System and methods for providing a declarative syntax for specifying SOAP-based web services

• US 7,779,388 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Grewal, Jasjit S., Al-Ghosien, Momin M., Ringseth, Paul F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, CHIH CHING
• Application Number:
  US11/217,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20060005175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,812 Days
• Field of Search: 717/140, 717/117, 719/313, 719/310, 709/230
• US Class Current: 717/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A system and methods are provided that make compile-time declarative modeling available for SOAP-based data transmission(s). The declarative modeling minimizes the amount of coding required of a developer. The underlying details regarding the SOAP protocol, dispatching to the appropriate object and function, marshaling and un-marshaling of XML and generating the SOAP response are hidden from the developer when implementing SOAP-based Web services. The task of creating a SOAP-based web service is thus greatly simplified by reducing the number and complexity of considerations required of the developer when generating SOAP-based Web services. In one embodiment, attributes for Visual C++ are utilized as a framework for a declarative syntax for SOAP-based Web services, which Visual C++ attributes have access to type and marshaling information.

Claims

1. A computing device configured with a processor for performing a method for implementing (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP-based Web services via a programming language in a computing system comprising:

in connection with code that implements at least one SOAP-based Web service, identifying at least one (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP message attribute supported by an attribute provider, wherein the (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP message attribute is a (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP handling mechanism;

declaring the syntax of the (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP handling mechanism corresponding to the at least one SOAP-based Web service via a construct of said programming language,

when compiling said code, communicating with the attribute provider wherein the attribute provider queries a compiler for information about the (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP handling mechanism, wherein the information about the (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP handling mechanism includes a parameter name, a type, and an interface definition language (IDL) attribute;

generating at least one of additional code and data from the information for use at run-time when at least one of sending and receiving a (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP message for said at least one SOAP-based Web service occurs.

2. The computing device as recited in claim 1, for processing (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP messages at run-time in a computing system having a server with at least one application having at least one user object implementing at least one SOAP-based Web service, the method comprising:

at least one of receiving an incoming SOAP message from a client computing device and receiving a call from a user object with at least one programming language construct; and

with a runtime intermediate layer, at least one of converting said incoming SOAP message to a corresponding programming language construct and converting said call with at least one programming language construct to an outgoing SOAP message,

wherein said runtime intermediate layer utilizes at least one of code and data generated during compilation of said user object.

3. The computing device according to claim 1, wherein said programming language is C++.

4. The computing device according to claim 2, wherein said converting of said incoming SOAP message to a corresponding programming language construct includes determining the appropriate user object to receive the SOAP message.

5. The computing device according to claim 2, wherein said converting said call with at least one programming language construct to an outgoing SOAP message includes formatting the message for delivery to an intended client computing device.

6. The computing device according to claim 1, further comprising a computer readable storage medium bearing computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 1.

7. A method for implementing (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP-based Web services via a programming language in a computing system, comprising:

identifying a (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP message attribute mechanism corresponding to the at least one SOAP-based Web service, the SOAP message attribute declared via a construct of said programming language;

querying a compiler for information about the SOAP message attribute; and

generating at least one of additional code and data from the information about the SOAP message attribute for use at run-time when at least one of sending and receiving a SOAP message for at least one SOAP-based Web service occurs, wherein an underlying XML packaging of the SOAP message is transported according to said at least one of sending and receiving via at least one of hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), internet relay chat (IRC), telnet protocol and Gopher protocol.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein at least one of a soap_handler attribute, a soap_method attribute and a soap header attribute are declared in the Web service'"'"'s class declaration.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising, in connection with code that implements at least one SOAP-based Web service, declaring at least one SOAP handling mechanism corresponding to at least one SOAP-based Web service via a construct of said programming language.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, when compiling said code, communicating with a provider object.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising receiving a call from a user object with at least one programming language construct;

and

with a runtime intermediate layer, at least one of converting said incoming SOAP message to a corresponding programming language construct and converting said call with at least one programming language construct to an outgoing SOAP message,

wherein said runtime intermediate layer utilizes at least one of code and data generated during compilation of said user object.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein converting said call with at least one programming language construct to an outgoing SOAP message includes formatting the message for delivery to an intended client computing device.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein said converting of said incoming SOAP message to a corresponding programming language construct includes determining the appropriate user object to receive the SOAP message.

14. A computer readable medium bearing computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 11.

15. A computing device for performing the method of claim 11.

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein said programming language is C++.

17. A computer readable medium bearing computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 7.

18. A computing device for performing the method of claim 7.

19. A method according to claim 7, wherein said programming language is C++.