Systems and Methods for Communication Across Multiple Browser Pages for an Application

• US 20180322216A1
• Filed: 06/05/2018
• Published: 11/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Open Text Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Text Corporation
• Inventors: Vaidya, Samir Yasin, Bhatia, Swati
• Granted Patent: US 10,769,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A system for composing browser-based applications is enhanced with cross-tab communication capability. At design time, responsive to a configuration instruction from a user, the system configures a user interface (UI) event for a browser-based application such that the UI event is publishable across all open browser tabs at application runtime. Responsive to a publication instruction from the user, the system configures a first application page to generate the UI event at application runtime in response to a trigger and to publish the UI event to browser local storage. Responsive to a subscription instruction from the user, the system configures a second application page to periodically poll the browser local storage for the user interface event at application runtime and, in response to the UI event published by the first application page to the browser local storage, process the UI event and automatically immediately update the second application page.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

stored instructions translatable by the processor to perform;

providing an application designer tool for composing browser-based applications, the application designer tool having a plurality of components including a user interface composition function;

responsive to a cross-tab communication instruction from a user through the user interface composition function, configuring a user interface event for a browser-based application such that the user interface event is publishable across all open browser tabs at runtime of the browser-based application;

responsive to a publication instruction from the user through the user interface composition function, configuring a first application page of the browser-based application to generate the user interface event at runtime of the browser-based application in response to a trigger and to publish the user interface event to a browser local storage; and

responsive to a subscription instruction from the user through the user interface composition function, configuring a second application page of the browser-based application to periodically poll the browser local storage for the user interface event at runtime of the browser-based application and, in response to the user interface event published by the first application page to the browser local storage at runtime of the browser-based application, process the user interface event and update the second application page.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions are further translatable by the processor to perform:

configuring the first application page of the browser-based application to publish the user interface event to the browser local storage by creating a data structure containing event data for the user interface event and storing the data structure in the browser local storage.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data structure includes an event name and a payload for the user interface event.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored instructions are further translatable by the processor to perform:

responsive to subscription instructions from the user to configure a plurality of application pages of the browser-based application to subscribe to the user interface event, configuring the plurality of application pages to each periodically poll the browser local storage for the user interface event at runtime of the browser-based application and, in response to the user interface event published by the first application page to the browser local storage at runtime of the browser-based application, to each process the user interface event and update the each application page.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the stored instructions are further translatable by the processor to perform:

configuring the plurality of application pages to, in response to the user interface event published by the first application page to the browser local storage at runtime of the browser-based application, each append a tab identifier to a data structure for the user interface event in the browser local storage.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the stored instructions are further translatable by the processor to perform:

configuring the plurality of application pages to each check a master list in the browser local storage, determine whether the each application page is last to process the user interface event, and, responsive to a determination of being last to process the user interface event, removing the user interface event from the browser local storage.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface composition function of the application designer tool includes a cross-tab communication mechanism and wherein the cross-tab communication instruction is received from the user by the user selecting the cross-tab communication mechanism in configuring the user interface event for the browser-based application at design time.

8. A method, comprising:

providing, by a computer, an application designer tool for composing browser-based applications, the application designer tool having a plurality of components including a user interface composition function;

responsive to a cross-tab communication instruction from a user through the user interface composition function, configuring, by the computer, a user interface event for a browser-based application such that the user interface event is publishable across all open browser tabs at runtime of the browser-based application;

responsive to a publication instruction from the user through the user interface composition function, configuring, by the computer, a first application page of the browser-based application to generate the user interface event at runtime of the browser-based application in response to a trigger and to publish the user interface event to a browser local storage; and

responsive to a subscription instruction from the user through the user interface composition function, configuring, by the computer, a second application page of the browser-based application to periodically poll the browser local storage for the user interface event at runtime of the browser-based application and, in response to the user interface event published by the first application page to the browser local storage at runtime of the browser-based application, process the user interface event and update the second application page.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

configuring, by the computer, the first application page of the browser-based application to publish the user interface event to the browser local storage by creating a data structure containing event data for the user interface event and storing the data structure in the browser local storage.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the data structure includes an event name and a payload for the user interface event.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

responsive to subscription instructions from the user to configure a plurality of application pages of the browser-based application to subscribe to the user interface event, configuring, by the computer, the plurality of application pages to each periodically poll the browser local storage for the user interface event at runtime of the browser-based application and, in response to the user interface event published by the first application page to the browser local storage at runtime of the browser-based application, to each process the user interface event and update the each application page.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

configuring, by the computer, the plurality of application pages to, in response to the user interface event published by the first application page to the browser local storage at runtime of the browser-based application, each append a tab identifier to a data structure for the user interface event in the browser local storage.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

configuring, by the computer, the plurality of application pages to each check a master list in the browser local storage, determine whether the each application page is last to process the user interface event, and, responsive to a determination of being last to process the user interface event, removing the user interface event from the browser local storage.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the user interface composition function of the application designer tool includes a cross-tab communication mechanism and wherein the cross-tab communication instruction is received from the user by the user selecting the cross-tab communication mechanism in configuring the user interface event for the browser-based application at design time.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions translatable by a processor to perform:

providing an application designer tool for composing browser-based applications, the application designer tool having a plurality of components including a user interface composition function;

responsive to a cross-tab communication instruction from a user through the user interface composition function, configuring a user interface event for a browser-based application such that the user interface event is publishable across all open browser tabs at runtime of the browser-based application;

responsive to a publication instruction from the user through the user interface composition function, configuring a first application page of the browser-based application to generate the user interface event at runtime of the browser-based application in response to a trigger and to publish the user interface event to a browser local storage; and

responsive to a subscription instruction from the user through the user interface composition function, configuring a second application page of the browser-based application to periodically poll the browser local storage for the user interface event at runtime of the browser-based application and, in response to the user interface event published by the first application page to the browser local storage at runtime of the browser-based application, process the user interface event and update the second application page.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the processor to perform:

configuring the first application page of the browser-based application to publish the user interface event to the browser local storage by creating a data structure containing event data for the user interface event and storing the data structure in the browser local storage.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the data structure includes an event name and a payload for the user interface event.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the processor to perform:

responsive to subscription instructions from the user to configure a plurality of application pages of the browser-based application to subscribe to the user interface event, configuring the plurality of application pages to each periodically poll the browser local storage for the user interface event at runtime of the browser-based application and, in response to the user interface event published by the first application page to the browser local storage at runtime of the browser-based application, to each process the user interface event and update the each application page.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the processor to perform:

configuring the plurality of application pages to, in response to the user interface event published by the first application page to the browser local storage at runtime of the browser-based application, each append a tab identifier to a data structure for the user interface event in the browser local storage.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the processor to perform:

configuring the plurality of application pages to each check a master list in the browser local storage, determine whether the each application page is last to process the user interface event, and, responsive to a determination of being last to process the user interface event, removing the user interface event from the browser local storage.