Apparatus, system, and method for automatically generating a reusable software component for interfacing with a web service

• US 9,317,259 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2005
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chandrasekharan, Sivakumar, Sivasubramaniyam, Sujee
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hua
• Application Number:
  US11/128,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,995 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 719/316
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for automatically generating a reusable software component for interfacing with a web service. The apparatus for automatically generating a reusable software component for interfacing with a web service is provided with a logic unit containing a plurality of module configured to functionally execute the steps of receiving a web service identifier, establishing communication with a web service, determining one or more functions provided by the web service, and automatically generating a reusable web service component configured to receive an application request and return a web service result. These modules in the described embodiments include a receiving module, a determination module, a communication module, and a generation module. Beneficially, such an apparatus, system, and method would facilitate creation, test, and integration of web service components in application code without requiring a substantial time and resource investment.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable program code executable by a processor, the computer readable program code performing;

receiving a web service identifier of a web service from an application requesting use of the web service;

searching for a Universal Resource Locator (URL) for the web service in response to the web service identifier lacking a valid URL for the web service;

accepting input parameters as application code of a programming language of the application;

determining one or more functions provided by the web service corresponding to the web service identifier;

generating a reusable web service component based on the one or more functions and the input parameters, the reusable web service component comprising computer readable instructions to integrate with the application;

invoking the web service using the reusable web service component to perform a requested function;

receiving a web service result from the requested function of the one or more functions;

converting the web service result into application code of the programming language of the application; and

assigning the web service result to an output parameter in application code of the programming language of the application.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more functions further comprises determining an interface of the web service.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program code further visually presents required input parameters and resulting output parameters for the reusable web service component.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the computer readable program code further visually presents required input values and resulting output values for the reusable web service component in response to an operation to test the reusable web service component.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program code further integrates the reusable web service component into application source code.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the programming language of the application comprises JAVA and wherein the web reusable web service component is configured to convert instructions between JAVA and Extensible Markup Language (XML).

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program code further stores the generated reusable web service component as an independent software object in a library of selectable reusable web service components configured to integrate with application source code of one or more applications.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program code further graphically displays a representation of the reusable web service component in a graphical development interface, wherein each reusable web service component of the library is independently selected in the graphical development interface to facilitate mapping arguments of the reusable web service component to arguments of the application source code.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable program code executable by a processor, the computer readable program code performing;

receiving a web service identifier of a web service from an application requesting use of the web service;

searching for a Universal Resource Locator (URL) for the web service in response to the web service identifier lacking a valid URL for the web service;

accepting input parameters as application code of a programming language of the application;

determining one or more functions provided by the web service corresponding to the web service identifier;

generating a reusable web service component based on the one or more functions and the input parameters, the reusable web service component comprising computer readable instructions to integrate with the application;

invoking the web service using the reusable web service component to perform a requested function;

receiving a web service result from the requested function, of the one or more functions;

converting the web service result into application code of the programming language of the application; and

assigning the web service result to an output parameter in application code of the programming language of the application.

10. A system comprising:

a computer network configured to provide data communication between a web service server and a web service utility;

a server connected to the computer network and configured to host a web service; and

a processor connected to the computer network;

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable program code executable by the processor, the computer readable program code performing;

receiving a web service identifier of a web service from an application requesting use of the web service;

searching for a Universal Resource Locator (URL) for the web service in response to the web service identifier lacking a valid URL for the web service;

accepting input parameters as application code of a programming language of the application;

determining one or more functions provided by the web service corresponding to the web service identifier;

generating a reusable web service component based on the one or more functions and the input parameters, the reusable web service component comprising computer readable instructions to integrate with the application;

invoking the web service using the reusable web service component to perform a requested function;

receiving a web service result from the requested function of the one or more functions;

converting the web service result into application code of the programming language of the application; and

assigning the web service result to an output parameter in application code of the programming language of the application.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the web service utility further determines an interface of the web service.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the web service utility further presents required input parameters and resulting output parameters for the reusable web service component.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the web service utility further

presents required input values and resulting output values for the reusable web service component in response to a test of the reusable web service component.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, by use of a processor, a web service identifier of a web service from an application requesting use of the web service;

searching for a Universal Resource Locator (URL) for the web service in response to the web service identifier lacking a valid URL for the web service;

accepting input parameters as application code of a programming language of the application;

determining one or more functions provided by the web service corresponding to the web service identifier;

generating a reusable web service component based on the one or more functions and the input parameters, the reusable web service component comprising computer readable instructions to integrate with the application;

invoking the web service using the reusable web service component to perform a requested function;

receiving a web service result from the requested function of the one or more functions;

converting the web service result into application code of the programming language of the application; and

assigning the web service result to an output parameter in application code of the programming language of the application.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining further comprises determining a command structure and a protocol of an identified web service.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises testing the reusable web service source code component.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises integrating the reusable web service source code component into application source code.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

presenting required input values and resulting output values for the reusable web service component in response to an operation to test the reusable web service component.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing the generated reusable web service component as an independent software object in a library of selectable reusable web service components configured to integrate with application source code of one or more applications.