Systems and methods for suspending and resuming of a stateful web application

• US 7,757,239 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2005
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Beck, Stefan K.
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Meng-Ai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; Adam
• Application Number:
  US11/212,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,779 Days
• Field of Search: 718 1-108
• US Class Current: 718/108
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for providing the integration of different Web applications into an online workflow. The methods and systems allow suspension of a first Web application, initiation of interaction with a second Web application, and subsequent resumption of the first Web application, while maintaining the state of the first Web application.

Claims

1. A method for providing an online workflow of Web applications within a model-based runtime environment, comprising:

suspending operation of a first Web application that is provided by a first server system over a network to a client machine for display via a user interface of a browser at the client machine, the suspending occurring when the client machine detects an event indicating that a second Web application is being initiated, the suspending comprising saving a URL of the first Web application and removing from a memory associated with the first Web application some of the contents of the memory;

initiating the second Web application, the initiating comprising providing a second view of data associated with the second Web application through the user interface of the browser; and

resuming the first Web application after the second Web application completes processing, the resuming comprising connecting to the saved URL of the first Web application from the client machine and resuming the first Web application based on the saved URL and on a window identification value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein saving the URL of the first Web application further comprises:

receiving the event in an event hander, the received event indicating the second Web application is being initiated.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

terminating the suspended first Web application if a predetermined time value has been exceeded since suspension of the first Web application.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

saving for the first Web application, a session identification value and a corresponding state, the state representative of the first Web application before terminating the first Web application.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

determining, upon resuming the first Web application, whether the session identification value has been saved for the first Web application, the saved session identification value corresponding to the first Web application being terminated.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein resuming the first Web application further comprises:

retrieving the saved session identification value and the corresponding state when the determining step indicates that the first Web application has been terminated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a majority of processing associated with the first Web application occurs at the first server system and the first view is sent from the first server system to the client machine over the network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second web application is provided by a second server system over the network to the client machine, a majority of processing associated with the second Web application occurs at the second server system, and the second view is sent from the second server system to the client machine over the network.

9. A system for providing an online workflow of applications, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to perform a method comprising;

suspending operation of a first Web application that is provided by a first server system over a network to a client machine for display via a user interface of a browser at the client machine, the suspending occurring when the client machine detects an event indicating that a second Web application is being initiated, the suspending comprising saving a URL of the first Web application and removing from a memory associated with the first Web application some of the contents of the memory;

initiating the second Web application, the initiating comprising providing a second view of data associated with the second Web application through the user interface of the browser; and

resuming the first Web application after the second Web application completes processing, the resuming comprising connecting to the saved URL of the first Web application from the client machine and resuming the first Web application based on the saved URL and on a window identification value.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein saving the URL of the first Web application further comprises:

receiving the event in an event hander, the received event indicating the second Web application is being initiated.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

terminating the suspended first Web application if a predetermined time value has been exceeded since suspension of the first Web application.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

saving for the first Web application, a session identification value and a corresponding state, the state representative of the first Web application before terminating the first Web application.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

determining, upon resuming the first Web application, whether the session identification value has been saved for the first Web application, the saved session identification value corresponding to the first Web application being terminated.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein resuming the first Web application further comprises:

retrieving the saved session identification value and the corresponding state when the determining step indicates that the first Web application has been terminated.

15. A computer-readable medium containing instructions to configure a processor to perform a method for providing an online workflow of applications, the method comprising:

suspending operation of a first Web application that is provided by a first server system over a network to a client machine for display via a user interface of a browser at the client machine, the suspending occurring when the client machine detects an event indicating that a second Web application is being initiated, the suspending comprising saving a URL of the first Web application and removing from a memory associated with the first Web application some of the contents of the memory;

initiating the second Web application, the initiating comprising providing a second view of data associated with the second Web application through the user interface of the browser; and

resuming the first Web application after the second Web application completes processing, the resuming comprising connecting to the saved URL of the first Web application from the client machine and resuming the first Web application based on the saved URL and on a window identification value.

16. A computer-readable medium containing instructions to configure a processor to perform a method for providing an online workflow of applications, the method comprising:

suspending operation of a first Web application that is provided by a first server system over a network to a client machine for display via a user interface of a browser at the client machine, the suspending occurring when the client machine detects an event indicating that a second Web application is being initiated, the suspending comprising saving a URL of the first Web application;

initiating the second Web application, the initiating comprising providing a second view of data associated with the second Web application through the user interface of the browser;

resuming the first Web application after the second Web application completes processing, the resuming comprising connecting to the saved URL of the first Web application from the client machine;

terminating the suspended first Web application if a predetermined time value has been exceeded since suspension of the first Web application; and

saving for the first Web application, a session identification value and a corresponding state, the state representative of the first Web application before terminating the first Web application.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein suspending further comprises:

suspending the operation of the first Web application by removing from a memory associated with the first Web application some of the contents of the memory.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein resuming further comprises:

resuming the first Web application based on the saved URL and a window identification value, when another event indicates a request to the first Web application.