Systems and methods for rendering and increasing portability of document-based user interface software objects

• US 20050289156A1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ICEsoft Technologies Canada Corp.
• Original Assignee: ICEsoft Technologies Canada Corp.
• Inventors: Maryka, Stephen, Beauregard, Michael, Goddard, Ted
• Granted Patent: US 7,954,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

Systems and methods for rendering document-based user interface software objects are disclosed. User interface software objects may be represented in a document object model on a first computer system. These objects may then be communicated to a second computer system on which they are similarly rendered through use of a document object model on a second computer system. A document on a first computer system may also be updated to reflect either user input through a user interface software object included in the document, or changes induced by server side logic. The updates may be incrementally communicated to and rendered in a second computer system. Location-neutral user interface software objects may be developed without regard to whether the software object will ultimately reside on a client or server computer system, wherein the user interface software object is equally capable of being supported on either one of a client or server computer system.

Claims

1. Computer-readable media embodying instructions executable by a first computer system that cause the first computer system to perform a method of rendering a document-based user interface software object, the method comprising:

representing the document-based user interface software object in a document object model that comprises a data structure for representing documents in the first computer system;

translating the document object model, including the representation of the document-based user interface software object, into computer-readable characters; and

transmitting the computer-readable characters to a second computer system.

2. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the software objects comprise HTML code.

3. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the software objects comprise XML code.

4. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the first computing system comprises a server and the second computer system comprises a client.

5. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the first computing system comprises a client.

6. A method of rendering a document-based user interface object comprising:

storing a document-based user interface object in a computer system;

storing a document object model, that comprises a data structure for representing documents, in the computer system; and

representing the document-based user interface object in the document object model in the computer system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computer system comprises a server.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the computer system comprises a client.

9. A computer server system comprising:

a memory system configured to include a document object model that comprises a data structure for representing documents on the computer server system;

a processing system configured to communicate with the memory system and with a client computing system and configured to;

receive information, from the client computing system or from the server system, that causes a change to the document object model;

identify the change to the document object model; and

communicate the identified change to the client computing system.

10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the processor is configured to receive the information in a form that represents user interaction with a software component contained in a document on the client computing system.

11. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the software objects comprise HTML code.

12. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the software objects comprise XML code.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the document object model represents a software object that implements a user interface object.

14. A computer system comprising:

a first computing system configured to communicate with a second computing system;

a memory device connected to the first computing system and configured to store a first document object model that comprises a data structure for representing documents on the first computing system, wherein the first document object model comprises a replication of a second document object model that is resident on the second computing system;

a processor connected to the first computing system and configured to receive input from either the first or the second computing system, wherein the input represents a change in the first document object model detected by the second computing system; and

the processor additionally configured to represent the received input in the first document object model.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the software object comprises HTML code.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the software object comprises XML code.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to represent the received input in the first document object model by updating only a portion of the first document object model to reflect the detected change represented by the received input.

18. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the first computing system comprises a client.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the second computing system comprises a server.

20. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the first computing system comprises a server and the second computing system comprises a client.

21. A method of developing and deploying a location-neutral document object model-based user interface software object, that is capable of being supported separately by each one of a client and a server, and that is capable of being represented in a document object model, the method comprising:

developing software code to implement the location-neutral document object model-based user interface software object, wherein the development occurs in a manner that is not a function of whether the code will be deployed on a client computer system or a server computer system;

deciding whether the software object code will be deployed on a client computer system or a server computer system; and

deploying the software object code on a type of computing system on which the software object code was decided to be deployed;

whereby the location-neutral document object model-based user interface software object is capable of being supported separately by each one of a client computer system and server computer system and is capable of being represented in a document object model on the computing system on which the software object code was deployed.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the decision of whether the software object will be deployed on a client computer system or a server computer system is made subsequent to the development of the software code.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the location-neutral user interface software object comprises at least one JavaServer Faces application programming interface.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the software object is deployed on a server computing system.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the software object is deployed on a client computing system.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the client computing system comprises a user interface object support container, the container comprising software configured to support functionality of the location-neutral user interface software object.

27. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

representing the location-neutral document object model-based user interface software object in the document object model on the computing system on which it was deployed;

translating the representation into a string of computer readable characters;

transmitting the character string to a remote computing system; and

representing the location-neutral document object model-based user interface software object in a document object model on the remote computing system, wherein the document object model on the remote computing system comprises a replication of the document object model on the computer system on which the location-neutral document object model-based user interface software object was deployed.

28. A method of programming a Web application having a location-neutral document object model-based user interface software object, the method comprising:

assembling a plurality of software objects to create a software application, wherein one of the plurality of software objects comprises the location-neutral document object-based user interface software object that is capable of being deployed on both a client computing system and a server computing system and is capable of being represented in a document object model.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the software application includes a plurality of location-neutral software objects, each one being capable of being represented in a document object model on a client computer system and on a server computer system, and each one representing a document-based user interface object.

30. The computer-readable media of claim 28, wherein the plurality of location-neutral software objects comprises a first set of location-neutral software objects and a second set of location-neutral software objects, and wherein the first set resides on a server and the second set resides on a client.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

deploying the location-neutral document object-based user interface software object on a first computing system;

representing the location-neutral document object model-based user interface software object in the document object model on the first computing system;

translating the representation into a string of computer readable characters;

transmitting the character string to a second computing system; and

representing the location-neutral document object model-based user interface software object in a document object model on the second computing system, wherein the document object model on the second computing system comprises a replication of the document object model on the first computer system.