Object oriented distributed software system with methodology for piggybacked reflective callbacks
View Patent ↗A distributed computing environment is described that provides an improved method for invocation of methods between remote objects. In one embodiment, the improved method comprises steps of: creating a first object having methods that may be invoked by other objects; defining a forward invocation interface for the first object, which allows the methods of the first object to be called in a forward direction; defining a callback method on the first object, for invocation of a method of the first object in a reverse direction; creating a callback handler for handling invocations of the callback method; receiving a callback invocation of the callback method by a callback caller; creating a local reflective target for each received callback; delegating the callback invocation on the callback handler with reference to the local reflective target as an input parameter; and at the first object, making a forward call on the local reflective target.
1. In a distributed computing environment, an improved method for invocation of methods between remote objects, the method comprising:
creating a first object having methods invoked by other objects, in a manner that appears as if the first object is being invoked in the other objects' address space;
defining a forward invocation interface for the first object, which allows the methods of the first object to be called in a forward direction;
defining a callback method on the first object, for invocation of a method of the first object in a reverse direction;
creating a callback handler for handling invocations of the callback method;
creating a second object having a reflective target that supports said forward invocation interface on the first object;
receiving an invocation by the second object of the callback handler, said invocation including a reference to the reflective target; and
at the first object, downcasting the reflective target so that said invocation by the second object processed through the reflective target as if it were a forward invocation.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said reflective target supports said forward invocation interface.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein invocation of the reflective target delivers a selected one of a request or a pickup of a reply.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first object implements the callback handler.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first object downcasts the reflective target to a desired typed stub and then makes a normal forward invocation on it.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said forward invocation made through the reflective target returns a selected one of a request to the second object or a reply from the second object.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first object functions as the reflective target, with its own reference being passed as a reflective target reference for invocation by a callback caller.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reflective target is collocated with the first object.
9. A computer-readable medium having processor-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1 .
10. A downloadable set of processor-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1 .
11. A distributed computing system with improved invocation of methods between remote objects, the system comprising:
at least one processor;
a memory coupled to the at least one processor;
a first object having methods invoked by remote objects, in a manner that appears as if the first object is being invoked in the remote objects' address space;
a forward invocation interface for the first object, which allows the methods of the first object to be called in a forward direction;
a callback interface for the first object that comprises a single callback, for handling another object's call to invoke a method of the first object in a reverse direction;
a second object having a reflective target that supports said forward invocation interface on the first object and for invoking the single callback, including passing a reference that includes a signature for the reflective target; and
program logic for downcasting the reflective target so that said invocation by the second object processed through the reflective target as if it were a forward invocation.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein said reflective target supports said forward invocation interface.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein invocation of the reflective target delivers a selected one of a request or a pickup of a reply.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein said first object implements the callback interface.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first object downcasts the reflective target to a desired typed stub and then makes a normal forward invocation on it.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein said forward invocation made through the reflective target returns a selected one of a request to the second object or a reply from the second object.
17. The system of claim 11 , wherein said first object functions as the reflective target, with its own reference being passed as a reflective target reference for invocation by a callback caller.
18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the reflective target is collocated with the first object.