Providing an improved web user interface framework for building web applications

• US 10,331,432 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2016
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Oliver, Gordon, Abbott, III, Freeland Knight
• Primary Examiner(s): Morshed, Hossain M
• Application Number:
  US15/350,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20170153883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer program products for updating a web application displayed on a client machine. In some implementations, a server maintains a database of application identifiers identifying instances of one or more web applications. The server receives, from a first client machine, a communication identifying a first web application and a first application identifier, the instance of the first web application being associated with one or more components. The server determines that the first application identifier is not included in the database of application identifiers, and generates an updated application identifier for the instance of the first web application based on component version identifiers of the one or more components. The server stores the updated application identifier and transmits a notification to the first client machine indicating that the instance of the first web application is out-of-date.

Claims

1. A system for providing a user interface (UI) framework associated with a server system configured to host a web application, the system comprising:

a UI framework comprising a set of reusable and extensible components, each component having an associated application programming interface (API) and an associated component version identifier indicating a current version of the component; and

a server system comprising a plurality of servers, each server comprising at least one hardware processor, the server system configured to communicate with a client system comprising at least one hardware processor, the server system configured to cause;

displaying, in a UI at the client system, an instance of a server-hosted web application comprising a subset of the set of components of the UI framework,

sending definitions of the subset of components to the client system, the definitions configured to be cached locally at the client system, the cached definitions configured to be used to display the instance of the web application in the UI at the client system,

responsive to a request by the web application, performing a server-side action,

providing results of the server-side action to the client system, the results configured to be cached locally at the client system,

providing further results of at least one further server-side action to the client system, the further results associated with at least one predicted request by a component of the web application, the predicted request generated using heuristics associating at least one cached action with at least one predicted action,

responsive to a server-side action request by a component of the web application, identifying a locally cached response without a further request to the server system,

responsive to an updated server-side action request for an updated response, determining that the updated response is different from the cached response, and

updating the web application and the cached response with the updated response.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a result of a server-side action is indexed by an identifier uniquely identifying the server-side action.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the UI framework is configured to use a further API to manage simultaneous connections between components in the set of components.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a predicted request is generated using relationships between customer relationship management (CRM) records stored in a database.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a predicted action is based on at least one of:

a user role, a user setting or a user behavior.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a component is identified from other components according to at least one of:

a role of a user, a position of the user or a personalization setting of the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a request is an XMLHttpRequest request configured to trigger an action at a database system associated with the server system.

8. A computer program product comprising computer-readable program code capable of being executed by at least one processor when retrieved from a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the program code comprising instructions configured to cause:

accessing a UI framework comprising a set of reusable and extensible components, each component having an associated application programming interface (API) and an associated component version identifier indicating a current version of the component;

displaying, in a UI at a client system, an instance of a server-hosted web application comprising a subset of the set of components of the UI framework;

sending definitions of the subset of components to the client system, the definitions configured to be cached locally at the client system, the cached definitions configured to be used to display the instance of the web application in the UI at the client system;

responsive to a request by the web application, performing a server-side action;

providing results of the server-side action to the client system, the results configured to be cached locally at the client system;

providing further results of at least one further server-side action to the client system, the further results associated with at least one predicted request by a component of the web application, the predicted request generated using heuristics associating at least one cached action with at least one predicted action;

responsive to a server-side action request by a component of the web application, identifying a locally cached response without a further request to a server system;

responsive to an updated server-side action request for an updated response, determining that the updated response is different from the cached response; and

updating the web application and the cached response with the updated response.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a result of a server-side action is indexed by an identifier uniquely identifying the server-side action.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the UI framework is configured to use a further API to manage simultaneous connections between components in the set of components.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a predicted request is generated using relationships between customer relationship management (CRM) records stored in a database.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a predicted action is based on at least one of:

a user role, a user setting or a user behavior.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a component is identified from other components according to at least one of:

a role of a user, a position of the user or a personalization setting of the user.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein a request is an XMLHttpRequest request configured to trigger an action at a database system associated with the server system.

15. A method comprising:

accessing a UI framework comprising a set of reusable and extensible components, each component having an associated application programming interface (API) and an associated component version identifier indicating a current version of the component;

causing display, in a UI at a client system, of an instance of a server-hosted web application comprising a subset of the set of components of the UI framework;

sending definitions of the subset of components to the client system, the definitions configured to be cached locally at the client system, the cached definitions configured to be used to display the instance of the web application in the UI at the client system;

responsive to a request by the web application, performing a server-side action;

providing results of the server-side action to the client system, the results configured to be cached locally at the client system;

providing further results of at least one further server-side action to the client system, the further results associated with at least one predicted request by a component of the web application, the predicted request generated using heuristics associating at least one cached action with at least one predicted action;

responsive to a server-side action request by a component of the web application, causing identification of a locally cached response without a further request to a server system;

responsive to an updated server-side action request for an updated response, determining that the updated response is different from the cached response; and

causing updating of the web application and the cached response with the updated response.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a result of a server-side action is indexed by an identifier uniquely identifying the server-side action.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the UI framework is configured to use a further API to manage simultaneous connections between components in the set of components.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein a predicted request is generated using relationships between customer relationship management (CRM) records stored in a database.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein a predicted action is based on at least one of:

a user role, a user setting or a user behavior.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein a component is identified from other components according to at least one of:

a role of a user, a position of the user or a personalization setting of the user.