System, method and computer program product for publishing interactive web content as a statically linked web hierarchy

• US 7,096,417 B1
• Filed: 10/22/1999
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Davia, Christopher J., Beranek, Michael J., Stapel, Steven W., Bonasso, Jeffrey J., Bennett, Craig A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Cong-Lac
• Application Number:
  US09/427,459
• Time in Patent Office: 2,496 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715/500, 715/513, 709/219, 709/228, 709/203
• US Class Current: 715/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

With a client connected to a server, an agent tool simulates user interaction and traversal of dynamic web pages, causing the server-side processes to serve HTML pages to the client. As these pages are served, they are collected by the agent, modified to include static hyperlinks to replace the server side directed navigation logic, and then persistently stored in local files where they are available for off-line navigation by a browser without the need for accessing the server(s). In effect, the HTML pages are published.

Claims

1. A method for providing access by a client to the content of a plurality of web pages on a server without being connected to said server, said web pages having data driven dynamic navigation links, the method comprising the steps of:

while connected to said server, operating an agent to parse and execute client side logic and determine from said server a dynamic navigation link address for each possible combination of dynamic navigation links to target pages on an original web page;

caching said target pages at said client;

operating said agent to modify said original web page having said data driven dynamic navigation links to include corresponding static navigation link addresses to said target pages cached at said client; and

thereafter

forming a collection of said original and target web pages cached at said client, said collection including static navigation link addresses to said target web pages from said original web page on a client accessible data storage medium corresponding to said plurality of web pages.

2. A method for resolving and storing at a client dynamic navigation links as static navigation links, comprising the steps of:

said client requesting and storing a server generated original web page;

executing client side logic in an agent for parsing said server generated original web page to identify all said dynamic navigation links;

said agent requesting and storing target server generated web pages corresponding to all said dynamic navigation links; and

said agent replacing all said dynamic navigation links in said original web page stored at said client with static navigation links to said target server generated web pages stored in a client local file corresponding to said web page.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

storing said local file to persistent storage; and

operating a client browser to access said local file.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

repeating said requesting and storing, parsing, and replacing steps for each of a plurality of server generated web pages; and

storing said plurality of web pages in storage as a collection of statically linked web pages available to a client browser without further reference to said server.

5. The method of claim 4, said storage being persistent storage.

6. A method for publishing dynamically linked, interactive web content as a statically linked web hierarchy at a client, comprising the steps of:

requesting and storing at said client a server generated original web page;

parsing said server generated web page to identify all dynamic navigation links to target web pages, each said dynamic navigation link being a data driven dynamic navigation link which resolves to different target web sages responsive to different user entered data;

repeating said requesting and storing, and parsing steps for each dynamically linked target web page served to said client by said server;

replacing said dynamic navigation links in web pages stored at said client with static navigation links in a plurality of hierarchically linked local files stored at said client corresponding to said server generated web pages; and

operating said client disconnected from said server to serve said web pages to a client user.

7. Method for publishing at a client dynamically linked, interactive content at a web site, comprising the steps of:

operating an agent for discovering the structure of said web site at a server by obtaining from said server an original web page and all target web pages dynamically linked to said original web page; and

said agent parsing and executing client side logic to determine from said server a dynamic navigation link address for each possible combination of dynamic navigation link addresses to target web pages on said original web page and converting the dynamically generated content of said original and target web pages forming said web site into static pages linked by static navigation link addresses replacing said dynamic navigation link addresses; and

caching said static pages linked by said static navigation link addresses at said client for serving said web site to a client user while disconnected from said server.

8. The method of claim 7, said discovering and converting steps further comprising:

modifying dynamically linked, interactive web page content to provide equivalent behaviors at a client without further server transaction processing.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

publishing resulting modified dynamically linked, interactive web pages to a distributable media.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

interacting locally with said dynamically linked, interactive web pages while disconnected from said server.

11. Method for following server generated data driven dynamic links, comprising the steps of:

executing server logic on server based dynamic links to server based web pages responsive to user provided parameters served by a client based agent to generate web page content;

storing said web page content to local files at said client; and

replacing all dynamic navigation links in said web page content stored in said local files with static navigation links for references to said local files.

12. The method of claim 11, said local file references including static links and logic for following web page content stored in said local files.

13. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for providing access by a client to the content of a plurality of web pages on a server without being connected to said server, said web pages having dynamic navigation links, said method steps comprising:

requesting and storing at said client a server generated original web page;

parsing said server generated web page to identify all said dynamic navigation links to target web pages;

each said dynamic navigation link being a data driven dynamic navigation link which resolves to different target web pages responsive to different user entered data

repeating said requesting and storing, and parsing steps for each dynamically linked web page served by said server;

caching said original and target web pages in a plurality of hierarchically linked local files stored at said client; and

replacing said dynamic navigation links with static navigation links in said plurality of hierarchically linked local files at said client corresponding to said server generated web pages.

14. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for providing access by a client to the content of a plurality of web pages on a server without said client being connected to said server, said web pages having dynamic navigation links, the computer readable program means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect requesting and storing at said client a server generated original web page;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect parsing said server generated original web page to identify all said dynamic navigation links to target web pages at said server;

each said dynamic navigation link being a data driven dynamic navigation link which resolves to different target web pages responsive to different user entered data

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect repeating said requesting and storing, and parsing steps for each dynamically linked target web page served by said server; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect caching said original and target web pages at said client and replacing said dynamic navigation links in said original and target web pages stored at said client with static navigation links in a plurality of hierarchically linked local files at said client corresponding to said server generated web pages.

15. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for providing access by a client to the content of a plurality of web pages on a server without said client being connected to said server, said web pages having dynamic navigation links, said method comprising:

determining from said server a dynamic navigation link address for each possible combination of dynamic navigation links to target web pages on an original web page;

caching said original web page and each dynamic linked target web page at said client;

modifying said original web page cached at said client and having said dynamic navigation links to include corresponding static navigation link addresses to target web pages cached at said client; and

forming a collection of web pages including said static navigation link addresses on a client accessible data storage medium corresponding to said plurality of web pages on said server which are not modified.

16. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for resolving and storing dynamic navigation links as static navigation links, said method comprising:

requesting and storing at a client a server generated original web page;

parsing said server generated original web page to identify all said dynamic navigation links to server based target web pages;

caching said target web pages at said client; and

replacing all said dynamic navigation links in said server generated original web page stored at said client with static navigation links in a local file to target web pages cached at said client corresponding to said web page.

17. The program storage device of claim 16, said method further comprising:

storing said local file to persistent storage; and

operating a client browser to access said local file.

18. The program storage device of claim 16, said method further comprising:

repeating said requesting and storing, parsing, and replacing steps for each of a plurality of server generated web pages; and

storing said plurality of web pages in storage as a collection of statically linked web pages available to a client browser without further reference to said server.

19. The program storage device of claim 18, said storage being persistent storage.

20. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for publishing dynamically linked, interactive web content at a server as a statically linked web hierarchy at a client, said method comprising

said client requesting and storing at said client a server generated original web page;

parsing said server generated original web page to identify all dynamic navigation links to server based target web pages;

each said dynamic navigation link being a data driven dynamic navigation link which resolves to different target web pages responsive to different user entered data

caching said original and target web pages at said client;

repeating said requesting, caching and storing, and parsing steps for each dynamically linked original or target web page served by said server; and

replacing said dynamic navigation links in client cached web pages with static navigation links in a plurality of hierarchically linked local files at said client corresponding to said server generated web pages.

21. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for publishing dynamically linked, interactive content at a web site, said method comprising:

operating said client to discover the structure of said web site at a server by obtaining from said server an original web page and all dynamically linked to target web pages; and

converting the dynamically generated content of said original and target web pages forming said web site into static pages; and

caching said static pages at said client with all dynamic navigation links replaced by static navigation links for serving said web site to a client user while disconnected from said server.

22. The program storage device of claim 21, said discovering and converting further comprising:

modifying dynamically linked, interactive web page content to provide equivalent behaviors at a client without further server transaction processing.

23. The program storage device of claim 22, said method further comprising:

publishing resulting modified dynamically linked, interactive web pages to a distributable media.

24. The program storage device of claim 23, said method further comprising:

interacting locally with said dynamically linked, interactive web pages while disconnected from said server.

25. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for following server generated data driven dynamic links at a server for publishing a server based web page at a client disconnected from said server, said method comprising:

executing server logic on server based dynamic navigation links responsive to user provided parameters served by a client based agent to generate web page content;

storing said web page content to local files at said client;

disconnecting said client from said server; and

replacing all possible combinations of dynamic navigation links in said web page content stored at said client with local file navigation link references.

26. The program storage device of claim 25, said local file references including static navigation links and logic for following web page content stored in said local files.