Client-server data communication

A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage device, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause a server to:

• receive from a client, over a network, a request for a structure comprising data objects;
• receive, from the client, an available bandwidth for client-server communication over the network;
• prepare a partial structure of data objects, the partial structure differing from the requested structure in that the partial structure comprises a first subset of the data objects comprising the requested structure and one or more placeholder objects in place of a second subset of the data objects comprising the requested structure, thereby omitting the second subset of data objects comprising the requested structure from the partial structure;
• and
• transmit the partial structure over the network to the client in place of the requested structure,
• wherein:
• the placeholder objects have positions in the partial structure corresponding to positions of the omitted second subset of data objects in the requested structure,
• the placeholder objects in the partial structure require less bandwidth to transmit than the omitted second subset of data objects, and
• the server varies the number of placeholder objects and the number of data objects in the partial structure to conform the bandwidth required to transmit the partial structure over the network to the available bandwidth received from the client.

A method comprising steps implemented by a server of:

• receiving from a client, over a network, a request for a structure comprising data objects;
• receiving, from the client, an available bandwidth for client-server communication over the network;
• preparing a partial structure of data objects, the partial structure differing from the requested structure in that the partial structure comprises a first subset of the data objects comprising the requested structure and one or more placeholder objects in place of a second subset of the data objects comprising the requested structure, thereby omitting the second subset of data objects comprising the requested structure from the partial structure;
• and
• transmitting the partial structure over the network to the client in place of the requested structure,
• wherein:
• the placeholder objects have positions in the partial structure corresponding to positions of the omitted second subset of data objects in the requested structure,
• the placeholder objects in the partial structure require less bandwidth to transmit than the omitted second subset of data objects, and
• the server varies the number of placeholder objects and the number of data objects in the partial structure to conform the bandwidth required to transmit the partial structure over the network to the available bandwidth received from the client.

A client-server system comprising:

• a server operable to:
• receive from a client, over a network, a request for a structure comprising data objects;
• receive, from the client, a specified maximum number of data objects to transmit in response to the request;
• prepare a partial structure of data objects, the partial structure differing from the requested structure in that the partial structure comprises a first subset of the data objects comprising the requested structure and one or more placeholder objects in place of a second subset of the data objects comprising the requested structure, thereby omitting the second subset of data objects comprising the requested structure from the partial structure;
• and
• transmit the partial structure over the network to the client in place of the requested structure,
• wherein:
• the placeholder objects have positions in the partial structure corresponding to positions of the omitted second subset of data objects in the requested structure,
• the placeholder objects in the partial structure require less memory capacity than the omitted second subset of data objects, and
• the server varies the number of placeholder objects and the number of data objects in the partial structure to conform the number of data objects in the partial structure transmitted over the network to the client-specified maximum number.

A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage device, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause a server to:

• receive from a client, over a network, a request for a structure comprising data objects;
• receive, from the client, a specified maximum number of data objects to transmit in response to the request;
• prepare a partial structure of data objects, the partial structure differing from the requested structure in that the partial structure comprises a first subset of the data objects comprising the requested structure and one or more placeholder objects in place of a second subset of the data objects comprising the requested structure, thereby omitting the second subset of data objects comprising the requested structure from the partial structure;
• and
• transmit the partial structure over the network to the client in place of the requested structure,
• wherein:
• the placeholder objects have positions in the partial structure corresponding to positions of the omitted second subset of data objects in the requested structure,
• the placeholder objects in the partial structure require less memory capacity than the omitted second subset of data objects, and
• the server varies the number of placeholder objects and the number of data objects in the partial structure to conform the number of data objects in the partial structure transmitted over the network to the client-specified maximum number.

A method comprising steps implemented by a server of:

• receiving from a client, over a network, a request for a structure comprising data objects;
• receiving, from the client, a specified maximum number of data objects to transmit in response to the request;
• preparing a partial structure of data objects, the partial structure differing from the requested structure in that the partial structure comprises a first subset of the data objects comprising the requested structure and one or more placeholder objects in place of a second subset of the data objects comprising the requested structure, thereby omitting the second subset of data objects comprising the requested structure from the partial structure;
• and
• transmitting the partial structure over the network to the client in place of the requested structure,
• wherein:
• the placeholder objects have positions in the partial structure corresponding to positions of the omitted second subset of data objects in the requested structure,
• the placeholder objects in the partial structure require less memory capacity than the omitted second subset of data objects, and
• the server varies the number of placeholder objects and the number of data objects in the partial structure to conform the number of data objects in the partial structure transmitted over the network to the client-specified maximum number.