Method for preserving referential integrity within web sites
View Patent ↗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).
1. A method for maintaining hyperlink integrity on a web site, the web site comprising a document having a content and an original uniform resource locator (URL) reference mapping to an original location on the server where the document is stored, the method enabling a client to retrieve the document after the document is moved from its original location to a new location, comprising:
determining if the document that was moved meets predefined criteria;
when the document meets the predefined criteria, creating a redirection page, wherein creating the redirection page comprises automatically tracking, via a referential preservation engine, movement of the document, the redirection page being mapped to the original URL reference and containing directions to redirect the client to the new location of the document that was moved, the redirection page being stored in a location associated with the new location of the document so as to be accessible by reference to the document, without reference to a centralized database, wherein tracking, via the referential preservation engine, movement of the document comprises:
gathering, by the referential preservation engine, redirection data in response to movement of the document, the redirection data comprising the original location of the document and the new location of the document,
tracking, by the referential preservation engine, at least one usage of at least one hyperlink employed to retrieve the document, and
gathering, by the referential preservation engine, hyperlink usage data in response to at least one usage of at least one hyperlink employed to retrieve the document; and
using the redirection data and hyperlink usage data to update internal hyperlinks within a plurality of web page documents on the server that contain the original URL for the document, which was moved, the updated hyperlinks comprising an updated URL that maps to the new location of the document.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the redirection page comprises HTML code that includes the updated URL so as to redirect a client to the new location of the document that was moved.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the redirection page additionally contains HTML code to display a message that the document moved is in a new location, the message including an updated URL indicating the new location.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the redirection page further includes a hyperlink to the new location of the document moved.
5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising automatically redirecting the client to the new location of the document that was moved, after displaying the message for a predetermined amount of time.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the web site compiles data comprising the use of individual web page documents, and wherein the moved document is determined to be important if the moved document has been retrieved by one or more clients a predetermined number of times.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising compiling data regarding retrieval of individual web page documents, wherein the predefined criteria specify the number of times that a web page document has been retrieved during a time interval for use in determining whether maintaining a redirection page for said web page document is justified.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining to maintain a redirection page for the document moved if a client indicates that maintaining the redirection page is justified.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the web page documents is created by an author, and wherein the author determines if the redirection page should be maintained for the document that was moved.
10. A system for maintaining hyperlink integrity on a web site, the web site comprising a document having a content and an original uniform resource locator (URL) reference mapping to an original location on the server where the document is stored, the method enabling a client to retrieve the document after the document is moved from its original location to a new location, the system comprising:
a memory storage; and
a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to:
determine if the document that was moved meets predefined criteria;
when the document meets the predefined criteria, create a redirection page, wherein creating the redirection page comprises tracking, via a referential preservation engine, movement of the document, the redirection page being mapped to the original URL reference and containing directions to redirect the client to the new location of the document that was moved, the redirection page being stored in a location associated with the new location of the document so as to be accessible by reference to the document, without reference to a centralized database, wherein tracking, via the referential preservation engine, movement of the document comprises:
gathering, by the referential preservation engine, redirection data in response to movement of the document, the redirection data comprising the original location of the document and the new location of the document,
tracking, by the referential preservation engine, at least one usage of at least one hyperlink employed to retrieve the document, and
gathering, by the referential preservation engine, hyperlink usage data in response to at least one usage of at least one hyperlink employed to retrieve the document; and
use the redirection data and hyperlink usage data to update internal hyperlinks within a plurality of web page documents on the server that contain the original URL for the document, which was moved, the updated hyperlinks comprising an updated URL that maps to the new location of the document.
11. A computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for maintaining hyperlink integrity on a web site, the web site comprising a document having a content and an original uniform resource locator (URL) reference mapping to an original location on the server where the document is stored, the method enabling a client to retrieve the document after the document is moved from its original location to a new location, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:
determining if the document that was moved meets predefined criteria;
when the document meets the predefined criteria, creating a redirection page, wherein creating the redirection page comprises tracking, via a referential preservation engine, movement of the document, the redirection page being mapped to the original URL reference and containing directions to redirect the client to the new location of the document that was moved, the redirection page being stored in a location associated with the new location of the document so as to be accessible by reference to the document, without reference to a centralized database, wherein tracking, via the referential preservation engine, movement of the document comprises:
gathering, by the referential preservation engine, redirection data in response to movement of the document, the redirection data comprising the original location of the document and the new location of the document,
tracking, by the referential preservation engine, at least one usage of at least one hyperlink employed to retrieve the document, and
gathering, by the referential preservation engine, hyperlink usage data in response to at least one usage of at least one hyperlink employed to retrieve the document; and
using the redirection data and hyperlink usage data to update internal hyperlinks within a plurality of web page documents on the server that contain the original URL for the document, which was moved, the updated hyperlinks comprising an updated URL that maps to the new location of the document.