User-controlled web browser table reduction

• US 20060041835A1
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, Keith Raymond, Handy-Bosma, John Hans, Chen, Yen-Fu, Sun, Nancy
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions

Abstract

The invention that meets the needs identified above is a web browser plug-in or feature comprising a modification program (MP), a configuration program (CP), a table reduction program (TRP), algorithms and rules, that interacts with a web browser to analyze a web page for tables. The analysis consists of interrogating incoming hypertext markup language (HTML) for table structure <table>, <tr>, <th> and <td> tags, and incoming text for delimiters. The configuration program introduces controls into the text for each column and row delimeter that met a criteria for being hideable. In addition, the configuration program introduces controls into the HTML for each column and row tag that met a criteria for being hideable. The configuration program links the controls to a hiding algorithm so that when activated, the appropriate hiding algorithm will act on the row or column associated with the control. The controls are injected before the web browser renders the web page. When the web browser renders the web page, the web browser recognizes and interprets the injected HTML code so that the table may be reduced by the table reduction program.

Claims

1. A method for reducing the size of a table in a web page comprising:

receiving the web page at a computer connected to the Internet;

interrogating incoming hypertext markup languge in the web page for a table structure tag;

responsive to finding a table structure tag, marking the table structure tag as a potentially hideable tag;

determining whether the potentially hideable tag meets a criteria for hiding;

responsive to determining that the potentially hideable tag meets the criteria, introducing a control into the potentially hideable tag to create a hideable tag;

linking the control to a hiding algorithm; and

activating the control so that the data associated with the table structure tag is not displayed and the table is reduced in size.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

setting a priority for hide precedence.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting an algorithm.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the selected algorithm loads a plurality of hideable data into a Java String array so that a plurality of header fields in an array list will be hidden.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the selected algorithm translates a plurality of table data into an extensible markup language (XML) format so that an XML parser or extensible style sheet language (XSL) parser can be applied to hide the data.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a separate display within a browser display.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a display in an area separate from a browser display.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a preview display in a separate panel showing dynamically updated data.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein a table reduction is applied when the preview display shows data hidden in a reduced table of desirable size.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the user selects table reduction from a context menu.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the user selects table reduction from a dedicated toolbar.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the user selects table reduction from a dedicated control panel.

13. The method of claim of claim 12 wherein the dedicated control panel is stored as global preset.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the algorithm is activated by selecting an icon associated with the control.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

choosing a “

remember page options”

setting.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

applying a plurality of persistent settings to all web pages.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

applying predictive heading names to highlight with a certain value.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the control will be activated if a pre-designated word associated with a <

th>

tag or a <

td>

tag appears on the web page.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein an option to hide rows cannot be displayed until a pre-designated number of contiguous rows are displayed.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein an option to hide columns cannot be displayed until a predesignated number of contiguous columns are displayed.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining a copy of the latest hidden dataset in memory.

22. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing an automatic hide capability.

23. An apparatus for hiding data in a table of a web page comprising:

a web server connected to the Internet;

a computer connected to the Internet;

a program in the memory of the computer that causes the computer to perform the following steps;

receiving the web page at a computer connected to the Internet;

interrogating incoming hypertext markup languge in the web page for a table structure tag;

responsive to finding a table structure tag, marking the table structure tag as a potentially hideable tag;

determining whether the potentially hideable tag meets a criteria for table reduction;

responsive to determining that the potentially hideable tag meets the criteria, introducing a control into the potentially hideable tag to create a hideable tag;

linking the control to a hiding alogorithm; and

activating the control so that the data associated with the table structure tag is hidden.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

configured as a stand alone application.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

setting a priority for hide precedence.

26. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

selecting an algorithm.

27. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the selected algorithm loads a plurality of hideable data into a Java String array so that a plurality of header fields in an array list will be hidden.

28. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the selected algorithm translates a plurality of table data into an extensible markup language (XML) format so that an XML parser or extensible style sheet language (XSL) can be applied to hide the data.

29. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the selected algorithm identifies a format providing date and time and hides the data chronologically.

30. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the format is universal time coordinate.

31. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the format is extensible markup language XML.

32. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

providing a separate display within a browser display.

33. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

providing a display in an area separate from a browser display.

34. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

providing a preview display in a separate panel showing dynamically updated data.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the hide controls are applied when the preview display shows a desirable table reduction.

36. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the user selects table reduction from a context menu.

37. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the user selects table reduction from a dedicated toolbar.

38. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the user selects table reduction from a dedicated control panel.

39. The apparatus of claim of claim 23 wherein the dedicated control panel is stored as global preset.

40. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the algorithm is activated by selecting a icon associated with the control.

41. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

choosing a “

remember page options”

setting.

42. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

appling a plurality of persistent settings to all web pages.

43. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

applying predictive heading names to highlight a <

th>

tag or a <

td>

tag with a certain value.

44. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the control will be activated if a pre-designated word appears on the web page.

45. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein an option to hide rows cannot be displayed until a pre-designated number of contiguous rows are displayed.

46. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein an option to hide columns cannot be displayed until a predesignated number of contiguous columns are displayed.

47. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

maintaining a copy of the latest hidden dataset in memory.

48. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

providing an automatic hide capability.