Creating and utilizing a wizard to capture an application's interdependencies between web pages and data accesses for running the application's downloadable dynamic web pages off-line

• US 7,249,313 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malcolm, Jerry Walter, Brown, Michael Wayne, Ullmann, Cristi Nesbitt, Reed, Aaron Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh; Thu V.
• Application Number:
  US10/183,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20040003345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/500, 715/530, 707/200, 707/202, 707/201, 705/14, 705 26- 27, 705/39
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A wizard is utilized when creating a server-based transactional Web page application. The wizard keeps track of the interdependencies of the Web pages, any data accesses required for any of the Web pages, and any rules for presenting a different sequence of Web pages based upon differing aspects of anticipated user input. The wizard can then be used to access the required data if a user selection is made to download the application and run the application off-line at a client that is disconnected from the network. When running off-line, the wizard plays back the downloaded pages of the application in a sequence dependent upon the tracked interdependencies and received user input. When running off-line, the wizard controls the dynamic presentation of the downloaded pages and provides the required data to enable the transactional pages of the application to be completed. The wizard, in conjunction with a browser running at the client, automatically submits the completed Web pages of the application to the server when the client is reconnected to the network.

Claims

1. A method of creating a transactional application having dynamic Web pages, comprising:

running a wizard while running a Web application;

keeping track, by the wizard, of the information needed by the Web pages of the Web application;

keeping track, by the wizard, of each data access required for any given Web page of the Web pages of the Web Application;

keeping track, by the wizard, of the rules for handling at least one different sequence of the Web pages of the Web Application based upon differing aspects of user input to be received;

determining whether the Web application is to run in an off-line mode while running the Web application; and

responsive to determining that the Web application is to run in the off-line mode, creating a transactional application that comprises the tracked information needed by the web pages, the tracked data access required, the tracked rules for handling, and at least part of the wizard.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transactional application requires at least one of a database access and a dynamic presentation order of pages.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the information needed by the Web pages is tracked by utilizing an XML list.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

running the wizard concurrently with creating the web application using a Web page building tool, wherein the wizard separately runs in the background from the Web page building tool; and

for each point within the web application where a selectable option to run the web application off-line is added to the Web pages through the Web page building tool;

keeping track, by the wizard, of the interdependencies of the Web pages of the Web application to run off-line at each point,

keeping track, by the wizard, of each data access required for any given Web page of the Web pages of the Web application to run off-line from each point, and

keeping track, by the wizard, of the rules for handling the at least one different sequence of the Web pages of the Web application based upon differing aspects of user input to be received if run off-line from each point.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein running the wizard while running the Web application further comprises:

prompting a web page creator to specify how the information needed by the web pages is to be stored.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein running the wizard while running the Web application further comprises:

detecting whether a web page of the Web application comprises a trigger; and

responsive to detecting that the web page of the Web application comprises a trigger, prompting a web page creator to specify the rules for handling sequences of the Web pages.

7. A computer system comprising a memory having means for creating a transactional application having dynamic Web pages, comprising:

means for running a wizard while running a Web application;

means for keeping track, by the wizard, the information needed by the Web pages of the Web application;

means for keeping track, by the wizard, of each data access required for any given Web a e of the Web a es of the Web Application;

means for keeping track, by the wizard, of the rules for handling at least one different sequence of Web pages of the Web Arwlication based upon differing aspects of user input to be received;

means for determining whether the Web application is to run in an off-line mode while running the Web application; and

responsive to determining that the Web application is to run in the off-line mode, means for creating a transactional application that comprises the tracked information needed by the web pages, the tracked data access required, the tracked rules for handling, and at least part of the wizard.

8. The computer system of claim 7 wherein the transactional application requires at least one of a database access and a dynamic presentation order of pages.

9. The computer system of claim 7 further comprising:

means for running the wizard concurrently with creating the web application using a Web page building tool, wherein the wizard separately runs in the background from the Web page building tool; and

for each point within the web application where a selectable option to run the web application off-line is added to the Web pages through the Web page building tool;

means for keeping track, by the wizard, of the interdependencies of the Web pages of the Web application to run off-line at each point,

means for keeping track, by the wizard, of each data access required for any given Web page of the Web rpages of the Web application to run off-line from each point, and

means for keeping track, by the wizard, of the rules for handling the at least one different sequence of the Web pages of the Web aiwlication based upon differing aspects of user input to be received if run off-line from each point.

10. The computer system of claim 7 wherein said means for running the wizard while running the Web application further comprises:

means for prompting a web page creator to specify how the information needed by the web pages is to be stored.

11. The computer system of claim 7 wherein said means for running the wizard while running Web application further comprises:

means for detecting whether a web page of the Web application comprises a trigger; and

means, responsive to detecting that the web page of the Web application comprises a trigger, for prompting a web page creator to specify the rules for handling sequences of the Web pages.

14. The computer program of claim 7 further comprising:

means for running the wizard concurrently with creating the web application using a Web page building tool, wherein the wizard separately runs in the background from the Web page building tool; and

for each point within the web application where a selectable option to run the web application off-line is added to the Web pages through the Web page building tool;

means for keeping track, by the wizard, of the interdependencies of the Web pages of the Web application to run off-line at each point,

means for keeping track, by the wizard, of each data access required for any given Web page of the Web rpages of the Web application to run off-line from each point, and

means for keeping track, by the wizard, of the rules for handling the at least one different sequence of the Web pages of the Web application based upon differing aspects of user input to be received if run off-line from each point.

12. A computer system comprising:

a bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to create a transactional application by running a wizard while running a Web application;

wherein the wizard keeps track of the information needed by the Web pages of the Web application, keeps track of each data access required for any given Web page of the Web pages of the Web application, and keeps tracks of the rules for handling at least one different sequence of the Web pages of the Web aiwlication based upon differing aspects of user input to be received;

determining whether the Web application is to run in an off-line mode while running the Web application; and

responsive to determining that the Web application is to run in the off-line mode, creating a transactional application that comprises the tracked information needed by the Web pages, the tracked data access required, the tracked rules for handling, and at least part of the wizard.

13. A computer program on a volatile or nonvolatile computer usable medium having computer readable program code means that when executed on a computer cause the computer to create a transactional application having dynamic Web pages, comprising:

means for running a wizard while running a Web application;

means for keeping track, by the wizard, the information needed by the Web pages of the Web application;

means for keeping track, by the wizard, of each data access required for any given Web page of the Web pages of the Web application;

means for keeping track, by the wizard, of the rules for handling at least one different sequence of the Web pages of the Web aiwlication based upon differing aspects of user input to be received;

means for determining whether the Web application is to run in an off-line mode while running the Web application; and

responsive to determining that the Web application is to run in the off-line mode, means for creating a transactional application that comprises the tracked information needed by the web pages, the tracked data access required, the tracked rules for handling, and at least part of the wizard.

15. The computer program of claim 13 wherein said means for running the wizard while running the Web application further comprises:

means for prompting a web page creator to specify how the information needed by the web pages is to be stored.

16. The computer program of claim 13 wherein said means for running the wizard while running the Web application further comprises:

means for detecting whether a web page of the Web application comprises a trigger; and

means, responsive to detecting that the web page of the Web application comprises a trigger, for prompting a web page creator to specify the rules for handling sequences of the Web pages.