Server-side scripting that enables creation of customized documents for clients

• US 7,076,534 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2000
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cleron, Michael A., Fortune, Erik, Sandke, Steve R., Lövstrand, Lennart
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): DENNISON, JERRY B
• Application Number:
  US09/607,839
• Time in Patent Office: 2,202 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/246, 709/203, 709/217, 715500-542
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Server-side scripting for creating customized documents for clients is disclosed. A server application processes code included in a script, causing the server application to issue a request to a decision engine to select content that is designated as appropriate for a client based on attributes of the client. The request is issued to the decision engine without the server application indicating the decision criteria that are to be used or the particular attributes of the client on which the selection is to be based. The decision engine uses the appropriate decision criteria and selects content for the document from content files associated with the decision engine. The decision engine can instead select further portions of script from the content files, which are processed by the server application and result in additional decisions being made by the decision engine. In this manner, the customization process can be made as complex as necessary without significantly increasing the complexity of the scripts executed by the server application. The selection complexity is shifted to the decision engine, and changes to the selection logic can be made there rather than at the scripts.

Claims

1. In a server included in a network that also includes a client associated with specified attributes, a method of using a decision engine to create a document for use by the client, the document being customized according to the specified attributes associated with the client, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving a request for a document at a server application, the server application being configured to generate the document from a script, the request including at least a client identifier;

the server application generating and sending a corresponding request to a decision engine, which is separate from the server application, to select content for the document wherein the corresponding request includes at least an indication of the client identifier and specifies that the decision engine is to identify appropriate customized content for the client based on client configuration;

wherein the decision engine, upon receiving the corresponding request;

utilizes the at least an indication of the client identifier to access at least one other attribute of the client from an attribute provider, the at least one other attribute representing an aspect of the client'"'"'s configuration, the attribute provider being separate from the decision engine and the server application, wherein attributes can be added at the attribute provider without having to modify computer-executable instructions of the decision engine or the server application;

applies available decision criteria to the accessed at least one other attribute to select customized content, from a plurality of available content, that the decision engine determines to be appropriate for the client; and

sends identification of the selected customized content to the server application;

the server application receiving from the decision engine the identification of the customized content that has been selected by the decision engine, wherein the act of receiving the identification of the customized content comprises the act of receiving a first script that, when executed by the server application, results in the customized content being incorporated into the document, wherein the first script includes a reference to a second script, wherein the reference to the second script enables the server application to request additional information from the decision engine that operates as a second portion of the first script and that corresponds to customized content for the document, wherein any additional information received as part of the second portion is concatenated with the first script by the server application;

the server application creating the document and incorporating into the document the customized content that has been selected by the decision engine, as identified by said first script, the customized content being appropriate for presentation at the client based on the configuration of the client represented in the at least one other client attribute accessed from the attribute provider; and

transmitting the document to the client.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

the act of the server application processing code associated with the first script to incorporate the customized content into the document.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein requesting the decision engine to select customized content for the document is further conducted without the server application communicating any decision criteria to the decision engine.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the document is a Web page.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the customized content comprises at least one of text and an image.

6. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the customized content comprises formatting content.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the decision engine includes decision criteria for identifying the content and wherein the server application is configured without the decision criteria that are used to identify the content.

20. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein changes can be made to the decision criteria without altering code of the server application.

21. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving a request for a document at a server application comprises receiving a request that includes a URI.

22. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein utilizing the at least an indication of the client identifier to access at least one other attribute of the client from an attribute provider comprises utilizing the at least an indication of the client identifier to access at least one other attribute of the client, the at least one other attribute of the client selected from among a user language, a country, an age, a level of subscription, a type of display device, and a group affinity.

23. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein utilizing the at least an indication of the client identifier to access at least one other attribute of the client from an attribute provider comprises utilizing the at least an indication of the client identifier to access at least one other attribute of the client from a database of information specifying the values of client attributes.

7. In a server included in a network that also includes a client associated with specified attributes, a method of creating a document for use by the client, the document being customized according to the specified attributes associated with the client, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving a request for a document at a server application, the server application being configured to generate the document from a script, the request including at least a client identifier;

assembling the script at the server application, the script including instructions for creating a document, wherein assembling the script includes;

upon processing a first portion of a script associated with the document and identifying a reference to a second portion of script within the first portion of script, issuing to a decision engine, that is separate from the server application, another request for the decision engine to select the second portion of the script, wherein the request sent from the server application to the decision engine includes at least an indication of the client identifier and specifies that the decision engine is to identify the second portion of the script based on client configuration;

wherein the decision engine, upon receiving the other request;

utilizes the at least an indication of the client identifier to identify at least one other client attribute of the client from an attribute provider, the at least one other attribute representing an aspect of the client'"'"'s configuration, the attribute provider being separate from the decision engine and the server application such that attributes can be added at the attribute provider without having to modify computer-executable instructions of the decision engine or the server application;

selects the second portion of the script based on the at least one other identified client attribute in accordance with decision criteria available to the decision engine; and

sends the second portion of the script to the server application; and

the server application receiving from the decision engine the requested second portion of the script;

the server application concatenating the first portion of the script and the second portion of the script by inserting the second portion of script into the first script portion of script to replace the reference to the second portion of script, prior to executing the first portion of script to incorporate customized content into the document; and

executing the first portion of the script and the second portion of the script so as to incorporate customized content into the document, the customized content being appropriate for presentation at the client based on the configuration of the client represented in the at least one other client attribute accessed from the attribute provider.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the act of executing the first portion of the script and the second portion of the script so as to incorporate customized content into document further comprises the act of continuing to receive nested portions of script from the decision engine, including:

upon processing the second portion of the script, issuing to the decision engine a further request for the decision engine to select a third portion of the script based on the at least one other identified client attributes without the script identifying said at least one other identified client attribute; and

receiving from the decision engine the requested third portion of the script and concatenating the third portion of the script and the second portion of the script and the first portion of the script.

9. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the act of receiving a request including at least a client identifier comprises an act of receiving a request from the client for the document.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the act of transmitting the created document to the client.

11. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising the act of the decision engine selecting the second portion of the script, including:

identifying, independently of a server application that executes the script, the available decision criteria that are to be used by the decision engine to select the second portion; and

identifying, independently of the server application, the at least one other client attribute that is to be used by the decision engine to select the second portion.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of the decision engine selecting the second portion of the script further includes applying the available decision criteria to the at least one other identified client attribute to select said second portion of script from among a plurality of portions of script.

13. A computer program product for implementing, in a server included in a network that also includes a client associated with specified attributes, a method of creating a document for use by the client, the document being customized according to the specified attributes associated with the client, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium carrying computer-executable instructions for performing the method, the method comprising the acts of;

receiving a request for a document at a server application, the server application being configured to generate the document from a script, the request including at least a client identifier;

assembling the script at the server application, the script including instructions for creating a document, wherein assembling the script includes;

upon processing a first portion of a script associated with the document, issuing to a decision engine, that is separate from the server application, another request for the decision engine to select a second portion of the script, wherein the request sent from the server application to the decision engine includes at least an indication of the client identifier and specifies that the decision engine is to identify the second portion of the script based on client configuration;

wherein the decision engine, upon receiving the other request;

utilizes the at least an indication of the client identifier to identify at least one other client attribute of the client from an attribute provider, the at least one other attribute representing an aspect of the client'"'"'s configuration, the attribute provider being separate from the decision engine and the server application such that attributes can be added at the attribute provider without having to modify computer-executable instructions of the decision engine or the server application;

selects the second portion of the script based on the at least one other identified client attribute in accordance with decision criteria available to the decision engine;

sends the second portion of the script to the server application; and

the server application receiving from the decision engine the requested second portion of the script;

the server application concatenating the first portion of the script and the second portion of the script by inserting the second portion of script into the first script portion of script to replace the reference to the second portion of script, prior to executing the first portion of script to incorporate customized content into the document; and

executing the first portion of the script and the second portion of the script so as to create the incorporate customized content into the document, the customized content being appropriate for presentation at the client based on the configuration of the client represented in the at least one other client attribute accessed from the attribute provider.

14. A computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein the act of assembling the script further comprises the act of continuing to receive nested portions of script from the decision engine, including:

upon processing code included in the second portion of the script, issuing to the decision engine a further request for the decision engine to select a third portion of the script based on the at least one other identified client attributes without the script identifying said at least one other identified client attribute; and

receiving from the decision engine the requested third portion of the script and concatenating the third portion of the script and the second portion of the script and the first portion of the script.

15. A computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein the act of receiving a request including at least a client identifier comprises an act of receiving a request from the client for the document.

16. A computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the act of transmitting the created document to the client.

17. A computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises the act of the decision engine selecting the second portion of the script, including:

identifying, independently of a server application that executes the script, the available decision criteria that are to be used by the decision engine to select the second portion; and

identifying, independently of the server application, the at least one attribute of the client that is to be used by the decision engine to select the second portion.

18. A computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein the act of the decision engine selecting the second portion of the script further includes applying the available decision criteria to the at least one other identified client attribute to select said second portion of script from among a plurality of portions of script.