Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for accessing and using services and applications from a number of sources into a customized application. The present invention accomplishes this through an entity referred to as a web service. The web services architecture maintains a directory of services available to provide processing or services, along with the location of the services and the input/output schemas required by the services. When a request for data or services is received, appropriate services are invoked by a web services engine using service drivers associated with each service. A web services application is then generated from a runtime model and is invoked to satisfy the request, by communicating as necessary with services in proper I/O formats. In one embodiment, the web services application provides responses in the form of HTML that can be used to generate pages to a browser.

Abstract: As supposed to the common hard coding method, the invention provides the ability to create a module/mechanism (a template) that produces code that may be utilized to create a web service. A template has a list of features, and a model (a run time model—RTM) and is utilized to create a model that generates an application or web service. An RTM declares the structure, functionality, and behavior of a web service application. Each feature can generate XML entities in a new RTM, and may obtain input to build an XML entity in a new RTM. Each feature may be processed sequentially and can modify any existing XML entities. Consequently, features can make changes to the entire existing application. In one embodiment, when a condition that may affect an application changes, the template may be utilized to regenerate the RTM to produce a new web service or XML document.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating network services. Instead of programming or hard coding an entire web service, the invention provides the ability to easily create a module/mechanism (referred to as a template) that produces code that may be utilized to create a web service. Thus, a template is formed and utilized to create a model that can generate an application or web service. Each template is comprised of a list of features, and a model (referred to as a run time model or RTM). An RTM is an XML document that declares the structure, functionality, and behavior of a web service application (referred to as a WSA). In one or more embodiments, each feature is responsible for generating XML entities to be output in a new RTM. Each feature may obtain one or more users' input that is utilized to build an XML entity in a new RTM. Further, each feature may be processed sequentially and has the ability to modify any existing XML entities that have already been created (by other features, for example).