Method and apparatus for generating dynamic web pages by invoking a predefined procedural package stored in a database

• US 5,761,673 A
• Filed: 01/31/1996
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle Corporation
• Inventors: Bookman, Matthew, Pistritto, Joseph Charles, Haverty, John Francis, Lonnroth, Magnus Mard, Montinola, Teresita Katrina Rodriquez
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RONES, CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US08/594,686
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 395/793, 395/603, 395/610, 395/184.01, 395/682, 395/356, 395/733, 395/357, 395/617, 395/680, 707/10, 707/104
• US Class Current: 719/311
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating dynamic Web pages is disclosed. Specifically, the present invention claims a method and apparatus for generating dynamic Web pages on a Web server by invoking and executing predefined procedural packages stored in a database. The claimed invention receives an object request on the Web server and activates a Web agent on the Web server based on the object request. The Web agent invokes and executes the predefined procedural package to retrieve data from a data repository, and then formats the retrieved data as HTML output.

Claims

1. A Web agent for generating dynamic Web pages comprising:

means for invoking a predefined procedural package stored in a database;

means for executing the predefined procedural package to retrieve data from a data repository; and

means for formatting the retrieved data to conform with a selected format.

2. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of sequences of instructions, the plurality of sequences of instructions including sequences of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:

receiving a request on a Web server;

activating a Web agent on the Web server based on the request, the Web agent invoking a predefined procedural package stored in a database;

executing the predefined procedural package to retrieve data from a data repository; and

formatting the retrieved data to conform with a selected format.

3. A computer-implemented method for generating dynamic Web pages on a Web server using a predefined procedural package stored in a database, the computer-implemented method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request on the Web server;

activating a Web agent on the Web server based on the request, the Web agent invoking the predefined procedural package stored in the database;

executing the predefined procedural package to retrieve data from a data repository; and

formatting the retrieved data to conform with a selected format.

4. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 3 wherein the step of executing the predefined procedural package to retrieve data from the data repository retrieves data from the database.

5. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 4 wherein the step of activating the Web agent further includes the step of identifying a database service.

6. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 5 further including the step of logging into the database using the database service.

7. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 3 wherein the step of formatting the retrieved data is performed by the predefined procedural package.