OFFLINE EXECUTION OF WEB BASED APPLICATIONS

• US 20080104195A1
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hawkins, Jonathan C., Niyogi, Shanku S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,814,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for offline execution of Web based applications. Embodiments of the present invention facilitate the local storage of Web based executable instructions and data at a computer system. The Web based executable instructions and data can be used to locally fulfill requests (directed to a domain that sent the executable instructions and data for storage) from modules associated with a Web browser at the computer system. Accordingly, locally stored Web based executable instructions and data can be used at a computer system to simulate communication with Web site when the Web site is otherwise unavailable.

Claims

1. At a computer system connected to a network, the computer system including a Web browser and a plurality of Web browser application components for corresponding Web based applications, the Web browser configured to execute Web browser application components to access resources from Web server application components of the corresponding Web based applications respectively, a method for configuring local content for offline use by a Web browser application component of a Web based application, the method comprising:

an act of determining that the Web based application is enabled for offline execution;

an act of detecting that the Web based server component for the Web based application is available via network communication;

an act of receiving resources for the Web based application from the Web based server component via network communication;

an act of locally storing the received resources at the computer system, the locally stored copy of the resources accessible to the Web browser client component, the locally stored resources available to the Web based client component without requiring network communication such that the locally stored resources can be accessed in response to a request from the Web based client component when it is detected that the Web based server component is not available via network communication; and

an act of configuring the locally stored resources to remain locally stored at the computer system for a specified period of time thereby overriding the default cache reclamation settings of the Web browser.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an act of detecting that the Web based server component for the Web based application is available via network communication comprises an act of reestablishing communication with a Web server after the Web server was unavailable for some period of time.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving resources for the Web based application comprises receiving a module that is to be executed locally at the computer system when the Web server is unavailable, the module configured to receive requests from the Web browser application component and generate corresponding responses.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an act of locally storing the received resources at the computer system comprises an act of pre-caching the received resources prior to a detecting that the Web based server component is subsequently unavailable.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an act of locally storing the received resources at the computer system comprises an act of synchronizing locally stored resources with resources available to the Web based server component within a domain containing the Web based server component.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of receiving a manifest including a list of the resources the Web based server component is to send to the computer system for local storage and indicating the storage requirements for storing the resources prior to the act receiving the resources from the Web based server component; and

an act of determining that the amount of storage space allocated to a domain containing the Web based server component is sufficient to meet the storage requirements indicated in the manifest.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising

an act of sending a user notification of the availability of the Web based server component in response to detecting that the Web based server component for the Web based application is available via network communication.

8. At a computer system connected to a network, the computer system including a Web browser and a plurality of Web browser application components for corresponding Web based applications, the Web browser configured to execute Web browser application components to access resources from Web server application components of the corresponding Web based applications respectively, a method for running a Web based application offline, the method comprising:

an act of a Web browser application component for a Web based application sending a request for Web based application resources to a corresponding Web server application component for the Web based application;

an act of detecting that communication with the corresponding Web server application component is not available over the network;

an act of determining that the Web based application is enabled for offline execution;

an act of configuring the Web browser to execute the Web browser application offline while other Web browser applications remain configured to execute online; and

an act of serving the requested Web based application resources from local storage at the computer system without taking the Web browser offline.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of the Web browser application component for the Web based application sending a request comprises an act of the Web browser application component send a URL for the Web server application component to the Web browser.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of determining that the Web based application is enabled for offline execution comprises an act of referring to a list of applications that are enabled for offline execution.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of configuring the Web browser to execute the Web browser application offline comprises an act of locally loading a module from browser cache at the computer system, the module configured to receive requests from the Web browser application component and formulate corresponding response.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein act of locally loading a module from browser cache at the computer system comprises an act of loading a module that was identified in a resource manifest as the module that is to be executed when a request to the Web server application component is received and communication with the Web server application component is not available over the network.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the act of serving the requested Web based application resources from local storage at the computer system without taking the Web browser offline comprises:

an act of directing the request to the loaded module;

an act of the loaded module accessing the requested Web based application resources from the browser cache;

an act of the loaded module formulating a complete response to request using only resources accessed from the local storage of the computer system; and

an act of transferring the complete response to the Web browser application component.

14. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of serving the requested Web based application resources from local storage at the computer system comprises an act of serving content from a browser cache at the computer system along with database data from a local store at the computer system such that the requested Web based application resources are served to the Web browser application component without any network communication occurring subsequent to the Web browser application component sending the request.

15. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors;

system memory;

one or more physical computer-readable media disposed locally at the computer system, the one or more physical computer-readable media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions configured to implement a method for configuring local content for offline use by a Web browser application component of a Web based application, including performing the following;

determining that the Web based application is enabled for offline execution;

detecting that the Web based server component for the Web based application is available via network communication;

receiving resources for the Web based application from the Web based server component via network communication;

locally storing the received resources at the computer system, the locally stored copy of the resources accessible to the Web browser client component, the locally stored resources available to the Web based client component without requiring network communication such that the locally stored resources can be accessed in response to a request from the Web based client component when it is detected that the Web based server component is not available via network communication; and

configuring the locally stored resources to remain locally stored at the computer system for a specified period of time thereby overriding the default cache reclamation settings of the Web browser; and

the one or more physical computer-readable media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions configured to implement a method for running the Web based application offline, including performing the following;

the Web browser application component for the Web based application sending a request for Web based application resources to the Web server application component for the Web based application;

detecting that communication with the Web server application component is not available over the network;

determining that the Web based application is enabled for offline execution;

configuring the Web browser to execute the Web browser application offline while other Web browser applications remain configured to execute online; and

serving the requested Web based application resources from the locally stored resources stored in storage at the computer system without taking the Web browser offline.

16. The computer system as recited in claim 15, wherein locally storing the received resources at the computer system comprises pre-caching the received resources prior to a detecting that the Web based server component is subsequently unavailable.

17. The computer system as recited in claim 15, wherein locally storing the received resources at the computer system comprises synchronizing locally stored resources with resources available to the Web based server component within a domain containing the Web based server component.

18. The computer system as recited in claim 15, further comprising computer-executable instructions configured to perform the following:

receiving a manifest including a list of the resources the Web based server component is to send to the computer system for local storage and indicating the storage requirements for storing the resources prior to the act receiving the resources from the Web based server component; and

determining that the amount of storage space allocated to a domain containing the Web based server component is sufficient to meet the storage requirements indicated in the manifest.

19. The computer system as recited in claim 15, further comprising computer-executable instructions configured to perform the following:

sending a user notification of the availability of the Web based server component in response to detecting that the Web based server component for the Web based application is available via network communication.

20. The computer system as recited in claim 15, wherein serving the requested Web based application resources from local storage at the computer system without taking the Web browser offline comprises:

directing the request to a locally loaded module;

the locally loaded module accessing the requested Web based application resources from browser cache;

the loaded module formulating a complete response to request using only resources accessed from the local storage of the computer system; and

transferring the complete response to the Web browser application component.