Method and system for evaluating applications on different user agents

• US 6,918,066 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2001
• Issued: 07/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, Janakiraman, Janani
• Primary Examiner(s): BADERMAN, SCOTT T
• Application Number:
  US09/963,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 714/33, 714/37, 714/47, 715/501.1, 715/736, 715/738
• US Class Current: 714/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

The present invention is a method to develop and test the WML/HTML applications, and in particular web sites, on a multitude of user agents/browsers at the same time. The user selects the browsers in which the user has an interest. The method executes the web site file on the selected browsers and then displays on a virtual screen, screen shots of the file as viewed on different browsers. The user can use this information to modify their HTML/WML source code and run the code again through the program and view the changes in the output. The present invention can incorporate a WML/HTML editor, which will allow the user to make changes on-line and recheck their results. This method receives a HTML/WML file, selects a browser on which to display the file, edit the displayed output to the file and displays the edited version of the file on the screen. This process can be repeated for a number of browsers.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating a web page from a web site simultaneously on different browser programs comprising the steps of:

retrieving a web page from a web site file;

simultaneously executing the web page in the different browser programs wherein the same file data is executed in each browser program;

comparing each browser program output against an established browser criteria;

simultaneously displaying the selected web browser outputs of the web page on a screen; and

simultaneously displaying with the browser program outputs, the results of a comparison of each browser output against an established browser criteria.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

executing the displayed web page on selected browser emulators, the displayed web page having been modified in response to the displayed browser outputs and browser comparisons;

comparing each browser program output for the modified web page against the established browser criteria; and

simultaneously displaying selected web browser outputs of the modified web page and the results of a comparison of each browser output against an established browser criteria for the modified page.

3. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising before said web page execution step, the steps of:

receiving a web page file;

uploading the web page file; and

retrieving a set of browser criteria to be used in the browser output comparison.

4. The method as described in claim 3 further comprising before said web page file receiving step, the step of receiving a URL pointing to the web page file.

5. The method as described claim 1 wherein said web browser outputs are displayed in a side-by-side fashion to enable a user to compare the displays of the browser outputs.

6. The method as described in claim 5 wherein said web browser display step comprises displaying each browser output in a separate window space on a display screen.

7. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising the step of selecting a second web page from the same web site, said selection being made through one of the browser outputs for the web page currently being displayed.

8. The method as described in claim 7 further comprising the step of displaying the selected web page on each of the different browser programs.

9. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said comparison step further comprises the step of generating a scorecard containing the results of the comparison for each different browser program.

10. The method as described in claim 9 wherein a scorecard is generated for each browser program based on the established browser comparison criteria.

11. The method as described in claim 1 wherein a web page from a web site file is uploaded on a scorecard server.

12. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the established set of browser criteria is uploaded on a scorecard server.

13. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for evaluating a web page simultaneously on different browser programs comprising of:

instructions for retrieving a web page from a web site file;

instructions for simultaneously executing the web page in the different browser programs wherein the same file data is executed in each browser program;

instructions for comparing each browser program output against an established browser criteria;

instructions for simultaneously displaying selected web browser outputs of the web page on a screen; and

instructions for simultaneously displaying with the browser program outputs, the results of a comparison of each browser output against an established browser criteria.

14. The computer program product as described in claim 13 further comprising instructions for:

instructions for executing the displayed web page on selected browser emulators, the web page having been modified in response to the displayed browser outputs and browser comparisons;

instructions for comparing each browser program output for the modified web page against the established browser criteria; and

instructions for simultaneously displaying the selected web browser outputs of the modified web page and the results of a comparison of each browser output against an established browser criteria for the modified page.

15. The computer product program as described in claim 13 further comprising before said web page execution instruction;

instructions for receiving a web page file;

instructions for uploading the web page file; and

instructions for retrieving a set of browser criteria to be used in the browser output comparison.

16. The computer product program as described in claim 15 further comprising before said web page file receiving instruction, the instructions for receiving a URL pointing to the web page file.

17. The computer product program as described claim 13 further comprising instructions for displaying said web browser outputs in a side-by-side fashion to enable a user to compare the displays of the browser outputs.

18. The computer product program as described in claim 17 wherein said web browser display instructions comprise instructions for displaying each browser output in a separate window space on a display screen.

19. The computer product program as described in claim 15 further comprising instructions for selecting a second web page from the same web page file, said selection being made through one of the browser outputs for the web page currently being displayed.

20. The computer product program as described in claim 19 further comprising the instructions for displaying the selected web page on each of the different browser programs.

21. The computer product program as described in claim 13 wherein said comparison instruction further comprises instructions for generating a scorecard containing the results of the comparison for each different browser program.

22. A system for evaluating a web page simultaneously on different browser programs comprising:

browser programs capable of running a web site file and displaying an output web page for each browser program;

a user interface machine capable of simultaneously displaying the web page on multiple web browser programs;

a browser evaluation program in communication with a user interface, said browser evaluation program capable of retrieving a web file containing multiple web pages, establishing browser comparison criteria, and modifying a web page; and

a communication network capable of providing a communication connection between said browser evaluation program and said user interface machine.

23. The system as described in claim 22 wherein said browser programs are installed on said user interface machine.

24. The system as described in claim 22 further comprising when said browser programs are browser emulator programs.

25. The system as described in claim 22 further comprising a server, said server containing said browsers, browser evaluation program and browser comparison criteria.

26. A method for evaluating the effectiveness of a web page from a web site simultaneously on different browser programs comprising the steps of:

simultaneously executing a web page file on the different browser programs and applying an established set of rules to the web page displayed by the different browser programs as a result of executing the web page file on the different browsers;

generating a scorecard for the different browser programs displaying the web page based on the results of the applied rules to the web page; and

simultaneously displaying the selected web browser outputs of the web page and the scorecard for the browser programs displaying the web page on the same screen.

27. The method as described in claim 26 wherein said rule applying step comprises comparing each browser program output against the set of rules to assess the effectiveness of the web page on each browser program.

28. The method as described in claim 26 further comprising the steps of:

executing the displayed web page on selected browser emulators, the displayed web page having been modified in response to the displayed browser outputs and browser comparisons;

comparing each browser program output for the modified web page against established browser criteria; and

simultaneously displaying the selected web browser outputs of the modified web page and the results of a comparison of each browser output against an established browser criteria for the modified page.

29. The method as described in claim 26 further comprising before said web page execution step, the steps of:

receiving a web page file;

uploading the web page file; and

retrieving a set of browser criteria to be used in browser output comparison.

30. The method as described in claim 26 wherein said web page execution step comprises emulating a selected browser executing the web page on a selected browser emulator.

31. The method as described in claim 30 wherein said web browser display step comprises displaying each browser output in a separate window space on a display screen.

32. The method as described in claim 26 further comprising the step of selecting a second web page from the same web site, said selection being made through one of the browser outputs for the web page currently being displayed.

33. The method as described in claim 32 further comprising the step of displaying the selected web page on each of the different browser programs.

34. The method as described in claim 26 wherein a scorecard is generated for each browser program based on established browser comparison rules.

35. The method as described in claim 26 wherein a web page from a web site file is uploaded on a scorecard server.

36. The method as described in claim 26 wherein the established set of rules is uploaded on a scorecard server.

37. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for evaluating the effectiveness of a web page from a web site simultaneously on different browser programs comprising the steps of:

instructions for simultaneously executing a web page file on the different browser programs and applying a established set of rules to the web page displayed by the different browser programs as a result of executing the web page file on the different browsers;

instructions for generating a scorecard for the different browser programs displaying the web page based on the results of the applied rules to the web page; and

instructions for simultaneously displaying selected web browser outputs of the web page and the scorecard for the browser programs displaying the web page on the same screen.

38. The computer program product as described in claim 37 wherein said rule applying instruction comprises instructions for comparing each browser program output against the set of rules to assess the effectiveness of the web page on each browser program.

39. The computer program product as described in claim 37 further comprises:

instructions for executing the displayed web page on selected browser emulators, the displayed web page having been modified in response to the displayed browser outputs and browser comparisons;

instructions for comparing each browser program output for the modified web page against established browser criteria; and

instructions for simultaneously displaying the selected web browser outputs of the modified web page and the results of a comparison of each browser output against an established browser criteria for the modified page.

40. The computer program product as described in claim 37 further comprising before said web page execution instruction, instructions for:

receiving a web page file;

uploading the web page file; and

retrieving a set of browser criteria to be used in browser output comparison.

41. The computer program product as described in claim 37 wherein said web page execution instruction comprises instructions for emulating a selected browser executing the web page on selected browser emulator.

42. The computer program product as described in claim 41 wherein said web browser display instruction comprises instructions for displaying each browser output in a separate window space on a display screen.

43. The computer program product as described in claim 37 further comprising the instruction of selecting a second web page from the same web site, said selection being made through one of the browser outputs for the web page currently being displayed.