Mobilize website using representational state transfer (REST) resources

• US 9,383,971 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kaplinger, Todd E., Moore, Victor S., Nusbickel, Wendi L.
• Primary Examiner(s): DENG, ANNA CHEN
• Application Number:
  US14/315,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20150378684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 717/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

In an approach for mobilizing a web application, a processor receives a representational state transfer (REST) resource of a web application. A processor analyzes the REST resource to identify a pattern in the REST resource. A processor retrieves a template corresponding to the pattern in the REST resource. A processor generates a mobile web application based, at least in part, on the REST resource and the template.

Claims

1. A method for mobilizing a web application, the method comprising:

receiving a representational state transfer (REST) resource of a web application, wherein the web application presents data of the REST resource of the web application in a first form;

analyzing, by one or more processors, the REST resource to identify a pattern in the REST resource;

determining, by one or more processors, that the identified pattern in the REST resource corresponds to a first pattern, wherein the first pattern is a predetermined pattern that is associated with a template, and wherein the template utilizes a model-view-controller (MVC) software pattern and the template is configured to present the data of the REST resource of the web application in a second form, wherein the second form is accessible to mobile devices;

retrieving, by one or more processors, the template;

extracting, by one or more processors, a schema defined for the REST resource, wherein the schema includes a field with a name corresponding to a type of the data of the REST resource; and

generating, by one or more processors, a mobile web application that presents the data of the REST resource of the web application in the second form based, at least in part, on the REST resource and the template, wherein the mobile web application includes a field name indicator corresponding to the type of data of the REST resource, and wherein the field name indicator is the name corresponding to the type of data of the REST resource from the extracted schema.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the REST resource to identify a pattern in the REST resource comprises:

accessing, by one or more processors, a web application description language (WADL) definition for the REST resource; and

analyzing, by one or more processors the WADL definition for the REST resource to identify the pattern in the REST resource.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a mobile web application that presents the data of the REST resource of the web application in the second form based, at least in part, on the REST resource and the template comprises:

retrieving, by one or more processors, data from the REST resource; and

populating, by one or more processors, the template using the data retrieved from the REST resource.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the pattern is identified based on a set of one or more hypertext transfer protocol methods associated with the REST resource.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile web application is a native mobile application.

6. A computer program product for mobilizing a web application, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a representational state transfer (REST) resource of a web application, wherein the web application presents data of the REST resource of the web application in a first form;

program instructions to analyze the REST resource to identify a pattern in the REST resource;

program instructions to determine that the identified pattern in the REST resource corresponds to a first pattern, wherein the first pattern is a predefined pattern that is associated with a template, and wherein the template utilizes a model-view-controller (MVC) software pattern and the template is configured to present the data of the REST resource of the web application in a second form, wherein the second form is accessible to mobile devices;

program instructions to retrieve the template;

program instructions to extract a schema defined for the REST resource, wherein the schema includes a field with a name corresponding to a type of the data of the REST resource; and

program instructions to generate a mobile web application that presents the data of the REST resource of the web application in the second form based, at least in part, on the REST resource and the template, wherein the mobile web application includes a field name indicator corresponding to the type of data of the REST resource, and wherein the field name indicator is the name corresponding to the type of data of the REST resource from the extracted schema.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein program instructions to analyze the REST resource to identify a pattern in the REST resource comprise:

program instructions to access a web application description language (WADL) definition for the REST resource; and

program instructions to analyze the WADL definition for the REST resource to identify the pattern in the REST resource.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein program instructions to generate a mobile web application that presents the data of the REST resource of the web application in the second form based, at least in part, on the REST resource and the template comprise:

program instructions to retrieve data from the REST resource; and

program instructions to populate the template using the data retrieved from the REST resource.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the pattern is identified based on a set of one or more hypertext transfer protocol methods associated with the REST resource.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the mobile web application is a native mobile application.

11. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the template is selected from the group consisting of:

a widget and a hypertext markup language (HTML) snippet.

12. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein:

the pattern is a collection pattern, wherein the collection pattern has a plurality of items that a user can add, remove, update, and delete; and

the program instructions to analyze the REST resource to identify the pattern in the REST resource comprise;

program instructions to determine that a uniform resource identifier (URI) associated with a resource is followed by more than one member.

13. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the pattern is identified based on a factor selected from the group consisting of:

resource names, uniform resource identifiers (URIs), and members of resources.

14. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein at least one aspect of the second form is selected from the group consisting of:

touchscreen selection methods deployed;

fewer than all fields are initially displayed; and

organizational variations.

15. A computer system for mobilizing a web application, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors, one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive a representational state transfer (REST) resource of a web application, wherein the web application presents data of the REST resource of the web application in a first form;

program instructions to analyze the REST resource to identify a pattern in the REST resource;

program instructions to determine that the identified pattern in the REST resource corresponds to a first pattern, wherein the first pattern is a predefined pattern that is associated with a template, and wherein the template utilizes a model-view-controller (MVC) software pattern and the template is configured to present the data of the REST resource of the web application in a second form, wherein the second form is accessible to mobile devices;

program instructions to retrieve the template;

program instructions to extract a schema defined for the REST resource, wherein the schema includes a field with a name corresponding to a type of the data of the REST resource; and

program instructions to generate a mobile web application that presents the data of the REST resource of the web application in the second form based, at least in part, on the REST resource and the template, wherein the mobile web application includes a field name indicator corresponding to the type of data of the REST resource, and wherein the field name indicator is the name corresponding to the type of data of the REST resource from the extracted schema.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein program instructions to analyze the REST resource to identify a pattern in the REST resource comprise:

program instructions to access a web application description language (WADL) definition for the REST resource; and

program instructions to analyze the WADL definition for the REST resource to identify the pattern in the REST resource.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein program instructions to generate a mobile web application that presents the data of the REST resource of the web application in the second form based, at least in part, on the REST resource and the template comprise:

program instructions to retrieve data from the REST resource; and

program instructions to populate the template using the data retrieved from the REST resource.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the pattern is identified based on a set of one or more hypertext transfer protocol methods associated with the REST resource.