Server-side control over navigation mode in web application

A method comprising:

• receiving, into a web server, input declaring structure and operation of a web application, including declarations of component hierarchy between components of the web application and a declaration of a navigation-mode setting of the web application;
• responsive to the input, generating and storing, cooperatively in a plurality of tables of a database, a representation of the web application, including references to underlying scripts interpretable to define structure and operation of the components and including a property record that defines the navigation-mode setting of the web application;
• thereafter receiving, into the web server from a client device, a request for the web application;
• and
• response to the request, (i) querying the database to ascertain a component tree-structure representing the hierarchical arrangement of the components of the web application and to ascertain, from the property record, the navigation-mode setting of the web application, (ii) generating a data representation of the ascertained hierarchical arrangement of the components and the navigation-mode setting of the web application, wherein the data representation comprises at least one item selected from the group consisting of markup and JavaScript, and (iii) outputting the generated data representation to the client device for use by the client device to render the web application and to control a navigation mode of the web application in accordance with the navigation-mode setting,
• wherein the navigation-mode setting controls whether, as the web application presents sequential new pages of application content, the web application operates with tab-based navigation or rather with single-page-based navigation,
• wherein operating with tab-based navigation rather than single-page-based navigation comprises (a) presenting each sequential page of application content in a respective tab container having a respective tab header and (b) maintaining earlier presented pages of application content in respective tab containers with tab headers accessibly presented for user selection, allowing a user to multitask back and forth between the pages of application content by selecting associated tab headers, and
• wherein operating with single-page-based navigation rather than tab-based navigation comprises presenting each sequential page of application content in place of an existing page of application content without maintaining the existing page of application content in tab container.

An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform web server operations comprising:

• receiving input declaring structure of a web application, including declarations of component hierarchy between components of the web application and a declaration of a navigation-mode setting of the web application;
• responsive to the input, generating and storing, cooperatively in a plurality of tables of a database, a representation of the web application, including references to underlying scripts interpretable to define structure and operation of the components and including a property record that defines the navigation-mode setting of the web application;
• receiving from a client device a request for the web application;
• and
• response to the request, (i) querying the database to ascertain a component tree-structure representing the hierarchical arrangement of the components of the web application and to ascertain, from the property record, the navigation-mode setting of the web application, (ii) generating a data representation of the ascertained hierarchical arrangement of the components and the navigation-mode setting of the web application, wherein the data representation comprises at least one item selected from the group consisting of markup and JavaScript, and (iii) outputting the generated data representation to the client device for use by the client device to render the web application and to control a navigation mode of the web application in accordance with the navigation-mode setting,
• wherein the navigation-mode setting controls whether, as the web application presents sequential new pages of application content, the web application operates with tab-based navigation or rather with single-page-based navigation,
• wherein operating with tab-based navigation rather than single-page-based navigation comprises (a) presenting each sequential page of application content in a respective tab container having a respective tab header and (b) maintaining earlier presented pages of application content in respective tab containers with tab headers accessibly presented for user selection, allowing a user to multitask back and forth between the pages of application content by selecting associated tab headers, and
• wherein operating with single-page-based navigation rather than tab-based navigation comprises presenting each sequential page of application content in place of an existing page of application content without maintaining the existing page of application content in tab container.