Generating command line interface using application programming interface specification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016239274-A1
Application number	US-201514622588-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 13, 2015
Priority date	Feb 13, 2015
Publication date	Aug 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and method for generating a command line interface (CLI) in view of an application programming interface (API) specification is disclosed. An instance of a CLI may be initialized. Responsive to the initializing, the system or method may request an application programming interface (API) specification for a software application installed on a server system. The system or method may receive the API specification for the software application. The system and method, in view of the API specification may create a command definition of the CLI.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
initializing, by a processing device of a client system, an instance of a command line interface (CLI); responsive to initializing, requesting an application programming interface (API) specification for a software application installed on a server system; receiving the API specification for the software application; and creating, in view of the API specification, a command definition of the CLI.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a command instance at the command line interface; and causing the software application to execute an API method associated with a command corresponding to the command instance.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the API specification comprises a definition of an API method to be performed at the server system and an API parameter associated with the API method.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the API specification further comprises a definition of an API resource associated with the API method.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the API specification comprises metadata specifying at least one of a message associated with the API method or a format for displaying data associated with the API method.

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein causing the software application to execute the API method associated with the command further comprises:
sending, to the server system, a request identifying the API method to be performed and specifying one or more API parameters associated with the API method; receiving a response status code from the software application in response to the request; and causing a message associated with the response status code for the API method to be displayed on the client system.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the command definition further comprises:
parsing the API specification to identify an API resource; and creating a resource definition for the API resource, by generating a first fragment of a CLI script.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein creating the command definition further comprises:
parsing the API specification to identify one or more API methods associated with the API resource; and creating the command definition corresponding to each API method, by generating a second fragment of the CLI script to map a command to an API method.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein creating the command definition further comprises:
modifying the command definition by generating a third fragment of the CLI script to supply one or more API parameters to the server system.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the API is represented by a representational state transfer (REST) API.

11 . A system comprising:
a memory; and a processing device coupled with the memory to:
initialize, by the processing device of a client system, an instance of a command line interface (CLI);
responsive to initializing, request an application programming interface (API) specification for a software application installed on a server system;
receive the API specification for the software application; and
create, in view of the API specification, a command definition of the CLI.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the processing device is further to:
receive a command instance at the command line interface; and cause the software application to execute an API method associated with a command corresponding to the command instance.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the API specification comprises a definition of an API method to be performed at the server system and an API parameter associated with the API method.

14 . The system of claim 12 , wherein to cause the software application to execute the API method associated with the command, the processing device further to:
send a request to the server system identifying the API method to be performed and specifying one or more API parameters associated with the API method; receive a response status code from the software application in response to the request; and cause a message associated with the response status code for the API method to be displayed on the client system.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein to create the command definition, the processing device further to:
parse the API specification to identify an API resource; create a resource definition for the API resource, by generating a first fragment of a CLI script; parse the API specification to identify one or more API methods associated the API resource; create the command definition corresponding to each API method, by generating a second fragment of the CLI script to map a command to an API method; and modifying the command definition by generating a third fragment of the CLI script to supply one or more API parameters to the server system.

16 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage including instruction that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:
initialize, by the processing device of a client system, an instance of a command line interface (CLI); responsive to initializing, request an application programming interface (API) specification for a software application installed on a server system; receive the API specification for the software application; and create, in view of the API specification, a command definition of the CLI.

17 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the processing device is further to:
receive a command instance at the command line interface; and cause the software application to execute an API method associated with a command corresponding to the command instance.

18 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein to cause the software application to execute the API method associated with the command, the processing device further to:
send a request to the server system identifying the API method to be performed and specifying one or more API parameters associated with the API method; receive a response status code from the software application in response to the request; and cause a message associated with response code for the API method to be displayed on the client system.

19 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein to create the command definition, the processing device further to:
parse the API specification to identify an API resource; and create a resource definition for the API resource, by generating a first fragment of a CLI script.

20 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein to create the command definition, the processing device further to:
parse the API specification to identify one or more API methods associated with the API resource; create the command definition corresponding to each API method, by generating a second fragment of the CLI script to map a command to an API method; and modify the command definition by generating a third fragment of the CLI script to supply the one or more API parameters to the server system.

Assignees

• Red Hat Inc

Inventors

• Strachota Tomás
• Bacovský Martin

Classifications

• G06F8/30

  Creation or generation of source code · CPC title

• G06F8/10 Primary

  Requirements analysis; Specification techniques · CPC title

• G06F8/38 Primary

  for implementing user interfaces · CPC title