Cross-domain communication technique for execution of web mashups

• US 7,941,546 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2008
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sterland, Andrew R., Nathan, Adam D., Rice, Timothy S., Wong, Patrick Chi Wai
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang; Liangche A
• Application Number:
  US12/273,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20100125623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/226, 709/229, 709/227
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A system and method is described for communicating requests from a Web mashup being executed within the context of a Web browser to third-party Web services in a manner that does not violate the Same Origin Policy (SOP) observed by many Web browsers. In one embodiment, a workflow engine operating in the context of a Web browser executes a plurality of executable components comprising a Web mashup. The workflow engine transparently redirects Web service requests generated by the executing components to a proxy server that acts as an intermediate between the workflow engine and third-party Web services. The proxy server, which is not subject to SOP, transmits the Web service requests to the third-party Web service and obtains requested data therefrom. The proxy server further returns the requested data in a manner that is useable by the Web mashup components.

Claims

1. A method for communicating requests from a Web mashup being executed within the context of a Web browser to a third-party Web service that does not support cross-domain calls from the Web browser in a manner that does not violate a Same Origin Policy observed by the Web browser, comprising:

receiving in a workflow engine running in the context of the Web browser a first Web service request to the third-party Web service generated by the Web mashup;

responsive to receiving the first Web service request, generating in the workflow engine a cross-domain call to a proxy server that does support cross-domain calls from the Web browser and is not subject to the Same Origin Policy, wherein the cross-domain call includes information to be used by the proxy server in placing a second Web service request to the third-party Web service, and issuing the cross-domain call from the workflow engine to the proxy server; and

receiving in the workflow engine a callback from the proxy server that includes content returned from the third-party Web service responsive to the placement of the second Web service request by the proxy server; and

processing the callback in the workflow engine to deliver the content returned from the third-party Web service to the Web mashup.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving in the workflow engine a callback from the proxy server comprises receiving in the workflow engine a callback function from the proxy server that includes as an argument the content returned from the third-party Web service;

and

wherein processing the callback in the workflow engine comprises executing the callback function in the workflow engine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the Web mashup comprises a plurality of executable components, wherein receiving the first Web service request generated by the Web mashup comprises receiving a first Web service request generated during execution of one of the executable components, and wherein receiving the callback function comprises receiving a callback function to the one of the of the executable components.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing a cross-domain call comprises issuing a Javascript Object Notation with Padding (JSONP) cross-domain call.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information included within the cross-domain call that is to be used by the proxy server in placing the second Web service request to the third-party Web service comprises:

an identifier of the third-party Web service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information included within the cross-domain call that is to be used by the proxy server in placing the second Web service request to the third-party Web service comprises one or more of:

a name of an operation to be performed by the third-party Web service; and

input data to be provided to an operation to be performed by the third-party Web service.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the information included within the cross-domain call further includes:

a name of the callback function.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage device having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processing unit to communicate requests from a Web mashup being executed within the context of a Web browser to a third-party Web service that does not support cross-domain calls from the Web browser in a manner that does not violate a Same Origin Policy observed by the Web browser, the computer program logic comprising:

first means for enabling the processing unit to receive a first Web service request to the third-party Web service generated by the Web mashup;

second means for enabling the processing unit to generate a cross-domain call to a proxy server that supports cross-domain calls from the Web-browser and is not subject to the Same Origin Policy, wherein the cross-domain call includes information to be used by the proxy server in placing a second Web service request to the third-party Web service, and to issue the cross-domain call to the proxy server responsive to receiving the first Web service request;

third means for enabling the processing unit to receive a callback from the proxy server that includes content returned from the third-party Web service responsive to the placement of the second Web service request by the proxy server; and

fourth means for enabling the processing unit to process the callback to deliver the content returned from the third-party Web service to the Web mashup.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the third means comprises means for enabling the processing unit to receive a callback function from the proxy server that includes as an argument the content returned from the third-party Web service;

and

wherein the fourth means comprises means for enabling the processing unit to execute the callback function to deliver the content returned from the third-party Web service to the Web mashup.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the Web mashup comprises a plurality of executable components, wherein the first means comprises means for enabling the processing unit to receive a first Web service request generated during execution of one of the executable components, and wherein the third means comprises means for enabling the processing unit to receive a callback function to the one of the of the executable components.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the second means comprises means for enabling the processing unit to issue a Javascript Object Notation with Padding (JSONP) cross-domain call.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the information included within the cross-domain call that is to be used by the proxy server in placing the second Web service request to the third-party Web service comprises:

an identifier of the third-party Web service.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the information included within the cross-domain call that is to be used by the proxy server in placing the second Web service request to the third-party Web service comprises one or more of:

a name of an operation to be performed by the third-party Web service; and

input data to be provided to an operation to be performed by the third-party Web service.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the information included within the cross-domain call further includes:

a name of the callback function.

15. A method for communicating requests from a Web mashup being executed within the context of a Web browser to a third-party Web service that does not support cross-domain calls from the Web browser in a manner that does not violate a Same Origin Policy observed by the Web browser, comprising:

receiving in a proxy server that supports cross-domain calls from the Web browser and is not subject to the Same Origin Policy a cross-domain call from a workflow engine running in the context of the Web browser, wherein the cross-domain call was issued by the workflow engine responsive to receiving a first Web service request generated by the Web mashup;

responsive to receiving the cross-domain call, generating in the proxy server a second Web service request to the third-party Web server based on information included within the cross-domain call and placing the second Web service request to the third-party Web service;

receiving content returned from the third-party Web service responsive to the placement of the second Web service request by the proxy server; and

returning from the proxy server to the workflow engine a callback that includes the content returned from the third-party Web service.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving a cross-domain call comprises receiving a Javascript Object Notation with Padding (JSONP) cross-domain call.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the information included within the cross-domain call comprises:

an identifier of the third-party Web service.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the information included within the cross-domain call comprises one or more of:

a name of an operation to be performed by the third-party Web service; and

input data to be provided to an operation to be performed by the third-party Web service.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein returning from the proxy server to the workflow engine a callback that includes the content returned from the third-party Web service comprises:

returning from the proxy server to the workflow engine a callback function that includes as an argument the content returned from the third-party Web service.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the information included within the cross-domain call further includes:

a name of the callback function.