Method and system for dispatching service requests to sub-applications

A computer system for dispatching HTTP requests to sub-applications, comprising:

• a configuration file having a class, initialization parameters, and a match criteria associated with the sub-applications;
• an initialization component that instantiates an object of the class for each sub-application in the configuration file, the instantiated object being initialized with the initialization parameters for the sub-application and being provided with a context object, the context object being shared by the instantiated objects so that the sub-applications share a common context;
• a dispatcher that receives HTTP requests from client computers and, when the received HTTP request matches a match criteria of a sub-application, invokes a service routine of the instantiated object of the class associated with the sub-application;
• said dispatcher logging an error if the HTTP request does not match any match criteria;
• a memory to store the configuration file, the initialization component, and the dispatcher;
• and
• a processor to execute the configuration file, the initialization component, and the dispatcher;
• wherein the match criteria is a regular expression relating to a URL of the HTTP request;
• wherein a respective service routine is invoked for at least one of the HTTP requests with respect to each of at least two of the sub-applications;
• and
• wherein the configuration file specifies an ordering of the sub-applications and the dispatcher invokes the service routines of the instantiated objects of the classes associated with the at least two sub-applications in the specified order.

A computer system for processing request messages, comprising:

• a plurality of sub-applications forming an application, a sub-application having a match criteria indicating when the sub-application should process a request and having a service routine to invoke when the match criteria indicates that the sub-application should process the request, the sub-applications using disparate logic models;
• a context for the application that is shared by the sub-applications;
• a dispatcher that receives requests from client computers, evaluates the match criteria to identify which sub-applications have match criteria that match the requests, and invokes the service routines of the identified sub-applications wherein invoked sub-applications use the context;
• a memory to store the plurality of sub-applications, the context and the dispatcher;
• and
• a processor to execute the plurality of sub-applications, the context and the dispatcher;
• wherein the requests are HTTP requests with a URL and the match criteria is a regular expression relating to the URL;
• wherein a respective service routine is invoked for at least one of the requests with respect to each of at least two of the sub-applications;
• and
• wherein the sub-applications are ordered and the dispatcher invokes the service routines of the at least two sub-applications based on the order of the sub-applications.

A computer-readable medium having instructions for controlling a computer system to dispatch requests to perform services to service routines, comprising:

• program means for receiving a request from a client computer to perform a service;
• and
• for a plurality of service routines,
• program means for retrieving a match criteria for the service routine;
• program means for determining whether the received request matches the retrieved match criteria;
• when it is determined that the request matches the retrieved match criteria, invoking the service routine for processing of the received request;
• whereby the service routines form an application and share a common context;
• wherein the requests are HTTP requests with a URL and the match criteria is a regular expression relating to the URL;
• wherein at least one of the requests is processed by at least two of the service routines;
• wherein the service routines are ordered and the invoking of the at least two service means is performed in the order of the service routines;
• and
• wherein when it is determined that the request does not match any retrieved match criteria, an error is logged.