Generating asynchronous interfaces and methods from synchronous interfaces and methods

• US 7,739,656 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2004
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Beisiegel, Michael, Vines, David John, Delfino, Jean-Sebastien Michel, Nally, Martin Paul, Niblett, Peter David
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri; Anil
• Application Number:
  US11/015,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20060126657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,008 Days
• Field of Search: 717105-110, 717/136, 717148-149
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/548 Object oriented; Remote method invocation [RMI] non-remote method invocation G06F9/449

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and program for generating asynchronous interfaces and methods from synchronous interfaces and methods receiving a synchronous interface to a target component having a synchronous method used by a client component to synchronously invoke the target component. An asynchronous interface is generated for the synchronous interface of the target component. An asynchronous method is generated for the generated asynchronous interface having arguments to invoke the target component, wherein the client calls the generated asynchronous method to cause an asynchronous execution of the synchronous method.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a computer system, comprising:

receiving, by the computer system, a synchronous interface to a target component having a synchronous method used by a client component to synchronously invoke the target component;

generating, by the computer system, an asynchronous interface for the synchronous interface of the target component; and

generating, by the computer system, an asynchronous method for the generated asynchronous interface having arguments to invoke the target component, wherein the client calls the generated asynchronous method to cause an asynchronous execution of operations of the synchronous method and to enable the client component and the target component to interact in an asynchronous manner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the asynchronous method comprises generating a method to asynchronously pass a service implementing a callback interface and generating a method that is called to pass return data to the client component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated asynchronous interface includes a name of the synchronous interface and has added suffixes, wherein a name of the asynchronous method includes a name of the synchronous method and a suffix specific to the asynchronous operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated asynchronous method returns a ticket to the client, wherein the ticket provides a reference for the call, wherein the generated asynchronous method has an argument comprising a service implementing a callback method providing an asynchronous callback at the target component, further comprising:

generating a callback interface for the synchronous interface; and

generating a response method for the callback interface receiving the ticket as an argument, wherein a runtime environment calls the response method to obtain the return from the target component to provide to the client.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the synchronous method has at least one argument, at least one return, and at least one exception, wherein the return obtained by the response method comprises data returned to the client by the target component in response to determining that the synchronous method call provides at least one return, wherein the exception provided by the response method includes an exception defined for the asynchronous method in response to determining that the synchronous method call has at least one exception, and wherein the exception provided by the response method includes a runtime exception in response to determining that the synchronous method call has does not have one exception.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a ticket is returned in response to the asynchronous method call, wherein the ticket provides a reference for the asynchronous method call, further comprising:

generating an asynchronous response method having the ticket as an argument, wherein the client calls the response method to retrieve a response from the target component called by the asynchronous method, wherein the response method implements a deferred response asynchronous call.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining whether the synchronous method has at least one argument, at least one return, and/or at least one exception, wherein the return obtained by the response method comprises data returned to the client by the target component in response to determining that the synchronous method call provides at least one return and/or an exception in response to determining that the synchronous method call has at least one exception.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the generated asynchronous response method is capable of having a timeout argument to cause the response method to timeout after a period specified in the timeout argument if no response is available.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the target component additionally implements an asynchronous interface, wherein a ticket is returned in response to the asynchronous method call, wherein the ticket provides a reference for the call, wherein the generated asynchronous method call is enabled to receive as an argument a callback method, wherein the target component calls the callback method to transmit the return to the client.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated asynchronous method comprises a first asynchronous method, wherein a ticket is returned in response to the target component executing the first asynchronous method, wherein the ticket provides a reference for the first asynchronous method call, further comprising:

generating a first response method having the ticket as an argument, wherein the client calls the response method to retrieve a return from the target component called by the first asynchronous method, wherein the first response method implements a deferred response asynchronous call;

generating a second asynchronous method, wherein the generated asynchronous method has as an argument a service implementing a callback interface, wherein the ticket is returned in response to the second asynchronous method call;

generating a callback interface for the synchronous interface; and

generating a second response method for the callback interface having the ticket as an argument, wherein a runtime environment calls the response method to obtain a response from the target component called by the client and return the response to the client.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the generated asynchronous interface comprises a first asynchronous interface, further comprising:

generating a second asynchronous interface; and

generating a third asynchronous method for the second asynchronous interface, having a callback component passed as an argument to the target component, wherein the target component implements the method as an asynchronous method and uses the callback component to return results.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the asynchronous interface comprises a first asynchronous interface, further comprising:

generating a callback interface including the second asynchronous method call; and

generating a second asynchronous interface including the generated third asynchronous method call.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the operations of receiving the synchronous interface, generating the asynchronous interface, and generating the asynchronous method are performed by an asynchronous interface generator provided with a software development tool.

14. A system for use in the development of a client component and a target component, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable storage medium having code that is executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a synchronous interface to the target component having a synchronous method used by a client component to synchronously invoke the target component;

generating an asynchronous interface for the synchronous interface of the target component; and

generating an asynchronous method for the generated asynchronous interface having arguments to invoke the target component, wherein the client calls the generated asynchronous method to cause an asynchronous execution of operations of the synchronous method and to enable the client component and the target component to interact in an asynchronous manner.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein generating the asynchronous method comprises generating a method to asynchronously pass a service implementing a callback interface and generating a method that is called to pass return data to the client component.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the generated asynchronous interface includes a name of the synchronous interface and has added suffixes, wherein a name of the asynchronous method includes a name of the synchronous method and a suffix specific to the asynchronous operation.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the generated asynchronous method returns a ticket to the client, wherein the ticket provides a reference for the call, wherein the generated asynchronous method has an argument comprising a service implementing a callback method providing an asynchronous callback at the target component, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a callback interface for the synchronous interface; and

generating a response method for the callback interface receiving the ticket as an argument, wherein a runtime environment calls the response method to obtain the return from the target component to provide to the client.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein a ticket is returned in response to the asynchronous method call, wherein the ticket provides a reference for the asynchronous method call, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating an asynchronous response method having the ticket as an argument, wherein the client calls the response method to retrieve a response from the target component called by the asynchronous method, wherein the response method implements a deferred response asynchronous call.

19. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable storage medium for use in the development of a client component and a target component, wherein the code in the computer readable storage medium is executed to cause operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a synchronous interface to a target component having a synchronous method used by a client component to synchronously invoke the target component;

generating an asynchronous interface for the synchronous interface of the target component; and

generating an asynchronous method for the generated asynchronous interface having arguments to invoke the target component, wherein the client calls the generated asynchronous method to cause an asynchronous execution of operations of the synchronous method and to enable the client component and the target component to interact in an asynchronous manner.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein generating the asynchronous method comprises generating a method to asynchronously pass a service implementing a callback interface and generating a method that is called to pass return data to the client component.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the generated asynchronous interface includes a name of the synchronous interface and has added suffixes, wherein a name of the asynchronous method includes a name of the synchronous method and a suffix specific to the asynchronous operation.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the generated asynchronous method returns a ticket to the client, wherein the ticket provides a reference for the call, wherein the generated asynchronous method has an argument comprising a service implementing a callback method providing an asynchronous callback at the target component, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a callback interface for the synchronous interface; and

generating a response method for the callback interface receiving the ticket as an argument, wherein a runtime environment calls the response method to obtain the return from the target component to provide to the client.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the synchronous method has at least one argument, at least one return, and at least one exception, wherein the return obtained by the response method comprises data returned to the client by the target component in response to determining that the synchronous method call provides at least one return, wherein the exception provided by the response method includes an exception defined for the asynchronous method in response to determining that the synchronous method call has at least one exception, and wherein the exception provided by the response method includes a runtime exception in response to determining that the synchronous method call has does not have one exception.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein a ticket is returned in response to the asynchronous method call, wherein the ticket provides a reference for the asynchronous method call, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating an asynchronous response method having the ticket as an argument, wherein the client calls the response method to retrieve a response from the target component called by the asynchronous method, wherein the response method implements a deferred response asynchronous call.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the synchronous method has at least one argument, at least one return, and/or at least one exception, wherein the return obtained by the response method comprises data returned to the client by the target component in response to determining that the synchronous method call provides at least one return and/or an exception in response to determining that the synchronous method call has at least one exception.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein the generated asynchronous response method is capable of having a timeout argument to cause the response method to timeout after a period specified in the timeout argument if no response is available.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the target component additionally implements an asynchronous interface, wherein a ticket is returned in response to the asynchronous method call, wherein the ticket provides a reference for the call, wherein the generated asynchronous method call is enabled to receive as an argument a callback method, wherein the target component calls the callback method to transmit the return to the client.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the generated asynchronous method comprises a first asynchronous method, wherein a ticket is returned in response to the target component executing the first asynchronous method, wherein the ticket provides a reference for the first asynchronous method call, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a first response method having the ticket as an argument, wherein the client calls the response method to retrieve a return from the target component called by the first asynchronous method, wherein the first response method implements a deferred response asynchronous call;

generating a second asynchronous method, wherein the generated asynchronous method has as an argument a service implementing a callback interface, wherein the ticket is returned in response to the second asynchronous method call;

generating a callback interface for the synchronous interface; and

generating a second response method for the callback interface having the ticket as an argument, wherein a runtime environment calls the response method to obtain a response from the target component called by the client and return the response to the client.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the generated asynchronous interface comprises a first asynchronous interface, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a second asynchronous interface; and

generating a third asynchronous method for the second asynchronous interface, having a callback component passed as an argument to the target component, wherein the target component implements the method as an asynchronous method and uses the callback component to return results.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the asynchronous interface comprises a first asynchronous interface, further comprising:

generating a callback interface including the second asynchronous method call; and

generating a second asynchronous interface including the generated third asynchronous method call.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the operations of receiving the synchronous interface, generating the asynchronous interface, and generating the asynchronous method are performed by an asynchronous interface generator provided with a software development tool.