Real-time method, system and program product for collecting web form data

• US 20040054966A1
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Streble, Mary Catherine, Howard, Troy Anthony, Nam, Tai Woo, Busch, Edward Vernon, Malacinski, Andrei Stephan
• Granted Patent: US 8,381,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/505
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The present invention allows a web form submitted by a web user to be routed to an analysis system in real-time. Specifically, once a requested web page has been fully loaded and parsed, any existing submit methods and/or on-submit handlers attached to web forms within the web page are replaced with a new submit method and on-submit handler. When a valid web form is submitted by the user, the destination of the web form is changed to the analysis system, by the new submit method, for a fixed period of time. After the period of time has expired, the original destination is reinstated and the web form is routed thereto.

Claims

1. A real-time method for collecting web form data, comprising:

replacing at least one of an existing submit method with a new submit method and an existing on-submit handler with a new on-submit handler in a requested web page when the requested web page has been loaded;

receiving a web form having form data;

changing a destination of the web form from to an analysis system; and

routing the web form to the analysis system where the form data is collected.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing the destination of the web form back to an original destination after a predetermined period of time.

3. The real-time method of claim 2, further comprising calling the existing submit method to route the web form to the original destination, after the destination has been changed back to the original destination.

4. The real-time method of claim 1, wherein the requested web page includes an initialization file that attaches an on-load handler to the requested web page, and wherein the on-load handler replaces at least one of the existing submit method and the existing on-submit handler with the new submit method and the new on-submit handler when the requested web paged has been loaded and parsed.

5. The real-time method of claim 1, further comprising caching the existing submit method and the existing on-submit handler when replaced.

6. The real-time method of claim 1, further comprising validating the web form by invoking the existing on-submit handler, prior to changing the destination to the analysis system.

7. The real-time method of claim 1, wherein the form data is collected on the analysis system by calling the existing submit method, and wherein the analysis system responds with a return code.

8. A real-time method of collecting web form data, comprising:

requesting a web page having an initialization file, wherein the initialization file attaches an on-load handler to the web page;

invoking the on-load handler when the web page is loaded, wherein the on-load handler replaces an existing submit method and an existing on-submit handler in the web page with a new submit method and a new on-submit handler;

caching the existing submit method and the existing on-submit handler;

receiving a web form having form data;

invoking the cached on-submit handler to validate the web form;

changing a destination of the web form from a web application server to an analysis system, after the web form is validated;

routing the web form to the analysis system where the form data is collected;

changing the destination of the web form back to the web application server after a predetermined period of time; and

routing the web form to the web application server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the cached on-submit handler is invoked by the new on-submit handler.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the web form is routed to the web application server and the analysis system by calling the cached submit method.

11. A real-time system of collecting web form data, comprising

a replacement system for replacing at least one of an existing submit method with a new submit method and an existing on-submit handler with a new on-submit handler in a requested web page when the requested web paged has been loaded;

a submission system for submitting a web form having form data;

a destination system for changing a destination of the web form to an analysis system; and

a routing system for routing the web form to the analysis system for a predetermined period of time, wherein the form data is collected on the analysis system.

12. The real-time system of claim 11, wherein the replacement system comprises an onload handler that is attached to the web page upon invocation of an initialization method within an initialization file in the web page.

13. The real-time system of claim 12, wherein the web page further comprises an initialization call for invoking the initialization method.

14. The real-time system of claim 11, further comprising a timer system for tracking the predetermined period of time.

15. The real-time system of claim 11, further comprising a validation system for validating the web form, prior to changing the destination to the analysis system.

16. The real-time system of claim 11, wherein the existing submit method and the existing on-submit handler are stored in cache when replaced.

17. The real-time system of claim 11, wherein the destination system further changes the destination to a web application server after the predetermined period of time has elapsed.

18. The real-time system of claim 17, wherein the routing system further routes the web form to the web application server after the destination has been changed back to the web application server.

19. A program product stored on a recordable medium for real-time collecting of web form data, which when executed, comprises:

program code for replacing at least one of an existing submit method with a new submit method and an existing on-submit handler with a new on-submit handler in a requested web page when the requested web paged has been loaded;

program code for submitting a web form having form data;

program code for changing a destination of the web form to an analysis system; and

program code for routing the web form to the analysis system for a predetermined period of time, wherein the form data is collected on the analysis system.

20. The program product of claim 19, wherein the program code for replacing comprises an on-load handler that is attached to the web page upon invocation of an initialization method within an initialization file in the web page.

21. The program product of claim 20, wherein the web page further comprises an initialization call for invoking the initialization method.

22. The program product of claim 19, further comprising a timer system for tracking the predetermined period of time.

23. The program product of claim 19, further comprising program code for validating the web form, prior to changing the destination to the analysis system.

24. The program product of claim 19, wherein the existing submit method and the existing on-submit handler are stored in cache when replaced.

25. The program product of claim 19, wherein the program code for changing further changes the destination to a web application server after the predetermined period of time has elapsed.

26. The program product of claim 25, wherein the program code for routing further routes the web form to the web application server after the destination has been changed back to the web application server.