Plug-in function platform and methods

A method of reading data on a client computing device, said method comprising:

• sending, from a computer server to a client computing device, user interface data that includes an icon representing a file of information for display, said file not yet existing on any storage device, whereby said icon is displayed on said client computing device;
• receiving at a remote computer a pathname and a command from said computing device indicating a selection of a user on said user interface to open said file;
• executing a plug-in function of said remote computer with said pathname and said command in order to create said file;
• returning from said plug-in function to said computing device the contents of said file, whereby said contents of said file are displayed on said client computing device using an application of said client computing device.

A method of writing data from a client computing device, said method comprising:

• sending, from a computer server to a client computing device, user interface data that includes an icon representing a folder of information for display, whereby said icon is displayed on said client computing device;
• receiving at a remote computer from said client computing device, a pathname, contents of a file, and a command indicating a selection of a user on said user interface to add said file to said folder;
• executing a plug-in function of said remote computer with said pathname and said command and storing said file in storage, said plug-in function not implementing any user interface for displaying said file on said client computing device;
• returning from said plug-in function to said computing device a name of said file for displaying on said client device within said folder of said user interface.

A method of executing plug-in functions on a computer server, said method comprising:

• fetching layers of executable code for first and second plug-in functions from a repository and unpacking said layers into a root file system folder for each of said plug-in functions onto a local disk of said computer server;
• loading, by a server process executing on a virtual machine of said computer server said executable code of said plug-in functions and executing each of said plug-in functions, each of said plug-in functions having its own root file system and each of said plug-in functions sharing the same namespace;
• retrieving, by said first plug-in function, first data from a remote enterprise computer using a network of said virtual machine;
• retrieving, by said second plug-in function, second data from a remote enterprise computer using said network of said virtual machine;
• and
• each of said first and second plug-in functions using said respective first and second data to create respective first and second data files which are each sent to a client computing device.

A method of executing a plug-in function on a computer server, said method comprising:

• calling a plug-in function by a server process on a server computer, said plug-in function having its own root file system but not having its own namespace;
• executing on said computer server said plug-in function and receiving a command from a remote user computing device;
• reading data from a data source;
• creating a file based on said data and sending said file to said remote user computing device for display of said file, said plug-in function not implementing any user interface on said remote user computing device

A method of reading data on a client computing device, said method comprising:

• sending, from a computer server to a client computing device, user interface data that includes an icon representing a folder of information for display, whereby said icon is displayed on said client computing device;
• receiving at a remote computer a command from said computing device indicating a selection by a user on said user interface to create a new folder having a folder name input by said user;
• executing a plug-in function of said remote computer to create said new folder with said folder name and to return said new folder for display on said user interface of said computing device;
• and
• executing said plug-in function using said folder name as input in order to produce a result that is dependent upon said folder name.

A method of writing data from a client computing device, said method comprising:

• receiving at a remote computer a command from a client computing device indicating a selection by a user on a user interface to create a new folder having a folder name input by said user;
• executing a plug-in function of said remote computer to create said new folder with said folder name and to return said new folder for display on said user interface of said computing device;
• receiving at said remote computer a digital object that was added to said new folder by said user using said user interface of said computing device;
• and
• executing said plug-in function and processing said digital object using said folder name to produce a result that is dependent upon said folder name.

A method of inputting metadata from a client computing device, said method comprising:

• executing a plug-in function of a remote computer in daemon mode and displaying on a client computing device a user interface that includes a folder icon representing said plug-in function and a user input icon;
• receiving at said remote computer a command from said computing device indicating a selection by a user on said user interface of said user input icon;
• sending, by said plug-in function, a Web page for display on said computing device;
• receiving, by said plug-in function, a metadata value input by said user on said Web page;
• and
• executing said plug-in function using said metadata value as input in order to produce a result that is dependent upon said metadata value.

A method of inputting metadata from a client computing device, said method comprising:

• receiving at a remote computer a command from a client computing device indicating a selection by a user on a user interface to create a new folder having a folder name input by said user;
• executing a plug-in function of said remote computer to create said new folder with said folder name and to return said new folder for display on said user interface of said computing device;
• assigning, by said plug-in function, a metadata value to said folder name input by said user;
• and
• executing said plug-in function using said metadata value as input in order to produce a result that is dependent upon said metadata value.

A method of communicating with a database from a client computing device, said method comprising:

• executing a first plug-in function of a remote computer in daemon mode and opening a connection with a database by said first plug-in function;
• receiving a request at said remote computer from said client computing device to access said database via a second plug-in function of said remote computer;
• executing said second plug-in function of said remote computer and sending said request to said executing first plug-in function;
• accessing said database by said first plug-in function with said request and receiving a response from said database;
• sending said response from said first plug-in function to said second plug-in function;
• and
• delivering said response from said second plug-in function to said client computing device.

A method of displaying data on a client computing device, said method comprising:

• sending, from a computer server to a client computing device, user interface data that includes an icon representing a folder of information for display, whereby said icon is displayed on said client computing device;
• receiving at said computer server a pathname and a user interface command from said client computing device indicating an action with respect to said icon of said user interface;
• executing a plug-in function of said computer server using said pathname and said user interface command to implement said user interface command;
• executing said plug-in function in order to implement an additional step not included within said user interface command;
• and
• returning a result to said client computing device for display.

In a virtual machine of a computer, a method of writing from a plug-in function to a file system, said method comprising:

• executing a plug-in function of said virtual machine at the request of a first user of a remote computing device;
• receiving a file at said plug-in function having a file name;
• creating a unique file name for said file name based upon an identifier of said plug-in function and an identifier of said first user;
• and
• writing said file to a user folder of a file system on a local disk of said computer by said plug-in function using said unique file name to identify said file on said local disk.

In a virtual machine of a computer, a method of managing space of a local disk of said computer, said method comprising:

• determining, by a server process of said virtual machine, whether to make more storage space available on said local disk;
• when it is determined to make more storage space available, selecting a stored file to be removed from said local disk;
• copying said stored file from said local disk to remote storage;
• and
• freeing up space on said local disk that had been used by said stored file.