parse the HTML file to discover input parameters and generate Java servlet program code to receive the input parameters.

Claims

1. A method of generating servlet program code, to reduce input parameter interface error, comprising:

receiving a form description file;

automatically parsing said form description file to discover input parameters; and

automatically generating said servlet program code to receive said input parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an indication of a name for a servlet program file and writing said servlet program code to said servlet program file.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising, prior to said receiving said indication of said name for said servlet program file, presenting a servlet program file specification page.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising generating a time stamp and writing said time stamp to said servlet program file.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior to said receiving said form description file, presenting a form description file specification page.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said form description file is written in the Hyper-Text Markup Language.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating produces said servlet program code in the Java programming language.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said parsing comprises:

opening said form description file;

reading a tag;

determining whether said tag identifies an input parameter; and

if said tag identifies an input parameter, extracting said input parameter.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining when there is no further tag which identifies an input parameter;

responsive to said determining, determining whether input parameters were found; and

if input parameters were found, assigning servlet variable names based on said input parameters.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising presenting said servlet variable names.

11. A computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when performed by a processor in a servlet development environment, cause the processor to:

receive a form description file;

automatically parse said form description file to discover input parameters; and

automatically generate servlet program code to receive said input parameters.

12. A method of synchronizing files comprising:

determining a first value for a time stamp on a form description file;

determining a second value for a time stamp on a servlet program file;

comparing said first value to said second value; and

if said comparing indicates that said form description file was edited more recently than said servlet program file, generating an alarm.

13. A computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when performed by a processor in a servlet development environment, cause the processor to:

determine a first value for a time stamp on a form description file;

determine a second value for a time stamp on a servlet program file;

compare said first value to said second value; and

generate an alarm if said comparing indicates that said form description file was edited more recently than said servlet program file.