Delta handling in server pages

• US 20030225826A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: McKellar, Brian, Goerke, Bjorn
• Granted Patent: US 7,444,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatus, including computer program products, for delta handling. A server has a page document with multiple page components. The server allocates a component buffer to each page component and writes a corresponding browser component into each allocated component buffer. In one aspect, the server identifies at least one browser delta in at least one identified component buffer and sends the browser delta to a client.

Claims

1. A server method for delta handling on a server, the method comprising:

allocating a component buffer to each page component of a plurality of page components of a page document; and

writing a corresponding browser component into each allocated component buffer.

2. The server method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a change in at least one identified component buffer; and

transmitting information indicating the change to a client.

3. The server of method of claim 2, wherein:

detecting a change comprises identifying at least one browser delta in the at least one identified component buffer; and

transmitting information indicating the change comprises sending the at least one browser delta to the client.

4. The server method of claim 3, wherein the at least one browser delta is represented in a browser-compliant language selected from the group of HTML, XML, XHTML, WML, JavaScript and Visual Basic Script.

5. The server method of claim 1, wherein a page buffer is allocated to the page document, the server method further comprising:

building a buffer hierarchy, wherein the page buffer is the root node of the buffer hierarchy and is a parent node of at least one component buffer, wherein each component buffer can be a parent node of further component buffers;

replacing the browser component of a child node in a corresponding parent node of the buffer hierarchy with a representation of the browser component; and

sending the page buffer and each component buffer of the buffer hierarchy to a client.

6. The server method of claim 1, wherein the page document is a JSP, BSP, ADP, or ASP page.

7. The server method of claim 1, wherein each page component is represented by a tag within the page document.

8. The server method of claim 1, wherein each component buffer is stored in a memory stack.

9. A client method for delta handling on a client having a browser document, the browser document corresponding to a page document stored on a server and including a plurality of browser components, wherein each browser component refers to a corresponding page component of the page document, the client method comprising:

receiving change information that refers to a specific browser component and specifies a change to the specific browser component; and

updating the browser document in accordance with the change information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

receiving change information comprises receiving a browser delta from the server, wherein the browser delta refers to a specific browser component and is identified by the server by a component buffer being allocated to the corresponding page component; and

updating the browser document with the browser delta.

11. The client method of claim 10, wherein updating the browser document comprises:

injecting the browser delta into a document object model of the browser document.

12. The client method of claim 10, wherein the browser delta is received by a first frame and updating the browser document comprises updating the browser document with the browser delta in a second frame.

13. The client method of claim 12, wherein the first frame is invisible.

14. The client method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a new browser document in the first frame;

reducing the size of the second frame; and

expanding the size of the first frame.

15. The client method of claim 14, wherein the second frame is invisible.

16. A server for delta handling, the server comprising:

a memory storing a page document that includes a plurality of page components, the memory providing a plurality of component buffers; and

a processor executing instructions to allocate a component buffer to each page component of the plurality of page components, and to write a corresponding browser component into each allocated component buffer.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the processor executes further instructions to detect a change in at least one identified component buffer and to transmit information indicating the change to a client.

18. The server of claim 17, wherein the further instructions comprise instructions to identify at least one browser delta in at least one identified component buffer and to send the at least one browser delta to a client.

19. The server of claim 16, wherein the memory further provides a page buffer and the processor executes instructions to allocate the page buffer to the page document, the processor executing further instructions to:

build a buffer hierarchy, wherein the page buffer is the root node of the buffer hierarchy and is a parent node of at least one component buffer and wherein each component buffer can be a parent node of further component buffers;

replace the browser component of a child node in a corresponding parent node of the buffer hierarchy with a representation of the browser component; and

send the page buffer and each component buffer of the buffer hierarchy to a client.

20. The server of claim 16, wherein each component buffer is stored in a stack of the memory.

21. A client for delta handling, the client comprising:

a memory storing a browser document, the browser document corresponding to a page document stored on a server and comprising a plurality of browser components, wherein each browser component refers to a corresponding page component of the page document; and

a processor, the processor executing instructions to receive change information that refers to a specific browser component and specifies a change to the specific browser component;

the processor further executing instructions to update the browser document in accordance with the change information.

22. The client of claim 21, wherein:

instructions to receive change information further comprises instructions to receive a browser delta from the server, wherein the browser delta refers to a specific browser component and is identified by the server by a component buffer being allocated to the corresponding page component; and

the instructions to update the browser document further comprise instructions to update the browser document with the browser delta.

23. The client of claim 22, wherein for updating the processor executes instructions to inject the browser delta into a document object model of the browser document.

24. The client of claim 22, wherein the memory provides a first frame to receive the browser delta and the processor executes instructions to update the browser document with the browser delta in a second frame provided by the memory.

25. The client of claim 24, wherein the first frame receives a new browser document and the processor executes instructions to reduce the size of the second frame and to expand the size of the first frame.

26. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on an information carrier, for delta handling on a server, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause a server computer to:

allocate a component buffer to each page component of a plurality of page components of a page document; and

write a corresponding browser component into each allocated component buffer.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 further comprising instructions operable to cause the server computer to:

detect a change in at least one identified component buffer; and

transmit information indicating,the change to a client.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein

the instructions to detect a change comprise instructions to identify at least one browser delta in the at least one identified component buffer;

and

the instructions to transmit information comprise instructions to send the at least one browser delta to the client.

29. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein the at least one browser delta is in a browser compliant language selected from the group of HTML, XML, XHTML, WML, JavaScript and Visual Basic Script.

30. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein a page buffer is allocated to the page document, the computer program product further comprising instructions operable to cause the server computer to:

build a buffer hierarchy, wherein the page buffer is the root node of the buffer hierarchy and is a parent node of at least one component buffer, wherein each component buffer can be a parent node of further component buffers;

replace the browser component of a child node in a corresponding parent node of the buffer hierarchy with a representation of the browser component; and

send the page buffer and each component buffer of the buffer hierarchy to a client.

31. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the page document is a JSP, BSP, ADP or ASP page.

32. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein each page component is represented by a tag within the page document.

33. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein each component buffer is stored in a memory stack.

34. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on an information carrier, for delta handling on a client, the client having a browser document, the browser document corresponding to a page document stored on a server and including a plurality of browser components, wherein each browser component refers to a corresponding page component of the page document, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause the client to:

receive change information that refers to a specific browser component and specifies a change to the specific browser component; and

update the browser document in accordance with the change information.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein

the instructions operable to cause the client to receive change information further comprise instructions to receive a browser delta from the server, wherein the browser delta refers to a specific browser component and is identified by the server via a component buffer being allocated to the corresponding page component;

and

the instructions operable to cause the client to update the browser document further comprise instructions to update the browser document with the browser delta.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the instructions operable to cause the client to update the browser document comprise instructions operable to cause the client to:

inject the browser delta into a document object model of the browser document.

37. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the instructions operable to cause the client to receive the browser delta comprise instructions operable to cause the client to receive the browser delta in a first frame and the instructions operable to cause the client to update the browser document comprise instructions operable to cause the client to update the browser document with the browser delta in a second frame.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the first frame is invisible.

39. The computer program product of claim 37, further comprising instructions operable to cause the client to:

receive a new browser document in the first frame;

reduce the size of the second frame; and

expand the size of the first frame.

40. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the second frame is invisible.