System, method and computer program product for publishing interactive web content as a statically linked web hierarchy

• US 20060248453A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Davia, Christopher J., Beranek, Michael J., Stapel, Steven W., Bonasso, Jeffrey J., Bennett, Craig A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,770 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

With a client connected to a server, an agent tool simulates user interaction and traversal of dynamic web pages, causing the server-side processes to serve HTML pages to the client. As these pages are served, they are collected by the agent, modified to include static hyperlinks to replace the server side directed navigation logic, and then persistently stored in local files where they are available for off-line navigation by a browser without the need for accessing the server(s). In effect, the HTML pages are published.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. Method for accessing the content of pages dynamically generated by a web server based on user interaction without being connected to said server, comprising the steps of:

getting the address of said server;

setting a next locator value to correspond to the address of said server;

opening a connection to said next locator value;

requesting and storing to memory the content accessed by said next locator value;

parsing through said memory to identify all references to locator values;

repeating said opening, requesting and storing, and parsing steps for each said locator value while storing said content accessed by each said locator value to a corresponding local file; and

processing content stored to said local files to replace said locator values with local file references.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of publishing to a client based storage medium said local files with said locator values replaced with local file references for accessing though a browser not connected to said server.

12. Method for accessing the content of pages dynamically generated by a web server based on user interaction without being connected to said server, comprising the steps of:

getting the address of said server;

setting a next locator value to correspond to the address of said server;

opening a connection to said next locator value;

requesting and storing to memory the content accessed by said next locator value;

parsing through said memory to identify all references to locator values;

processing content stored to memory to replace said locator values with local file references; and

repeating said opening, requesting and storing, parsing, and processing steps for each said locator value.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of publishing said content to a client based storage medium for accessing by a computer browser not connected to said server.

15-16. -16. (canceled)

17. Method for transforming a server set of hyper-text markup language requiring server interaction to a client set of hyper-text markup language not requiring server interaction, comprising the steps of:

executing server logic on said server set responsive to user parameters served by a client based agent to generate said server set of hyper-text markup language;

storing at said client said server set of hyper-text markup language; and

replacing dynamic links in said server set with local file references to generate said client set of hyper-text markup language.

18. An agent for transforming a server set of hyper-text markup language (HTML) requiring server interaction to a client set of HTML not requiring server interaction, comprising:

said agent being operable for serving to said server user parameters for executing server logic on said server set to generate said server set of hyper-text markup language;

a store at said client for storing said server set of hyper-text markup language; and

said agent being further operable for replacing dynamic links in said server set with local file references to generate said client set of hyper-text markup language.

19. System for resolving and storing dynamic links as static links, comprising a client agent for requesting and storing a server generated web page;

parsing said server generated web page to identify said dynamic links; and

replacing said dynamic links with static links in a local file corresponding to said web page.

20. The system of claim 19, said client agent further storing said local file to persistent storage;

and further comprising a client browser for accessing said local file.

21. The system of claim 19, said client agent being operable for iteratively requesting and storing, parsing, and replacing dynamic links with static links in each of a plurality of server generated web pages;

and

further comprising a local store for storing said plurality of web pages as a collection of statically linked web pages available to a client browser without further reference to said server.

22. The system of claim 21, said local store being a persistent store.

23. System for accessing the content of pages dynamically generated by a web server based on user interaction without being connected to said server, comprising:

means for getting the address of said server;

means for setting a next locator value to correspond to the address of said server;

means for opening a connection to said next locator value;

means for requesting and storing to memory the content accessed by said next locator value;

means for parsing through said memory to identify all references to locator values;

means for iteratively opening, requesting and storing, and parsing each said locator value while storing said content accessed by each said locator value to a corresponding local file; and

means for processing content stored to said local files to replace said locator values with local file references.

24. System for accessing the content of pages dynamically generated by a web server based on user interaction without being connected to said server, comprising:

means for getting the address of said server;

means for setting a next locator value to correspond to the address of said server;

means for opening a connection to said next locator value;

means for requesting and storing to memory the content accessed by said next locator value;

means for parsing through said memory to identify all references to locator values;

means for processing content stored to memory to replace said locator values with local file references; and

means for repeating said opening, requesting and storing, parsing, and processing steps for each said locator value.

25-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A computer program product configured to be operable to replace dynamic hypertext markup language (HTML) links with computed static representations in accordance with the steps of:

executing server logic on a server set of HTML links responsive to user parameters served by a agent to generate said server set of hyper-text markup language;

storing said server set of hyper-text markup language; and

replacing dynamic links in said server set with local file references to generate said client set of hyper-text markup language.

28. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for accessing the content of pages dynamically generated by a web server based on user interaction without being connected to said server, said method steps comprising:

getting the address of said server;

setting a next locator value to correspond to the address of said server;

opening a connection to said next locator value;

requesting and storing to memory the content accessed by said next locator value;

parsing through said memory to identify all references to locator values;

repeating said opening, requesting and storing, and parsing steps for each said locator value while storing said content accessed by each said locator value to a corresponding local file; and

processing content stored to said local files to replace said locator values with local file references.

29. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for accessing the content of pages dynamically generated by a web server based on user interaction without being connected to said server, said method steps comprising:

getting the address of said server;

setting a next locator value to correspond to the address of said server;

opening a connection to said next locator value;

requesting and storing to memory the content accessed by said next locator value;

parsing through said memory to identify all references to locator values;

processing content stored to memory to replace said locator values with local file references; and

repeating said opening, requesting and storing, parsing, and processing steps for each said locator value.

30. The program storage device of claim 29, said method steps further comprising the step of publishing to a client based storage medium said local files with said locator values replaced with local file references for accessing though a browser not connected to said server.

31. Method for accessing at a client the content of pages dynamically generated by a web server based on user interaction without said client being connected to said server, comprising the steps of:

with said client connected to said server,

simulating user interaction and traversal of dynamic web pages to cause server processes to serve web pages to said client; and

collecting said web pages as they are served;

modifying the collected web pages to include static hyperlinks to replace server side directed navigation logic; and

persistently storing said collected web pages including said static hyperlinks in local files where they are available for off-line navigation by a client browser.

32. A computer program product for accessing the content of pages dynamically generated by a web server based on user interaction without being connected to said server, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions for getting the address of said server;

second program instructions for setting a next locator value to correspond to the address of said server;

third program instructions for opening a connection to said next locator value;

fourth program instructions for requesting and storing to memory the content accessed by said next locator value;

fifth program instructions for parsing through said memory to identify all references to locator values;

sixth program instructions for processing content stored to memory to replace said locator values with local file references;

seventh program instructions for repeating said opening, requesting and storing, parsing, and processing steps for each said locator value; and

wherein

said first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh program instructions are recorded on said computer readable storage medium.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, further comprising:

eighth program instructions for publishing to a client based storage medium said local files with said locator values replaced with local file references for accessing though a browser not connected to said server; and

wherein

said eighth program instructions are recorded on said computer readable storage medium.

34. A computer program product for accessing at a client the content of pages dynamically generated by a web server based on user interaction without said client being connected to said server, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions for simulating user interaction and traversal of dynamic web pages to cause server processes to serve web pages to said client with said client connected to said server and collecting said web pages as they are served;

second program instructions for modifying the collected web pages to include static hyperlinks to replace server side directed navigation logic;

third program instructions for persistently storing said collected web pages including said static hyperlinks in local files where they are available for off-line navigation by a client browser;

fourth program instructions for navigating said static hyperlinks at said client; and

wherein

said first, second, third, and fourth program instructions are recorded on said computer readable storage medium.