Apparatus, system, and method for automatically generating a web interface for an MFS-based IMS application

• US 7,617,459 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2004
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tsai, Tony Y., Ho, Shyh-Mei F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Campbell; Joshua D
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALVESTEFFER, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US10/766,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,113 Days
• Field of Search: 715/762, 717/106
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are provided for automatically generating a web interface for an MFS-based IMS application. The apparatus, system, and method include an import module that imports MFS-based IMS source files corresponding to an MFS-based IMS application. A metadata generator stores a standardized metadata description of the Message Input Description (MID) and Message Output Description (MOD) for the MFS-based IMS application. The standardized metadata description may comprise one or more XMI files. A code generator generates a middleware application corresponding to the MFS-based IMS application from the standardized metadata descriptions. The middleware application comprises an interface between a client application and the corresponding MFS-based IMS application. The present invention may include a command-line interface that allows one or more parameter sets to be provided by a user as a single input. The present invention may also include a deployment module that transmits and/or installs the standardized metadata descriptions and middleware applications on suitable servers to enable the web interface.

Claims

1. A method for automatically generating a web interface for an MFS-based IMS application, comprising:

an interface accepting a parameter set provided as a single input;

importing MFS-based IMS source files corresponding to an MFS-based IMS application;

generating and storing at least one eXtended Markup Language Metadata Interchange (XMI) file comprising a standardized metadata description of MIDs/DIFs pairs and MODs/DOFs pairs for the MFS-based IMS application associated with the imported MFS-based IMS source files;

generating a middleware application from the at least one XMI file, the middleware application configured to interface between a client application and the MFS-based IMS application; and

automatically deploying without human intervention the generated at least one XMI file and middleware application to one or more servers.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising loading a script comprising the parameter set from persistent storage.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the script comprises a plurality of parameter sets each associated with a different MFS-based IMS application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter set is manually entered, the method further comprising storing the manually entered parameter set.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a plurality of modes, each mode comprising a different level of user interaction.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein one mode comprises a batch mode that reads the parameter set from persistent storage.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting an error message in response to an error condition triggered when generating the at least one XMI file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein importing comprises importing a plurality of MFS-based IMS source files from a single directory in response to a single parameter.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein one mode comprises a novice mode that prompts a user for each parameter in the parameter set.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein one mode comprises an expert mode that prompts the user to enter the parameter set as a single entry.

11. A utility comprising a program storage medium readable by a processor and embodying one or more instructions for automatically generating a web interface for a MFS-based IMS application, comprising:

an interface configured to accept a parameter set provided as a single input;

an import module configured to import MFS-based IMS source files corresponding to an MFS-based IMS application;

a metadata generator configured to generate and store at least one eXtended Markup Language Metadata Interchange (XMI) file comprising a standardized metadata description of MIDs/DIFs pairs and MODs/DOFs pairs for the MFS-based MS application associated with the imported MFS-based IMS source files;

a code generator configured to generate a middleware application from the at least one XMI file, the middleware application configured to interface between a client application and the MFS-based IMS application; and

a deployment module configured to automatically deploy without human intervention the generated at least one XMI file and middleware application to one or more servers.

12. The utility of claim 11, further comprising a loader configured to load a script comprising the parameter set from persistent storage.

13. The utility of claim 12, wherein the script comprises a plurality of parameter sets each associated with a different MFS-based IMS application.

14. The utility of claim 11, wherein the parameter set is manually entered, the utility further comprising a storage module configured to store the manually entered parameter set.

15. The utility of claim 11, wherein the interface comprises a plurality of modes, each mode comprising a different level of user interaction.

16. The utility of claim 15, wherein one mode comprises a batch mode that reads the parameter set from persistent storage.

17. The utility of claim 11, further comprising an error module configured to present an error message in response to an error condition triggered when generating the at least one XMI file.

18. The utility of claim 11, wherein the import module is configured to import a plurality of MFS-based IMS source files from a single directory in response to a single parameter.

19. The utility of claim 17, wherein one mode comprises a novice mode that prompts a user for each parameter in the parameter set.

20. The utility of claim 19, wherein one mode comprises an expert mode that prompts the user to enter the parameter set as a single entry.

21. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a processor and embodying one or more instructions executable by the processor to perform a method for automatically generating a web interface for an MFS-based IMS application, the method comprising:

an interface accepting a parameter set provided as a single input;

importing MFS-based IMS source files corresponding to an MFS-based IMS application;

generating and storing at least one eXtended Markup Language Metadata Interchange (XMI) file comprising a standardized metadata description of MIDs/DIFs pairs and MODs/DOFs pairs for the MFS-based IMS application associated with the imported MFS-based IMS source files;

generating a middleware application from the at least one XMI file, the middleware application configured to interface between a client application and the MFS-based IMS application; and

automatically deploying without human intervention the generated at least one XMI file and middleware application to one or more servers.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, the method further comprising loading a script comprising the parameter set from persistent storage.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein the script comprises a plurality of parameter sets each associated with a different MFS-based IMS application.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the parameter set is manually entered, the method further comprising storing the manually entered parameter set.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the interface comprises a plurality of modes, each mode comprising a different level of user interaction.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein one mode comprises a batch mode that reads the parameter set from persistent storage.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 21, the method further comprising presenting an error message in response to an error condition triggered when generating the at least one XMI file.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 21, the method further comprising importing a plurality of MFS-based IMS source files from a single directory in response to a single parameter.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein one mode comprises a novice mode that prompts a user for each parameter in the parameter set.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 29, wherein one mode comprises an expert mode that prompts the user to enter the parameter set as a single entry.