Method and system for client-side manipulation of tables

• US 20060106844A1
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Naick, Indran, Wilson, Jeffrey K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,812,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

Provided is a system and method for providing a browser functionality to determine the existence of a table, identify data therein and manipulate the data according to a user'"'"'s input. Thus, a method for manipulating data tables in a client machine includes determining at the client machine, existence of a table via a loaded graphical user interface operable with a markup language; extracting data from the table; storing the data from the table in a local cache; manipulating the data in the local cache; and displaying the data in a user-defined table by applying a function within the graphical user interface. The manipulating can include sorting the data in the local cache which could include re-sorting the data according to user-defined parameters. The user-defined parameters can include determining a column by which to sort and a row by which to sort. The table on the client computer can be generated by the graphical user interface loading a Web page from a server machine. The graphical user interface can be a Web browser or can be operable with a Web browser. Alternatively, the function within the graphical user interface is a preset set of functions.

Claims

1. A method for manipulating tables from a client machine, the method comprising:

determining at the client machine, existence of a table via a loaded graphical user interface operable with a markup language;

extracting data from the table;

storing the data from the table in a local cache;

manipulating the data in the local cache; and

displaying the data in a user-defined table by applying a function within the graphical user interface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the manipulating the data in the local cache further comprises sorting or re-sorting the data according to user-defined parameters.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the user-defined parameters include one or more of a column by which to sort and a row by which to sort.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the table on the client computer is generated by the graphical user interface loading a Web page from a server machine.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the graphical user interface is a Web browser.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the function within the graphical user interface is a preset set of functions.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the functions are written in JavaScript.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface is operable with a browser, the browser being configured to store resorted or filtered data from the table and display a page according to each resort or filter.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the manipulating includes sorting according to a sorting algorithm run via a program on the client machine.

10. A computer program product comprising code for performing acts manipulating tables from a client machine, the acts including:

determining at the client machine, existence of a table via a loaded graphical user interface operable with a markup language;

extracting data from the table;

storing the data from the table in a local cache;

manipulating the data in the local cache; and

displaying the data in a user-defined table by applying a function within the graphical user interface.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the manipulating the data in the local cache further comprises sorting or re-sorting the data according to user-defined parameters.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the user-defined parameters include one or more of a column by which to sort and a row by which to sort.

13. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the table on the client computer is generated by the graphical user interface loading a Web page from a server machine.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the graphical user interface is a Web browser.

15. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the function within the graphical user interface is a preset set of functions.

16. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the graphical user interface is operable with a browser, the browser being configured to store resorted or filtered data from the table and display a page according to each resort or filter.

17. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the manipulating includes sorting according to a sorting algorithm run via a program on the client machine.

18. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a graphical user interface coupled to the processor, the graphical user interface configured to determine existence of a table via the loaded graphical user interface operable with a markup language;

a manipulation module configured to extract data from the table, store the data from the table in a local cache and manipulate the data in the local cache; and

a rewrite module configured to display the data in a user-defined table by applying a function within the graphical user interface.

19. The computer system of claim 18 wherein the manipulation module performs a sorting algorithm run via a program on the client machine.