PROVIDING A CLIENT INTERFACE FOR A SERVER-BASED WEB APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE

• US 20130124608A1
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Joseph Charles Gregorio, Monsur Hossain
• Inventors: Hossain, Monsur, GREGORIO, Joseph Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,972,489 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

Disclosed methods, systems, and articles of manufacture, including processor-readable mediums, relate to providing a client interface for a server-based web application programming interface (API). In a disclosed method, a client device receives a first discovery document that is represented in a first machine-readable language and that includes information describing a plurality of resources of a first API of a server device. Based at least in part on the first discovery document, the client device executes a first set of instructions represented in a second machine-readable language that is different from the first machine-readable language, to generate a first library that includes instructions represented in the second machine-readable language and that enables the client device to interface with at least one of the plurality of resources of the first API.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a client device, a first discovery document that is represented in a first machine-readable language and that includes information describing a plurality of resources of a first application programming interface (API) of a server device; and

based at least in part on the first discovery document, executing, by the client device, a first set of instructions represented in a second machine-readable language that is different from the first machine-readable language, to generate a first library that includes instructions represented in the second machine-readable language and that enables the client device to interface with at least one of the plurality of resources of the first API.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first library is generated during a runtime phase of executing the first set of instructions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising making a call to the first API using the first library.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the first set of instructions comprises:

generating an empty client library;

parsing the first discovery document to locate a plurality of resource descriptors, the resource descriptors describing respective resources of the first API; and

based at least in part on the plurality of resource descriptors, generating a plurality of resources represented in the second machine-readable language and attaching the plurality of resources to the empty client library, to generate the first library.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the empty client library, parsing the first discovery document, generating the plurality of resources, and attaching the plurality of resources are carried out during a runtime phase of executing the first set of instructions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first machine-readable language is JavaScipt Object Notation (JSON).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second machine-readable language is Python.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first discovery document is stored to the server device.

9. A tangible processor-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to at least:

store a first discovery document that is represented in a first machine-readable language and that includes information describing a plurality of resources of a first application programming interface (API) of a server device; and

based at least in part on the first discovery document, execute a first set of instructions represented in a second machine-readable language, to generate a first library that includes instructions represented in the second machine-readable language and that enables a client device to interface with at least one of the plurality of resources of the first API.

10. The processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first library is to be generated during a runtime phase of executing the first set of instructions.

11. The processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are to:

generate an empty client library;

parse the first discovery document to locate a plurality of resource descriptors, each resource descriptor describing a respective resource of the first API; and

based at least in part on the plurality of resource descriptors, generate a plurality of resources represented in the second machine-readable language and attach the plurality of resources to the empty client library, to generate the first library.

12. The processor-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are to generate the empty client library, parse the first discovery document, generate the plurality of resources, and attach the plurality of resources during a runtime phase of executing the first set of instructions.

13. The processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first machine-readable language is JavaScipt Object Notation (JSON).

14. The processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the second machine-readable language is Python.

15. The processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the first discovery document is stored to the server device.

16. A method comprising:

executing, by a client device, a first set of instructions that is represented in a first machine-readable language, and that is based at least in part on a reference to a first discovery document represented in a second-machine readable language and including information describing a plurality of resources of a first application programming interface (API) of a server device; and

responsive to executing the first set of instructions, generating, by the client device, a first library that includes instructions represented in the first machine-readable language and that enables the client device to interface with at least one of the plurality of resources of the first API.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving, by the client device, the first discovery document.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second machine-readable language is JavaScript Object Notation (JSON).

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the reference to the first discovery document is a Uniform Resource Identifier.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein generating the first library comprises generating the first library during a runtime phase of executing the first set of instructions.

21. A tangible processor-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to at least:

execute a first set of instructions that is represented in a first machine-readable language, and that is based at least in part on a reference to a first discovery document represented in a second-machine readable language and including information describing a plurality of resources of a first application programming interface (API) of a server device; and

responsive to executing the first set of instructions, generate a first library that includes instructions represented in the first machine-readable language and that enables the client device to interface with at least one of the plurality of resources of the first API.

22. A tangible processor-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to at least:

during a runtime phase of execution of the instructions;

generate an empty client library;

parse a first discovery document that is represented in a first machine-readable language and that includes information describing a plurality of resources of a first application programming interface (API) of a server device, to locate a plurality of resource descriptors that each describes a respective one of the plurality of resources of the first API; and

based at least in part on the plurality of resource descriptors, generate a plurality of resources represented in the second machine-readable language and attach the plurality of resources to the empty client library, to generate a first library that includes instructions represented in a second machine-readable language and that enables a client device to interface with at least one of the plurality of resources of the first API.

23. A tangible processor-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to at least:

responsive to receiving a reference to a first discovery document that is represented in a first machine-readable language and that includes information describing a plurality of resources of a first application programming interface (API) of a server device;

parse the first discovery document to locate a first plurality of resource descriptors that each describes a respective one of the plurality of resources of the first API, and

based at least in part on the first plurality of resource descriptors, generate a first plurality of resources represented in the second machine-readable language and attach the first plurality of resources to a first empty client library, to generate a first library that includes instructions represented in a second machine-readable language and that enables a client device to interface with the first API; and

responsive to receiving a reference to a second discovery document that is represented in the first machine-readable language and that includes information describing a plurality of resources of a second API of the server device;

parse the second discovery document to locate a second plurality of resource descriptors that each describes a respective one of the plurality of resources of the second API, and

based at least in part on the second plurality of resource descriptors, generate a second plurality of resources represented in the second machine-readable language and attach the second plurality of resources to a second empty client library, to generate a second library that includes instructions represented in the second machine-readable language and that enables the client device to interface with the first API.

24. The processor-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to parse the first discovery document, generate the first plurality of resources, and attach the first plurality of resources to the empty client library during a runtime phase of execution of the instructions.

25. A system comprising:

a retrieval unit configured to receive, by a client device, a first discovery document that is represented in a first machine-readable language and that includes information describing a plurality of resources of a first application programming interface (API) of a server device; and

a library building unit configured to execute, by the client device, based at least in part on the first discovery document, a first set of instructions represented in a second machine-readable language that is different from the first machine-readable language, to generate a first library that includes instructions represented in the second machine-readable language and that enables the client device to interface with at least one of the plurality of resources of the first API.

26. A system comprising:

a retrieval unit configured to execute, by a client device, a first set of instructions that is represented in a first machine-readable language, and that is based at least in part on a reference to a first discovery document represented in a second-machine readable language and including information describing a plurality of resources of a first application programming interface (API) of a server device; and

a library building unit configured to generate, by the client device, responsive to executing the first set of instructions, a first library that includes instructions represented in the first machine-readable language and that enables the client device to interface with at least one of the plurality of resources of the first API.