AUTOMATIC RECOGNITION OF WEB APPLICATION

• US 20120317561A1
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Aslam, Bilal, Shaikh, Mohammed Parvez, Olson, Kristina
• Granted Patent: US 9,244,709 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45529 Embedded in an application, e.g. JavaScript in a Web browser
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided that enable web applications to be identified, and that enable the identified web applications to be published to remote servers. Objects are accessed in storage for a developed web application. A feed is received that includes a plurality of signatures that correspond to a plurality of webapp development applications. A webapp development application used to develop the web application is identified by comparing the signatures to the objects. A web deployment package is downloaded for the identified webapp development application. The downloaded web deployment package is applied to enable the web application to be published to a server, such as by modifying settings and/or applying transformations to the objects that defined by the downloaded web deployment package.

Claims

1. A method in a web development tool in a computing device, comprising:

accessing objects in storage for a developed web application;

receiving a feed that includes a plurality of signatures that correspond to a plurality of webapp development applications;

identifying a webapp development application used to develop the web application by comparing the signatures to the objects;

downloading a web deployment package for the identified webapp development application; and

applying the downloaded web deployment package to enable the web application to he published to a server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the web application to be modified by a webapp development application associated with the web development tool by identifying the webapp development application used to develop the web application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises:

receiving the feed over the Internet as an XML (extensible markup language) document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying comprises:

retrieving one or more application keys from at least one signature of the feed; and

comparing the one or more application keys to features of the objects to determine a matching signature, the matching signature corresponding to the identified webapp development application.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said identifying further comprising:

retrieving one or more version keys from the matching signature; and

comparing the one or more version keys to features of the objects to determine a version of the webapp development application.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said downloading a web deployment package for the identified webapp development application comprises:

downloading the web deployment package from a network address provided by the matching signature.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

publishing the web application to a server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said publishing the web application to a server comprises:

applying at least one transformation indicated in the downloaded, web deployment package to at least one of the objects to generate at least one modified object; and

copying the at least one modified object to the server.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a software application used by the identified webapp development application that is indicated in the configuration feed;

determining whether the software application is installed at the computing device; and

if the software application is determined to not be installed at the computing device,

downloading the software application from a network address provided by the configuration feed, and

installing the software application at the computing device.

10. A web development tool in a computing device, comprising:

a web application identifier configured to access objects in storage for a developed web application, to receive a feed that includes a plurality of signatures that correspond to a plurality of webapp development applications, each of the signatures including at least one key, and to identify a webapp development application used to develop the web application by comparing the signatures to the objects; and

an install module configured to download a web deployment package for the identified webapp development application from a network address indicated in the feed, and to apply the downloaded web deployment package to the objects to enable the web application to be published to a server.

11. The web development tool of claim 10, wherein the web application identifier includes a feed access module configured to retrieve the feed as an XML (extensible markup language) document over the Internet.

12. The web development tool of claim 10, wherein the web application identifier includes a signature comparator that retrieves one or more application keys from at least one signature of the feed, and compares the one or more application keys to features of the objects to determine a matching signature, the matching signature corresponding to the identified webapp development application.

13. The web development tool of claim 12, wherein the signature comparator retrieves one or more version keys from the matching signature, and compares the one or more version keys to features of the objects to determine a version of the webapp development application.

14. The web development too of claim 12, wherein the install module includes a download module that downloads the web deployment package from a network address provided, by the matching signature.

15. The web development tool of claim 14, wherein the install module includes a web deployment package parser that determines a software application used by the indicated webapp development application that is indicated in the configuration feed and determines whether the software application is installed at the computing device;

and

the download module downloads the software application from a network address provided by the configuration feed and installs the software application at the computing device if the software application is determined to not be installed at the computing device.

16. The web development tool of claim 10, wherein the install module comprises:

a publication module configured to publish the web application to a server.

17. The web development tool of claim 16, wherein the publication module applies at least one transformation indicated in the downloaded web deployment package to at least one of the objects to generate at least one modified object, and copies the at least one modified object to the server.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable logic embodied in said storage medium for enabling a processor to configure a web application for publication, comprising:

first means for enabling the processor to access objects in storage for a developed web application;

second means for enabling the processor to identify a webapp development application used to develop the web application by comparing a plurality of signatures received in a feed to the objects, the plurality of signatures corresponding to a plurality of webapp development applications;

third means for enabling the processor to download a web deployment package for the identified webapp development application; and

fourth means for enabling the processor to apply the downloaded web deployment package to enable the web application to be published to a server.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said second means comprises:

means for enabling the processor to retrieve one or more application keys from at least one signature of the feed;

means for enabling the processor to compare the one or more application keys to features of the objects to determine a matching signature, the matching, signature corresponding to the identified webapp development application;

means for enabling the processor to retrieve one or more version keys from the matching signature; and

means for enabling the processor to compare the one or more version keys to features of the objects to determine a version of the webapp development application.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said fourth means comprises:

means for enabling the processor to apply at least one transformation indicated in the downloaded web deployment package to at least one of the objects;

means for enabling the processor to determine a software application used by the webapp development application that is indicated in the configuration feed;

means for enabling the processor to determine whether the software application is installed at the computing device; and

means for enabling the processor to download the software application from a network address provided by the configuration feed and to install the software application if the software application is determined to not be installed at the computing device.