System and method for extending a component-based application platform with custom services

• US 20070201654A1
• Filed: 02/03/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Shenfield, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,836,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

A system and method for dynamically associating an application with an extension service to generate an extended, dynamically linked version of the application. The application is configurable for deployment on an electronic device and for subsequent interaction with the extension service during execution through communication messages defined in a structured definition language. The system and method include a parser module configured for analyzing a set of service metadata descriptors to identify a communication interface associated with the extension service, such that the service metadata descriptors describe the communication interface including structure and type of parameters expected by the extension service for use in manipulation of the communication messages. The system and method also include a linking module coupled to the parser module for using the communication interface and a reference to the extension service in the code of the application to build a runtime dynamic link between the extension service and the application to produce the executable application.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically associating an application with an extension service to generate an extended, dynamically linked version of the application, the application configurable for deployment on an electronic device and for interaction with the extension service during execution through communication messages defined in a structured definition language, the system comprising:

a parser module configured for analyzing a set of service metadata descriptors to identify a communication interface associated with the extension service, the service metadata descriptors for configured for describing the communication interface including structure and type of parameters expected by the extension service for use in manipulation of the communication messages; and

a linking module coupled to the parser module for using the communication interface and a reference to the extension service in the code of the application to build a runtime dynamic link between the extension service and the application to produce the executable application.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a service document configured for containing the set of service metadata descriptors for use in manipulating the communication messages, the service document written in the structured definition language, the service document configured for defining the communication interface for at least one of the extension services.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the service document is configured to be physically separate from the code of the application.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a document configured for containing the set of service metadata descriptors, the document written in the structured definition language and further configured as a definition document for having a specification defining application metadata descriptors comprising code of the application and how the code is to be processed.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the structured definition language of the service document is different from the structured definition language of the defined communication messages used by the executable application.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the parser module is further configured to identify a name and a respective URI of the extension service to be used in accessing the service metadata descriptors.

7. The system of claim 2 further comprising a host for at least one of the parser module and the linking module selected from the group comprising:

an application gateway;

a network entity associated with a data source configured for interaction with the executable application; and

the device.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the application is a component-based application having the code expressed in the structured definition language as a series of application metadata descriptors for defining at least one of an application message, an application data element, an application presentation element, and application workflow logic.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the service document is configured to be modified separately from the code of the application.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the linking module is configured to generate the executable application as a client of a data source when the device is coupled to the data source via a network.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising an application container for providing a runtime environment for the executable application such that the extension service is external to the container.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the extension service is selected from the group comprising:

a local extension service configured for hosting on the device; and

a remote extension service configured for hosting on a network entity coupled to the device via the network.

13. The system according to claim 2, wherein the service metadata descriptors of the extension service comprises an API definition of the extension service.

14. The system of claim 6 further comprising a document generation module coupled to the parser module for assembling the service document to include additional service metadata descriptors retrieved using the URI, the additional service metadata descriptors for use in messaging between the executable application of the device and the extension service using the communication messages, and a messaging engine for processing the communication messages.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a communication module of the messaging engine for sending and receiving the communication messages directed to a remote one of the extension services hosted on a network entity coupled to the device via the network.

16. The system of claim 14 further comprising an access module of the messaging engine for sending and receiving the communication messages directed to a local one of the extension services hosted on the device.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising a converter module for converting a format of the communication messages between an application format and a service format, the formats included in the service metadata descriptors of the service document.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising a communication module of the messaging engine for sending and receiving the communication messages directed to the extension service, such that the communication module manipulates the communication messages with respect to native function calls and structures utilized by the extension service.

19. A method for dynamically associating an application with an extension service to generate an extended, dynamically linked version of the application, the application configurable for deployment on an electronic device and for interaction with the extension service during execution through communication messages defined in a structured definition language, the method comprising the steps of:

analyzing a set of service metadata descriptors to identify a communication interface associated with the extension service, the service metadata descriptors configured for describing the communication interface including structure and type of parameters expected by the extension service for use in manipulation of the communication messages; and

building a runtime dynamic link between the extension service and the application using the communication interface and a reference to the extension service in the code of the application to produce the executable application.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of using a service document to contain the set of service metadata descriptors for use in manipulating the communication messages, the service document written in the structured definition language, the service document configured for defining the communication interface for a plurality of the extension services.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the service document is configured to be physically separate from the code of the application.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of identifying a name and a respective URI of the extension service to be used in accessing the service metadata descriptors.

23. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of providing a runtime environment for the executable application such that the extension service is external to the container.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of assembling the service document to include additional service metadata descriptors retrieved using the URI, the additional service metadata descriptors for use in communications between the application and the extension service using the communication messages, the communications facilitated using a messaging engine.

25. A computer program product for dynamically associating an application with an extension service to generate an extended, dynamically linked version of the application, the application configurable for deployment on an electronic device and for interaction with the extension service during execution through communication messages defined in a structured definition language, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium;

a parser module stored on the computer readable medium for analyzing a set of service metadata descriptors to identify a communication interface associated with the extension service, the service metadata descriptors configured for describing the communication interface including structure and type of parameters expected by the extension service for use in manipulation of the communication messages; and

a linking module coupled to the parser module for using the communication interface and a reference to the extension service in the code of the application to build a runtime dynamic link between the extension service and the application to produce the executable application.