Record/replay of user-input instructions to a web application

• US 8,108,490 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Guo, Chao Yang
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US12/238,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 709202-205, 709217-219, 709231-232
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

This Invention provides a system which enables recording/replaying Web-based user steps including a client and a server, wherein the server includes: Web Application means for displaying Web interface for the client, where user'"'"'s actions on web interface form said Web-based user steps; A recorder/player which is set in front of the Web application means for recording said Web-based user steps and enables replaying the recorded user steps; the storage means for storing the Web-based user steps recorded in recorder/player. This invention also provides a related Server, recorder/player and method. With this invention, the user steps can be easily recorded and replayed in the browser without any help from other installation programs and thus can be shared by other users.

Claims

1. A recorder/player of user-input instructions to a Web application, the recorder/player comprising:

a request data line for transmitting a request from a client to Web application means in a server wherein the request initiates a recording of user-input instructions to a Web application in order to create a recorded set of user-input instructions to the Web application;

a response data line for transmitting a response from the Web application means in the server to the client, wherein the response indicates that recording of the user-input instructions to the Web application has been enabled;

controller means for controlling execution of a “

Begin to Record”

trigger and a “

Stop Recording”

trigger that respectively begin and stop the recording of the user-input instructions to the Web application; and

comparer means for comparing a predefined result from execution of the recorded set of user-input instructions to the Web application with a first user-expected result for execution of the recorded set of user-input instructions to the Web application, and for comparing a second predefined result of each user-input instruction with a second user-expected result for executing said each user-input instruction from the recorded set of user-input instructions to the Web application, and wherein the comparer means returns a message to the user indicating whether or not the first predefined result and the first user-expected result are a same result.

2. A recorder/player according to claim 1, wherein the Web application means enables an interface displayed on the client to include a “

Begin to Record”

button, wherein said user activating the “

Begin to Record”

button begins said recording of user-input instructions, and wherein the Web application means enables the interface displayed on the client to include a “

Stopping Record”

button, wherein said user activating the “

Stopping Record”

button stops said recording of user-input instructions.

3. A recorder/player according to claim 2, wherein a record object is created by the client activating the “

Begin to Record”

button and the “

Stopping Record”

button.

4. The recorder/player of claim 1, further comprising:

the controller means recording a seven-step garbage collection routine that comprises the user-input instructions to the Web application.

5. The recorder/player of claim 1, further comprising:

the controller means receiving an instruction to limit said recording of user-input instructions to the Web application to a user-defined quantity of user-input instructions; and

the controller means limiting said recording of user-input instructions to the Web application to the user-defined quantity of user-input instructions.

6. The recorder/player of claim 1, further comprising:

the controller means receiving an instruction to limit said recording of user-input instructions to the Web application to a user-defined length of time from when the client sent the request; and

the controller means limiting said recording of user-input instructions to the Web application to the user-defined length of time from when the client sent the request.

10. The server method according to claim 1, wherein the recorded set of user-input instructions comprises non-media files.

7. A server method for recording Web-based user steps comprising:

displaying a Web interface to a client, wherein user'"'"'s actions on the Web interface comprise user-input instruction to a Web application;

in response to receiving, on the server side, a request from the client to record user-input instructions to the Web application, recording the user-input instructions to the Web application in order to create a recorded set of user-input instructions to the Web application;

displaying to the client a name list of flies in which previously recorded user-input instructions are saved;

comparing a first predefined result from executing the recorded set of user-input instructions to the Web application with a first user-expected result for executing the recorded set of user-input instructions to the Web application;

comparing a second predefined result of each user-input instruction with a second user-expected result for executing said each user-input instruction from the recorded set of user-input instructions to the Web application;

returning a message to the user indicating whether or not the first predefined result and the first user-expected result are a same result; and

debugging the Web application by correcting errors in the Web application that caused the first predefined result to differ from the first user-expected result.

8. The server method according to claim 7, further comprising:

enabling the interface displayed on the client to contain a “

Begin to Record”

button;

beginning to record Web-based user steps in response to thee user'"'"'s activating “

Begin to Record”

button;

enabling an interface displayed on the client to contain a “

Stop Recording”

button; and

stopping recording Web-based user steps in response to the user'"'"'s activating the “

Stop Recording”

Button.

9. The server method according to claim 8, further comprising:

creating a record object of the user-input instructions to the Web application in response to the client activating the “

Begin to Record”

button and the “

Stopping Record”

button.

11. The server method of claim 7, further comprising:

recording a seven-step garbage collection routine that comprises the user-input instructions to the Web application.

12. The server method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to said recording of user-input instructions to the Web application to a user-defined quantity of user-input instructions; and

limiting said recording of user-input instructions to the Web application to the user-defined quantity of user-input instructions.

13. The server method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to limit said recording of user-input instructions to the Web application to a user-defined length of time from when the client sent the request; and

limiting said recording of user-input instructions to the Web application to the user-defined length of time from when the client sent the request.

14. The server method of claim 7, further comprising:

classifying the recorded set of user-input instructions.

15. The server method of claim 14, further comprising;

basing said classifying of the recorded set on a name of the user.

16. The server method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a frequency of how often the recorded set is called for execution by the user.