Capturing diagnostics in web browser applications

• US 8,271,836 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hawkins, Jonathan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lottich, Joshua P
• Application Number:
  US11/862,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 714/4, 714/38, 714/4.1, 714/38.1
• US Class Current: 714/38.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0787 Storage of error reports, e.g. persistent data storage, storage using memory protection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3668 Software testing software testing in telephone exchanges H04M3/242, testing of hardware G06F11/22

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for capturing diagnostics for Web browser applications. Embodiments of the present invention can capture errors in client-side code for a Web application and automatically report them a Web Service. Diagnostics code can be automatically injected into client code to capture client-side diagnostic information, including but not limited to errors in Web application code (script code, managed code, etc) that runs in a Web browser. The client-side diagnostic information can be automatically forwarded to a Web service under the control of the Web application. The Web application operator can use this information to improve the quality and hence customer satisfaction of their Web application.

Claims

1. At a Web browser, a method for capturing diagnostics for a Web browser application executing on a client device, the method comprising:

an act of sending a Web page request to a Web server;

an act of receiving, at the client device, a Web page from the Web server, the Web page configured to present content at the Web browser on the client device, the received Web page including each of the following;

content generated at least in part by a server-side script;

a reference to application code representing a portion of a Web based application, execution of the application code configured to generate a portion of the content for presentation of the Web page at the Web browser on the client device;

a client-side script reference wherein the client-side script reference is used to access additional client-side script code; and

a reference to diagnostic code configured to capture client-side diagnostic information related to errors in the application code during execution of the application code of the same Web page in which the diagnostic code is referenced, wherein the Web page and diagnostic code corresponds to a master page which is used to capture script errors across all pages that share the master page;

an act of the Web browser passing the application code to a script processor and the script processor executing the application code to generate the portion of content;

an act of the Web browser executing the diagnostic code;

an act of the executed diagnostic code capturing client-side diagnostic information related to errors in the executed application code; and

an act of sending the captured client-side diagnostic information to a published Web service, the published Web service configured to;

receive client-side diagnostic information related to execution of the application code at the Web browser on the client device; and

combine client-side diagnostic information with any server-side diagnostic information related to the Web based application for use in improving the quality of the Web based application.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising subsequent to receiving the Web page:

an act of using a reference for the application code to download resources from the Web server for executing the application code.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising subsequent to receiving the Web page:

an act of using a reference for the diagnostic code to download resources from the Web server for executing the diagnostic code.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the reference to application code comprises the application code.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the reference to diagnostic code comprises the diagnostic code.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least a reference to diagnostic code comprises at least a reference to diagnostic code for capturing client-side diagnostic information related to one or more of script errors, stack traces, and memory dumps for portions of a Web application executed at the Web browser.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising an act of retaining the captured diagnostic information for use in improving the quality of the Web based application wherein retaining the captured client-side diagnostic information comprises using an extensible reporting mechanism selected from among:

send immediate, record, and aggregate in memory;

send in batches and record in durable storage; and

forward at a later time.

8. At a computer system, a method for capturing diagnostics for a Web browser application, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a Web page request from a Web browser, the Web browser being located at a client computing system;

identifying a server-side page which corresponds to the Web page request, the server side page comprising a server-side script;

executing the server-side script and generating content for return to the Web browser, wherein generating the content is done at least in part by executing the server-side script;

an act of constructing a Web page to return to the Web browser in response to the Web page request, the constructed Web page including at least

the content,

a client-side script reference wherein the client-side script reference is used on the client to access additional client-side script code, and

a reference to application code representing a portion of a Web based application, execution of the application code at the Web browser being configured to generate a portion of the content for presentation at the Web browser;

an act of detecting that diagnostics are enabled for Web based applications;

an act of injecting diagnostic code into the constructed Web page in response to diagnostics being enabled, the diagnostic code being included with the content and the reference to application code, and the diagnostic code being configured to capture client-side diagnostic information related to the application code during execution of the application code at the Web browser, wherein the Web page and diagnostic code corresponds to a master page which is used to capture script errors across all pages that share the master page; and

an act of returning the constructed Web page to the Web browser of the client computing system;

an act of publishing a Web service configured to receive client-side diagnostic information related to execution of the application code at the Web browser;

an act of the Web service receiving captured client-side diagnostic information related to execution of the application code at the Web browser subsequent to sending the Web page to the Web browser, the client-side diagnostic information for use in improving the quality of the Web based application; and

an act of combining the client-side diagnostic information with server-side diagnostic information related to the Web based application.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of constructing a Web page including at least a reference to application code representing a portion of a Web based application comprises an act of constructing a Web page that references downloadable resources for executing the application code.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the act of injecting diagnostic code into the constructed Web page in response to diagnostics being enabled comprises an act of injecting diagnostic code into the downloadable resources.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising subsequent to sending the Web page:

an act of receiving a request from the Web browser for the downloadable resources that include the injected diagnostic code; and

an act of sending the downloadable resources to the Web browser.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of detecting the diagnostics are enabled for Web based applications comprises an act of referring to a Web configuration file.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of injecting diagnostic code into the constructed Web page comprises an act of injecting diagnostic code for capturing client-side diagnostic information related to one or more of script errors, stack traces, and memory dumps for portions of the Web based application executed at the Web browser.

14. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer program product of implementing a method for capturing diagnostics for a Web browser application, the computer program product comprising one or more physical storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause a Web server at the computer system to perform the method, including the following:

receive a Web page request from a Web browser, the Web browser being located at a client computing system;

identify a server-side page which corresponds to the Web page request, the server side page comprising a server-side script;

execute the server-side script and generate content for return to the Web browser;

construct a Web page to return to the Web browser in response to the Web page request, the constructed Web page including at least the content generated at least in part by the server-side script, a client-side script reference which is used on the client to access additional client-side script code, and a reference to application code representing a portion of a Web based application, execution of the application code at the Web browser being configured to generate a portion of the content for presentation at the Web browser;

detect that diagnostics are enabled for Web based applications;

inject diagnostic code into the constructed Web page in response to diagnostics being enabled, the diagnostic code being included with the content and the reference to application code, and the diagnostic code being configured to capture diagnostic information related to the application code during execution of the application code;

return the constructed Web page to the Web browser, wherein the Web page and diagnostic code corresponds to a master page which is used to capture script errors across all pages that share the master page;

return the constructed Web page to the Web browser of the client computing system;

publish a Web service configured to receive client-side diagnostic information related to execution of the application code at the Web browser;

receive, at the Web service, captured client-side diagnostic information related to execution of the application code at the Web browser subsequent to sending the Web page to the Web browser, the client-side diagnostic information for use in improving the quality of the Web based application; and

combine the client-side diagnostic information with server-side diagnostic information related to the Web based application.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the Web server to construct a Web page including at least a reference to application code representing a portion of a Web based application comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the Web server to construct a Web page that references downloadable resources for executing the application code.

16. The computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the Web server to inject diagnostic code into the constructed Web page in response to diagnostics being enabled comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the Web server to inject diagnostic code into the downloadable resources.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the Web server to:

receive a request from the Web browser for downloadable resources that include the injected diagnostic code; and

send the downloadable resources to the Web browser.