Managing the release of electronic content using a template without version logic

• US 9,268,534 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2008
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lopez, Gus, Green, Nigel, Edelman, Alexandre, Graybill, Jules, Treder, Doug
• Primary Examiner(s): Deng, Anna
• Application Number:
  US12/043,815
• Time in Patent Office: 2,910 Days
• Field of Search: 717/109, 717/110, 717/111
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/33 Intelligent editors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A facility for rendering a dynamic electronic document is described. The dynamic electronic document has both a current and a future edition. The current edition incorporates a current version of a content item, while the future edition incorporates a future version of the content item. The facility receives a request to return the dynamic electronic document. In response to the request, the facility retrieves a template for the electronic document that contains a single identifier that identifies a group of content item versions containing both the current version of the content item and the future version of the content item. The facility uses the single identifier contained in the template, together with an indication of whether the current edition of the dynamic electronic document or the future version is being requested by the received request, to incorporate the appropriate version of the content item in the rendered dynamic electronic document.

Claims

1. A method in a content storage component for storing digital resources that may be embodied in different versions at different times, comprising:

storing a data structure to manage future content changes to a content site for a plurality of different publishers, wherein the data structure comprises a plurality of entries each corresponding to a change to be made to an identified resource for the content site, wherein a given entry of the plurality of entries comprises;

a release identifier corresponding to a preview version of a future release for the content site,

a resource identifier that identifies a respective resource of the content site to be changed,

a manner in which to alter a version of the respective resource for a release identifier preceding the release identifier of the given entry to produce a new version of the respective resource; and

receiving an access request from a given publisher of the plurality of publishers to modify or view a specified resource in the data structure, wherein the access request includes a specified resource identifier and a specified release identifier corresponding to the specified resource;

in response to the access request from a given publisher of the plurality of publishers to modify or view the specified resource in the data structure;

resolving the access request from the given publisher using a publisher access model, wherein the publisher access model classifies resources of the content site as visible and modifiable by only specific publishers of the plurality of publishers;

determining, from among a plurality of release identifiers in the data structure ordered according to release versions, an entry in the data structure containing a release identifier and resource identifier corresponding to specified resource with the specified release identifier and the specified resource identifier; and

determining, from among release versions prior to a release version corresponding to the specified release identifier, one or more additional entries in the data structure containing prior versions of specified resource; and

applying changes together to the specified resource from the determined entry and the one or more additional entries to generate a resource version in response to the access request to the given publisher.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the release identifier for the given entry specifies a time at which the respective resource is to be altered by identifying a release event with which the specified future release of the respective resource is associated.

3. A method, comprising:

receiving a resource version retrieval request from a given publisher, the resource version retrieval request includes a specified resource identifier and a specified resource version identifier for identifying a resource with a specified version to be retrieved,

wherein the specified version of the identified resource is part of a body of content visible and modifiable only by specified publishers from among a plurality of publishers in accordance with a publisher access model;

in response to resolution of the resource version retrieval request using the publisher access model indicating that the given publisher is allowed to retrieve the identified resource;

accessing an indicated effective time applying to the received resource version retrieval request,

wherein the indicated effective time comprises a specified time corresponding to a future release of the specified version of the identified resource, and the indicated effective time is retrieved from a context variable of the given publisher; and

returning, in response to the resource version retrieval request, the specified version of the identified resource that embodies the identified resource at the indicated effective time.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the accessed indication of effective time is an indication of a release applying to the received resource version retrieval request, the indicated effective time being associated with the indicated release.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the identified resource has a current version, and wherein a plurality of releases are each scheduled for a different future time, and wherein each release may specify a change to the identified resource, the method further comprising determining the result of applying to the current version of the identified resource the changes specified by the releases up to and including the indicated release, and wherein the version of the identified resource returned is the determined result.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the accessed indication of an effective time is contained in the received resource version retrieval request.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the future release of the version is with respect to a version of the identified resource that is part of a currently-published body of content, and wherein the accessed indication of an effective time applying to the received resource version retrieval request indicates a time later than the current time.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the accessed indication of an effective time applying to the received resource version retrieval request indicates a future time.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform:

receiving a resource modification request from a given publisher, the resource modification request comprising;

a resource identifier that identifies a resource,

a release identifier that identifies a future release corresponding to the resource, and

a modification that is to be made to a version of the identified resource included in a prior release, the modification to be made to preview the identified future release of the identified resource,

resolving the resource modification request from the given publisher using a publisher access model wherein the publisher access model classifies resources of the content site as visible and modifiable by only specific publishers of a plurality of publishers;

performing the request resource modification based on said resolving indicating that the given publisher has permission to modify the identified resource,

in response to receiving, from the given publisher, a resource retrieval request specifying a future release identifier;

resolving the resource retrieval request using the publisher access model,

accessing a list of resource modifications specified for releases earlier than for the specified future release identifier; and

generating particular content based on the accessed list of resource modifications specified for the earlier releases.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the resource retrieval request identifies a range of releases, and wherein the list of resource modifications comprises previously received resource modification requests for the identified range of releases.

11. A computing system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to at least one of the one or more processors, wherein the memory stores instructions that when executed by one of the one or more processors performs;

implementing an input component for receiving a resource retrieval instruction from a given publisher, the resource retrieval instruction including a resource identifier to identify a resource to be retrieved, and a release identifier to identify a future release of the resource or specific changes to the resource, wherein the resource retrieval instruction is originated in order to retrieve a version of the identified resource that is part of a body of content visible and modifiable only by specified publishers from among a plurality of publishers in accordance with a publisher access model;

implementing an analysis component for determining, based on the resource identifier and the release identifier, a release for which to retrieve the resource identified by the received resource retrieval instruction;

implementing an identification component for identifying, based on the resource identifier and a resource version identifier, a version of the resource identified by the received resource retrieval instruction for the release determined by the analysis component; and

implementing an output component for, in response to the received resource retrieval instruction, providing the version for the release of the resource that is identified by the analysis component and the identification component.

12. The computing system of claim 11 wherein the resource identified by the received resource retrieval instruction has a current version, wherein each of multiple releases is scheduled for a different subsequent time, wherein each of the multiple releases may specify a modification to the current version of the resource identified by the received resource retrieval instruction, and wherein the identification component identifies the version of the resource by determining the outcome of applying to the current version of the resource modifications specified by the release determined by the analysis component and releases prior to the release determined by the analysis component.

13. The computing system of claim 11 wherein the analysis component determines the release by accessing an indication of the release contained in the received resource retrieval instruction.

14. The computing system of claim 11 wherein the resource retrieval request is initiated on behalf of an initiating user, and wherein the analysis component determines the release by accessing a context variable of the initiating user.

15. The computing system of claim 11 wherein the resource retrieval request is initiated to retrieve a currently published version of the resource, and wherein the version of the resource is identified by the resource retrieval instruction, and wherein the release determined by the analysis component is the current release.

16. The computing system of claim 15 wherein the release determined by the analysis component is a future release.