Application program interface for network software platform

• US 20030167355A1
• Filed: 07/10/2001
• Published: 09/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cook, Suzanna M., Moore, Anthony J., Kothari, Nikhil, Christensen, Erik B., Pharies, Stefan H., Millet, Stephen J., Ballinger, Keith W., Guthrie, Scott D., Howard, Robert M., Warren, Susan M., Olson, Erik B., Vasandani, Manu, Yeon, Fabio A., Christensen, Yann E., Ebbo, David S., Smith, Adam W., Rajan, Jayanth V., Boulter, Mark A., Anders, Mark T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,117,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

An application program interface (API) provides a set of functions for application developers who build Web applications on Microsoft Corporation'"'"'s .NET™ platform.

Claims

1. An application program interface embodied on one or more computer readable media, comprising:

a first class to provide information regarding a current HTTP request;

a second class to manage HTTP output to a client; and

an object to provide access to server-side utilities and processes.

2. An application program interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising a third class to manipulate at least one cookie.

3. An application program interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising a fourth class to handle file transfers.

4. An application program interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising a fifth class to provide exception information.

5. An application program interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising a sixth class to control operation of an output cache.

6. An application program interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising a set of classes that enable building and using web services.

7. An application program interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising a web service class to define a base class for web services.

8. An application program interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising a web method attribute class to programmatically expose a method over the web.

9. An application program interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising HTML controls that allow a user to create HTML server controls on a web page.

10. An application program interface as recited in claim 9, wherein the HTML server controls are executed on a server and map to standard HTML tags.

11. An application program interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising web controls that allow a user to create web server controls on a web page.

12. An application program interface as recited in claim 11, wherein the web controls are executed on a web server and include form controls.

13. An application program interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising a set of classes that allow a user to create controls and pages that represent a user interface on a web page.

14. A network software architecture comprising the application program interface as recited in claim 1.

15. An application program interface embodied on one or more computer readable media, comprising:

a first group of services related to information associated with a current HTTP request;

a second group of services related to managing HTTP output to a client;

a third group of services related to accessing server-side utilities; and

a fourth group of services related to creating web services.

16. An application program interface as recited in claim 15, wherein the fourth group of services includes:

a web service class that defines a base class for web services; and

a web method attribute class that allows a user to programmatically expose a method over the web.

17. An application program interface as recited in claim 15, further comprising a fifth group of services that provide for the creation of a user interface on a web page.

18. An application program interface as recited in claim 15, further comprising a set of classes that allow a user to create server controls on a web page.

19. An application program interface as recited in claim 15, further comprising a set of classes that allow a user to create HTML server controls on a web page.

20. An application program interface as recited in claim 15, further comprising a set of classes that allow a user to create web server controls on a web page.

21. A network software architecture comprising the application program interface as recited in claim 15.

22. A method comprising:

creating an HTTP request class to provide information regarding a current HTTP request;

creating an HTTP response class to manage HTTP output to a client; and

creating an HTTP server utility object to provide access to server-side utilities.

23. A method as recited in claim 22, further comprising creating a class to manipulate cookies.

24. An application program interface as recited in claim 22, further comprising creating a class to handle file transfers.

25. An application program interface as recited in claim 22, further comprising creating web service classes to enable the building and use of web services.

26. An application program interface as recited in claim 22, further comprising creating control classes to enable the creation of HTML server controls and web server controls.

27. A computer system including one or more microprocessors and one or more software programs, the one or more software programs utilizing an application program interface to request services from an operating system, the application program interface including separate commands to request services consisting of the following groups of services:

a first group of services related to information regarding a current HTTP request;

a second group of services related to managing HTTP output to a client;

a third group of services related to providing access to server-side utilities; and

a fourth group of services related to creating web services.

28. A method comprising:

calling one or more first functions to facilitate providing information related to a current HTTP request;

calling one or more second functions to facilitate managing HTTP output to a client;

calling one or more third functions to facilitate access to server-side utilities and processes; and

calling one or more fourth functions to facilitate creating a user interface on a web page.

29. A method as recited in claim 28, further including calling one or more fifth functions to facilitate building and using web services.

30. A method as recited in claim 28, further including calling one or more sixth functions to facilitate creating server controls on a web page.

31. A method as recited in claim 28, further including calling one or more seventh functions to facilitate programmatically exposing a method over the web.