Technique for implementing seamless shortcuts in sharepoint
A system and method for creating shortcuts within a database for archived items. A client computer sends a retrieval request for a given item to a web server. The given item may be an electronic document. A custom HTTPModule within the web server intercepts the request. The HTTPModule uses a uniform resource locator (URL) provided in the request to locate a record associated with the given item. If a given fixed string value is read from the record in place of the original content data, then the web server requests original content data for the given item from an archive store. The record still maintains identification information, such as a document identifier and the URL in order to maintain links and workflows. The retrieval request is not rerouted to an alternate path, and the client computer receives the original content data, rather than an indication of a shortcut.
1. A method executable by a processor for retrieving requested items in a database, the method comprising:
receiving a first request for retrieving a given item from a first database, wherein the first request comprises a first location identifier for the given item; and
in response to determining content data of the given item has been replaced in the database with a shortcut, wherein the shortcut is a value indicating the content data of the given item is stored in an archive store, generating a second request for retrieving the given item from the archive store; and
in response to determining content data of the given item has not been replaced in the database with a shortcut and has been replaced with a second location identifier indicating the content data of the given item is not stored in the database and is not stored in the archive store, rerouting the first request from the first database to a second location identified by the second location identifier.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising in response to determining the content data of the given item has not been replaced in the database with a shortcut and has not been replaced by the second location identifier, generating a first response to the first request comprising the content data of the given item located in the first database at a location identified by the first location identifier.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising retrieving archival information from the database to insert into the second request, wherein the archival information does not indicate whether the content data of the given item is replaced with the shortcut in the database.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the shortcut comprises a fixed string value used to indicate the content data of the given item is not stored in the database and is backed up in the archive store.
5. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein in response to determining an item qualifies to be stored in the archive store, the method further comprises:
sending a copy of the content data corresponding to the item to the archive store for storage;
storing in the database archival information used for later requests to retrieve the copy of the content data from the archive store; and
overwriting the content data with the fixed string value.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising retrieving archival information from the database to insert into the second request, wherein responsive to at least previous saved edits of the given item, the archival information indicates whether the content data of the given item is replaced with the shortcut in the database.
7. The method as recited in claim 6 , wherein location identifiers are uniform resource locator (URL) values in HTTP requests and the database is stored in a web server.
8. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
reading a stored size corresponding to the given item;
sending the content data in a first response corresponding to the first request, in response to determining the stored size is not equal to a given size and the content data is not a location identifier; and
inspecting the content data to determine whether said content data is stored in the database or in the archive store, in response to determining the stored size is equal to the given size.
9. A computer system comprising:
a web server;
a client computer coupled to the web server via a network;
an archive store coupled to the web server via the network;
wherein the client computer is configured to send a first request for a given item to the web server, wherein the first request comprises a first location identifier for the given item;
wherein the web server is configured to:
read stored content data from a data location identified by said first location identifier in response to receiving the first request;
in response to determining content data of the given item has been replaced in the database with a shortcut, wherein the shortcut is a value indicating the content data of the given item is stored in the archive store, generate a second request for retrieving the given item from the archive store; and
in response to determining content data of the given item has not been replaced in the database with a shortcut and has been replaced with a second location identifier indicating the content data of the given item is not stored in the database and is not stored in the archive store, reroute the first request from the first database to a second location identified by the second location identifier.
10. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein in response to determining the content data of the given item has not been replaced in the database with a shortcut and has not been replaced by the second location identifier, the web server is further configured to generate a first response to the first request comprising the content data of the given item located in the first database at a location identified by the first location identifier.
11. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the web server is further configured to retrieve archival information from the database to insert into the second request, wherein the archival information does not indicate whether the content data of the given item is replaced with the shortcut in the database.
12. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the shortcut comprises a fixed string value used to indicate the content data of the given item is not stored in the web server and is backed up in the archive store.
13. The computer system of claim 12 , wherein in response to determining an item qualifies to be stored in the archive store, the web server is further configured to:
send a copy of the content data corresponding to the item to the archive store for storage;
store archival information used for later requests to retrieve the copy of the content data from the archive store; and
overwrite the content data with the fixed string value.
14. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the web server is further configured to retrieve archival information to insert into the second request, wherein responsive to at least previous saved edits of the given item, the archival information indicates whether the content data of the given item is replaced with the shortcut in the database.
15. The computer system of claim 14 , wherein location identifiers are uniform resource locator (URL) values in HTTP requests.
16. The computer system of claim 9 , wherein the web server is further configured to:
read a stored size corresponding to the given item;
send said stored content data to the client computer in a first response corresponding to the first request in response to the stored size is not equal to a given size and the content data is not a location identifier; and
inspect said stored content data to determine whether said content data is stored in the web server or in the archive store, in response to the stored size is equal to the given size.
17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions for creating a shortcut for an archived item in a database, wherein the program instructions are executable by the processor to:
send a first request for a given item from a client computer to a web server, wherein the first request comprises a first location identifier for the given item;
read stored content data from a data location within the web server identified by said first location identifier;
in response to determining content data of the given item has been replaced in the database with a shortcut, wherein the shortcut is a value indicating the content data of the given item is stored in the archive store, generate a second request for retrieving the given item from the archive store; and
in response to determining content data of the given item has not been replaced in the database with a shortcut and has been replaced with a second location identifier indicating the content data of the given item is not stored in the database and is not stored in the archive store, reroute the first request from the first database to a second location identified by the second location identifier.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein in response to determining the content data of the given item has not been replaced in the database with a shortcut and is not replaced by the second location identifier, the program instructions are further executable to generate a first response to the first request comprising the content data of the given item located in the first database at a location identified by the first location identifier.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to retrieve archival information from the database to insert into the second request, wherein the archival information does not indicate whether the content data of the given item is replaced with the shortcut in the database.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the shortcut comprises a fixed string value used to indicate the content data of the given item is not stored in the web server and is backed up in the archive store.