Component registry and browser

The registry stores metadata components and offers a service to search for them using limited metadata. The browser is a web application displaying available components in the component registry in the correct context: application domain, creator, creation date, version, etc. The registry offers at least one hierarchical structure for browsing the components.

The Component Registry has means to keep itself coherent and consistent: check all offered components and keep an administration of the added and removed components. All components get a unique identifier wherewith other applications can identify it to the registry.

Figure 1. The Component Registry

Registry GUI functions:

• Browsing of components in one ore more meaningful views. Displaying the components and the administrative information.
• Selection of components and transfer to other CMDI aware applications.

Registry API functions (also available from the GUI):

• Import component specifications in specification format.
• Export component specifications
• Export of profiles into XML-Schema format.

The relations between the registry, component editor and the metadata editor that exist by importing and exporting using component specifications and schemas is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. The Component Registry in Context