Scripting of soap commands

• US 8,752,074 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2011
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PTC Inc.
• Original Assignee: Axeda (PTC Inc.)
• Inventors: Hansen, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Lechi
• Application Number:
  US13/252,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 719/328, 719/330
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/81 Indexing, e.g. XML tags; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/83 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45508 Runtime interpretation or emulation, e g. emulator loops, bytecode interpretation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A computer-implemented method processes a simple object access protocol (SOAP) command. The method includes interpreting an XML script to perform a function contained in the XML script, the XML script containing the SOAP command, parsing the SOAP command from the XML script, and passing the SOAP command to a SOAP interpreter for execution.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processing devices comprising:

polling a server for script relating to a device;

receiving the script from the server, the script being in a self-describing computer language, the script comprising simple object access protocol (SOAP) commands and executable code that is in the self-describing computer language and that defines functions to be performed on variables to be passed from the executable code to corresponding SOAP commands;

interpreting a part of the script to perform a function contained in the script on a variable and to pass the variable to a SOAP command;

parsing the SOAP command from the script;

passing the SOAP command to a SOAP interpreter to execute the SOAP command with the variable; and

repeating the interpreting, parsing and passing for a different part of the script comprising a different function, a different variable, and a different SOAP command;

wherein interpreting, parsing, passing and repeating are performed without requiring further communication to the server; and

wherein the function comprises an If-Then statement or an If-Then-Else statement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the SOAP commands are executed in a sequence specified by the script.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the variable from the SOAP command following execution of the SOAP command; and

using the variable in a function contained in the script.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the script declares the variable; and

a value of the variable is passed to the SOAP command prior to executing the SOAP command.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the function comprises a conditional statement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the function comprises a control statement that affects a sequence of execution of the script and/or the SOAP command.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the control statement comprises a loop.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the function comprises an exception handler that affects a sequence of execution of the script and/or the SOAP command when an error condition exists.

9. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

polling a server for script relating to a device;

receiving the script from the server, the script being in a self-describing computer language, the script comprising simple object access protocol (SOAP) commands and executable code that is in the self-describing computer language and that defines functions to be performed on variables to be passed from the executable code to corresponding SOAP commands;

interpreting a part of the script to perform a function contained in the script on a variable and to pass the variable to a SOAP command;

parsing the SOAP command from the script;

passing the SOAP command to a SOAP interpreter to execute the SOAP command with the variable; and

repeating the interpreting, parsing and passing for a different part of the script comprising a different function, a different variable, and a different SOAP command;

wherein interpreting, parsing, passing and repeating are performed without requiring further communication to the server; and

wherein the function comprises an If-Then statement or an If-Then-Else statement.

10. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are embedded in the device.

11. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 9, wherein at least some of the SOAP commands are executed in a sequence specified by the script.

12. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the variable from the SOAP command following execution of the SOAP command; and

using the variable in a function contained in the script.

13. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 9, wherein:

the script declares the variable; and

a value of the variable is passed to the SOAP command prior to executing the SOAP command.

14. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 9, wherein the function comprises a conditional statement.

15. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein the conditional statement comprises an If-Then statement or an If-Then-Else statement.

16. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 9, wherein the function comprises a control statement that affects a sequence of execution of the script and/or the SOAP command.

17. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 16, wherein the control statement comprises a loop.

18. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 9, wherein the function comprises an exception handler that affects a sequence of execution of the script and/or the SOAP command when an error condition exists.

19. A system comprising:

memory storing instructions that are executable; and

one or more processors to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

polling a server for script relating to a device;

receiving the script from the server, the script being in a self-describing computer language, the script comprising simple object access protocol (SOAP) commands and executable code that is in the self-describing computer language and that defines functions to be performed on variables to be passed from the executable code to corresponding SOAP commands;

interpreting a part of the script to perform a function contained in the script on a variable and to pass the variable to a SOAP command;

parsing the SOAP command from the script;

passing the SOAP command to a SOAP interpreter to execute the SOAP command with the variable; and

repeating the interpreting, parsing and passing for a different part of the script comprising a different function, a different variable, and a different SOAP command;

wherein interpreting, parsing, passing and repeating are performed without requiring further communication to the server; and

wherein the function comprises an If-Then statement or an If-Then-Else statement.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

one or more computing devices configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving code defining functions and SOAP commands;

translating the code to script comprising the self-describing computer language; and

sending the script to the server.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the server is configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving the script from the one or more computing devices;

storing the script in association with identification information that specifies an instance of the device for which the script is intended; and

sending the script to the one or more processing devices in response to the polling.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more processing devices comprises a processor that is embedded in the device.