Template architecture and rendering engine for web browser access to databases

• US 20060041685A1
• Filed: 10/24/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Simpson, Russell L., Bracewell, Shawn D., Beattie, Ward, Vetrivel, Puhazholi, Mayhan, Troy
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer program products, and data structures for displaying data on a web browser interface where the data in its native format is not displayable on a web browser interface. A network server receives a request for content from a network device where the request includes a request for data that is not displayable on a web browser. The network server identifies a template, which will be used to transform non-displayable data into displayable content. The network server accesses non-displayable data that is stored on a data server and processes the accessed non-displayable data according to the identified template in order to transform it into displayable content. A template may include HTML code as well as customized tags. The customized tags are consumed by a rendering engine, which executes certain functions to modify the data, making it displayable content. Once transformed, displayable content is sent to the network device.

Claims

1. A computing system for use in a network that includes one or more network devices that have Web browsers implemented thereon, the network devices being network connectable to a network server, the network also including a data server that is in communication with the network server, wherein the network server sends displayable content to the network devices, and wherein the one or more network devices may request data that is stored in the data server even though the data server itself is not configured to present the data as displayable content, the computing system further comprising:

one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for rendering data received from the data server to create displayable content, wherein the method comprises;

an act of the network server receiving a request for displayable content from a Web browser at a network device;

an act of identifying a template for the displayable content based on bandwidth available to send the displayable content to the network device, the template including one or more displayable portions that are natively compatible for viewing with the Web browser, one or more generic representations of template constants that are generic across a plurality of languages, one or more tokens representing non-displayable data that is stored on the data server and is not natively compatible for viewing with the Web browser, one or more functions for converting the non-displayable data into a format that is natively compatible for viewing with the Web browser, and one or more functions for providing the template constant in an appropriate language for the user of the Web browser;

an act of retrieving the non-displayable data from the data server, the data server storing the non-displayable data in any of a plurality of non-displayable formats;

an act of the network server using the identified template to construct the displayable content by performing the following acts;

an act of including displayable portions in the displayable content as specified in the identified template;

an act of converting the non-displayable data retrieved from the data server that stores the non-displayable data in any of the plurality of non-Web formats, by using the one or more functions included within the identified template, into a format that is natively compatible for viewing with the Web browser;

an act of including the template constant in the appropriate language; and

an act of including the converted data in the displayable content as specified in the identified template; and

an act of sending the displayable content to the network device.

2. The computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the displayable content comprises a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document.

3. The computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the displayable portions comprise HTML tags.

4. The computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the request for displayable content comprises information allowing the network server to identify the web browser type that will be used on the network device to display the displayable content.

5. The computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the request for displayable content comprises language information identifying the appropriate language to be used in the displayable content, and wherein the method further comprises the following:

an act of identifying the appropriate language based on the language information.

6. The computing system as recited in claim 5, wherein the language information comprises an express language indication, and wherein the method further comprises the following:

an act of identifying the appropriate language based on the express language indication.

7. The computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the network server and the data server are physically integrated.

8. The computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the network server and the data server are physically separate.

9. A computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of languages includes English, Mandarin, and French.

10. A computing system in a network that includes one or more network devices that have Web browsers implemented thereon, the network devices being network connectable to a network server, the network also including a data server that is in communication with the network server, wherein the network server sends displayable content to the network devices, and wherein the one or more network devices may request data that is stored in the data server even though the data server itself is not configured to present the data as displayable content, the computing system further comprising:

one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for rendering data from the data server to create displayable content, wherein the method comprises;

an act of the network server receiving a request for displayable content from a network device;

an act of identifying a template for the displayable content based on bandwidth available to send the displayable content to the network device, the template including one or more displayable portions that are natively compatible for viewing with the Web browser, one or more generic representations of template constants that are generic across a plurality of languages, one or more tokens representing non-displayable data that is stored on the data server and is not natively compatible for viewing with the Web browser, one or more functions for converting the non-displayable data into a format that is natively compatible fore viewing with the Web browser, and one or more functions for providing the template constant in an appropriate language for the user of the Web browser;

an act of retrieving the non-displayable data from the data server, the data server storing the non-displayable data in any of a plurality of non-displayable formats;

a step for constructing the displayable content so as to represent both the displayable portions and the non-Web data stored in any of the plurality of non-Web formats at the data server by using the one or more functions included within the identified template to convert the non-Web data into a format that is natively compatible for viewing with the Web browser; and

an act of sending the displayable content to the network device.

11. The computing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the request for displayable content comprises language information that identifies the language to be used in the displayable content.

12. The computing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the displayable content comprises a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document.

13. The computing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the displayable portions comprise HTML tags.

14. The computing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the request for displayable content comprises information allowing the network server to identify the web browser type that will be used on the network device to display the displayable content.

15. The computing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the request for displayable content comprises language information identifying the appropriate language to be used in the displayable content, wherein the method further comprises the following:

an act of identifying the appropriate language based on the language information.

16. The computing system as recited in claim 15, wherein the language information comprises an express language indication, wherein the method further comprises the following:

an act of identifying the appropriate language based on the express language indication.

17. The computing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the network server and the data server are physically integrated.

18. The computing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the network server and the data server are physically separate.

19. The computing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the act of the network server receiving a request for displayable content comprises the following:

an act of the network server receiving a request for displayable content via network messaging.

20. The computing system as recited in claim 10, wherein the act of the network server receiving a request for displayable content comprises the following:

an act of the network server receiving a request for displayable content via receiving a call to an Application Program Interface (API).