Declarative programming model for authoring and execution control and data flow for resource oriented system

• US 8,490,052 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shukla, Dharma, Bhandarkar, Aditya, Amiga, Ori, Endres, Raymond, Parasnis, Abhay
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Daxin
• Application Number:
  US12/250,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20100095272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• Field of Search: 717/117
• US Class Current: 717/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A data set may be managed by a host that provides access to clients through a protocol, such as a RESTful HTTP interface. A resource script may be expressed according to a script language featuring two types of instructions: data set instructions that correspond to the verbs of the protocol, and flow control instructions that alter the flow of execution of the resource script. At runtime, an execution context for the resource script may be selected as a local execution context (through a local script processor that issues protocol verbs to the host based on the data set operations) or a remote execution context (by sending the resource script to a script processor located on the host.) The runtime selection of data context may be executed without having to reconfigure the resource script, and with an equivalent effect on the data set.

Claims

1. A method of issuing at least two operations on a data set accessible through a host according to a protocol, comprising:

expressing the operations as a declarative resource script in a declarative script language comprising;

at least one declarative data set instruction applying a verb of the protocol to the data set, and

at least one declarative flow control instruction configured to alter an execution flow of the declarative resource script according to a flow control operation selected from a flow control operation set comprising;

conditional executing of at least one operation;

relocating to a target operation of the declarative resource script;

iterative executing of at least one operation;

concurrent executing of at least two operations; and

asynchronous executing of at least one operation,

wherein the declarative resource script comprises at least one declarative flow control instruction and at least two declarative data set instructions that, unless logically ordered by a declarative flow control instruction, may be executed in any logical order; and

interpreting the declarative resource script through a declarative script processor configured to perform operations on the data set by issuing the verbs of the protocol specified by the declarative data set instructions to the host.

2. The method of claim 1, the data set comprising at least one resource represented in a deployable computing environment hosted by the host.

3. The method of claim 1:

the protocol comprising Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP);

the verbs of the protocol comprising HTTP POST, HTTP GET, HTTP PUT, and HTTP DELETE; and

the host comprising an HTTP endpoint.

4. The method of claim 1, at least one declarative flow control instruction specifying a conditional executing of at least one compensating flow control operation upon detecting a failure of at least one preceding operation.

5. The method of claim 1, at least one operation configured to data bind with at least one aspect of the declarative resource script.

6. The method of claim 1, at least one declarative flow control instruction specifying a custom operation performable on the data set that is specified in a custom module.

7. The method of claim 1, the expressing comprising:

displaying for a user a development environment configured to express declarative resource scripts according to the declarative script language; and

upon receiving from the user at least two interactions specifying at least two operations, expressing the declarative resource script comprising the at least two declarative instructions.

8. The method of claim 1, the interpreting comprising:

upon receiving a request to execute the declarative resource script, selecting an execution context;

upon selecting an execution context on a device, interpreting the declarative resource script through a declarative script processor on the device; and

upon selecting an execution context on the host, sending the declarative resource script to a declarative script processor on the host.

9. The method of claim 8, interpreting the declarative resource script on a declarative script processor on the device comprising:

for respective data set operations, issuing to the host the verb of the protocol and specifying the data set, and

for respective flow control operations, alter an execution flow of the declarative resource script.

10. The method of claim 8, interpreting the declarative resource script on a declarative script processor on the host comprising:

serializing the declarative resource script according to a wire protocol supported by the host to express a serialized declarative resource script, and

sending the serialized declarative resource script to the host.

11. The method of claim 8:

the host selected for the execution context of the declarative resource script, and

the method comprising;

upon receiving from the host at least one declarative resource script response resulting from interpreting the declarative resource script, displaying the declarative resource script response on the device.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising:

upon receiving from the host at least one declarative resource script response resulting from interpreting the declarative resource script, data binding at least one aspect of the device with the declarative resource script response.

13. A method of executing at least two operations on a data set on behalf of a client, comprising:

receiving from the client a declarative resource script representing the at least two operations expressed in a declarative script language comprising;

at least one declarative data set instruction applying a verb of a protocol to the data set, and

at least one declarative flow control instruction configured to alter an execution flow of the declarative resource script according to a flow control operation selected from a flow control operation set comprising;

conditional executing of at least one operation;

relocating to a target operation of the declarative resource script;

iterative executing of at least one operation;

concurrent executing of at least two operations; and

asynchronous executing of at least one operation,

the declarative resource script comprising at least two declarative data set instructions and at least one declarative flow control instruction; and

interpreting the declarative resource script by;

for respective declarative data set instructions that are not logically ordered by a declarative flow control instruction, selecting a logical ordering of the declarative data set instructions;

for respective declarative data set instructions, issuing to the host, according to the logical ordering, the verb of the protocol specified by the declarative data set instruction of the declarative resource script and specifying the data set; and

altering the execution flow of the declarative resource script according to respective declarative flow control operations of the declarative resource script.

14. The method of claim 13, the data set comprising at least one resource represented in a deployable computing environment hosted by the host.

15. The method of claim 13:

the method comprising;

receiving a custom module comprising at least one custom operation performable on the data set; and

the interpreting comprising;

upon identifying a flow control instruction in the declarative resource script specifying a custom operation included in the custom module, executing the custom operation on the data set.

16. The method of claim 13:

at least one operation configured to data bind with at least one aspect of the host, and

the interpreting comprising;

data binding the operation with the at least one aspect of the host.

17. The method of claim 13:

the interpreting resulting in at least one declarative resource script result, and

the method comprising;

sending the at least one declarative resource script result to the client.

19. The method of claim 13, the interpreting comprising:

upon receiving a request to execute the declarative resource script, selecting an execution context;

upon selecting an execution context on a device, interpreting the declarative resource script through a declarative script processor on the device; and

upon selecting an execution context on the host, sending the declarative resource script to a declarative script processor on the host.

20. The method of claim 19, interpreting the declarative resource script on a declarative script processor on the device comprising:

for respective data set operations, issuing to the host the verb of the protocol and specifying the data set, and

for respective flow control operations, alter an execution flow of the declarative resource script.

18. A method of issuing at least two operations on a data set at least one resource represented in a deployable computing environment accessible through a host supporting a protocol comprising Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) and comprising an HTTP endpoint, the method comprising:

displaying for a user a development environment configured to express declarative resource scripts according to a declarative script language; and

upon receiving from the user at least two interactions specifying at least two operations, expressing the operations as a declarative resource script in a declarative script language comprising;

at least one declarative data set instruction applying a verb of the protocol comprising HTTP POST, HTTP GET, HTTP PUT, and HTTP DELETE to the data set; and

at least one declarative flow control instruction configured to alter an execution flow of the declarative resource script comprising at least one of;

conditional executing of at least one operation,

relocating to a target operation of the declarative resource script,

iterative executing of at least one operation,

concurrent executing of at least two operations, and

asynchronous executing of at least one operation,

the declarative resource script comprising at least one declarative data set instruction and at least one declarative flow control instruction; and

upon receiving a request to interpret the declarative resource script;

selecting an execution context;

for respective declarative data set instructions that are not logically ordered by a declarative flow control instruction, selecting a logical ordering of the declarative data set instructions;

interpreting the declarative resource script through a declarative script processor on the device configured to perform operations on the data set and according to the logical ordering by, for respective declarative data set operations, issuing the corresponding verb of the protocol to the host and specifying the data set; and

upon selecting an execution context on the host;

serializing the declarative resource script according to a wire protocol supported by the host to express a serialized declarative resource script;

sending the serialized declarative resource script to a declarative script processor on the host configured to perform operations on the data set by issuing the verbs of the protocol specified by the declarative data set instructions to the host; and

upon receiving from the host at least one declarative resource script response resulting from executing the declarative resource script, data binding at least one aspect of the device with the declarative resource script result.