An improved method to access software components on a server network, such as enterprise beans according to the Enterprise JavaBeans architecture, by using a wrapper called an Access Bean. Access Beans hide the home and remote interface methods of an Enterprise JavaBeans server from a client program so that the task of consuming an enterprise bean is one of consuming a standard Java bean. The home interface method of the enterprise bean is mapped to appropriate constructors in the Access Bean; and the remote interface method of the enterprise bean is mapped to Java Beans methods which in turn call the corresponding business methods on the enterprise bean. More than one type of Access Bean permits caching of attributes of the enterprise bean and indexing the cache so that a plurality of instances of an enterprise bean can be efficiently supported.
A method and system for accessing a home object in an object oriented programming (OOP) environment using a locator object capable of locating a home object for a class or a subclass. The locator object supports inheritance for itself, and is capable of locating a home for either an OOP superclass or subclass. By providing a mechanism for locating the home for either the superclass or subclass, preferably in a static manner, client code may be reused with subclasses without having to change code.
Disclosed are apparatus and methods for controlling execution of a target software component within an isolated execution unit. In general terms, an intermediary software component is introduced within the isolated execution unit. This intermediary component program can initialize the isolated execution unit, and then start a target software component within the isolated execution unit. The intermediary component also establishes communication back to the parent (e.g., using an inter isolation communication). The intermediary component communicates with the target software component using the target component's unchanged API and mediates the communication back to the parent using the established inter isolation communication.
Examination of a server-side Java bean to automatically generates a JavaScript representation of the methods in the bean. The JavaScript representations of the methods are sent to the Web browser. The browser then creates JavaScript objects that can be called directly from other JavaScript code on the client side, and which communicate with the server-side method.
According to one aspect of the invention a graphical user interface is provided. The graphical user interface includes a window displaying a first item and a menu listing a second item. Selection of the first item within the window and the second item in the menu helps to define a reference created between the first item and a target software component. The first item may be a source software component, a page, or a servlet. The second item may be the target software component or an interface to the target software component. The graphical user interface may also include a second menu listing the interface to the target software component. The source and target software components may be session or entity beans. The interface may be a remote, remote home, local, or local home interface.
A system and method are described for implementing a smart proxy within an object-oriented environment. One embodiment of the invention reduces the number of remote network calls required for creating and removing enterprise java beans ("EJBs"), thereby improving the efficiency of the entire system. Specifically, a smart proxy is generated on a remote java virtual machine ("JVM"), in front of the home object and remote object, and is configured to handle certain types of remote method invocations at the client side. In this embodiment, the client is no longer configured to hold a direct reference to the home or remote objects, or stubs, as in prior systems. Rather, the client holds a reference to the smart proxy, which communicates with the home and remote objects on behalf of the client. In response to a method call on the EJB Object reference, for example, the proxy will analyze the call, possibly change state, and make a decision as to whether the call must be forwarded to the home or remote objects, or whether it can be handled locally by the proxy itself.
