Guaranteeing hypertext link integrity

• US 20050021997A1
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Beynon, Margaret Ann Ruth, Flegg, Andrew James
• Granted Patent: US 7,290,131 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links

Abstract

There is described a method, system and computer program product for processing a link embedded in a link document in a client computer, said link comprises a URL reference for a URL document in the client computer or another computer, there being stored a record containing a link reference and an intended fingerprint, said intended fingerprint representing the content of the URL document associated with the URL of the link at the time of or after the link was created, said method comprising the steps of: fetching the intended fingerprint for the link; fetching the URL document; creating a current fingerprint of the fetched URL document; comparing the intended fingerprint and the current fingerprint; and identifying that the intended fingerprint and the current fingerprint are different in a material way. There is further described, on identifying that the intended fingerprint and current fingerprint are different in a material way and there being provided a database of current fingerprints and corresponding URLs, searching the current fingerprint database and locating current fingerprints that are similar to the intended fingerprint; choosing a current fingerprint that matches the intended fingerprint; and changing the URL of the link in link document to match the URL of the matched current fingerprint.

Claims

1. A method of processing a link embedded in a link document in a client computer, said link comprises a URL reference for a URL document in the client computer or another computer, there being stored a record containing a link reference and an intended fingerprint, said intended fingerprint representing the content of the URL document associated with the URL of the link at the time of or after the link was created, said method comprising the steps of:

fetching the intended fingerprint for the link;

fetching the URL document;

creating a current fingerprint of the fetched URL document;

comparing the intended fingerprint and the current fingerprint; and

identifying that the intended fingerprint and the current fingerprint are different in a material way.

2. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

on identifying that the intended fingerprint and current fingerprint are different in a material way and there being provided a database of current fingerprints and corresponding URLs, searching the current fingerprint database and locating current fingerprints that are similar to the intended fingerprint;

choosing a current fingerprint that matches the intended fingerprint; and

changing the URL of the link in link document to match the URL of the matched current fingerprint.

3. A method as in claim 1 further comprising checking all links in a link document in a systematic order.

4. A method as in claim 1 further comprises checking all links in a group of link documents in a systematic order.

5. A method as in claim 1 further comprising, if an intended fingerprint does not exists for a link, creating a link fingerprint from a URL document and storing the intended fingerprint and associated link reference.

6. A method as in claim 1 further comprising, if a intended fingerprint does not exist for a link and a URL document does not exist for a link, creating a broken link report.

7. A method as in claim 1 further comprising, if the located similar current fingerprints are not within a permitted level of similarity, creating a broken link report.

8. A method as in claim 2 and any claim dependent on claim 2 further comprising:

spidering from a seed URL;

creating current fingerprints from the seed URL document and descendent URL documents; and

storing the current fingerprints and associated URLs.

9. A system for processing a link embedded in a link document in a client computer, said link comprises a URL reference for a URL document in the client computer or another computer, said system comprising:

a record containing a link reference and an intended fingerprint, said intended fingerprint representing the content of the URL document associated with the URL of the link at the time of or after the link was created;

means for fetching the intended fingerprint for the link;

means for fetching the URL document;

means for creating a current fingerprint of the fetched URL document;

means for comparing the intended fingerprint and the current fingerprint; and

means for identifying that the intended fingerprint and the current fingerprint are different in a material way.

10. A system as in claim 9 further comprising:

a database of current fingerprints and corresponding URLs;

means for, on identifying that the intended fingerprint and current fingerprint are different in a material way, searching the current fingerprint database and locating current fingerprints that are similar to the intended fingerprint;

means for choosing a current fingerprint that matches the intended fingerprint; and

means for changing the URL of the link in link document to match the URL of the matched current fingerprint.

11. A system as in claim 9 further comprising means for checking all links in a link document in a systematic order.

12. A system as in claim 9 further comprises means for checking all links in a group of link documents in a systematic order.

13. A system as in claim 9 further comprising, if a intended fingerprint does not exists for a link, means for creating a link fingerprint from a URL document and storing the intended fingerprint and associated link reference.

14. A system as in claim 9 further comprising:

means for, if a intended fingerprint does not exist for a link and a URL document does not exist for a link, creating a broken link report.

15. A system as in claim 9 further comprising, means for, if the located similar current fingerprints are not within a permitted level of similarity, creating a broken link report.

16. A system as in claim 9 further comprising:

means for spidering from a seed URL;

means for creating current fingerprints from the seed URL document and descendent URL documents; and

means fro storing the current fingerprints and associated URLs.

17. A computer program product for processing one or more sets of data processing tasks relating to a link embedded in a link document in a client computer, said link comprising a URL reference for a URL document, said computer program product comprising a record containing a link reference and an intended fingerprint, said intended fingerprint representing the content of the URL document associated with the URL of the link at the time of or after the link was created, said computer program product further comprising computer program instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, for, when loaded into a computer and executed, causing a computer to carry out the steps of:

fetching the intended fingerprint for the link;

fetching the URL document;

creating a current fingerprint of the fetched URL document;

comparing the intended fingerprint and the current fingerprint; and

identifying that the intended fingerprint and the current fingerprint are different in a material way.

18. A computer program product as in claim 17 further causing the computer to carry out the steps of:

on identifying that the intended fingerprint and current fingerprint are different in a material way and there being provided a database of current fingerprints and corresponding URLs, searching the current fingerprint database and locating current fingerprints that are similar to the intended fingerprint;

choosing a current fingerprint that matches the intended fingerprint; and

changing the URL of the link in link document to match the URL of the matched current fingerprint.

19. A computer program product as in claim 17 further causing the computer to carry the steps of:

checking all links in a link document in a systematic order.

20. A computer program product as in claim 17 further causing the computer to carry the steps of:

checking all links in a group of link documents in a systematic order.

21. A computer program product as in claim 17 further causing the computer to carry out the steps of, if a intended fingerprint does not exists for a link, creating a link fingerprint from a URL document and storing the intended fingerprint and associated link reference.

22. A computer program product as in claim 17 further causing the computer to carry out the steps of, if a intended fingerprint does not exist for a link and a URL document does not exist for a link, creating a broken link report.

23. A computer program product as in claim 17 further causing the computer to carry out the steps of, if the located similar current fingerprints are not within a permitted level of similarity, creating a broken link report.

24. A computer program product as in claim 17 further causing the computer to carry out the steps of:

spidering from a seed URL;

creating current fingerprints from the seed URL document and descendent URL documents; and

storing the current fingerprints and associated URLS.