Method for improving backward/forward performance between certain types of dynamic web pages

• US 9,177,077 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2012
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Alice, Eidson, Brady K., Chan, Ada Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): DYER, ANDREW R
• Application Number:
  US13/628,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20130275853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 715/234
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

A method for improving backward and forward web browser performance is described. In one embodiment, backward and forward web performance is enhanced by ignoring unload handler scripts and caching web pages. Web elements with unload handler scripts are examined. In a first pass, if the web page elements are not determined to be significant, then the related unload handler scripts can be ignored, enabling the web page to be cached. In a second pass, if the web page element is significant, but the unload handler script is determined to be insignificant, then the unload handler script can be ignored and the web page can be cached.

Claims

1. A method for caching web page data for a requested web page displayable through a web browser, the method comprising:

receiving the web page data associated with the requested web page;

creating a first document object model (DOM) from the web page data, the first DOM including at least a second DOM; and

examining the second DOM when the second DOM includes an unload handler script that prevents the web page data from being stored in cache, wherein examining the second DOM comprises;

determining whether the second DOM is related to a third party,

determining whether the second DOM is hidden in response to a determination that the second DOM is not related to the third party, and

when the second DOM is determined to be

     1) related to the third party and

     2) hidden;

determining that the unload handler script from the second DOM can be ignored,

ignoring the unload handler script from the second DOM in response to a determination that the unload handler script from the second DOM can be ignored, and

caching the web page data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second DOM is related to the third party when the second DOM includes a second domain that is different from a first domain included in the first DOM.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second DOM is hidden when the second DOM is displayed off of a visual screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein examining the second DOM further comprises:

determining whether the second DOM is visually significant in response to a determination that the second DOM is not related to the third party, wherein the second DOM is visually significant when the second DOM is greater than or equal to a predetermined percentage of a displayed web page of the first DOM, and

determining that the unload handler script from the second DOM can be ignored in response to a determination that the second DOM is not visually significant.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined percentage is 20%.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second DOM is visually significant when the second DOM is inside a content flow of the requested web page associated with the first DOM.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed by a processor in a computing device, cause the computing device to cache web page data used for constructing web pages and displaying web pages through a web browser, by carrying out steps that include:

receiving the web page data associated with a requested web page;

creating a hierarchical document object model (DOM) from the web page data; and

examining one or more DOMs comprising at least one unload handler script that prevents the web page data from being stored in a cache when the at least one unload handler script is executed, wherein the one or more DOMs are included in the hierarchical DOM, and examining the one or more DOMs comprises;

determining whether at least one DOM of the one or more DOMs is related to a third party,

determining whether the at least one DOM is hidden from view in response to a determination that the at least one DOM is not related to the third party, and

when the at least one DOM is determined to be

     1) related to the third party and

     2) hidden from view;

determining that the at least one unload handler script associated with the at least one DOM can be ignored,

ignoring the at least one unload handler script in response to a determination that the at least one unload handler script associated with the at least one DOM can be ignored, and

caching the web page data.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the at least one DOM is related to the third party when the at least one DOM includes a first domain that is different from a second domain for the hierarchical DOM.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the at least one DOM is hidden from view when the at least one DOM is displayed off of a visual screen.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein examining the one or more DOMs further comprises:

determining whether the at least one DOM is visually significant in response to a determination that the at least one DOM is not related to the third party, wherein the at least one DOM is visually significant when the at least one DOM is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount of a displayed web page, and

determining that the at least one unload handler script associated with the at least one DOM can be ignored in response to a determination that the at least one DOM is not visually significant.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one DOM is not visually significant when the at least one DOM is less than 20% of the displayed web page.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one DOM is not visually significant when the at least one DOM is outside a content flow of the requested web page related to the hierarchical DOM.

13. A method for determining when web page data can be cached, the method comprising:

receiving the web page data for a requested web page;

building a document object model (DOM) representation of the requested web page, wherein the DOM representation includes one or more DOMs, and the one or more DOMs include one or more unload handler calls associated with one or more unload handler scripts that prevent the web page data from being cached when the one or more unload handler scripts are executed;

performing a first examination associated with a DOM list, wherein the DOM list includes the one or more DOMs, and the first examination includes;

examining each DOM in the DOM list to determine whether at least one unload handler call of the one or more unload handler calls that is associated with the DOM can be ignored, and

updating the DOM list, wherein updating the DOM list comprises;

removing, from the DOM list, at least one DOM of the one or more DOMs for which the at least one unload handler call can be ignored, and

generating an updated DOM list that includes at least one other DOM of the one or more DOMs for which the at least one unload handler call cannot be ignored; and

performing a second examination associated with the at least one other DOM in the updated DOM list, wherein the second examination is performed after the first examination has been completed and includes;

examining one or more actions associated with at least one unload handler script of the one or more unload handler scripts, wherein the at least one unload handler script is associated with the at least one unload handler call that is associated with the at least one other DOM,

determining, based on the one or more actions, whether the at least one unload handler script can be ignored,

ignoring the at least one unload handler script in response to a determination that the at least one unload handler script can be ignored, and

caching the web page data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more actions associated with the at least one unload handler script include setting a local storage value, and the method further comprises:

determining that the at least one unload handler script can be ignored when the at least one unload handler script does not set the local storage value.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more actions associated with the at least one unload handler script include interacting with a network resource, and the method further comprises:

determining that the at least one unload handler script can be ignored when the at least one unload handler script does not interact with the network resource.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more actions associated with the at least one unload handler script include performing read operations, and the method further comprises:

determining that the at least one unload handler script can be ignored when the at least one unload handler script performs only read operations.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more actions associated with the at least one unload handler script include setting a cookie value, and the method further comprises:

determining that the at least one unload handler script can be ignored when the at least one unload handler script does not set the cookie value.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more actions associated with the at least one unload handler script include contacting a server, and the method further comprises:

determining that the at least one unload handler script can be ignored when the at least one unload handler script contacts the server that is not related to a domain of the at least one other DOM.