Applications on top of a web site
Systems and methods are disclosed that provide an integrated user interface experience with third party applications selected by a user and accessed as part of a web site such as an e-commerce web site, for example. In some embodiments, systems and methods are disclosed that support access to additional user selected functionality on top of a web site platform. This allows third-party developers, who can be different from the web site operator and/or sponsor, to inject content and capabilities into a web site.
1. A method of operating a first system supporting addition of functionality of a user-selected application to web pages delivered by the first system to a user, the method comprising:
receiving, from a second system operated by a third party that is different from an operator of the first system, information that identifies an application selectable by the user, a third-party graphical element, and a network address of the second system that performs functionality of the application;
receiving, from the user, input indicating selection of the application for activation by the user via one or more web pages delivered to the user by the first system;
registering the application and the third-party graphical element with the first system;
providing an application identifier that uniquely identifies and authenticates the application with the first system;
adding executable instructions to hypertext markup language instructions of the one or more web pages provided by the first system to format the third-party graphical element;
associating information that identifies the user with information that identifies the user-selected application;
delivering, to the user, the one or more web pages formatted according to a comparison of metadata of the one or more web pages and one or more parameter values associated with the user-selected application; and
activating the functionality of the user-selected application at the second system in response to receipt of input of the user via a graphical user interface element representative of the user-selected application and displayed on the one or more web pages.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein delivering comprises:
formatting the one or more web pages to cause display of the graphical user interface element representative of the user-selected application and responsive to user input, if the one or more parameter values match the metadata of the one or more web pages; and
formatting the one or more web pages to not cause display of the graphical user interface element representative of the user-selected application, if the one or more parameter values do not match the metadata of the one or more web pages.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein formatting the one or more web pages to cause display of the graphical user interface element adds information representative of the graphical user interface element to the one or more web pages.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the functionality of the user-selected application at the second system controls content displayed to the user via a second graphical user interface element of the one or more web pages.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the graphical user interface element is displayed according to information provided to the first system by the second system.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the formatting adds executable instructions to the one or more web pages.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the functionality of the user-selected application at the second system sends a message to one or more members of a social network of the user.
8. A first system supporting addition of functionality of a user-selected application to web pages delivered by the first system to a user, the first system comprising:
at least one processor that is communicatively coupled to a user device, the at least one processor operable to, at least:
receive, from a second system operated by a third party that is different from an operator of the first system, information that identifies an application selectable by the user, a third-party graphical element, and a network address of the second system that performs functionality of the application;
receive, from the user, input indicating selection of the application for activation by the user via one or more web pages delivered to the user by the first system;
register the application and the third-party graphical element with the first system;
provide an application identifier that uniquely identifies and authenticates the application with the first system;
add executable instructions to hypertext markup language instructions of the one or more web pages provided by the first system to format the third-party graphical element;
associate information that identifies the user with information that identifies the user-selected application;
deliver, to the user, the one or more web pages formatted according to a comparison of metadata of the one or more web pages and one or more parameter values associated with the user-selected application; and
activate the functionality of the user-selected application at the second system in response to receipt of input of the user via a graphical user interface element representative of the user-selected application and displayed on the one or more web pages.
9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein delivering comprises:
formatting the one or more web pages to cause display of the graphical user interface element representative of the user-selected application and responsive to user input, if the one or more parameter values match the metadata of the one or more web pages; and
formatting the one or more web pages to not cause display of the graphical user interface element representative of the user-selected application, if the one or more parameter values do not match the metadata of the one or more web pages.
10. The system according to claim 8 , wherein formatting the one or more web pages to cause display of the graphical user interface element adds information representative of the graphical user interface element to the one or more web pages.
11. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the functionality of the user-selected application at the second system controls content displayed to the user via a second graphical user interface element of the one or more web pages.
12. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the graphical user interface element is displayed according to information provided to the first system by the second system.
13. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the formatting adds executable instructions to the one or more web pages.
14. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the functionality of the user-selected application at the second system sends a message to one or more members of a social network of the user.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of code sections, each code section comprising a plurality of instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform actions of a method of operating a first system supporting addition of functionality of a user-selected application to web pages delivered by the first system to a user, the actions comprising:
receiving, from a second system operated by a third party that is different from an operator of the first system, information that identifies an application selectable by the user, a third-party graphical element, and a network address of the second system that performs functionality of the application;
receiving, from the user, input indicating selection of the application for activation by the user via one or more web pages delivered to the user by the first system;
registering the application and the third-party graphical element with the first system;
providing an application identifier that uniquely identifies and authenticates the application with the first system;
adding executable instructions to hypertext markup language instructions of the one or more web pages provided by the first system to format the third-party graphical element;
associating information that identifies the user with information that identifies the user-selected application;
delivering, to the user, the one or more web pages formatted according to a comparison of metadata of the one or more web pages and one or more parameter values associated with the user-selected application; and
activating the functionality of the user-selected application at the second system in response to receipt of input of the user via a graphical user interface element representative of the user-selected application and displayed on the one or more web pages.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein delivering comprises:
formatting the one or more web pages to cause display of the graphical user interface element representative of the user-selected application and responsive to user input, if the one or more parameter values match the metadata of the one or more web pages; and
formatting the one or more web pages to not cause display of the graphical user interface element representative of the user-selected application, if the one or more parameter values do not match the metadata of the one or more web pages.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein formatting the one or more web pages to cause display of the graphical user interface element adds information representative of the graphical user interface element to the one or more web pages.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the functionality of the user-selected application at the second system controls content displayed to the user via a second graphical user interface element of the one or more web pages.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the graphical user interface element is displayed according to information provided to the first system by the second system.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the formatting adds executable instructions to the one or more web pages.
21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the functionality of the user-selected application at the second system sends a message to one or more members of a social network of the user.