Achieving application-specific document content by transcoding using Java Server Pages

• US 6,715,129 B1
• Filed: 10/13/1999
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lindquist, David B., Hind, John Raithel, Wesley, Ajamu A., Topol, Brad B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUDWIG, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US09/417,880
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/501.1, 707/523, 707/513, 715/513, 715/507, 715/522, 715/505, 717/116
• US Class Current: 715/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for using Java Server Pages to enable transcoding the content of a document requested by a client, in order to tailor the output document according to application-specific characteristics. In particular, the present invention enables the JSP author to override input source request characteristics and to specify transcoding hints to be used by a transcoding filter for selecting an appropriate style sheet.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied on one or more computer readable media readable by one or more computing systems in a computing environment, for achieving application-specific document content using Java Server Pages, comprising:

computer-readable program code means for retrieving an input Java Server Pages (JSP) document representing a response to a user request, said input document specifying (1) one or more transcoding directives, wherein each of said transcoding directives comprises one or more overriding keyword/value pairs, each of said overriding keyword/value pairs specifying application-specific information for overriding corresponding information of a target context that is applicable to said user request and (2) one or more transcoding hints, each of said transcoding hints specifying information usable or identifying one or more style sheets that are applicable to said input document;

computer-readable program code means for processing said one or more transcoding directives, further comprising;

computer-readable program code means for locating said one or more transcoding directives in said input document;

computer-readable program code means for determining said target context that is applicable to said user request, said target context comprising one or more context keyword/value pairs; and

computer-readable program code means for comparing each of said overriding keyword/value pairs to said context keyword/value pairs and replacing a context value from a selected one of said context keyword/value pairs with an overriding value from a selected one of said overriding keyword/value pairs when an overriding keyword of said selected overriding pair corresponds to a context keyword of said selected context pair;

computer-readable program code means for using said context keyword/value pairs, as modified by said computer-readable program code means for comparing and replacing, to generate a tailored output version of said input document; and

computer-readable program code means for using said transcoding hints to search for style sheets to use in further refining said tailored output version.

2. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein said computer-readable program code means for using said context keyword/value pair further comprises computer-readable program code means for executing a transcoding filter that uses, as an input to said execution, said context keyword/value pairs as modified by said computer-readable program code means for comparing and replacing.

3. The computer program product according to claim 1, further comprising:

computer-readable program code means for retrieving style sheets located by said computer-readable program code means for using said transcoding hints; and

computer-readable program code means for executing a transcoding filter which applies said retrieved style sheets to said tailored output version, thereby generating said further refined tailored output version.

4. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein said computer-readable program code means for using said context keyword/value pairs and said computer-readable program code means for using said transcoding hints to search for style sheets are replaced by:

computer-readable program code means for using said basic hints and said context keyword/value pairs, as modified by said computer-readable program code means for comparing and replacing, to select one or more appropriate style sheets to use in transforming said input document;

computer-readable program code means for retrieving said selected style sheets; and

computer-readable program code means for executing a transcoding filter which applies said selected style sheet to said input document, thereby generating a tailored output version of said input document.

5. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein said style sheets are specified in an Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) notation.

6. A system for achieving application-specific document content using Java Server Pages in a computing environment, comprising:

means for retrieving an input Java Server Pages (JSP) document representing a response to a user request, said input document specifying (1) one or more transcoding directives, wherein each of said transcoding directives comprises one or more overriding keyword/value pairs, each of said overriding keyword/value pairs specifying application-specific information for overriding corresponding information of a target context that is applicable to said user request and (2) one or more transcoding hints, each of said transcoding hints specifying information usable for identifying one or more style sheets that are applicable to said input document;

means for processing said one or more transcoding directives, further comprising;

means for locating said one or more transcoding directives in said input document;

means for determining said target context that is applicable to said user request, said target context comprising one or more context keyword/value pairs; and

means for comparing each of said overriding keyword/value pairs to said context keyword/value pairs and replacing a context value from a selected one of said context keyword/value pairs with an overriding value from a selected one of said overriding keyword/value pairs when an overriding keyword of said selected overriding pair corresponds to a context keyword of said context pair;

means for using said context keyword/value pairs, as modified by said means for comparing and replacing, to generate a tailored output version of said input document; and

means for using said transcoding hints to search for style sheets to use in further refining said tailored output version.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said means for using said context keyword/value pairs further comprises means for executing a transcoding filter that uses, as an input to said execution, said context keyword/value pairs as modified by said means for comparing and replacing.

8. The system according to claim 6, further comprising:

means for retrieving style sheets located by said means for using said transcoding hints; and

means for executing a transcoding filter which applies said retrieved style sheets to said tailored output version, thereby generating said further refined tailored output version.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein said means for using said context keyword/value pairs and said means for using said transcoding hints to search for style sheets are replaced by:

means for using said transcoding hints and said context keyword/value pairs, as modified by said means for comparing and replacing, to select one or more appropriate style sheets to use in transforming said input document;

means for retrieving said selected style sheets; and

means for executing a transcoding filter which applies said selected style sheets to said input document, thereby generating a tailored output version of said input document.

10. The system according to claim 6, wherein said style sheets are specified in an Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) notation.

11. A method for achieving application-specific document content using Java Server Pages in a computing environment, comprising the steps of:

retrieving an input Java Server Pages (JSP) document representing a response to a user request, said input document specifying (1) one or more transcoding directives, wherein each of said transcoding directives comprises one or more overriding keyword/value pairs, each of said overriding keyword/value pairs specifying application-specific information for overriding corresponding information of a target context that is applicable to said user request and (2) one or more transcoding hints, each of said transcoding hints specifying information usable for identifying one or more style sheets that are applicable to said input document;

processing said one or more transcoding directives, further comprising the steps of;

locating said one or more transcoding directives in said input document;

determining said target context that is applicable to said user request, said target context comprising one or more context keyword/value pairs; and

comparing each of said overriding keyword/value pairs to said context keyword/value pairs and replacing a context value from a selected one of said context keyword/value pairs with an overriding value from a selected one of said overriding keyword/value pairs when an overriding keyword of said selected overriding pair corresponds to a context keyword of said selected context pair;

using said context keyword/value pairs, as modified by said comparing and replacing step, to generate a tailored output version of said input document; and

using said transcoding hints to search for style sheets to use in further refining said tailored output version.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said step of using said context keyword/value pairs further comprises the step of executing a transcoding filter that uses, as an input to said execution, said context keyword/value pairs as modified by said step of comparing and replacing.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

retrieving style sheets located by said step of using said transcoding hints; and

executing a transcoding filter which applies said retrieved style sheets to said tailored output version, thereby generating said further refined tailored output version.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein said step of using said context keyword/value pairs and said step of using said transcoding hints to search for style sheets are replaced by the steps of:

using said transcoding hints and said context keyword/value pairs, as modified by said step of comparing and replacing, to select one or more appropriate style sheets to use in transforming said input document;

retrieving said selected style sheets; and

executing a transcoding filter which applies said selected style sheets to said input document, thereby generating a tailored output version of said input document.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein said style sheets are specified in an Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) notation.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein said tailored output version accounts for said application-specific information of each of said selected overriding pairs.

17. A method of transcoding content in an application-specific manner, comprising steps of:

receiving a user request for content, wherein said request identifies executable logic expressed in a server-side scripting language;

executing said executable logic, responsive to receiving said request, thereby generating a dynamic version of said content, wherein said dynamic version includes one or more transcoding hints, each of said transcoding hints specifying application-specific suggestions for subsequently locating style sheets that are appropriate for transcoding said dynamic version;

subsequently using said transcoding hints to locate one or more appropriate style sheets for transcoding said dynamic version; and

using said located style sheets to transcode said dynamic version in an application-specific manner.

18. A system for transcoding content in an application-specific manner, comprising:

mean for receiving a user request for content, wherein said request identifies executable logic expressed in a server-side scripting language;

means for executing said executable logic, responsive to receiving said request, thereby generating a dynamic version of said content, wherein said dynamic version includes one or more transcoding hints, each of said transcoding hints specifying application-specific suggestions for subsequently locating style sheets that are appropriate for transcoding said dynamic version;

means for subsequently using said transcoding hints to locate one or more appropriate style sheets for transcoding said dynamic version; and

means for using said located style sheets to transcode said dynamic version in an application-specific manner.

19. A computer program product embodied on one or more computer-readable media readable by one or more computing systems in a computing environment, for transcoding content in an application-specific manner, comprising:

computer-readable program code means for receiving a user request for content, wherein said request identifies executable logic expressed in a server-side scripting language;

computer-readable program code means for executing said executable logic, responsive to receiving said request, thereby generating a dynamic version of said content, wherein said dynamic version includes one or more transcoding hints, each of said transcoding hints specifying application-specific suggestions for subsequently locating style sheets that are appropriate for transcoding said dynamic version;

computer-readable program code means for subsequently using said transcoding hints to locate one or more appropriate style sheets for transcoding said dynamic version; and

computer-readable program code means for using said located style sheets to transcoding said dynamic version in an application-specific manner.