Method for generating display control information and computer

• US 20050246635A1
• Filed: 07/12/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hirose, Shinichi, Kitayama, Fumihiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,774,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

The present invention dynamically generate documents or display control information so as to provide client terminals of various capability with user interface in compliance with each terminal'"'"'s capability. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method for generating display control information (HTML document, for instance) so as to display in a form adapted to a terminal used by a user, comprises the steps of: receiving a display request from the terminal; in response to the display request, generating a group of data objects concerning the contents of the display, wherein the data objects is independent of the terminal; by using the group of data objects and information about attributes of the terminal, generating a group of view objects for generating the display control information; and by referring to the information about the attributes of the terminal, generating the display control information by the group of view objects.

Claims

1. A method for generating display control information, on a central server, so as to display, on a plurality of remote terminals, in a form adapted to the terminals, each of the terminals having a defined set of display specifications, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining at the central server a database having attributes of each of the terminals;

receiving at the central server a display request from one of the terminals for a given display;

in response to receiving-said display request, the central server

i) generating on the central server a group of data objects representing contents of the given display to be shown on said one of the terminals, said data objects being independent of the set of display specifications of said one of the terminals; and

ii) using said group of data objects and information from said database about an attribute of the one terminal, to generate on the central server a group of view objects for generating said display control information; and

the central server referring to said information about said attribute of the one terminal, to generate said display control information by said group of view objects.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving terminal identification information from said one terminal; and

obtaining said information about said attribute of the terminal from said one terminal identification information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of generating a group of view objects comprises the steps of:

generating a root object of said group of view objects; and

generating a child object by said root object.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said data objects retain instruction information used for generating corresponding view objects and generating said display control information by the view objects.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said information about the attribute of the one terminal includes information about a screen size of said one terminal.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said display control information is in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of generating display control information comprises a step of sequentially generating display control information of responsible parts from a root object of said group of view objects by referring to said information about the attribute of the terminal.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

in response to a display request from said one terminal, determining whether or not it is necessary to generate a group of data objects according to said display request; and

if it is not necessary to generate a group of data objects, generating the display control information corresponding to said display request by a related view object in said group of view objects.

9. The method according to claim 1 for controlling reexecution and/or reauthentication of a page in a history, said method comprising the steps of:

forming a group of page definitions;

incorporating the group of page definitions into instruction information used for generating said display control information;

determining whether reexecution of a page in a history has been performed;

if a page is reexecuted and a cache of a processing state exists, restoring the processing state;

processing an application and storing in a cache a processing state of the computer application at that time;

and according to a result of processing the application, specifying said group of page definitions and clearing a processing state corresponding to an applicable page.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

checking whether a page in a history requires authentication and its authentication state;

ensuring authentication when authentication is necessary; and

according to a result of processing an application, modifying an authentication state of a page in a history.

14. The computer according to claim 11, wherein said root view object can order said child view object to generate said display control information.

11. A computer for generating display control information so as to display in a form adapted to a remote terminal used by a user, the terminal having a defined set of display specifications, the computer comprising modules for:

maintaining a database having attributes of the terminal;

in response to receiving a display request from said terminal for a given display,

i) generating on the computer a group of data objects representing contents of the given display to be shown on the terminal, said data objects being independent on the set of display specifications of said one of the terminals; and

ii) using said group of data objects and information from the database about an attribute of the terminal, to generate on the computer a root view object for generating said display control information;

ordering said root view object to generate its child view object; and

ordering said root view object to generate said display control information.

12. The computer according to claim 11, further comprising a module for deriving said information about the attribute of the terminal from terminal identification information received from said terminal.

13. The computer according to claim 11, wherein said child view object can generate its child object.

15. The computer according to claim 11, wherein the group of view objects including said root view object and said child view object generate said display control information by referring to said information about the attribute of the terminal.

16. The computer according to claim 11, further comprising a module for, in response to a display request from said terminal, determining whether or not it is necessary to generate a group of data objects according to said display request, and for outputting said display request to said root view object if it is not necessary to generate a group of data objects.

17. The computer according to claim 11 for controlling reexecution and/or reauthentication of a page in a history, said computer comprising the modules for.

forming a group of page definitions;

incorporating the group of page definitions into instruction information used for generating said display control information;

determining whether reexecution of a page in a history has been performed;

if a page is reexecuted and a cache of a processing state exists of the page, restoring the processing state;

processing a computer application and storing in a cache a processing state of the computer application at that time;

and according to a result of processing an application, specifying said group of page definitions and clearing a processing state corresponding to an applicable page.

18. The computer-according to claim 17, further comprising the modules for.

checking whether a page in a history requires authentication and its authentication state;

ensuring authentication when authentication is necessary;

and according to a result of processing an application, modifying an authentication state of a page in a history.

19. A storage medium storing a program for having a computer generate display control information so as to display in a form adapted to a remote terminal used by a user, the terminal having a defined set of display specifications, said program having said computer execute the steps of:

maintaining on the computer a database having attributes of the terminal;

in response to receiving a display request from said terminal for a given display,

i) generating in the central server a group of data objects representing contents of the given display to be shown on the terminal, said data objects being independent of the set of display specifications of said one of the terminals; and

ii) using said group of data objects and information from the database

about an attribute of the terminal, to generate on the computer a root view object for generating said display control information;

ordering said root view object to generate its child view object; and

ordering said root view object to generate said display control information.

20. The storage medium according to claim 19 storing a program for having a computer control reexecution and/or reauthentication of a page in a history, said program having said computer execute the steps of.

forming a group of page definitions;

incorporating the group of page definitions into instruction information used for generating said display control information;

determining whether reexecution of a page in a history has been performed;

if a page is reexecuted and a cache of a processing state of the page exists, restoring the processing state;

processing a computer application and storing in a cache a processing state of the computer application at that time; and

according to a result of processing the application, specifying said group of page definitions and clearing a processing state corresponding to an applicable page.