Method for preserving referential integrity within web sites

• US 6,578,078 B1
• Filed: 04/02/1999
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McKee, Christine Walpole, Smith, Michael D., Hennings, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US09/285,530
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/229, 707/500.1, 707/501.1, 707/513, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

The integrity of uniform resource locator (URL) references within web sites are maintained when changes occur in the locations where resources referenced by URLs are stored. A Referential Preservation Engine (RPE) maintains a database in which the location of web site documents and reference information are stored and updates various URL hyperlink references contained in the web pages on the site so that users can locate documents that have been moved to new storage locations. The RPE can also update links to external web sites by communicating with an RPE running on each external site. The RPE on the external site keeps track of the movement of linked documents on the sites and passes information pertaining to the new location of the linked documents to the local site, whereupon the links on the local web site pages are updated to reflect the new storage locations. The RPE also can track usage of a user'"'"'s favorite sites and/or documents that are stored in an Internet browser and update the URL references for these favorites when the resources they are mapped to are moved (or renamed).

Claims

1. A method for maintaining the integrity of a hyperlink included within a document stored on a local server, said local server having an address, the hyperlink providing an original uniform resource locator (URL) reference that is mapped to an original location of a linked resource stored on a remote server, the linked resource having been moved from the original location on the remote server to a new location so as to break the hyperlink, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) compiling link redirection data for the linked resource that are stored in a location associated with the new location of the linked resource on the remote server so as to be accessible by reference to the linked resource alone, without reference to a centralized database, the link redirection data tracking movement of the linked resource on the remote server and including the original location and the new location;

(b) informing the remote server that the local server has a document that contains a hyperlink to the linked resource stored on the remote server;

(c) forwarding the link redirection data from the remote server to the local server; and

(d) updating the hyperlink by changing the original URL reference to an updated URL reference, the updated URL reference being based on the redirection data and referring to the new location of the linked resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the local server informs the remote server that the local server has a document stored on it that contains a hyperlink to the linked resource through a use of the hyperlink, the use of the hyperlink by the local server indicating to the remote server the address of the local server so that the link redirection data can be forwarded to the local server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote server has a domain name and the new location comprises a root directory and a path portion below the root directory, and wherein the updated URL reference comprises the domain name and the path portion.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote server automatically forwards the link redirection data to the local server anytime the linked resource is moved.

5. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 1.

6. A method for updating a uniform resource locator (URL) reference in a list managed by a client computer browser, the URL reference mapping to an original location of a linked resource on a server, the linked resource having been moved from the original location to a new location, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing redirection data for the linked resource that are stored in a subdirectory of the new location of the linked resource on the server so as to be accessible by reference to the linked resource alone, without reference to a centralized database, the redirection data comprising the original location and the new location;

(b) informing the server that the browser has a URL reference stored in it that is mapped to the linked resource;

(c) sending a message containing the redirection data from the server to the client computer; and

(d) updating the URL reference stored in the client browser to map to the new location, based on the redirection data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of informing the server comprises the step of the client computer sending a message to the server indicating that a user of the browser has stored the URL reference as a favorite in the browser.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the server has a domain name, the new location comprises a root directory and a path portion below the root directory, and wherein the updated URL reference comprises the domain name and the path portion.

9. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 6.