System and method for providing a java interface to an application view component

• US 7,516,440 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2002
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Upton, Mitch
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr.; Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): YAARY, MICHAEL D
• Application Number:
  US10/271,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20030110315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,366 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-174, 717/164, 717/106, 709/203, 709/100, 709/227, 707/10, 719/320, 719/328
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A Java-based interface can be used to allow a Java client or application to access an application view component. An application view component can provide an interface to an application or enterprise system, using a resource adapter to expose functionality in the enterprise system. A Java-based interface for the resource adapter can allow the Java client to access the application view component. The interface can be a design-time graphical user interface, which can include a set of Java server pages and can be Web-based. The interface can allow a Java client to access the application view component in order to accomplish a task such as creating, defining, deploying, and testing the application view component. Each of these tasks can have their own page in the interface, such as a Java server page.

Claims

1. A system, having a processor, for connecting a client application to an enterprise system, said system comprising:

an application view component that adds a layer of abstraction to the enterprise system and exposes the enterprise system for the client application as a business process;

a resource adapter that establishes a connection to the enterprise system and exposes internal functionality of the enterprise system to the client application, the resource adapter further defining at least one of services and events in the enterprise system that are available to the client application by associating the internal functionality of the enterprise system with said services and events;

wherein each application view component is specific to a single resource adapter and provides access to the internal functionality exposed by the single resource adapter;

an interface for the resource adapter, the interface allowing the client application to access the application view component in order to perform at least one of;

creating, defining, deploying and testing said application view component wherein said interface is used to add the services and events exposed by the resource adapter to the application view component; and

a business process engine used to graphically construct and maintain the business process, wherein the business process reacts to events and invokes the services exposed by the resource adapter;

wherein the application view component converts steps of the business process into services on the resource adapter thereby invoking the functionality in the enterprise system.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the interface is a design-time graphical user interface.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the interface includes a set of server pages.

4. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a server hosting the resource adapter and the interface.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the interface is Web-based.

6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a Web application component that allows the interface to be built using server pages.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein:

the Web application component further comprises tools selected from the group consisting of server page templates, a tag library, and a script library.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the resource adapter is an event adapter that allows the enterprise system to initiate communication with the client application by triggering an event;

whereby the application view component can extract data about the event from the enterprise system through the event adapter and propagate the data to the client application.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein:

the application view component propagates the data in an extensible markup language document.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein:

the event adapter extracts data about the event from the enterprise system, and makes that data available to the application view component.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein:

the event adapter transforms the data from a format specific to the enterprise system to an extensible markup language document.

12. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a connector architecture mechanism that provides at least one of connection pooling, transaction management, and security services for the resource adapter.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the resource adapter is a service adapter that invokes a service in the enterprise system, the service receiving requests from the application view component and returning responses to the application view component through the service adapter.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein:

the service adapter passes requests and responses as extensible markup language documents.

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein:

the service adapter invokes a service that allows asynchronous messaging between the application view and the enterprise system.

16. A system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a connection factory creates connections for the service adapter.

17. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a call-back listener handles a response for the application view that is received from the enterprise system.

18. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a queue that receives a request from the application view component and stores the request until the request is passed to the enterprise system.

19. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a security mechanism that maps authorization information across the path of a request from the application view component through the resource adapter to the enterprise system.

20. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a run-time engine that hosts the resource adapter.

21. A system according to claim 20, wherein:

the run-time engine manages connections to the enterprise system.

22. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an integration framework that provides an interface for each resource adapter.

23. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the interface allows the client application to access the application view component to do at least one of create, add services to, add events to, and edit the application view component.

24. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the interface further comprises an application view console that helps a user access, organize, and edit any application view component for the enterprise system.

25. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the interface is a design-time interface comprising a web application bundled as a file, the web application including at least one of server page, hypertext markup language and image files.

26. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the interface contains forms that can be processed using servlets.

27. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the interface includes a plurality of server pages, each server page calling a servlet to invoke a transaction in the enterprise system.

28. A system according to claim 1, wherein:

the interface includes server pages selected from the group consisting of display pages, login pages, confirm connection pages, application view administration pages, add event pages, add service pages, edit event pages, edit service pages, deploy application view pages, and summary pages.

29. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a design-time framework that provides a set of templates for rapidly assembling the interface.

30. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an application view descriptor that provides at least one of connection parameters, list of events, list of services, log levels, and pool settings for the application view component.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource adapter further includes a set of connection parameters to create a connection to the enterprise system.

32. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an application view control invoked directly from web service code, wherein the application view control enables the web service to interact with the application view component.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein said interface further provides one or more of the following:

a display page to create the look and feel of the application view component;

a login page;

a connection form that specifies connection parameters for the enterprise system;

a summary of an undeployed application view component;

an add event page to add a new event to the application view component;

an add service page to add a new service to the application view component;

an edit event page to edit an existing event on the application view component;

an edit service page to edit an existing service on the application view component;

a deploy application view page to specify deployment properties for the application view component; and

a summary page to display data associated with the application view component.

34. A computer program product, stored on a computer readable storage medium, for execution by a server computer for providing an interface for invoking functionality in an underlying enterprise system, comprising:

computer code for providing an application view component that adds a layer of abstraction to the enterprise system and exposes the enterprise system for a client application as a business process;

computer code for providing a resource adapter that establishes a connection to the enterprise system and exposes internal functionality of the enterprise system to the client application, the resource adapter defining at least one of services and events in the enterprise system that are available to the client application by associating the internal functionality of the enterprise system with said services and events;

wherein each application view component is specific to a single resource adapter and provides access to the internal functionality exposed by the single resource adapter;

computer code for providing an interface for the resource adapter, the interface allowing the client application to access the application view component in order to perform at least one of;

creating, defining, deploying and testing said application view component wherein said interface is used to add the services and events exposed by the resource adapter to the application view component; and

computer code for providing a business process engine used to graphically construct and maintain the business process, wherein the business process reacts to events and invokes the services exposed by the resource adapter;

wherein the application view component converts steps of the business process into services on the resource adapter thereby invoking the functionality in the enterprise system.

35. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

object code executed by said processor, said object code configured to;

provide an application view component that adds a layer of abstraction to the enterprise system and exposes the enterprise system for a client application as a business process;

provide a resource adapter that establishes a connection to the enterprise system and exposes internal functionality of the enterprise system to the client application, the resource adapter defining at least one of services and events in the enterprise system that are available to the client application by associating the internal functionality of the enterprise system with said services and events;

wherein each application view component is specific to a single resource adapter and provides access to the internal functionality exposed by the single resource adapter;

provide an interface for the resource adapter, the interface allowing the client application to access the application view component in order to perform at least one of;

creating, defining, deploying and testing said application view component wherein said interface is used to add the services and events exposed by the resource adapter to the application view component;

provide a business process engine used to graphically construct and maintain the business process, wherein the business process reacts to events and invokes the services exposed by the resource adapter;

wherein the application view component converts steps of the business process into services on the resource adapter thereby invoking the functionality in the enterprise system.

36. A computer implemented method for connecting a client application to an enterprise system, comprising:

providing an application view component that adds a layer of abstraction to the enterprise system and exposes the enterprise system for the client application as a business process;

providing a resource adapter that establishes a connection to the enterprise system and exposes internal functionality of the enterprise system to the client application, the resource adapter defining at least one of services and events in the enterprise system that are available to the client application by associating the internal functionality of the enterprise system with said services and events;

wherein each application view component is specific to a single resource adapter and provides access to the internal functionality exposed by the single resource adapter;

providing an interface for the resource adapter, the interface allowing the client application to access the application view component in order to perform at least one of;

creating, defining, deploying and testing said application view component wherein said interface is used to add the services and events exposed by the resource adapter to the application view component; and

providing a business process engine used to graphically construct and maintain the business process, wherein the business process reacts to events and invokes the services exposed by the resource adapter;

wherein the application view component converts steps of the business process into services on the resource adapter thereby invoking the functionality in the enterprise system.