Method and apparatus for generating electronic document definitions

• US 20030208720A1
• Filed: 03/21/2002
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Anderson, Rayne S., Lynch, Peter J., High, Brenda H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,315,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/513
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method of automatically creating an electronic document definition can include querying an application using a meta data interface of the application to obtain meta data describing at least one other interface of the application. The meta data can be received responsive to the querying. The meta data can be processed to determine at least one electronic document definition describing the at least one other interface in accordance with the received meta data and a message specification of the application.

Claims

1. A method of automatically creating an electronic document definition comprising:

querying an application using a meta data interface of said application to obtain meta data describing at least one other interface of said application;

receiving said meta data responsive to said querying; and

processing said meta data to determine at least one electronic document definition describing said at least one other interface in accordance with said received meta data and a message specification of said application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying said meta data interface and said at least one other interface from an input mechanism.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said input mechanism is a data file.

4. The method of claim 1, said processing step further comprising:

determining an interface type described by said meta data.

5. The method of claim 4, said processing step further comprising:

determining an interface type selected from the group consisting of remote function call, intermediate document, and business application programming interface.

6. The method of claim 5, said processing step further comprising:

for meta data describing said remote function call or said business application programming interface, determining a request electronic document definition and a response electronic document definition.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic document definition is a markup language document.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic document definition is a document type definition.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic document definition is an extensible markup language schema.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said meta data specifies at least one parameter, said processing step further comprising:

determining whether said parameter is mandatory.

11. The method of claim 10, said processing step further comprising:

determining whether said parameter is imported, exported, or both.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said meta data specifies at least one field, said processing step further comprising:

determining a type of said field.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said meta data specifies at least one field, said processing step further comprising:

determining whether said field is associated with a table.

14. A machine-readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

querying an application using a meta data interface of said application to obtain meta data describing at least one other interface of said application;

receiving said meta data responsive to said querying; and

processing said meta data to determine at least one electronic document definition describing said at least one other interface in accordance with said received meta data and a message specification of said application.

15. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying said meta data interface and said at least one other interface from an input mechanism.

16. The machine-readable storage of claim 15, wherein said input mechanism is a data file.

17. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, said processing step further comprising:

determining an interface type described by said meta data.

18. The machine-readable storage of claim 17, said processing step further comprising:

determining an interface type selected from the group consisting of remote function call, intermediate document, and business application programming interface.

19. The machine-readable storage of claim 18, said processing step further comprising:

for meta data describing said remote function call or said business application programming interface, determining a request electronic document definition and a response electronic document definition.

20. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein said electronic document definition is a markup language document.

21. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein said electronic document definition is a document type definition.

22. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein said electronic document definition is an extensible markup language schema.

23. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein said meta data specifies at least one parameter, said processing step further comprising:

determining whether said parameter is mandatory.

24. The machine-readable storage of claim 23, said processing step further comprising:

determining whether said parameter is imported, exported, or both.

25. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein said meta data specifies at least one field, said processing step further comprising:

determining a type of said field.

26. The machine-readable storage of claim 14, wherein said meta data specifies at least one field, said processing step further comprising:

determining whether said field is associated with a table.