OPTIMIZED DELIVERY OF WEB APPLICATION CODE

• US 20070300244A1
• Filed: 06/11/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kieffer, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/331
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Application code for deployment to a client over a data link is optimized to minimize download time by supplying only the application code with a particular object that is required by the object. In a web application that includes multiple pages, the HTML and JAVASCRIPT are scanned to identify code resources called by a particular web page. When all called resources are identified, they are extracted and concatenated into a single resource file. When the page is downloaded to the client, the import file is included with the page. The import file may be cached so that it need only be downloaded once, rather than being downloaded every time the page is requested. The invention is suitable for use with other interpreted scripting languages.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A computer implemented method for optimizing application code for deployment to a client over a data link, wherein external code to be used by a first object is supplied to the client, the method comprising the steps of:

analyzing the first object;

without requiring any input from any user, automatically determining external code to be used by said first object in order to implement its functionality;

extracting determined external code to be used by the first object in order to implement its functionality from at least one import file, wherein the at least one import file from which needed code is extracted further contains unneeded code, at least some of which is not extracted;

concatenating all extracted external code; and

transmitting the extracted external code to the client.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said application code comprises a web application, and wherein said first object comprises a web page, said web application including at least one web page that includes at least one functionality, said web page comprising a file of hypertext markup language code, said web page optionally including at least one embedded code block written in a scripting language, said web application further comprising at least one import file of code.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said scripting language is comprises any of JAVASCRIPT and VBSCRIPT.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said external code is located in at least one of:

at least one embedded code block; and

said import files.

6. The method of claim 4, Wherein said steps of analyzing said first object, and without requiring any input from any user, automatically determining external code to be used by said first object in order to implement its functionality further comprise the steps of:

scanning said HTML code;

scanning at least one embedded code block;

scanning said import files; and

identifying entry points contained therein.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said entry points comprise any of:

HTML tags that incorporate JAVASCRIPT statements;

actions associated with web page elements; and

DOM (document object model) events.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said actions associated with web page elements include HTML form actions.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein determining external code to be used by said first object in order to implement its functionality comprises the steps of:

identifying at least one embedded code block and said import files;

identifying all resources needed by said first object in order to implement its functionality contained therein;

creating a resource information object for each needed resource; and

creating at least one list of said information objects.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said resources comprises any of:

functions;

a virtual function;

methods;

sub-routines; and

any code block that performs a specific task.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said virtual function comprises:

a placeholder in said HTML code, wherein said virtual function comprises at least one of;

instructions and resources contained in said embedded code blocks; and

wherein a web page element invokes a plurality of said functions.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein analyzing said first object further comprises using an analysis tool incorporating one from a group consisting of:

IO support; and

support for collections, arrays, and hash maps.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said analysis tool comprises one of:

a PERL script; and

a JAVASCRIPT engine.

14. At least one computer readable medium containing a computer program product for optimizing application code for deployment to a client over a data link, wherein external code to be used by a first object is supplied to the client, the computer program product comprising:

program code for analyzing the first object;

program code for, without requiring any input from any user, automatically determining external code to be used by said first object in order to implement its functionality;

program code for extracting determined external code to be used by the first object in order to implement its functionality from at least one import file, wherein the at least one import file from which needed code is extracted further contains unneeded code, at least some of which is not extracted;

program code for concatenating all extracted external code; and

program code for transmitting the extracted external code to the client.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said application code comprises a web application, and wherein said first object comprises a web page, said web application including at least one web page that includes at least one functionality, said web page comprising a file of hypertext markup language code, said web page optionally including at least one embedded code block written in a scripting language, said web application further comprising at least one import file of code.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said scripting language is comprises any of JAVASCRIPT and VBSCRIPT.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said external code is located in at least one of:

at least one embedded code block; and

said import files.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein said the program code for performing steps of analyzing said first object, and without requiring any input from any user, automatically determining external code to be used by said first object in order to implement its functionality further comprises program code for:

scanning said HTML code;

scanning at least one embedded code block;

scanning said import files; and

identifying entry points contained therein.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said entry points comprise any of:

HTML tags that incorporate JAVASCRIPT statements;

actions associated with web page elements; and

DOM (document object model) events.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein said actions associated with web page elements include HTML form actions.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the program code for determining external code to be used by said first object in order to implement its functionality comprises program code for:

identifying at least one embedded code block and said import files;

identifying all resources needed by said first object in order to implement its functionality contained therein;

creating a resource information object for each needed resource; and

creating at least one list of said information objects.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein said resources comprises any of:

functions;

a virtual function;

methods;

sub-routines; and

any code block that performs a specific task.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein said virtual function comprises:

a placeholder in said HTML code, wherein said virtual function comprises at least one of;

instructions and resources contained in said embedded code blocks; and

wherein a web page element invokes a plurality of said functions.

24. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the program code for analyzing said first object further comprises program code for using an analysis tool incorporating one from a group consisting of:

IO support; and

support for collections, arrays, and hash maps.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein said analysis tool comprises one of:

a PERL script; and

a JAVASCRIPT engine.