| 摘要 |
<p>A method and system for routing data of a source type to a target type is provided. The system has various routines for converting data in one type into data in another type. In one embodiment, the system receives an indication of a source type and identifies various sequences of routines that can convert the data from the source type to a target type. The system then coordinates the processing of the data by each routine in the sequences to the conversion of the data to the target type. The process of identifying the routines is referred to as 'discovery'. The system also provides an aliasing mechanism by which compatible types can be identified. When identifying a sequence of routines, the system may check for routines that support compatible types. When a sequence of routines is identified, the system caches the identity of the sequence to facilitate identifying that sequence when the data of the source type is to be converted to the target type. The system also uses a mechanism for discovering sequences of routines from other computer systems. These other computer systems may broadcast various sequences of routines which are stored at the receiving computer system. A user may use a switchboard mechanism to direct data of a certain source type to one of the broadcasted sequences. This directing of the data to a certain source effects the routing of the data from one computer system to a device or routine on another computer system.</p> |
