System and method for allowing client applications to programmatically access web sites

• US 20040088713A1
• Filed: 10/30/2002
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Myllymaki, Jussi Petri, Beyer, Kevin Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,467,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code

Abstract

A system provides an interface for a client application to programmatically access a Web site. A simple data extractor returns a retrieved Web page in a well-formed syntax (such as XHTML) to the client application. Web forms crawled or otherwise retrieved from the Internet are translated into service interfaces, or APIs. The service interfaces are expressed in a simple object access protocol (SOAP), and are registered in a universal description, discovery, and integration (UDDI) registry. For each Web form analyzed, the present system automatically generates a program code that receives SOAP requests and translates them into regular Web accesses, thus providing applications and application developers with an easy, programmatic interface to Web sites such as search engines and other databases. The Web pages are first processed by a component that analyzes the forms and generates a service description (SD) file for each form. The SD file contains all the information necessary for producing the ultimate output of the system: API descriptions in the form of WSDL (Web Services Description Language) files, WDS (Well-Defined Service) files, and ISD (Interface Service Deployment) files. The SD file is also used for generating executable program code such as the Java language that implements the service. The executable code is then compiled, deployed in a SOAP service manager using the ISD file, and finally published in a UDDI registry using the WSDL and WDS files.

Claims

1. A method for creating a service interface to a network addressable location, comprising:

generating a service description of the network addressable location;

generating a wrapper for the network addressable location; and

deploying the wrapper in a service manager.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network addressable location includes a network page.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the network page is expressed in an HTML format.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising locating the network page through a crawler.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising locating the network page by means of a graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising publishing the interface in a UDDI registry.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising returning the retrieved network page in a predetermined syntax to a client application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined syntax includes XHTML.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising extracting data from the network page;

formatting extracted data in a predetermined format; and

returning formatted, extracted data to a client application.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the network page is translated into an application program interface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the application program interface is expressed in a simple object access protocol, SOAP.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising registering the simple access protocol in a universal description, discovery, and integration registry.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically generating a program code for the network page, which receives a simple object access protocol request and translates the request into a recognizable web access.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the service description of the network page contains the following information:

an application programming interface description in the form of a web services description language file;

a well-defined service file, and an interface service deployment file.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising using the service description to generate an executable program code.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising compiling the executable code.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising deploying the executable code in a simple object access protocol, SOAP, service manager using the interface service deployment file.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising publishing the executable code that has been deployed in the simple object access protocol service manager in a registry using the web services description language file and the well-defined service file.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the simple object access protocol request includes a simple object access protocol request that based on XML syntax;

and

wherein the recognizable web access is an HTTP/HTML access.

20. The method of claim 2, wherein the network page comprises a Web page that includes a form.

21. A computer program product having instruction codes for creating a service interface to a network addressable location, comprising:

a first set of instruction codes for generating a service description of the network addressable location;

a second set of instruction codes for generating a wrapper for the network addressable location; and

a third set of instruction codes for deploying the wrapper in a service manager.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the network addressable location includes a network page.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, further comprising a fourth set of instruction codes for extracting data from the network page, for formatting extracted data in a predetermined format, and for returning formatted, extracted data to a client application.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the network page is translated into an application program interface;

and

wherein the application program interface is expressed in a simple object access protocol, SOAP.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising a fifth set of instruction codes for registering the simple access protocol in a universal description, discovery, and integration registry.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the second set of instruction codes automatically generates a program code for the network page, which receives a simple object access protocol request and translates the request into a recognizable web access.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the service description of the network page contains the following information:

an application programming interface description in the form of a web services description language file;

a well-defined service file, and an interface service deployment file.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the second set of instruction codes uses the service description to generate and then to compile an executable program code.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the set of instruction codes deploys the executable code in a simple object access protocol, SOAP, service manager using the interface service deployment file.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the simple object access protocol request includes a simple object access protocol request that based on XML syntax;

and

wherein the recognizable web access is an HTTP/HTML access.

31. A system for creating a service interface to a network addressable location, comprising:

means for generating a service description of the network addressable location;

means for generating a wrapper for the network addressable location; and

means for deploying the wrapper in a service manager.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the network addressable location includes a network page.

33. The system of claim 32, further comprising means for extracting data from the network page, for formatting extracted data in a predetermined format, and for returning formatted, extracted data to a client application.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the network page is translated into an application program interface;

and

wherein the application program interface is expressed in a simple object access protocol, SOAP.

35. The system of claim 34, further comprising means for registering the simple access protocol in a universal description, discovery, and integration registry.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the means for generating the wrapper automatically generates a program code for the network page, which receives a simple object access protocol request and translates the request into a recognizable web access.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the service description of the network page contains the following information:

an application programming interface description in the form of a web services description language file;

a well-defined service file, and an interface service deployment file.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the means for generating the wrapper uses the service description to generate and then to compile an executable program code.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the set of instruction codes deploys the executable code in a simple object access protocol, SOAP, service manager using the interface service deployment file.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the simple object access protocol request includes a simple object access protocol request that based on XML syntax;

and

wherein the recognizable web access is an HTTP/HTML access.