Providing a content item from an online system to a third party system that modifies the content item for presentation in accordance with a layout specified by the third party system
An online system provides content to a third party system and allows the third party system to customize the content for presentation in conjunction with other content provided by the third party system. The third party system includes instructions in content provided by the third party system that, when executed by a client device, obtains the content from the online system via a frame rendered within the content provided by the third party system. Using layout information included within the content provided by the third party system, the client device presents the content obtained from the online system in conjunction with the content provided by the third party system. Hence, the layout information allows the third party system to specify placement or formatting of the content obtained from the online system.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a third party system, a request from a client device for a web page, the web page including content provided by the third system;
retrieving a markup language document for the web page, the markup language document including instructions that, when executed by the client device, cause the client device to:
render a frame within the web page, the frame including a content item obtained from and provided by an online system, the content item having one or more components for presentation, the one or more components including a title, image or video data, and monitoring instructions obtained from the online system;
generate the web page based on layout information specified by the third party system and included in the markup language document, the layout information in the markup language document specifying one or more display characteristics corresponding to the one or more of the components of the content item obtained from the online system;
format the one or more components of the content item within the frame subject to the one or more display characteristics, each component of the one or more components of the content item displayed by applying the one or more display characteristics in the layout information specified by the third party system corresponding to the component; and
position the one or more components of the content item obtained from the online system at locations within the web page by applying the layout information included in the markup language document;
providing the markup language document to the client device, which is configured to execute the instructions included in the markup language document to display the web page and the frame within the web page, the frame displaying the one or more components of the content item formatted subject to the one or more display characteristics corresponding to the one or more components and positioned by the layout information specified by the third party system; and
wherein the monitoring instructions, when executed by the client device, cause the client device to:
identify an interaction with a component of the content item positioned at a location within the web page specified by the layout information;
transmit information by the frame describing the identified interaction with the component of the content item to the online system in association with information identifying the content provided by the third party system included in the web page;
receive a redirect to the frame from the online system, the frame including a landing page specifying a network address identifying additional content for the client device to retrieve in response to an interaction with the content item, in response to the online system determining the information identifying the content provided by the third party system included in the web page matches identifying information of the content previously stored by the online system which associates the content provided by the third party system included in the web page with the content item; and
retrieve and present the additional content identified by the network address specified in the landing page included in the frame.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the client device, further cause the client device to:
display the content provided by the third party system at one or more locations within the web page using the one or more display characteristics specified by the layout information.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a display characteristic is selected from a group consisting of: dimensions, font size, font color, aspect ratio, background color, video or image resolution, and any combination thereof.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein generate the web page based on layout information included in the markup language document comprises:
generate the web page including the content provided by the third party system in one or more locations and including the one or more components of the content item obtained from the online system in conjunction with the content provided by the third party system.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the web page includes the content provided by the third party system displayed in conjunction with the one or more components of the content item obtained from the online system in the frame.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the instructions include one or more parameters identifying the content item.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the one or more parameters specify one or more characteristics of the content item.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the one or more parameters include an identifier of the content item.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein render the frame within the web page, the frame including the one or more components of the content item obtained from the online system comprises:
obtain the content item from the online system based on the one or more parameters.
10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
render a frame within a web page that includes content from a third party system, the frame including a content item obtained from and provided by an online system, the content item having one or more components for presentation, the one or more components including a title, image or video data, and monitoring instructions obtained from the online system;
position the content from the third party system within the web page by applying layout information included on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium by the third party system, the layout information also specifying one or more display characteristics corresponding to the one or more of the components of the content item obtained from the online system;
format the one or more components of the content item within the frame by applying the one or more display characteristics specified by the layout information, each component of the one or more components of the content item displayed by applying the one or more display characteristics in the layout information specified by the third party system corresponding to the component; and
position the one or more components of the content item obtained from the online system within the web page by applying the layout information included on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium by the third party system;
render the web page including the content from the third-party system and including the one or more components of the content item obtained from the online system within the frame, the frame displaying the one or more components of the content item formatted subject to the one or more display characteristics corresponding to the one or more components and positioned by the layout information specified by the third party system;
display the rendered web page on a client device including the processor; and
wherein the monitoring instructions, when executed by the client device, cause the client device to:
identify an interaction with a component of the content item positioned at a location within the web page specified by the layout information;
transmit information by the frame describing the identified interaction with the component of the content item to the online system in association with information identifying the content provided by the third party system included in the web page;
receive a redirect to the frame from the online system, the frame including a landing page specifying a network address identifying additional content for the client device to retrieve in response to an interaction with the content item, in response to the online system determining the information identifying the content provided by the third party system included in the web page matches identifying information of the content previously stored by the online system which associates the content provided by the third party system included in the web page with the content item; and
retrieve and present the additional content identified by network address specified in the landing page included in the frame.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the client device, further cause the processor to:
display the content provided by the third party system at one or more locations within the web page using the one or more display characteristics specified by the layout information.
12. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the web page includes the content provided by the third party system displayed in conjunction with the one or more components of the content item obtained from the online system in the frame.