Discovering and installing web application plugins
View Patent ↗A method for discovering and installing web application plugins is disclosed. In one embodiment, such a method includes initiating a client-side component of a server-based web application. The client side-component hosts a first document. The method opens an inline frame, such as an IFrame or Web Worker, within the first document that hosts a second document. The method uses cross-document messaging to communicate, from the second document to the first document, metadata describing a plugin's capabilities and metadata describing an API to access the plugin's capabilities via cross-document messaging. The method utilizes the capabilities of the plugin using cross-document messaging in accordance with the API. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.
1. A method for discovering and installing web application plugins, the method comprising:
initiating a client-side component of a server-based web application, the client side-component hosting a first document;
opening, by the client-side component, an inline frame within the first document, the inline frame hosting a second document different from the first document;
using cross-document messaging to communicate, from the second document to the first document, metadata describing a plugin's capabilities, the metadata further providing an API to access the plugin's capabilities via cross-document messaging; and
utilizing the capabilities of the plugin using cross-document messaging in accordance with the API.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first document is hosted by a first web site, and the second document is hosted by a second web site different from the first web site.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first web site is hosted on a first server, and the second web site is hosted on a second sever different from the first server.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second documents are HTML documents.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising persisting the metadata on a server hosting the server-based web application.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising installing, by the client-side component, the plugin by recording the metadata in a plugin registry.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein using the plugin comprises initially selecting the plugin from a menu.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the menu lists plugins registered in the plugin registry.
9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising uninstalling, by the client-side component, the plugin by deleting the metadata from the plugin registry.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein opening an inline frame comprises opening one of an HTML IFrame and a Web Worker.
11. A computer program product for discovering and installing web application plugins, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable program code embodied therein, the computer-usable program code comprising:
computer-usable program code to initiate a client-side component of a server-based web application, the client side-component hosting a first document;
computer-usable program code to open an inline frame within the first document, the inline frame hosting a second document different from the first document;
computer-usable program code to use cross-document messaging to communicate, from the second document to the first document, metadata describing a plugin's capabilities, the metadata further providing an API to access the plugin's capabilities via cross-document messaging; and
computer-usable program code to utilize the capabilities of the plugin using cross-document messaging in accordance with the API.
12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the first document is hosted by a first web site, and the second document is hosted by a second web site different from the first web site.
13. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the first web site is hosted on a first server, and the second web site is hosted on a second sever different from the first server.
14. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the inline frame is selected from an HTML IFrame and a Web Worker.
15. The computer program product of claim 11 , further comprising computer-usable program code to install the plugin by storing the metadata in a plugin registry of the client-side component.
16. A system for discovering and installing web application plugins, the system comprising:
a first server hosting a web application;
a second server hosting a plugin for the web application; and
a client computer hosting a client-side component of the web application, the client-side component hosting a first document, wherein the client-side component is configured to:
open an inline frame within the first document, the inline frame hosting a second document different from the first document;
use cross-document messaging to communicate, from the second document to the first document, metadata describing a plugin's capabilities, the metadata further providing an API to access the plugin's capabilities via cross-document messaging; and
utilize the capabilities of the plugin using cross-document messaging in accordance with the API.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the inline frame is one of an HTML IFrame and a Web Worker.
18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the client-side component is configured to install the plugin by recording the metadata in a plugin registry.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the client-side component is configured to uninstall the plugin by deleting the metadata from the plugin registry.
20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first and second documents are HTML documents.