Generic Request Mechanism for Repository Object Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In content management systems, clients often face challenges in identifying repository objects without knowing the object identifier, leading to inefficiencies in operations like retrieval and updates, as they may only possess alternative identifying information such as object names, paths, or properties.
Innovation Solution
A generic request mechanism is introduced that decouples object identification techniques from the request itself, allowing clients to specify the repository name and object identification type, such as object ID, path, key, or qualification, enabling the server to determine and process the object identification method accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If clients use traditional object identifier-based requests, then object operations can be performed efficiently, but clients must have prior knowledge of object identifiers which limits accessibility and increases communication overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary translation mechanism that converts alternative object identifiers (names, paths, properties) into the required object identifiers. This mediator component receives various forms of object identification from clients, translates them into the standard object identifier format, and enables seamless communication without requiring clients to know or manage object identifiers directly.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the request mechanism is tightly coupled with specific object identification techniques, then processing can be simplified, but the system lacks flexibility and scalability for different identification methods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the request mechanism into distinct functional components: an identification receiver that accepts various object identification formats, a translation engine that converts these to standard object identifiers, and a processing component that handles the actual operations. This segmentation allows the system to support multiple identification techniques while maintaining clear separation of concerns and manageable complexity in each component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal request mechanism that can handle multiple types of object identification (names, paths, properties, and traditional object identifiers) through a single unified interface. The translation component provides multi-functionality by supporting various identification methods while producing a standardized output format, enabling the system to adapt to different identification techniques without requiring separate processing paths.
3Productivity
If clients must know object identifiers to perform operations, then retrieval efficiency is improved, but the system becomes less accessible to remote clients and increases communication overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary translation action where alternative object identifiers are converted to standard object identifiers in advance, before the actual object retrieval operation. This preliminary conversion eliminates the need for clients to obtain object identifiers separately, as the translation happens automatically as part of the request processing, thereby saving time and enabling remote clients to perform operations efficiently without prior knowledge of object identifiers.
Data Source
AI summary
Identifying a repository object is disclosed. An object identifying information usable to identify a repository object with respect to which an operation is desired to be performed is included in a request not specific to any one manner of identifying objects. The request is sent to a node associated with a repository in which the repository object is or will be stored. At the receiving end, e.g., a content server, the object identifying information included in the request is used to identify the repository object with respect to which the operation is desired to be performed, for example to retrieve the repository object.