Message interface for configuring web services for remote portlets

• US 7,792,969 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2004
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Allamaraju, Subbu, Toussaint, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Neurauter, Jr.; George C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fearer; Mark D
• Application Number:
  US10/969,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,148 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A web services system enables web servers to serve pages that utilize remote portlets stored on remote systems. A consumer system serves pages that utilize remote portlets stored on one or more producer systems. When a user system accesses a page utilizing a remote portlet through a web browser, the consumer system contacts the producer system, obtains content for the page and delivers the page to the user system. Information for configuring the consumer system to utilize the portlets on the producer system can be transmitted with the aid of a graphical interface that enables a user to send configuration information through electronic mail.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting information for a portlet, the method comprising:

displaying a desktop on a computer, including

a browser window showing a page of a producer portal, and

a message client window;

receiving a selection of a portlet on the page from a user, the page displaying portlets at the producer portal that can be utilized remotely by at least one consumer, wherein the selection includes receiving a request from the user to transfer a representation of the selected portlet from the page in the browser window to the message client window;

identifying web service configuration information for the selected portlet to be utilized by the at least one consumer, wherein the web service configuration information includes an identifier for the producer portal, including an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the producer portal, and an identifier for the selected portlet;

providing the web service configuration information to the message client for inclusion in a message; and

transmitting the message with the web service configuration information to a recipient over a network, via the message client, so that the recipient is able to use the portlet as a remote portlet based on the web service configuration information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to transfer comprises dragging the representation of the portlet out of the page in the browser window into the message client window.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the portlet is a struts portlet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the information comprises providing an eXtensible Markup Language file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the GUI element representing the page is a first window on a desktop, the GUI element representing the message client is a second window on the desktop, and the representation of the portlet is an icon.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information for configuring the remote consumer comprises authentication information that enables the remote consumer to access the portlet at the producer portal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the page is generated dynamically by the producer portal.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor cause a system to:

display a desktop on a computer, including

a browser window showing a page of a producer portal, and

a message client window;

receive a selection of a portlet on the page from a user, the page displaying portlets at the producer portal that can be utilized remotely by at least one consumer, wherein the selection includes receiving a request from the user to transfer a representation of the selected portlet from the page in the browser window to the message client window;

identify web service configuration information for the selected portlet to be utilized by the at least one consumer, wherein the web service configuration information includes an identifier for the producer portal, including an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the producer portal, and an identifier for the selected portlet;

provide the web service configuration information to the message client for inclusion in a message; and

transmit the message with the web service configuration information to a recipient over a network, via the message client, so that the recipient is able to use the portlet as a remote portlet based on the web service configuration information.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the request to transfer comprises dragging the representation of the portlet out of the page in the browser window into the GUI element representing the message client.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the portlet is a struts portlet.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the portlet is a page flow portlet.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein providing the information comprises providing an eXtensible Markup Language file.

13. A method in a producer system for enabling access to local portlets for remote consumers, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of portlets, the portlets configured to be utilized by pages on remote consumer systems;

presenting a desktop on a computer, including

a page in a browser window including the plurality of portlets, the page displaying portlets that are configured for access by others, and

a message client window;

receiving a selection of a portlet on the page from a user, the page displaying portlets at a producer portal that can be utilized remotely by at least one remote consumer system, wherein the selection includes receiving a request from the user to transfer a representation of the selected portlet from the page in the browser window to the message client window;

providing web service configuration information to the message client for inclusion in a message, the web service configuration information comprising information for configuring the at least one remote consumer system to utilize the selected portlet, wherein the web service configuration information includes an identifier for the producer portal, including an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the producer portal, and an identifier for the selected portlet; and

transmitting the message with the web service configuration information to a recipient over a network, via the message client, so that the recipient is able to use the selected portlet as a remote portlet based on the web service configuration information via a GUI element representing the message.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the request to transfer the representation of the portlet comprises dragging the representation of the portlet out of the page in the browser window into the message client window.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the information comprises providing an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the portlet is a struts portlet.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the portlet is a page flow portlet.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor cause a system to:

store a plurality of portlets, the portlets configured to be utilized by pages on remote consumer systems;

present a desktop on a computer, including

a page in a browser window including the plurality of portlets, the page displaying portlets at the that are configured for access by others, and

a message client window;

receive a selection of a portlet on the page from a user, the page displaying portlets at a producer portal that can be utilized remotely by at least one remote consumer system, wherein the selection includes receiving a request from the user to transfer a representation of the selected portlet from the page in the browser window to the message client window;

provide web service configuration information to the message client for inclusion in a message, the web service configuration information comprising information for configuring the at least one remote consumer system to utilize the selected portlet, wherein the web service configuration information includes an identifier for the producer portal, including an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the producer portal, and an identifier for the selected portlet; and

transmit the message with the web service configuration information to a recipient over a network, via the message client, so that the recipient is able to use the portlet as a remote portlet based on the web service configuration information.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the request to transfer the representation of the portlet comprises dragging the representation of the portlet out of the page in the browser window into the message client window.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein providing the information comprises providing an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the portlet is a struts portlet.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the portlet is a page flow portlet.

23. A system in a Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP) producer embodied upon computer readable storage medium, the system comprising:

a plurality of portlets, the portlets configured to be utilized by pages on remote consumer systems;

a desktop computing environment operable to display a browser window and a message client window;

a page shown in the browser window configured to

provide access to the plurality of portlets,

display portlets at the producer that can be utilized remotely by at least one remote consumer system,

receive a selection of a portlet from among the plurality of portlets on the page from a user, wherein the selection includes receiving a request from the user to transfer a representation of the selected portlet from the page in the browser window to the message client window; and

web service configuration information for the selected portlet provided to the message client for inclusion in a message that is transmitted to a recipient over a network via the message client, the web service configuration information comprising information for configuring the at least one remote consumer system to utilize the selected portlet, wherein the web service configuration information includes an identifier for the producer portal, including an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the producer portal, and an identifier for the selected portlet.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the request to transfer the representation of the portlet comprises dragging the representation of the portlet out of the page in the browser window into the message client window.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the page, when providing the information provides an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the portlet is a struts portlet.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the portlet is a page flow portlet.