Server-side code generation from a dynamic web page content file

• US 6,990,653 B1
• Filed: 05/18/2000
• Issued: 01/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Guthrie, Scott D., Ebbo, David S., Anders, Mark T., Peters, Ted A., Burd, Gary S., Cooper, Kenneth B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEELMAN, MARY J
• Application Number:
  US09/573,768
• Time in Patent Office: 2,077 Days
• Field of Search: 717/100, 717106-108
• US Class Current: 717/108
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

A method and apparatus to create an intermediate language or source code file from a server-side resource or dynamic web page file. The source code can then be compiled into an executable class allowing for rapid generation of web page control objects that perform server-side functions, including the rendering of client responses. The code generation scheme of the present invention is capable of creating control objects connected in a hierarchy to handle event processing and the setting of attributes to the specific objects.

Claims

1. In a server computer system having memory, a method of creating a class in memory, wherein the class is used by the server computer system to create server-side objects for dynamically rendering web page content, the web page content delivered to a client-side computer system and displayed as a web page on the client computer system, said method comprising:

receiving a request from the client specifying a dynamic web page content file;

processing the dynamic web page content file to produce a source code file containing source code that represent control objects declared in the web page content file; and

compiling the source code file to produce a class from which a set of hierarchical objects can be instantiated to produce web page authoring language that produces a web page for display.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the dynamic web page content file is a server-side declaration datastore.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the class is stored in cache memory on the server computer system and is available to instantiate objects in response to another request specifying the dynamic web page content file.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the class is stored on a magnetic storage medium and is available to instantiate objects in response to another request specifying the dynamic web page content file.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the step processing the dynamic web page content file comprises:

parsing the dynamic web page content file to store portions of the file into a data model, wherein the data model comprises a plurality of data objects linked in a hierarchical manner;

generating source code related to declaration information based on an analysis of the data model during a first phase;

writing the source code related to declaration information to the source code file;

generating source code related to control object information based on an analysis of the data model during a second phase; and

writing the source code related to control object information to the source code file during the second phase.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein the method further comprises:

generating source code related to rendering information based on an analysis of the data model during a third phase; and

writing the source code related to rendering information to the source code file during the third phase.

7. A method as defined in claim 6 wherein the second phase occurs once the first phase is complete and wherein the third phase occurs once the second phase is complete.

8. A method as defined in claim 6 wherein the first, second and third phases occur simultaneously.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising the following:

prior to the step of processing the dynamic web page content file, determining whether the class related to the received request has been compiled and stored in memory; and

if the class has been compiled and stored in memory, skipping the processing step, otherwise continue with the processing step.

10. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave by a computing system having memory and encoding a computer program for executing a computer process creating a class in memory, wherein the class is used by the server computer system to create server-side objects for dynamically rendering web page content, the web page content delivered to a client-side computer system and displayed as a web page on the client computer system, said computer process comprising:

receiving a request from the client specifying a dynamic web page content file;

processing the dynamic web page content file to produce a source code file containing source code that represent control objects declared in the web page content file; and

compiling the source code file to produce a class from which a set of hierarchical objects can be instantiated to produce web page authoring language that produces a web page for display.

11. A computer program storage medium readable by a computer system having memory and encoding a computer program for executing a computer process creating a class in memory, wherein the class is used by the server computer system to create server-side objects for dynamically rendering web page content, the web page content delivered to a client-side computer system and displayed as a web page on the client computer system, said computer process comprising:

receiving a request from the client specifying a dynamic web page content file;

processing the dynamic web page content file to produce a source code file containing source code that represent control objects declared in the web page content file; and

compiling the source code file to produce a class from which a set of hierarchical objects can be instantiated to produce web page authoring language that produces a web page for display.

12. In a server computer system having memory, a method of creating a plurality of web page responses having dynamically rendered web page content, the web page responses delivered to one or more client-side computer systems and displayed as a web pages on the client computer systems, said method comprising:

receiving a request from the client computer system for the web page, wherein the request identifies a dynamic web page content file;

creating a data model to store elements of the dynamic web page content file;

generating a source code file related to the dynamic web page content file based on an evaluation of the data model;

compiling the source code file to create a compiled class in memory;

returning a class reference to the server computer system enabling the server computer system to instantiate server-side processing objects from that class to dynamically generate web page content;

rendering the dynamic web page content into a web page response for delivery to the client computer system;

conducting the web page response to the requesting client computer system;

receiving a second request for the web page for the web page, wherein the request identifies a dynamic web page content file;

determining that a compiled class for that dynamic web page content file resides in memory;

returning a class reference to the server computer system enabling the server computer system to instantiate server-side processing objects from that class to dynamically generate web page content;

rendering the dynamic web page content into a second web page response; and

conducting the second web page response to the requesting client computer system.

13. A computer program storage medium readable by a computer system having memory and encoding a computer program for executing a computer process creating a plurality of web page responses having dynamically rendered web page content, the web page responses delivered to one or more client-side computer systems and displayed as a web pages on the client computer systems, said computer process comprising:

receiving a request from the client computer system for the web page, wherein the request identifies a dynamic web page content file;

creating a data model to store elements of the dynamic web page content file;

generating a source code file related to the dynamic web page content file based on an evaluation of the data model;

compiling the source code file to create a compiled class in memory;

returning a class reference to the server computer system enabling the server computer system to instantiate server-side processing objects from that class to dynamically generate web page content;

rendering the dynamic web page content into a web page response for delivery to the client computer system;

conducting the web page response to the requesting client computer system;

receiving a second request for the web page, wherein the request identifies a dynamic web page content file;

determining that a compiled class for that dynamic web page content file resides in memory;

returning a class reference to the server computer system enabling the server computer system to instantiate server-side processing objects from that class to dynamically generate web page content;

rendering the dynamic web page content into a second web page response; and

conducting the second web page response to the requesting client computer system.

14. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave by a computing system having memory and encoding a computer program for executing a computer process creating a plurality of web page responses having dynamically rendered web page content, the web page responses delivered to one or more client-side computer systems and displayed as a web pages on the client computer systems, said computer process comprising:

receiving a request from the client computer system for the web page, wherein the request identifies a dynamic web page content file;

creating a data model to store elements of the dynamic web page content file;

generating a source code file related to the dynamic web page content file based on an evaluation of the data model;

compiling the source code file to create a compiled class in memory;

returning a class reference to the server computer system enabling the server computer system to instantiate server-side processing objects from that class to dynamically generate web page content;

rendering the dynamic web page content into a web page response for delivery to the client computer system;

conducting the web page response to the requesting client computer system;

receiving a second request for the web page for the web page, wherein the request identifies a dynamic web page content file;

determining that a compiled class for that dynamic web page content file resides in memory;

returning a class reference to the server computer system enabling the server computer system to instantiate server-side processing objects from that class to dynamically generate web page content;

rendering the dynamic web page content into a second web page response; and

conducting the second web page response to the requesting client computer system.

15. A computer program product encoding a computer program for executing in a computer system a computer process for creating a class in memory, wherein the class is used by a server computer system to create server-side objects for dynamically rendering authoring language elements, the elements are delivered to a client-side computer system and processed on the client computer system, said process comprising:

receiving a request from the client computer system for a resource, wherein the request identifies a dynamic web page resource;

processing the resource to generate a source code file related to the resource; and

compiling the source code file to create a compiled class in memory to enable the instantiation of objects of the compiled class.

16. A computer program product encoding a computer program for executing in a computer system a computer process for creating a class in memory as defined in claim 15, wherein the processing step comprises:

parsing the resource to separate the resource into logical elements and identify relationships between the logical elements;

creating a plurality of hierarchically related data structures forming a hierarchical data model; and

storing portions of the resource in the data structures.

17. A computer program product encoding a computer program for executing in a computer system a computer process for creating a class in memory as defined in claim 15, wherein the processing step comprises the following steps:

performing a first analysis of the resource to generate source code related to variable declaration information;

performing a second analysis of the resource to generate source code related to control object information;

performing a third analysis of the resource to generate source code related to rendering information; and

storing the source code in the source code file.

18. A computer program product encoding a computer program for executing in a computer system a computer process for creating a class in memory as defined in claim 16, wherein the processing step further comprises a step of generating an intermediate data structure, wherein the source code is generated from the intermediate data structure.

19. A computer program product encoding a computer program for executing in a computer system a computer process for creating a class in memory as defined in claim 18, wherein the processing step of generating an intermediate data structure further comprises:

performing a first analysis of the resource to generate intermediate data structure elements related to variable declaration information;

performing a second analysis of the resource to generate intermediate data structure elements related to control object information;

performing a third analysis of the resource to generate intermediate data structure elements related to rendering information; and

generating source code from the intermediate data structure.

20. A computer program product encoding a computer program for executing in a computer system a computer process for creating a class in memory as defined in claim 18, wherein the intermediate data structure is a generic description that may be translated into a plurality of source code language files, wherein at least one source code language file is different from another source code language file.

21. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a client computer system, the request specifying a dynamic web page content file on a server computer system;

processing the dynamic web page content file to produce source code representing one or more server-side control objects declared in the web page content file; and

compiling the source code to produce one or more classes from which a plurality of server-side control objects are instantiated into a control object hierarchy on the server computer system to produce web page authoring language representing a web page for display.

22. A computer program product encoding a computer program for executing in a computer system a computer process, the computer process comprising:

receiving a request from a client computer system, the request specifying a dynamic web page content file on a server computer system;

processing the dynamic web page content file to produce source code representing one or more server-side control objects declared in the web page content file; and

compiling the source code to produce a class from which a server-side control object is instantiated on the server computer system to produce web page authoring language representing a web page for display.