Using document templates to assemble a collection of documents

• US 7,356,768 B1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Hada, Naoki, Levy, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blackwell; James H.
• Application Number:
  US10/305,717
• Time in Patent Office: 1,959 Days
• Field of Search: 715/530, 715/513, 715/501.1, 715/523, 715/526, 709/206, 709/223, 709/232, 709/203
• US Class Current: 715/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, to assemble a collection of documents according to a document list. The document list represents documents to be included in the collection, and includes multiple entries that identify document templates. Each document template includes instructions that a web server can execute to generate a web document based on one or more parameters. A web document corresponding to each of the multiple entries is requested; the requested web documents are received and stored in the collection of documents. Links in the received web documents can be identified and updated. The collection of documents can be accessed as part of a web site.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at a server one or more document templates, each template identifying a class of documents and including instructions executable by a web server to generate a particular static document of the class;

receiving a document list including a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries identifying a document template where an entry identifying a particular document template also specifies a particular document of the class to be generated from the particular document template;

generating a plurality of static documents according to the document list, each static document corresponding to an entry in the document list, each static document generated from a corresponding document template identified in the document list;

for a generated static document of the plurality of static documents identifying one or more links within the generated static document, and for each link that includes a reference to an entry in the document list modifying the link to refer to the corresponding generated static document;

storing the plurality of static documents in a collection of documents, the collection of documents having a hierarchical structure;

receiving a user request for a document;

when the request corresponds to an entry in the document list, serving the previously generated static document from the collection of documents corresponding to the entry; and

when the request does not correspond to an entry in the document list, dynamically generating the requested document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving a user request for the document includes receiving a request for the document through the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each entry in the document list represents a web document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the document list includes one or more entries representing static web documents to be included in the collection of documents.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing access to the collection of documents as part of a web site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

one or more of the entries in the plurality of entries specifies one or more parameters for generating a corresponding static document according to the document template identified in the corresponding entry; and

generating a document corresponding to an entry identifying a document template includes passing the one or more parameters specified by the entry to a web server for use in generating the corresponding document.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

one or more of the document templates includes instructions implemented in ASP, JSP, or PHP technology.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the document list represents documents to be included in the collection of documents, the documents identified by a URL or a URI.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

generating a document includes generating an HTML document.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving a document list includes receiving a document list from a user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the document list includes receiving at least a portion of the document list in response to a request identifying a document template and a set of parameters, the set of parameters used to identify documents to be included in the collection of documents.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting the request to a web server to request all or a portion of the document list.

25. The method of claim 1, where the received user request is a URL identifying a dynamic web page.

13. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device, including instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive at a server one or more document templates, each template identifying a class of documents and including instructions executable by a web server to generate a particular document of the class;

receive a document list including a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries identifying a document template where an entry identifying a particular document template also specifies a particular document of the class to be generated from the particular document template;

generate a plurality of static documents according to the document list, each static document corresponding to an entry in the document list, each static document generated from a corresponding document template identified in the document list;

for a generated static document of the plurality of static documents, identify one or more links within the generated static document, and for each link that includes a reference to an entry in the document list, modify the link to refer to the corresponding generated static document;

store the plurality of static documents in a collection of documents, the collection of documents having a hierarchical structure;

receive a user request for a document;

when the request corresponds to an entry in the document list, serve the previously generated static document from the collection of documents corresponding to the entry; and

when the request does not correspond to an entry in the document list, dynamically generate the requested document.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein:

the instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to receive a user request for the document include instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to receive a request for the document through the Internet.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein:

each entry in the document list represents a web document.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein:

the document list includes one or more entries representing static web documents to be included in the collection of documents.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

provide access to the collection of documents as part of a web site.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein:

one or more of the entries in the plurality of entries specifies one or more parameters for generating a corresponding document according to the document template identified in the corresponding entry; and

instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to generate a document corresponding to an entry identifying a document template includes instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to pass the one or more parameters specified by the entry to a web server for use in generating the corresponding document.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein:

one or more of the document templates includes instructions implemented in ASP, JSP, or PHP technology.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein:

the document list represents documents to be included in the collection of documents, the documents identified by a URL or a URI.

21. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein:

the instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to generate a document include instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to generate an HTML document.

22. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein:

the instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to receive a document list include instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to receive a document list from a user.

23. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein:

the instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to receive the document list include instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to receive at least a portion of the document list in response to a request identifying a document template and a set of parameters, the set of parameters used to identify documents to be included in the collection of documents.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

transmit the request to a web server to request all or a portion of the document list.

26. A system comprising:

means for receiving at a server one or more document templates, each template identifying a class of documents and including instructions executable by a web server to generate a particular document of the class;

means for receiving a document list including a plurality of entries, each of the plurality of entries identifying a document template where an entry identifying a particular document template also specifies a particular document of the class to be generated from the particular document template;

means for generating a plurality of static documents according to the document list, each static document corresponding to an entry in the document list, each static document generated from a corresponding document template identified in the document list;

for a generated static document of the plurality of static documents, means for identifying one or more links within the generated static document, and for each link that includes a reference to an entry in the document list, means for modifying the link to refer to the corresponding generated static document;

means for storing the plurality of static documents in a collection of documents, the collection of documents having a hierarchical structure;

means for receiving a user request for a document;

when the request corresponds to an entry in the document list, means for serving the previously generated static document from the collection of documents corresponding to the entry; and

when the request does not correspond to an entry in the document list, means for dynamically generating the requested document.