Software framework for web-based applications

• US 7,546,576 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: LightSurf Technologies, Inc. (VeriSign, Inc.)
• Inventors: Egli, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rampuria, Satish
• Application Number:
  US09/882,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20030084120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,916 Days
• Field of Search: 717105-119, 707/513, 707/102, 707/530, 707/500, 707/103.Y, 707/3, 715/513, 715/239, 709/204, 709/246, 709/229, 713/200
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A Web application framework for creating Web-based applications is described. The framework includes an abstract command tag that predefines at least some generic Web application activities. When using the framework, one specifies at least one custom action that is desired to be performed by a Web application under development. In one embodiment, this includes creating a customized command tag that is capable of being embedded within a Web page. The customized command tag includes the ability to conditionally execute the specified custom action based on run-time conditions. The customized command tag is embedded in a Web page of the Web application.

Claims

1. In a computer system, an improved method for developing a Web application, the method comprising:

providing a Web application development framework, said framework including an abstract command tag that predefines at least some generic Web application activities;

specifying at least one custom action that is desired to be performed by a Web application;

creating an object-oriented programming language (OOPL) class that extends the abstract command tag for providing execution logic for said at least one custom action, in addition to pre-existing logic that supports said at least some generic Web application activities, thereby creating a corresponding customized command tag that is capable of being embedded within a Web page;

mapping a customized name of the customized command tag in a tag library descriptor file to the custom action;

embedding the customized command tag with the customized name in a Web page of the Web application; and

upon execution of the Web application including the embedded customized command tag in a Web page, invoking the customized command tag for conditionally executing said specified at least one custom action based on run-time conditions of the Web application and run-time values for one or more attributes included in the customized command tag.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said run-time conditions include run-time parameters specified during invocation of the customized command tag.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said run-time parameters are specified via Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) parameters, during invocation of the customized command tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said abstract command tag comprises an abstract base class.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said abstract command tag includes an abstract execute method.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said abstract execute method is overridden during creation of the customized command tag, for defining a customized execute method providing specific runtime execution logic for the customized command tag.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein creation of the OOPL class that extends the base class includes providing an implementation for the abstract execute method.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said customized command tag includes an ability to conditionally affect application flow based on results obtained from a specified action.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein application flow is affected by routing to a particular Web page.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said result obtained is either success or failure.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein application flow is directed to a first page if a success is obtained as the result, and is directed to a second page if a failure is obtained as the result.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said application flow includes routing to a different page than is currently displayed in a user'"'"'s browser.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said generic Web application activities include error recording.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said generic Web application activities include filtering of requests to match run-time attributes of the requests with the run-time values for the one or more attributes included in the customized command tag.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said generic Web application activities include page routing.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said generic Web application activities include activities that may be predefined before application execution.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said customized command tag is invoked when an end user activates a link that points to a Web page containing the customized command tag.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said link comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said Web page containing the customized command tag comprises a Web page generated using dynamic scripting capability.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

compiling the Web page generated using dynamic scripting capability into a servlet, said servlet corresponding to said created OOPL class that extends the abstract command tag.

21. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for a Web application framework, which when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to perform a method comprising:

specifying an abstract command tag that predefines at least some generic Web application activities;

providing a programming environment for;

(i) specifying at least one custom action that is desired to be performed by a Web application under development, by supporting creation of an object-oriented programming language (OOPL) class that extends the abstract command tag for providing execution logic for said at least one custom action, thereby creating a corresponding customized command tag that is capable of being embedded within a Web page, wherein a customized name of the customized command tag is mapped to the custom action in a tag library descriptor file, and wherein said customized command tag includes the ability to conditionally execute said specified at least one custom action based on run-time conditions; and

(ii) enabling embedding of the customized command tag with the customized name in a Web page of the Web application;

embedding the customized command tag with the customized name in a Web page of the Web application; and

wherein execution of the Web application includes invoking the customized command tag for conditionally executing said specified at least one custom action based on run-time conditions of the Web application and run-time values for one or more attributes included in the customized command tag.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein said run-time conditions include run-time parameters specified during invocation of the customized command tag.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein said run-time parameters are specified via Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) parameters, during invocation of the customized command tag.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein said abstract command tag comprises an abstract base class.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein said abstract command tag includes an abstract execute method.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein said abstract execute method is overridden during creation of the customized command tag, for defining a customized execute method providing specific runtime execution logic for the customized command tag.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein creation of the OOPL class that extends the base class includes providing an implementation for the abstract execute method.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein said customized command tag includes an ability to conditionally affect application flow based on results obtained from a specified action.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein application flow is affected by routing to a particular Web page.

30. The framework of claim 28, wherein said result obtained is either success or failure.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein application flow is directed to a first page if a success is obtained as the result, and is directed to a second page if a failure is obtained as the result.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein said application flow includes routing to a different page than is currently displayed in a user'"'"'s browser.

33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein said generic Web application activities include error recording.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein said generic Web application activities include filtering of requests to match run-time attributes of the requests with the run-time values for the one or more attributes included in the customized command tag.

35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein said generic Web application activities include page routing.

36. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein said generic Web application activities include activities that may be predefined before application execution.

37. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein said customized command tag is invoked when an end user activates a link that points to a Web page containing the customized command tag.

38. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein said link comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

39. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 37, wherein said Web page containing the customized command tag comprises a Web page generated using dynamic scripting capability.

40. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising:

enabling a tag library descriptor that provides an association between a customized command tag and its corresponding OOPL class.

41. An improved method for Web application development, the method comprising:

providing a Web-based application development framework built from a set of object-oriented programming language (OOPL) classes, which extends an abstract command tag, said framework providing;

a non-programmatic tag framework that implements the functionality of the application framework when executing within a Web page using dynamic scripting capability;

tag-based Web application objects controlling program flow, executing user commands, representing application business objects, and constructing output;

a non-programmatic tag framework that maps customized tag names associated with customized command tags in a tag library descriptor file to corresponding custom actions, and accesses data for logical business objects and allows page designers to specify a custom tag name and an action to be performed;

enabling the embedding of the tag-based Web application objects with customized tag names in a Web page of a Web application; and

executing of the Web application including invoking the tag-based Web application objects for conditionally executing actions specified by page designers based on run-time conditions of the tag-based Web application and tag attributes in the tag-based Web application objects.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said non-programmatic tag framework includes detecting and reporting error conditions to either a page developer or an end user running a Web browser.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein said set of OOPL classes run in an interpreter that interprets OOPL bytecodes into machine code.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein said interpreter is running at a Web server site.

45. The method of claim 41, wherein specified actions can be filtered by matching a tag attribute with an HTTP request parameter.