Method, apparatus, and system for implementing view caching in a framework to support web-based applications

• US 8,146,097 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Mukundan, Anil, Coker, John, Coppens, William E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Charles E
• Application Number:
  US11/634,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20070214463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: 711/113, 719/313, 719/315, 719/316, 719/318, 719/330, 707/610
• US Class Current: 719/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for implementing view caching in a framework to support web-based applications. The system comprising a set of server-side objects managed by an object manager (OM) running on a server. The system further comprises a set of browser-side objects running on a browser running on a client. The system also comprises a remote procedure call (RPC) mechanism and a notification mechanism to facilitate communication and synchronization between the browser-side objects and the server-side objects. The system additionally comprises a cache on the client to store layouts of views, wherein each view is a display panel consisting of a particular arrangement of applets.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a server, wherein

the server comprises

a processor, and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, coupled to the processor;

a server-side object, wherein

the server-side object is stored in the computer-readable storage medium of the server, and

the server-side object is configured to be maintained at the server;

an object manager (OM),

the OM is configured to be executed on the processor of the server, and

the OM is further configured to manage the server-side object; and

a synchronization mechanism, wherein

the synchronization mechanism comprises

a server-side synchronization mechanism, and

a client-side synchronization mechanism,

the synchronization mechanism is configured to

facilitate synchronization between

the server-side object, and

a client-side object,

by being configured to invoke a method of the server-side object, in response to receiving a remote procedure call (RPC) from the client-side object,

the client-side object is configured to be executed on a client, as part of a graphical user interface (GUI),

the client is configured to maintain a cache configured to store a layout of a view,

the view is a display panel comprising an arrangement of applets to be displayed in the GUI, and

the server is configured to

receive a request from the client, wherein

the request indicates receipt by the client of a user request to switch to the view, and

the request comprises

 

the RPC configured to invoke a method of the server-side object, and

in response to the receiving the request,

if the request indicates that the layout is not stored in the cache, provide the layout to the client, wherein

 

the layout is configured to be stored in the cache.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote procedure call is made with blocking enabled.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein

the server-side synchronization mechanism is further configured to

package a response from the server-side object into an Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) response, wherein

the HTTP response comprises

a notification,

status information associated with the notification, and

data associated with the notification, and

send the HTTP response to the client-side object.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein

the client-side synchronization mechanism comprises

a remote procedure call (RPC) mechanism, and

a notification mechanism.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

an application object, wherein

the application object is configured to be executed on the client, and

the application object is configured to manage communications into and out of the client-side object.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein

the client-side synchronization mechanism is configured to route a notification and data to the client-side object via the application object.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein

the client is configured to

obtain the layout from the server using the synchronization mechanism, and

store the layout in the cache.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein

the client-side object is a browser-side object,

the browser-side object is configured to be executed in a browser, and

the browser is configured to be executed on a client as part of the GUI.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein

the server-side object is one of a plurality of server-side objects,

the client-side object is one of a plurality of client-side objects,

said server-side objects and said client-side objects are each configured to execute on a respective one of a plurality of computing devices, and

the computing devices comprise the client and the server.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the client is configured to

receive the user request, wherein the user request identifies the layout,

determine whether the layout is stored in the cache,

if the layout is stored in the cache,

retrieve the layout from the cache, and

if the layout is not stored in the cache,

obtain the layout from the server using the synchronization mechanism, and

store the layout in the cache.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein

the cache comprises a plurality of cache entries,

at least one cache entry of the cache entries is associated with the layout, and

the at least one cache entry is configured to store at least one customized option associated with the layout.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein

the client is configured to arrange the applets in the display panel according to the layout.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein

the layout defines the arrangement of applets in the display panel.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein

the server is further configured to

provide display data for the view, if the request indicates that the view is stored in the cache, and

the client is configured to

populate the view with the display data.

15. A method comprising:

synchronizing a server-side object and a client-side object, wherein

the synchronizing comprises

receiving a request at a server, wherein

the request is from the client-side object,

the client-side object is executed on a client,

the request is configured to indicate

 

receipt by the client of a user request to switch to a view, and

 

whether a layout of the view is stored in a cache at the client,

the view is described by the layout,

the layout is configured to be stored in the cache,

the view is a display panel comprising an arrangement of applets to be displayed in the GUI, and

the request comprises a remote procedure call (RPC) configured to invoke a method of the server-side object;

determining whether the request indicates that the layout is not stored in the cache; and

if the request indicates that the layout is not stored in the cache,

retrieving the layout by

 

causing an object manager of a server-side synchronization mechanism to manage the server-side object by

 

invoking the method of the server-side object, wherein the object manager is executed on the server,

generating a response comprising the layout, and

sending the response to the client.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving the user request at the client, wherein

the user request allows the layout to be determined,

determining whether the layout is stored in the cache,

if the layout is stored in the cache,

retrieving the layout from the cache, and

if the layout is not stored in the cache,

obtaining the layout from the server-side object by causing a client-side synchronization mechanism to cause the client to send the request to the server,

receiving the response, and

storing the layout in the cache.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein

the remote procedure call is made with blocking enabled.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

creating and displaying the view using the layout;

obtaining display data for the view from the server; and

populating the view with the display data.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving the response at the client;

causing a client-side synchronization mechanism to route the response to the client-side object via an application object; and

storing the layout in the cache.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein

the generating comprises

packaging the response into an Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) response, wherein

the HTTP response comprises

a notification,

status information associated with the notification, and

data associated with the notification, and

the sending comprises

sending the HTTP response to the client-side object.

21. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and

a plurality of instructions, executable on a computer system, configured to synchronize a server-side object and a client-side object, wherein

said instructions are encoded in said non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and

the plurality of instructions comprise

a first set of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to receive a request at a server, wherein

the request is from the client-side object,

the client-side object is executed on a client,

the request is configured to indicate

 

receipt by the client of a user request to switch to a view, and

 

whether a layout of the view is stored in a cache at the client,

the view is described by the layout,

the layout is configured to be stored in the cache,

the view is a display panel comprising an arrangement of applets to be displayed in the GUI, and

the request comprises a remote procedure call (RPC) configured to invoke a method of the server-side object,

a second set of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to determining whether the request indicates that the layout is not stored in the cache, and

a third set of instructions, executable on said computer system, configured to, if the request indicates that the layout is not stored in the cache,

retrieve the layout by

 

causing an object manager of a server-side synchronization mechanism to manage the server-side object by

 

invoking the method of the server-side object, wherein

 

the object manager is executed on the server,

generate a response comprising the layout, and

send the response to the client.