Type extensions to web services description language

• US 7,386,860 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Doise, Caleb, De Jong, Stephen P., Kakivaya, Gopala Krishna R., Hawkins, Jonathan, Dani, Savithri
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Van H.
• Application Number:
  US10/187,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20040006651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,174 Days
• Field of Search: 719/310, 719/316, 719/328, 719/315, 709/203, 709/225, 709/230, 709/241, 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A web service description language with object extensions provides type-centric extensions to web service description languages in order to describe and implement a type-centric, object-model agnostic, web service description. By implementing the constructs described herein, a heterogeneous distributed computing environment can implement rich type-centric services. For example, in a graph description, a type description indicates whether a type is encoded as a reference or embedded within another type. In a service reference description, a type description indicates whether a type is remoted by value or by reference. A type description indicates that a service extends another service, a service implements an interface (potentially multiple interfaces), a field of a type (including interfaces) is a reference type, a constant value field, or a bit field type that defines enumerations with associated values.

Claims

1. A method for providing web services over a network according to a request for a remote service made in an extensible mark-up language expression, where the extensible mark-up language expression is formed according to an object-model agnostic web services description language with type-centric extensions, the method comprising:

receiving the extensible mark-up language expression transmitted across a communication boundary;

identifying in the extensible mark-up language expression a type extension to an existing web service description language, the type extension comprising a field name typed as a service reference, the service reference including;

a primary URL for accessing an implementation of a service class,

an alternate URL for accessing the implementation of the service class, and

a unique URI service reference identifier for providing an identity for the remote service;

invoking the implementation of the service class identified via the field name typed as the service reference; and

sending an extensible mark up language expression indicating the results of the invoked implementation;

wherein the implementation is a request for an implementation on a typed service class described in a web services description language definition and an associated schema.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the implementation comprises a request for other service classes supported by the service reference.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a mechanism for determining a type and an identity of the remote service at runtime through invoking methods on a service interface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein further identified in the extensible mark up language expression is a typelnfo field which is used to determine type information instead of invoking an InstanceOf method on the typed service class.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein further identified in the extensible mark up language expression is an optional extension field comprising an array of values of anytype.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein further identified in the extensible mark up language expression is a service class name element.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein further identified in the extensible mark up language expression is a service interface contract.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein further identified in the extensible mark up language expression is a service interface type which is defined in the type extension as not being allowed to be null.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein further identified in the extensible mark up language expression is a service class type which is defined in the type extension as not being allowed to be null.

10. A computer readable storage medium containing data with a structure formed according to an object-model agnostic web services definition language with type-centric extensions, said structure causing a computer to perform web services according to a service request for a remote service received on a network connection, wherein the service request is made in an extensible mark-up language expression, the structure comprising:

a type extension to an existing web service description language, the type extension is identified in the extensible mark-up language expression and comprising a service reference including a binding to an implementation of a typed service class, the service reference including child elements comprising,

a primary URL for accessing the implementation of the typed service class,

an alternate URL for accessing the implementation of the typed service class, and

a unique URI service reference identifier for providing an identity for the remote service;

wherein the computer determines the requested service from the structure, invokes the implementation of the typed service class identified via a field name typed as the service reference, and sends an extensible mark up language expression indicating the results of the invoked implementation; and

wherein the implementation is a request for an implementation on a typed service class described in a web services description language definition and an associated schema.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the computer is a control point.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the type extension further comprises a typelnfo field which is used to determine type information.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the type extension further comprises an optional extension field comprising an array of values of anytype.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the type extension further comprises a service class name element.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the type extension further comprises a service interface type which is defined in the type extension as not being allowed to be null.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the type extension further comprises a service class type which is defined in the type extension as not being allowed to be null.