Workflow automated task component manager

• US 20020188644A1
• Filed: 06/08/2001
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verano
• Original Assignee: Verano
• Inventors: Seidman, Glenn R.
• Application Number:
  US09/877,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20020188644A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention is a component manager that manages one or more workflow automated task components that implement an automated task in a workflow process definition running in a workflow engine, the component manager including: (a) a work coordinator that reads a workitem from a worklist in the workflow system and obtains a name of an automated task component and a method to invoke and workitem parameters; (b) a task translator that converts the workitem parameters into a method invocation on an automated task component instance representing the automated task; and (c) wherein the work coordinator synchronously waits for an invocation response before updating the workitem in the worklist.

Claims

1. A component manager that manages one or more workflow automated task components that implement an automated task in a workflow process definition running in a workflow engine, the component manager comprising:

a work coordinator that reads a workitem from a worklist in the workflow system; and

obtains a name of an automated task component and a method to invoke and workitem parameters; and

a task translator that converts the workitem parameters into a method invocation on an automated task component instance representing the automated task; and

wherein the work coordinator synchronously waits for an invocation response before it updates the workitem in the worklist.

2. The component manager of claim 1:

wherein the work coordinator extracts multiple output values from an object returned from the automated task component method to update multiple outputs represented in the workitem.

3. The component manager of claim 1 further comprises a software component to operate on components implemented in one of the following component models:

Javabeans, Microsoft COM, and CORBA.

4. The component manager of claim 1 further comprises:

a data extractor that identifies named fields on a returned result object that can be extracted from the returned result object and submitted as multiple output parameters to update multiple workitem attributes.

5. The component manager of claim 1 further comprises:

an invoker that invokes an automated task component method whose name identifies an automated task component class; and

a class instatiator that instantiates the identified automated task component class prior to being invoked.

6. The component manager of claim 1 wherein the invoker further comprises:

an asynchronous invoker that invokes an automated task component method asynchronously whenever the method has no result to return; and

wherein the work coordinator does not wait for a response before it updates the workflow processor to inform it that it may proceed.

7. The component manager of claim 1 further comprises:

a deployer that reads and deploys a file including component classes in the component manager.

8. The component manager of claim 7 further comprises:

a deployer that reads and deploys a file including component instances in the component manager.

9. The component manager of claim 7 wherein the deployer further comprises:

a deployment descriptor interpreter that reads a deployment descriptor included in the file wherein a maximum number of threads per automated task component protocol may be declared to the component manager.

10. The component manager of claim 7 wherein the deployment descriptor interpreter further comprises:

declares a polling interval of the work coordinator to read a worklist for workitems.