System and method for generating high-function browser widgets with full addressability

• US 7,269,792 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2003
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Lawrence C., Rankin, Tracy L., Consolatti, Scott M., Jaynes, Charles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US10/422,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20040216042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 715/853, 715/854, 715/513, 715/501.1, 715/738, 715/749, 715/734, 715/735, 715/744
• US Class Current: 715/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A system and method for generating high-function browser widgets with full addressability are provided. With the system and method, custom JSP tags are utilized that generate JavaScript objects to provide the high-function browser widgets. The JavaScript objects, in turn, output HTML for use by a client side Web browser. These JavaScript objects have instance-level functions or actions that are encapsulated in the widget as well as a complete client-side model representation of the data also encapsulated in the widget object. These objects and actions are fully addressable by the developer via a getWidgetByID method on a global utility object. As a result, higher-level features and full inter-widget communication are achievable using the custom JSP tags of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of providing browser widgets in a data processing system, comprising:

receiving a request, from a client device, for a web page having a custom tag for a browser widget;

generating a browser widget object for the browser widget based on the custom tag;

generating code for representing a view of the web page; and

transmitting the browser widget object and the code for representing the view of the web page to the client device, wherein the browser widget object provides a client-side model for providing browser widget functionality, wherein the method further comprises;

determining if a browser widget handler is associated with the browser window object; and

generating a code representation of a client-side handler and transmitting the code representation of the client-side handler to the client device if a browser widget handler is associated with the browser window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the browser widget object includes:

generating a script block that links a class definition file for the browser widget and a construction script block that constructs the browser widget object using the class definition; and

setting a variable name of the construction script block in the browser widget object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the browser widget object further includes:

determining whether there is a JavaBean from a server-side model referenced in attributes of the custom tag; and

converting the JavaBean to a JavaScript representation of the JavaBean and encapsulating the JavaScript representation in the browser widget object, if the attributes reference a JavaBean from a server-side model.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if a browser widget handler is associated with the browser window object comprises:

determining if there is a browser widget handler identified in the web page; and

wherein generating a code representation of a client-side handler and transmitting the code representation of the client-side handler to the client device if a browser widget handler is associated with the browser window comprises;

constructing a handler tag object which outputs a script block linking a handler class definition file and a constructor script block that constructs the browser widget handler object using the class definition and registers the handler with the browser widget object, if there is a browser widget handler identified in the web page.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

setting an event type in the browser widget object, wherein the event type indicates a type of event that causes the browser widget handler object to be invoked.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the code for representing a view of the web page is HyperText Markup Language (HTML) code.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the browser widget object is generated based on one or more of an object and a JavaBean in a server-side model.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting the custom tag to a tag object, wherein the tag object performs the step of generating the browser widget object for the browser widget.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the browser widget is one of drop-down menu, a dialog window, and a virtual push button.

10. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for providing browser widgets in a data processing system, comprising:

first instructions for receiving a request, from a client device, for a web page having a custom tag for a browser widget;

second instructions for generating a browser widget object for the browser widget based on the custom tag;

third instructions for generating code for representing a view of the web page; and

fourth instructions for transmitting the browser widget object and the code for representing the view of the web page to the client device, wherein the browser widget object provides a client-side model for providing browser widget functionality, wherein the computer program product further comprises;

fifth instructions for determining if a browser widget handler is associated with the browser window object; and

sixth instructions for generating a code representation of a client-side handler and transmitting the code representation of the client-side handler to the client device if a browser widget handler is associated with the browser window.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the second instructions for generating the browser widget object include:

instructions for generating a script block that links a class definition file for the browser widget and a construction script block that constructs the browser widget object using the class definition; and

instructions for setting a variable name of the construction script block in the browser widget object.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the second instructions for generating the browser widget object further include:

instructions for determining whether there is a JavaBean from a server-side model referenced in attributes of the custom tag; and

instructions for converting the JavaBean to a JavaScript representation of the JavaBean and encapsulating the JavaScript representation in the browser widget object, if the attributes reference a JavaBean from a server-side model.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the fifth instructions for determining if a browser widget handler is associated with the browser window object comprises:

instructions for determining if there is a browser widget handler identified in the web page; and

wherein the sixth instructions for generating a code representation of a client-side handler and transniitting the code representation of the client-side handler to the client device if a browser widget handler is associated with the browser window, comprises;

instructions for constructing a handler tag object which outputs a script block linking a handler class definition file and a constructor script block that constructs the browser widget handler object using the class definition and registers the handler with the browser widget object, if there is a browser widget handler identified in the web page.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

seventh instructions for setting an event type in the browser widget object, wherein the event type indicates a type of event that causes the browser widget handler object to be invoked.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the code for representing a view of the web page is HyperText Markup Language (HTML) code.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the browser widget object is generated based on one or more of an object and a JavaBean in a server-side model.

17. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

seventh instructions for converting the custom tag to a tag object, wherein the tag object performs the step of generating the browser widget object for the browser widget.

18. An apparatus for providing browser widgets in a data processing system, comprising:

means for receiving a request, from a client device, for a web page having a custom tag for a browser widget;

means for generating a browser widget object for the browser widget based on the custom tag;

means for generating code for representing a view of the web page; and

means for transmitting the browser widget object and the code for representing the view of the web page to the client device, wherein the browser widget object provides a client-side model for providing browser widget functionality, wherein the apparatus further comprises;

means for determining if a browser widget handler is associated with the browser window object; and

means for generating a code representation of a client-side handler and transmitting the code representation of the client-side handler to the client device if a browser widget handler is associated with the browser window.