Automating user's operations

• US 9,832,285 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2016
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Yayoi, Gotoh, Yasuhisa, Nakayama, Yasutomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hua
• Application Number:
  US15/132,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

To select a communication sequence for automating user'"'"'s operations, a system performing a user'"'"'s operation is provided, which acquires and stores a communication history of a client with a server in receipt of a user'"'"'s operation; accesses the storage to detect from the history a plurality of communication sequences that cause the same screen transition on the client; accesses the storage to select an input parameter that is included in all of the plurality of communication sequences and that has a parameter value changed for each communication sequence; accepts an input of a new parameter value to be set as a value of the selected input parameter; and sets the new parameter value to the selected input parameter in response to the input of the new parameter value, to execute a communication sequence that causes the same screen transition as that caused by the detected communication sequences.

Claims

1. A system comprising a hardware processor to execute an instruction to:

acquire a history of communication of a client computer with a server computer in receipt of an operation from a user;

detect from the history a plurality of communication sequences that cause a screen transition of common occurrence on the client computer, wherein one or more communication sequences of the plurality is to be detected which is to appear a number of times among at least two sequences of screen transitions to cause the screen transition of common occurrence including a number of screens that transition, wherein the number of times is to include at least two, and wherein the number of screens is to include a longest portion out of a common portion among the at least two sequences of screen transitions;

select an input parameter that is included in communication sequences of the plurality and that has a value changed;

accept an input of a new parameter value to be set as a parameter value of the selected input parameter;

set the new parameter value to the selected input parameter; and

execute a communication sequence that causes the screen transition of common occurrence.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to:

select, for at least one communication sequence of the plurality, a plurality of input parameters having a same parameter value;

accept the input of the new parameter value to be set commonly for the plurality of input parameters; and

set the accepted new parameter value to each of the plurality of input parameters for execution of the at least one communication sequence.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to:

acquire, as the history, a request that the client computer transmits to the server computer and a response that the server computer returns to the client computer in response to the request;

determine, for at least one communication sequence of the plurality, whether a parameter value of a first parameter included in a first response matches a parameter value of a second parameter included in a second request transmitted later than the first response; and

on the condition that the parameter values of the first and second parameters match, cause the parameter value of the first parameter received as a part of the first response to be set to the second parameter included in the second request transmitted later than the first response during execution of the at least one communication sequence.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to accept the input of the new parameter value to be set for the selected input parameter based on an instruction from the user.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to:

in the case of not accepting the input of the new parameter value to be set for the selected input parameter, set a fixed parameter to be set for the selected input parameter based on an instruction from the user; and

set the fixed parameter to the selected input parameter for execution of the communication sequence.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to:

display a form to accept the input of the new parameter value on a web browser operating in the client computer; and

set the new parameter value input to the form to the selected input parameter in accordance with an instruction of the user for execution of the communication sequence.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to:

accept an input of a program name from the user and store a program in association with the input program name; and

read the program corresponding to the program name designated by the user for execution.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to:

set, based on an instruction from the user, a screen at which a screen transition by the communication sequence executed is to be interrupted;

interrupt execution of the communication sequence on the condition that communication corresponding to transition to the screen is performed during the execution of the communication sequence;

when the execution of the communication sequence is interrupted, accept an input of a new value to be used for a parameter in the communication after restart; and

on the condition that the input of the new value is accepted, set the new value and restart the communication sequence.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to classify the history into communication sessions, and for each classified session, detect one or more communication sequences of the plurality which is to appear with a frequency equal to or greater than a reference frequency of occurrence.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the communication sequence is to include a request and a response in HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), wherein the screen transition is to include a plurality of web pages displayed sequentially, and wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to:

acquire, as the history, a request that the client computer transmits to the server computer and a response that the server computer returns to the client computer in response to the request; and

select any request corresponding to a response of HTML data from among the history, and detect one or more communication sequences of the plurality which is to appear with a frequency equal to or greater than a reference frequency of occurrence from among sequences of requests selected.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to eliminate from the history any request corresponding to a response having a status code indicating error or invalidity, and detect one or more communication sequences which is to appear with a frequency equal to or greater than a reference frequency of occurrence from among remaining sequences of the requests.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to stop the execution of the communication sequence on the condition that a response having a status code indicating error or invalidity is received during the execution of the communication sequence.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to cause the execution of the communication sequence to be continued on the condition that the response received during the execution of the communication sequence matches a response included in the history except for the parameter value.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein a hardware processor is to execute an instruction to eliminate from a target of detection a communication sequence that causes a number of screens to transition which is smaller than a reference number.

15. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; and

computer usable code stored on the computer readable storage medium, where, when executed by a processor, the computer usable code causes a computer to;

acquire a history of communication of a client computer with a server computer in receipt of an operation from a user;

detect from the history a plurality of communication sequences that cause a screen transition of common occurrence on the client computer, wherein one or more communication sequences of the plurality is to be detected which is to appear a number of times among at least two sequences of screen transitions to cause the screen transition of common occurrence including a number of screens that transition, wherein the number of times is to include at least two, and wherein the number of screens is to include a longest portion out of a common portion among the at least two sequences of screen transitions;

select an input parameter that is included in communication sequences of the plurality and that has a value changed;

accept an input of a new parameter value to be set as a parameter value of the selected input parameter;

set the new parameter value to the selected input parameter; and

execute a communication sequence that causes the screen transition of common occurrence.

16. The program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable code, when executed, further causes a computer to detect one or more communication sequences of the plurality which is to appear a number of times within a period of time to cause a screen transition of common occurrence.

17. The program product of claim 15, wherein the computer usable code, when executed, further causes a computer to eliminate from a target of detection a communication sequence that causes a number of screens to transition which is smaller than a reference number.

18. A method comprising:

acquiring a history of communication of a client computer with a server computer in receipt of an operation from a user;

detecting from the history a plurality of communication sequences that cause a screen transition of common occurrence on the client computer, wherein one or more communication sequences of the plurality is detected which appears a number of times among at least two sequences of screen transitions to cause the screen transition of common occurrence including a number of screens that transition, wherein the number of times includes at least two, and wherein the number of screens includes a longest portion out of a common portion among the at least two sequences of screen transitions;

selecting an input parameter that is included in communication sequences of the plurality and that has a value changed;

accepting an input of a new parameter value to be set as a parameter value of the selected input parameter;

setting the new parameter value to the selected input parameter; and

executing a communication sequence that causes the screen transition of common occurrence.

19. The method of claim 18, further including detecting one or more communication sequences of the plurality which appears a number of times within a period of time to cause a screen transition of common occurrence.

20. The method of claim 18, further including eliminating from a target of detection a communication sequence that causes a number of screens to transition which is smaller than a reference number.