OPTIMIZED DELIVERY OF WEB APPLICATION CODE

• US 20110213834A1
• Filed: 05/10/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: KIEFFER, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,713,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Application code for deployment to a client over a data link is optimized to minimize download time by supplying only the application code with a particular object that is required by the object. In a web application that includes multiple pages, the HTML and JAVASCRIPT are scanned to identify code resources called by a particular web page. When all called resources are identified, they are extracted and concatenated into a single resource file. When the page is downloaded to the client, the import file is included with the page. The import file may be cached so that it need only be downloaded once, rather than being downloaded every time the page is requested. The invention is suitable for use with other interpreted scripting languages.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A computer-implemented method for preparing external code referenced by a web page for deployment to a client over a data link, the method comprising:

identifying external code referenced by the web page;

extracting, with at least one processor, the identified external code referenced by the web page from at least one import file associated with the web page;

concatenating, using at least one computer processor, the extracted external code into a new import file; and

transmitting the new import file and the web page to the client in response to a request from the client to access the web page.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one import file includes code which is not referenced by the web page as well as external code referenced by the web page.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the external code comprises a web application, and the web page comprises hypertext markup language (HTML) code and at least one embedded code block written in a scripting language.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the scripting language comprises any of JAVASCRIPT and VBSCRIPT.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the external code is contained in the at least one embedded code block, the at least one import file, or both.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying the external code referenced by the web page comprises:

scanning the HTML code of the web page;

scanning the at least one embedded code block;

scanning the at least one import file; and

identifying one or more entry points included in at least one of the HTML code, the at least one embedded code block, and the at least one import file.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identified one or more entry points comprise at least one of HTML tags that incorporate JAVASCRIPT statements, actions associated with web page elements, or document object model (DOM) events.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the actions associated with web page elements include HTML form actions.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying the external code referenced by the web page comprises:

identifying the at least one embedded code block and the at least one import file;

identifying one or more resources referenced by the web page;

creating a resource information object for at least one of the identified one or more resources; and

creating at least one list of the resource information objects.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the identified one or more resources comprise at least one of functions, a virtual function, methods, sub-routines, or a code block that performs a specific task.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtual function comprises at least one of a placeholder in the HTML code, instructions and resources included in the at least one embedded code block, or a web page element invokes a plurality of the functions.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the external code comprises using an analysis tool incorporating one of IO support, support for collections, arrays, or hash maps.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the analysis tool comprises one of a PERL script or a JAVASCRIPT engine.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program product that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform a method for preparing external code referenced by a web page for deployment to a client over a data link, the method comprising:

identifying external code referenced by the web page;

extracting the identified external code referenced by the web page from at least one import file associated with the web page;

concatenating the extracted external code into a new import file; and

transmitting the new import file and the web page to the client in response to a request from the client to access the web page.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the at least one import file includes code which is not referenced by the web page as well as external code referenced by the web page.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the external code comprises a web application and the web page comprises hypertext markup language (HTML) code and at least one embedded code block written in a scripting language.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the external code is contained in the at least one embedded code block, the at least one import file, or both.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein identifying the external code referenced by the web page comprises:

scanning the HTML code of the web page;

scanning the at least one embedded code block;

scanning the at least one import file; and

identifying one or more entry points included in at least one of the HTML code, the at least one embedded code block, and the at least one import file.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the identified one or more entry points comprise at least one of HTML tags that incorporate JAVASCRIPT statements, actions associated with web page elements, or document object model (DOM) events.

21. A system for preparing external application code of a web page for deployment to a client over a network, the system comprising:

a communication device for communicating with the client over the network;

a server system comprising a memory and at least one processor; and

a program system stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the at least one processor to;

identify external application code referenced by the web page;

extract the identified external application code referenced by the web page from at least one import file associated with the web page;

concatenate the extracted external application code into a new import file; and

send, via the communication device, the new import file and the web page to the client in response to a request from the client to access the web page.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one import file includes code which is not referenced by the web page as well as external code referenced by the web page.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the external code comprises a web application, and the web page comprises hypertext markup language (HTML) code and at least one embedded code block written in a scripting language.