System and method for extending database functions by a web application and computer readable media

• US 10,585,969 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jianqing Wu
• Original Assignee: Jianqing Wu
• Inventors: Wu, Jianqing
• Primary Examiner(s): Reyes, Mariela
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harmon, Courtney
• Application Number:
  US13/543,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20140012922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,803 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

A system and method for extending database functions by using an installed web application. A project work environment for a group of users can be created, modified, and reset instantly during a project life and/or between project life cycles by using a plurality of methods without effecting system integrity and core functions such as data validation, searches and sorting, data preservation, data display feature, and productive data entry methods.

Claims

1. A method for collecting information from and sharing information among a group of users comprising at least one user, each of the at least one user being on a client computer connected to at least one server, the method comprising:

providing a web application which is capable of communicating with a database application;

establishing communication with the database application on the at least one server and creating a database for the database application, wherein the web application is capable of accessing the database;

setting up a project for the group using a project identity or a group identity;

creating a user account for each of the at least one user, wherein each of the at least one user can access data of the group in the database;

providing a tracking table which is a structured data saved in non-volatile memory of the at least one server, a database table in the database, or combination thereof, wherein the tracking table stores table-tracking information comprising table identity information, use information, and optionally navigation information;

configuring at least one data table in the database on the at least one server for storing data of the group by using one or any combination of configuring operations chosen from;

(1) creating a new data table in the database and adding use information and table identity information for the new table in the tracking table, (2) dropping a data table from the database and deleting the use information and the table identity information for the deleted table from the tracking table, and (3) modifying a data table by changing at least one field name, at least one field data type, or both, and modifying table identity information, use information, or optionally navigation information for the modified data table in the tracking table;

creating at least one navigation bars by using table-tracking information from the tracking table, wherein a button or a link of the at least one of the navigation bars uses table identity or navigation information for the data table as a button name or a link name, and uses the table identity information for the data table in accessing the data table in the database;

generating at least one web page by the at least one server by using retrieved table-tracking information for each data table of the at least one data table, wherein the web page generating step further comprises including in a web heading the use information for the data table, and placing one of the navigation bars that contains table identity information for the data table on the web page;

submitting data from a client computer using a submitting web page to the at least one server for storage in any of the at least one data table, wherein the submitting web page uses table identity information from the tracking table as at least part of a parameter for identifying the data table by the at least one server; and

retrieving data from any one of the at least one data table by using a retrieving web page, wherein the retrieving web page uses table identity information from the tracking table as at least part of a parameter for identifying the data table by the at least one server, arranging the retrieved data in a display layout on the retrieving web page and displaying the retrieved data on the retrieving web page on a client computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of configuring the at least one data table comprises any one operation selected from:

(1) executing a default configuration file containing table names and table structures to create at least one data table on the server, (2) uploading and executing a configuration file containing table names and table structures to create at least one data table on the server, (3) modifying at least one data table by using a configuration menu on a web page, and (4) uploading a compressed project file from a client computer to the server and executing the project file to alter at least one data table on the server, wherein each configuring operation changes data tables in the database and updates table identity information, use information, and optionally navigational information for the group in the tracking table.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein table-tracking information stored in the tracking table comprises a plurality of data records, each data record of which comprises a table identity string, a table name string, and a navigation name string, jointly for tracking one data table, wherein a new data record is added to the tracking table upon the addition of a new data table, the data record for an existing data table is deleted from the tracking table upon deletion of the data table, and the data record for a data table is modified upon modification of the data table.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting typed keys in an input box on a web page for a destination field of one of the at least one data table, conducting an interactive search in a data source to get data, retrieving the found data from the server, displaying the retrieved data in a selection box, and copying a user-selected data piece from the selection box into the input box.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising constructing a phrase by combining plural user-selected data pieces that have entered in plural component input boxes on a web page or by combining a series of data pieces that have been selected in a dynamically generated selection box.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising setting up a data source for the input box on a web page by a method selected from:

setting up a composite data source using a setup tool on the web page, uploading a file containing a setup instruction for associating the destination field with a fixed data source or at least one data field of one data table of the at least one data table, and entering the setup instruction into a setup table.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the navigation bars further includes navigation information on a button or a link for one of the at least one data table for the group.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a web page that contains a plurality of table configuration choices respectively for different project identities or group identities, upon selection of a choice by a user from the plurality of table configuration choices, submitting the web page to the at least one server for processing and execution, wherein each of the plurality of table configuration choices is associated with a unique configuration file, whereby the server configures data tables according to the selected configuration file.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising conducting a global search which comprises searching each of the at least one data table, arranging found data records according to the data tables and a selected field of a first data table, and displaying found data records on a result web page.

10. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by a processor of a server to perform an operation comprising;

communicating with a database application installed on the server;

creating a user account for a group of users comprising at least one user, and allowing a user in the user account to access data of the group;

providing a tracking table which is a structured data saved on non-volatile memory of the server, a database table in the database, or a combination thereof, wherein the tracking table holds a plurality of data records, each data record containing a table identity string, a table name string, and optionally a navigation name string for tracking a data table;

configuring at least one data table in the database on the server for the group by using any one configuring operation or any combination of configuring operations chosen from;

(1) creating a new data table together with table fields in the database and adding a unique table identity string, a table name string, and an optional navigation name string in the tracking table, (2) dropping a data table from the database and deleting the data record associated with the deleted data table from the tracking table, and (3) modifying a data table by changing at least one field name, at least one field data type, or both, adding a new field or deleting an exiting field, and updating the table identity string, the table name string, and/or the navigation name string for the modified data table, wherein each configuring operation may be used more than once;

retrieving from the tracking table data records for the group, and creating at least one navigation bar for each of the at least one data table, wherein the step for creating a navigation bar for a data table further comprises using a navigation name string or a table name string of the data record for the data table as a button name or a link name, and using a table identity string for the data table as at least part of a parameter for uniquely pointing to the data table in the database;

generating at least one web pages by the server for each data table of the at least one data table by using retrieved data records from the tracking table, wherein the web page generating step further comprises including in a web heading a navigation name string or a table name string from a retrieved data record for the data table and placing one of the navigation bars that contains a table identity string for the data table on the web page;

submitting data from a client computer to the server for storage in any of the at least one data table by using a web page including a table identity string, a table name string and/or a navigation name string for the data table from the tracking table, and saving the submitted data in the data table on the server; and

retrieving data from any one of the at least one data table by using at least one web pages, each of which includes a table identity string, a table name string and/or a navigation string for the data table from the tracking table, and arranging the retrieved data in a display layout on the web page, and displaying the retrieved data on the web page on a client computer.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, the operation further comprising one configuring operation selected from:

(1) executing a default configuration file containing table names and table structures to create at least one data table on the server, (2) uploading and executing a configuration file containing table names and structures to create at least one data table on the server, (3) modifying at least one data table on the server by using a configuration menu on a web page, and (4) uploading a compressed project file from a client computer to the server and executing the project file to alter at least one data table on the server, wherein each configuring operation changes data records for the group in the tracking table.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, the operation further comprising accepting typed keys in an input box on a web page for a destination field of a data table of the at least one data table, conducting an interactive search in a data source to get data, retrieving the found data from the server, displaying the retrieved data in a selection box, and copying a user-selected data piece from the selection box into the input box.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, the operation further comprising editing and deleting a plurality of data records for a data table of the at least one table on a web page, adding data records on the web page, submitting the web page to the server, and saving changes made on the web page in the data table.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, the operation further comprising generating a web page that contains a plurality of table configuration choices respectively for different project identities or group identities, upon selection of a choice by a user from the plurality of table configuration choices, submitting the web page to the server for processing and execution, wherein each of the plurality of table configuration choices is associated with a unique configuration file, whereby the server configures data tables according to the selected configuration file.

15. A method of extending functions of a database application on a server to at least one client computer in a network, the method comprising:

running the database application on the server and creating a database for the database application;

providing a tracking table which is a structured data saved on non-volatile memory on the server, a database table in the database, or a combination thereof, wherein the tracking table is for storing a plurality of data records, each data record containing a table identity string, a table name string, and optionally a navigation name string for tracking a data table;

configuring at least one data table in the database on the server by using any one or any combination of configuring operations selected from;

(1) creating a new data table together with table fields in the database and adding a unique table identity, a table name string, and an optional navigation name string in the tracking table, (2) modifying a data table by changing at least one field name, at least one data type, or both, adding a new field, and/or deleting an existing field, and updating the data record for the modified data table in the tracking table, and (3) dropping a data table in the database and deleting the data record for the deleted data table from the tracking table;

retrieving from the tracking table data records, creating at least one navigation bar for each data table of the at least one data table using the retrieved data records, wherein a button or a link of the at least one navigation bar uses a navigation name string or a table name string of the retrieved data record for the data table as a button name or a link name, and using a table identity string for the data table by the server in accessing the data table in the database;

generating at least one web page by the server by using retrieved data records for each of the data tables, the web page generating step further comprising including in a web heading a navigation name string or a table name string from a retrieved data record for the data table and placing a navigation bar that contains a table identity string for the data table on the web page,

wherein the web pages for the at least one data table maintain database accessing functions including submitting data from a client computer to the server for storage in one of the at least one data table, searching data in one of the at least one data table, and retrieving data from one of the at least one data table and displaying the retrieved data for one of the at least one data table on the web pages on a client computer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising editing a plurality of data records for one of the data tables on a web page, adding data records on the web page, upon submitting the web page to the server, saving changes made on the web page in the data table.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising creating a display layout for one of the at least one data table, upon selecting a display layout, applying the selected display layout to data from the data table on web pages.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein available display layouts include a one-line-per-record layout, or a one-field-per-line display layout.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising uploading a configuration file containing table definitions and display layout definitions, reading the table definitions and the display layout definitions, deleting existing data tables, creating data tables according to the table definitions, and writing the display layout definitions in a display setup table.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating a web page that contains a plurality of table configuration choices respectively for different project identities or group identities, upon selection of a choice by a user from the plurality of table configuration choices, submitting the web page to the server for processing and execution, wherein each of the plurality of table configuration choices is associated with a unique configuration file, whereby the server configures data tables according to the selected configuration file.