Website framework

1. A system to serve content of a website, the system comprising:

a data repository encoding a website framework, the website framework identifying:

a plurality of website resources; and,

the applicability of the website resources for the website;

a network interface to receive, from a network, a request for content of the website;

a dispatche including at least one processor to execute computer program code to receive the request for content from the network interface, to access the website framework in the data repository to determine, in dependence on said applicability, at least one of the website resources corresponding to the request for content, and to serve content in dependence on the determined website resource or resources.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the website framework comprises a hierarchy, each of the plurality of website resources having a position in the hierarchy, the position of a website resource in the hierarchy with respect to the other website resources defining the applicability of the website resource for the website.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the hierarchy has a plurality of levels, each level having a unique rank in the hierarchy, the position of each of the plurality of website resources comprising one of said levels and a website resource in a higher ranked level having priority in applicability for the website over a website resource of a lower ranked, a website resource being applicable for the website if no corresponding website resource at a higher ranked level exists in the hierarchy.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein each website resource is of a type selected from a set including media, style settings, configuration settings, functional executable code, renderable code, local services, and external services.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the website framework identifies the applicability of the website resources for a plurality of websites, the dispatcher including at least one processor to execute computer program code to determine one of the plurality of websites from the request and to determine the at least one website resource in dependence on the website determined from the request.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of websites is derived from a root website, the plurality of websites sharing at least one base level in the website framework which corresponds to the root website.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of websites has a corresponding website framework that has levels ranked higher than the website framework for the root website, the dispatcher including at least one processor to execute computer program code to select the website framework for the determined website and to determine at least one of the website resources corresponding to the request for content in dependence on the website framework for the root website supplemented by the website framework for the determined website.

8. A method of hosting a website comprising:

defining at least aspects of a website in a framework of website resources, the at least aspects of the website being dependent on the website resources and their position in the framework;

in response to a request concerning the website, parsing the framework to determine at least one of the website resources for the request and providing a response to the request in dependence on said at least one website resource.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the website framework comprises a hierarchy prioritising the website resources, the method further comprising:

assigning each of the plurality of website resources to the hierarchy,

wherein the step of parsing including processing the hierarchy and selecting each highest priority website resource in the hierarchy relevant to the request.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

specifying, in the website framework, a website resource as an alternative to another website resource, wherein where the alternatives are relevant to the request, the step of parsing including selecting the highest priority of the alternatives.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

compiling the selected website resources and providing a response to the request from the compiled website resources.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of defining further comprises defining at least aspects of a plurality of websites in the framework and identifying, in the framework, which of the plurality of websites each of the website resources applies to, the step of parsing further comprising:

determining one of the plurality of websites from the request and determine the at least one website resource in dependence on the website determined from the request.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of identifying includes identifying, in the website framework, any of the website resources that are common to all of the websites.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions to control web server, the instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to:

receive, from a network, a request for content of a website hosted by the web server;

access a data repository encoding a website framework for the website, each of a plurality of website resources being positioned in the framework;

select at least one of the resources for the request in dependence on the framework and on respective positions of the website resources in the framework; and,

reply to the request in dependence on the at least one selected website resource.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , further comprising instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

determine which of a plurality of websites hosted by the web server the request pertains.