System and method for customized graphQL data-handling scripts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11263186-B2
Application number	US-202016784007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2020
Priority date	Feb 6, 2020
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a modified GraphQL server that enables application developers to define custom GraphQL schema fragments. For example, a developer may provide the GraphQL server with a GraphQL standard definition language (SDL) file having annotations that indicate that a customized data-handling script, such as a custom data-fetching script or a custom type resolver script, be called for handling certain data types or fields. These customized data-handling scripts are resolved and called at runtime based on the annotations in the GraphQL SDL file. By enabling developers to define schema fragments in the SDL language and implement data-handling scripts in a suitable scripting language, schema portability can be maintained across client instances, as well as instance release versions. Additionally, the disclosed approach enables enhanced modularity and reuse of previously defined data types and data-handling scripts, which increases developer productivity and reduces errors during application development.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a GraphQL server comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the GraphQL server is configured to perform actions comprising:
receiving a GraphQL standard definition language (SDL) file that defines a partial GraphQL schema;
analyzing the GraphQL SDL file to identify an annotation indicating a particular data-handling script is dynamically resolved and executed when a particular field or a particular type of the partial GraphQL schema is referenced;
in response to determining that the particular data-handling script has not been defined, creating a template for the particular data-handling script indicated by the annotation; and
generating the partial GraphQL schema from the GraphQL SDL file.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a database server communicatively coupled to the GraphQL server and configured to store a standard definition language (SDL) table and a data-handling script table, wherein the GraphQL server is configured to perform actions comprising:
storing the received GraphQL SDL file in the SDL table; and
in response to determining that the particular data-handling script has not been defined in the data-handling script table, creating the template for the particular data-handling script indicated by the annotation in the data-handling script table.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the GraphQL server is configured to perform actions comprising:
after generating the partial GraphQL schema, caching the particular data-handling script;
receiving a request to modify the GraphQL SDL file or the particular data-handling script; and
in response to receiving the request, modifying the GraphQL SDL file or the particular data-handling script and then flushing and re-caching the particular data-handling script.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the GraphQL server is configured to perform actions comprising:
after generating the partial GraphQL schema, receiving a GraphQL query that references the particular field or the particular type of the partial GraphQL schema;
dynamically resolving the particular data-handling script from the annotation in the GraphQL SDL file;
dynamically executing the particular data-handling script to retrieve information associated with the particular field or the particular type during execution of the GraphQL query; and
generating and sending GraphQL results generated during execution of the GraphQL query.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein, to dynamically execute the particular data-handling script, the GraphQL server is configured to perform actions comprising:
calling a runtime interpreter that dynamically evaluates the particular data-handling script to retrieve the information associated with the particular field or the particular type during execution of the GraphQL query.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the GraphQL server is configured to perform actions comprising:
analyzing the GraphQL SDL file to identify a second annotation indicating a second data-handling script is dynamically resolved and executed when a second field or a second type of the partial GraphQL schema is referenced; and
in response to determining that the second data-handling script has not been defined, creating a second template for the second data-handling script indicated by the second annotation, wherein the particular data-handling script is a data fetcher script and the second data-handling script is a type resolver script.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein, to generate the partial GraphQL schema from the GraphQL SDL file, the GraphQL server is configured to perform actions comprising:
compiling the received GraphQL SDL file into a plurality of SDL files defining an overall GraphQL schema of the GraphQL server; and
generating the overall GraphQL schema that includes the partial GraphQL schema.

8. A method of operating a GraphQL server, comprising:
receiving a GraphQL standard definition language (SDL) file that defines a partial GraphQL schema;
analyzing the GraphQL SDL file to identify an annotation indicating a particular data-handling script is dynamically resolved and executed when a particular field or a particular type of the partial GraphQL schema is referenced;
in response to determining that the particular data-handling script has not been defined, creating a template for the particular data-handling script indicated by the annotation; and
generating the partial GraphQL schema from the GraphQL SDL file.

9. The method of claim 8 , comprising:
storing the received GraphQL SDL file in a SDL table of a database server that is communicatively coupled to the GraphQL server.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein, in response to determining that the particular data-handling script has not been defined in a data-handling script table of a database server that is communicatively coupled to the GraphQL server, the template for the particular data-handling script indicated by the annotation is created in the data-handling script table.

11. The method of claim 8 , comprising:
after generating the partial GraphQL schema, caching the particular data-handling script;
receiving a request to modify the GraphQL SDL file or the particular data-handling script; and
in response to receiving the request, modifying the GraphQL SDL file or the particular data-handling script and then flushing and re-caching the particular data-handling script.

12. The method of claim 8 , comprising:
after generating the partial GraphQL schema, receiving a GraphQL query that references the particular field or the particular type of the partial GraphQL schema;
dynamically resolving the particular data-handling script from the annotation in the GraphQL SDL file;
dynamically executing the particular data-handling script to retrieve information associated with the particular field or the particular type during execution of the GraphQL query; and
generating and sending GraphQL results generated during execution of the GraphQL query.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein dynamically executing the particular data-handling script comprises:
calling a runtime interpreter that dynamically evaluates the particular data-handling script to retrieve the information associated with the particular field or the particular type during execution of the GraphQL query.

14. The method of claim 8 , comprising:
analyzing the GraphQL SDL file to identify a second annotation indicating a second data-handling script is dynamically resolved and executed when a second field or a second type of the partial GraphQL schema is referenced; and
in response to determining that the second data-handling script has not been defined, creating a second template for the second data-handling script indicated by the second annotation.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the particular data-handling script is a data fetcher script and the second data-handling script is a type resolver script.

16. The method of claim 8 , wherein generating the partial GraphQL schema from the GraphQL SDL file comprises:
compiling the received GraphQL SDL file into a plurality of SDL files defining an overall GraphQL schema; and
generating the overall GraphQL schema that includes the partial GraphQL schema.

17. One or more non-transitory, computer-readable media at least collectively storing instructions executable by a processor of a GraphQL server, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to:
receive a GraphQL standard definition language (SDL) file that defines a partial GraphQL schema;
analyze the GraphQL SDL file to

Assignees

• Servicenow Inc

Inventors

• Tamjidi David
• Swope Stuart Dean

Classifications

• G06F16/211 Primary

  Schema design and management · CPC title

• G06F9/547

  Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services · CPC title

• G06F16/2433 Primary

  Query languages · CPC title

• G06F16/2282

  Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof · CPC title