Dynamic workflow-based composite web service system and method
A dynamic workflow-based composite web service system and method for the creation and definition of a web service, its properties, methods, and functions through the combination of an event trigger which defines the web service endpoint, actor classes which defines the service's properties and metadata, and a workflow which defines its methods and functions. The dynamic workflow-based composite web service system and method generally includes one or more web service endpoints (the URL where the service can be accessed by a client application), an event trigger defined for each endpoint, actors which define the properties and metadata of the service, and a workflow which receives input from the endpoint, returns the result of the process, and defines the web service functions and methods.
1. A method for providing dynamic workflow-based composite web services comprising the steps of:
providing a management system for receiving an input data request from at least one of a plurality of remote client applications, the request including a request URL;
providing a plurality of web service endpoints, each of the endpoints including a trigger with an associated endpoint URL;
providing a plurality of workflows, each workflow associated with at least one of the endpoints and including a plurality of activities;
providing a plurality of actors, each actor being a standardized data definition shared among the plurality of workflows, each actor providing a standard method for the plurality of workflows to interact with each other using a common data layer, wherein each actor is paired with the plurality of activities to allow the paired actor to automatically communicate with the at least one of the plurality of remote client applications, wherein each client application is different;
triggering one of the triggers having the endpoint URL corresponding to the request URL to load the associated workflow;
executing the loaded associated workflow using the associated actor to generate and send to the one trigger an output data representing serialized actor properties; and
sending the output data from the one trigger to the client application.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the request includes parameter data, the one trigger gathers the parameter data and inputs the parameter data to the loaded associated workflow for processing during the execution.
3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the parameter data includes a customer identification, or any other actor identification or filter criteria.
4. The method according to claim 1 including generating the output as either JSON, Atom or any other HTML data format.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the workflow activities are step-by-step instructions performed during the execution of the loaded associated workflow.
6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the loaded associated workflow calls at least another of the workflows during the execution.
7. The method according to claim 1 including receiving the request from the remote client application at the management system over the Internet.
8. A computer program product comprising at least one computer program means for performing the method according to claim 1 for providing dynamic workflow-based composite web services wherein at least one step of the method is performed when the computer program means is loaded into at least one processor of the management system.
9. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage device comprising the computer program product according to claim 8 .
10. A management system for providing dynamic workflow-based composite web services comprises:
an input for receiving an input data request from at least one of a plurality of remote client applications, the request including a request URL;
a webservice manager connected to the input and providing a plurality of web service endpoints, each of the endpoints including a trigger with an associated endpoint URL, the webservice manager providing a plurality of workflows, each of the workflows associated with at least one of the endpoints and including a plurality of activities, the webservice manager providing a plurality of actors, each of the actors being a standardized data definition shared among the plurality of workflows, each of the actors providing a standard method for the plurality of workflows to interact with each other using a common data layer, wherein each actor is paired with the plurality of activities to allow the paired actor to automatically communicate with the at least one of the plurality of remote client applications, wherein each client application is different, the webservice manager triggering a one of the triggers having the endpoint URL corresponding to the request URL to load the associated workflow, the webservice manager executing the loaded associated workflow using the associated actor to generate and send to the one trigger an output data representing serialized actor properties; and
an output connected to the webservice manager for sending the output data from the one trigger to the client application.
11. The management system according to claim 10 wherein the request includes parameter data, the one trigger gathers the parameter data and inputs the parameter data to the loaded associated workflow for processing during the execution.
12. The management system according to claim 11 wherein the parameter data includes a customer identification or any other actor identification or filter criteria.
13. The management system according to claim 12 including generating the output as JSON, Atom or any other HTML data format.
14. The management system according to claim 10 wherein the workflow activities are step-by-step instructions performed during the execution of the loaded associated workflow.
15. The management system according to claim 14 wherein the loaded associated workflow calls at least another of the workflows during the execution.
16. The management system according to claim 10 including receiving the input data request from the remote client application at the input over the Internet.
17. The method according to claim 1 wherein the output data represents serialized actor properties and metadata of the dynamic workflow-based composite web services.
18. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:
receiving another input data request from another remote client application, the request including another request URL;
triggering another one of the triggers having the endpoint URL corresponding to the another request URL to load the associated workflow;
executing the loaded associated workflow using the associated actor to generate and send to the another trigger another output data representing serialized actor properties; and
sending the another output data from the another trigger to another client application.
19. The method according to claim 1 wherein the management system is operable to receive multiple input data requests from a plurality of remote client applications, each request including a request URL.
20. The method according to claim 1 wherein the multiple input data requests from the plurality of remote client applications each include a request to the same request URL.