Web application development framework

• US 9,052,908 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2011
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Fu, Yupeng, Ong, Kian Win, Papakonstantinou, Yannis, Zhao, Keliang
• Primary Examiner(s): Won, Michael Y
• Application Number:
  US13/012,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20110191407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/212, 709/213, 709/219, 709/246
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

Techniques, systems, apparatus and computer-program products are disclosed for developing a web-hosted shared database system with improved user interface and reduced programming. In one aspect, using a web application development framework includes declaratively specifying a web application'"'"'s pages using page configurations. The framework can automatically coordinate page state with the state of a database server and an applications server, so that the specified page is first rendered and then one or more portions of the page can be updated in response to a server data change, Also, programs that are executed when a request is issued are declaratively specified using program configurations. Either or both of the page configurations and the program configurations can be implemented by access to a unified application state virtual database. Further, the unified application state virtual database can include the persistent database of the application and transient memory-based data, such as session and page data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a page configuration that specifies an association between a markup language and results of one or more read commands performed over a unified application state comprising two or more data sources of different types, wherein the unified application state translates each read command performed over the unified application state into one or more read commands each of which accesses a different type of underlying data source, wherein at least one of the data sources comprises a database and at least one of the data sources that includes values corresponding to user interface controls on a page instance;

computing, in response to one or more detected events, a result of the one or more read commands performed over the unified application state; and

rendering the computed result on a client display, wherein the rendering is performed with reference to the specified association.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more read commands performed over the unified application state comprises a declarative query that specifies a result of the corresponding read command without specifying a control flow or an algorithm by which to compute the result.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein computing a result of the one or more read commands performed over the unified application state further comprises computing the result by partial update of the page instance.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the page configuration specifies one or more visual units and associates one or more output attributes of at least one of the one or more read commands performed over the unified application state with an attribute of the one or more visual units; and

the computed result is rendered on the client display by the one or more visual units.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computed result includes nesting.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computed result includes variability.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computed result includes ordering.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having code stored thereupon, the code, when implemented, causing a processor to implement a method, comprising:

storing a page configuration and a plurality of data sources stored on computer-readable media;

receiving the page configuration that specifies an association between a markup language and results of one or more read commands performed over a unified application state comprising two or more data sources of different types, wherein the unified application state translates each read command performed over the Unified Application State into one or more read commands each of which accesses a different type of underlying data source, wherein at least one of the data sources comprises a database and at least one of the data sources that includes values corresponding to user interface controls on a page instance;

computing a result corresponding to the one or more read commands to initialize a page instance;

rendering the computed result on a client display;

computing, in response to a detected event, a second result of the one or more read commands by partial update of the page instance, wherein the partial update is computed with reference to the specified association; and

rendering the computed second result on the client display.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more read commands performed over the unified application state comprises a declarative query that specifies a result of the corresponding read command without specifying a control flow or an algorithm by which to compute the result.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein:

the page configuration further specifies a visual unit and associates one or more output attributes of the one or more read commands performed over the unified application state with one or more attributes of the visual unit; and

the computed second result is rendered on the client by the visual unit.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein at least one of the computed result and the computed second result includes nesting.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein at least one of the computed result and the computed second result includes variability.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein at least one of the computed result and the computed second result includes ordering.

14. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a page configuration that specifies an association between a markup language and results of one or more read commands performed over a unified application state comprising two or more data sources of different types, wherein the unified application state translates each read command in a first language performed over the unified application state into one or more read commands in different languages, each translated read command accessing a different type of underlying data source, wherein at least one of the data sources comprises a database and at least one of the data sources that includes values corresponding to user interface controls on a page instance;

wherein the unified application state is a virtual database in which page data is reflected from a client display before the page data is used by the one or more read commands;

detecting one or more events indicating occurrence of an activity related to an event timer or user interface control;

computing, in response to the one or more detected events, a result of the one or more read commands performed over the unified application state; and

rendering the computed result on the client display, wherein the rendering is performed with reference to the specified association.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the one or more read commands performed over the unified application state comprises a declarative query that specifies a result of the corresponding read command without specifying a control flow or an algorithm by which to compute the result.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein computing a result of the one or more read commands performed over the unified application state further comprises computing the result by partial update of the page instance.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein:

the page configuration specifies one or more visual units and associates one or more output attributes of at least one of the one or more read commands performed over the unified application state with an attribute of the one or more visual units; and

the computed result is rendered on the client display by the one or more visual units.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the computed result includes nesting.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the computed result includes variability.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the computed result includes ordering.