System and method for a Web service virtual interface

• US 20060031850A1
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wiechers, Volker, Falter, Timm, Savchenko, Vladimir, Bender, Joachim, Huvar, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 7,617,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to a system and method for a Web service virtual interface. A development environment may receive input selecting a Web service implementation. The development environment may also receive input to define a virtual interface of the selected Web service implementation. In an embodiment, the development environment may create a virtual interface descriptor file that includes the received input defining the virtual interface. The development environment may generate a Web service description based, at least in part, on the virtual interface descriptor file.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving input selecting a Web service implementation, the selected Web service implementation to provide a service to a Web service client;

receiving input defining a virtual interface of the selected Web service implementation; and

creating a virtual interface descriptor file to provide, at least in part, a Web service description, the virtual interface descriptor file including the received input defining the virtual interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving input selecting the Web service implementation comprises:

receiving input selecting an Enterprise Java Bean.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving input selecting the Web service implementation comprises:

receiving input selecting a Java class.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving input defining the virtual interface of the selected Web service implementation comprises:

receiving input specifying a method of the Web service implementation; and

receiving input defining a representation of the specified method.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving input defining the representation of the specified method comprises at least one of:

receiving input specifying whether the selected method is to be exposed in a Web service;

receiving input specifying a name for the method; and

receiving input specifying a namespace for the specified method.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving input specifying a parameter of the specified method; and

receiving input defining a representation of the specified parameter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving input defining the representation of the specified parameter comprises at least one of:

receiving input indicating a name for the specified parameter;

receiving input indicating an initial value for the specified parameter;

receiving input indicating whether the specified parameter is optional; and

receiving input indicating whether the specified parameter is to be sent as a header in a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving input defining the representation of the specified parameter further comprises:

receiving input indicating the specified parameter is to be represented as an attribute in the SOAP message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving input defining the virtual interface of the selected Web service implementation comprises:

receiving input specifying a class of the Web service implementation; and

receiving input defining a representation of a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message for the specified class.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving input defining the representation of the SOAP message for the specified class comprises:

receiving input indicating a namespace to provide a schema for the specified class.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input defining another virtual interface of the selected Web service implementation; and

creating another virtual interface descriptor file, to provide, at least in part, another Web service description, the other virtual interface descriptor file including the received input defining the other virtual interface.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the Web service description based, at least in part, on the virtual interface descriptor file.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the Web service description based, at least in part, on the virtual interface descriptor file comprises:

generating a Web Service Description Language (WSDL) file based, at least in part, on the virtual interface descriptor file.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

publishing the Web service description on a service directory.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a development environment to create a Web service implementation; and

a processor and logic executable thereon to

receive input selecting the Web service implementation, the selected Web service implementation to provide a service to a Web service client;

receive input defining an abstraction of the selected Web service implementation; and

create a virtual interface descriptor file to provide, at least in part, a Web service description, the virtual interface descriptor file including the defined abstraction of the selected Web service implementation.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the logic executable thereon to receive input defining the abstraction of the selected Web service implementation comprises logic executable thereon to:

receive input specifying a method of the Web service implementation; and

receive input defining a representation of the specified method.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the logic executable thereon to receive input defining the representation of the specified method comprises logic executable thereon to:

receive input specifying whether the selected method is to be exposed in a Web service;

receive input specifying a name for the method; and

receive input specifying a namespace for the specified method.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the logic executable thereon is further to:

receive input defining another abstraction of the selected Web service implementation; and

create another virtual interface descriptor file, to provide, at least in part, another Web service description, the other virtual interface descriptor file including the other defined abstraction of the selected Web service implementation.

19. A system comprising:

means for receiving input selecting a Web service implementation, the selected Web service implementation to provide a service to a Web service client;

means for receiving input defining an abstraction of the selected Web service implementation; and

means for creating a virtual interface descriptor file to provide, at least in part, a Web service description, the virtual interface descriptor file including the defined abstraction of the selected Web service implementation.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for receiving input defining the abstraction of the selected Web service implementation comprises:

means for receiving input specifying a method of the Web service implementation; and

means for receiving input defining a representation of the specified method.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for receiving input defining the representation of the specified method comprises at least one of:

means for receiving input specifying whether the selected method is to be exposed in a Web service;

means for receiving input specifying a name for the method; and

means for receiving input specifying a namespace for the specified method.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

means for receiving input specifying a parameter of the specified method; and

means for receiving input defining a representation of the specified parameter.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the means for receiving input defining the representation of the specified parameter comprises at least one of:

means for receiving input indicating a name for the specified parameter;

means for receiving input indicating an initial value for the specified parameter;

means for receiving input indicating whether the specified parameter is optional; and

means for receiving input indicating whether the specified parameter is to be sent as a header in a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for receiving input defining the representation of the specified parameter further comprises:

means for receiving input indicating the specified parameter is to be represented as an attribute in the SOAP message.

25. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

means for receiving input defining another abstraction of the selected Web service implementation; and

means for creating another virtual interface descriptor file, to provide, at least in part, another Web service description, the other virtual interface descriptor file including the other defined abstraction of the selected Web service implementation.

26. An article of manufacture comprising:

an electronically accessible medium providing instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to

receive input selecting a Web service implementation, the selected Web service implementation to provide a service to a Web service client;

receive input defining an abstraction of the selected Web service implementation; and

create a virtual interface descriptor file to provide, at least in part, a Web service description, the virtual interface descriptor file including the defined abstraction of the selected Web service implementation.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 26, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to receive input defining the abstraction of the selected Web service implementation cause the apparatus to

receive input specifying a method of the Web service implementation;

and

receive input defining a representation of the specified method.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to receive input defining the representation of the specified method cause the apparatus to

receive input specifying whether the selected method is to be exposed in a Web service.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to receive input defining the representation of the specified method cause the apparatus to

receive input specifying a name for the method.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to receive input defining the representation of the specified method cause the apparatus to

receive input specifying a namespace for the specified method.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the electronically accessible medium provides further instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to

receive input specifying a parameter of the specified method;

and

receive input defining a representation of the specified parameter.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 31, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to receive input defining the representation of the specified parameter cause the apparatus to

receive input indicating a name for the specified parameter.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 31, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to receive input defining the representation of the specified parameter cause the apparatus to

receive input indicating an initial value for the specified parameter.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 31, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to receive input defining the representation of the specified parameter cause the apparatus to

receive input indicating whether the specified parameter is to be sent as a header in a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 31, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to receive input defining the representation of the specified parameter cause the apparatus to

receive input indicating the specified parameter is to be represented as an attribute in the SOAP message.