Web application router

• US 7,366,777 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2003
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Mann, Joerg, Hill, Michael Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Osman; Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US10/438,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20040226459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/226, 704/270
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/541 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A computer implemented method includes receiving a request that includes an action parameter and identifying a procedure that is associated with the value of the action parameter. If a procedure is identified, the identified procedure is executed. If a procedure is not identified, a script associated with the value of the action parameter is dispatched.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for responding to a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request, the method comprising:

receiving a HTTP request from a client system, the HTTP request including a Universal Resource Locator (UIRL), a web context, a name of a web application, and an action parameter, the web application being a web application developed using a model-view-controller paradigm;

determining whether a name used to invoke or store an application control logic procedure of the web application matches the value of the action parameter, the application control logic procedure including code that enables communication with backend computer systems;

conditioned on determining that no name used to invoke or store an application control logic procedure of the web application matches the value of the action parameter, dispatching to a presentation script saved under a file name that matches the value of the action parameter and that is configured to deliver an HTTP response to the client system in response to the HTTP request; and

conditioned on determining that a name used to invoke or store an application control logic procedure of the web application matches the value of the action parameter, executing the application control logic procedure and, subsequent to completing the execution of the application control logic procedure, conditionally dispatching to the presentation script,

wherein conditionally dispatching to the presentation script comprises;

determining whether executing the application control logic procedure results in dispatching to a second presentation script configured to deliver an HTTP response to the client system in response to the HTTP request,

dispatching to the presentation script conditioned on determining that executing the application control logic procedure does not result in dispatching to a second presentation script configured to deliver an HTTP response to the client system in response to the HTTP request, and

not dispatching to the presentation script conditioned on determining that executing the application control logic procedure results in dispatching to a second presentation script configured to deliver an HTTP response to the client system in response to the HTTP request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application control logic procedure is a method used in an object oriented programming language.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application control logic procedure is a function used in a procedural programming language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a name used to invoke or store an application control logic procedure of the web application matches the value of the action parameter comprises searching a group of names used to invoke or store application control logic procedures of the web application for a name that matches the value of the action parameter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein searching a group of names comprises searching a group of names used to invoke or store methods in a particular class.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein searching a group of names comprises searching a group of names used to invoke or store methods programmed in JavaTM.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein searching a group of names comprises searching a group of names used to invoke or store functions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein searching a group of names comprises searching a group of names used to invoke or store functions programmed in Perl.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein dispatching to the presentation script comprises dispatching to a script that includes code that implements presentation logic.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the presentation logic implements a user interface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user interface is a voice user interface operable to communicate with a user of a voice communication device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the voice communication device comprises a landline phone, a wireless phone, a voice-enabled personal digital assistant, or a voice-enabled computer.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation script includes markup language code.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the markup language code comprises hypertext markup language.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the markup language code comprises VoiceXML or SALT.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the markup language code comprises markup language used to communicate with wireless communication devices.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the markup language used to communicate with wireless communication devices includes wireless markup language.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the presentation script to render markup language code conditioned on and subsequent to dispatching to the presentation script.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the rendered markup language code is included in the HTTP response delivered to the client system.

20. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the web application computer is further configured to execute the presentation script to render markup language code conditioned on and subsequent to dispatching to the presentation script.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the web application computer being configured to execute the presentation script comprises the web application computer being configured to execute the presentation script to include the rendered markup language code in the HTTP response delivered to the client system.

22. A computer system comprising:

a web application computer configured to;

receive a HTTP request from a client system, the HTTP request including a Universal Resource Locator (URL), a web context, a name of a web application, and an action parameter, the web application being a web application developed using a model-view-controller paradigm;

determine whether a name used to invoke or store an application control logic procedure of the web application matches the value of the action parameter, the application control logic procedure including code that enables communication with backend computer systems;

conditioned on determining that no name used to invoke or store an application control logic procedure of the web application matches the value of the action parameter, dispatch to a presentation script saved under a file name that matches the value of the action parameter and that is configured to deliver an HTTP response to the client system in response to the HTTP request; and

conditioned on determining that a name used to invoke or store an application control logic procedure of the web application matches the value of the action parameter, execute the application control logic procedure and, subsequent to completing the execution of the application control logic procedure, conditionally dispatch to the presentation script,

wherein the web application computer being configured to conditionally dispatch to the presentation script comprises the web application computer being configured to;

determine whether executing the application control logic procedure results in dispatching to a second presentation script configured to deliver an HTTP response to the client system in response to the HTTP request,

dispatch to the presentation script conditioned on determining that executing the application control logic procedure does not result in dispatching to a second presentation script configured to deliver an HTTP response to the client system in response to the HTTP request, and

not dispatch to the presentation script conditioned on determining that executing the application control logic procedure results in dispatching to a second presentation script configured to deliver an HTTP response to the client system in response to the HTTP request.

23. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the application control logic procedure is a method.

24. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the application control logic procedure is a function.

25. The computer system of claim 22, further comprising a gateway computer.

26. The computer system of claim 25, wherein the gateway computer is a gateway configured to communicate with a wireless communication device.

27. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the gateway computer is a wireless application protocol gateway.

28. The computer system of claim 25, wherein the gateway computer is a voice gateway configured to communicate with a voice communication device.

29. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the presentation script includes markup language used for communication with a wireless communication device.

30. The computer system of claim 29, wherein the markup language includes wireless markup language code.

31. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the web application computer is configured to dispatch to a script including VoiceXML or SALT code.