Offline Application Builder With Ontology-Based Caching Rules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing application builders struggle to create applications that can function seamlessly offline without requiring customized development, particularly in scenarios where connectivity is intermittent.
Innovation Solution
An application builder that connects application assets to an ontology to define data caching strategies, enabling proactive caching of data and supporting workflows offline, utilizing caching rules based on relationships between objects and generating applications that can operate disconnected from the network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If application builders use standard online architecture, then network connectivity is required for operation, but this prevents offline functionality in intermittent connectivity scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by caching application data, configuration files, and runtime libraries before offline operation is needed. The offline package is prepared in advance containing all necessary components for application execution, enabling the application to function without network connectivity when deployed to edge devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The application system is segmented into online and offline components. The offline-capable portion is extracted into a separate deployable package that can operate independently without network connectivity, while the online portion handles updates and synchronization. This segmentation allows the application to function reliably offline while maintaining adaptability when connected.
2Reliability
If all application data is cached for offline use, then offline operation is enabled, but this increases device storage requirements and memory consumption
Solution Approach 1:
Different caching strategies are applied to different types of data based on their offline usage requirements. Frequently accessed application code and configuration files are cached with high priority, while less critical data uses progressive loading or on-demand fetching. This selective caching approach enables offline operation for critical functions while minimizing storage consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements partial caching by loading only the essential subset of application data needed for core offline functionality, rather than caching the entire application dataset. Non-critical or rarely used data remains on the server and is fetched when needed, balancing offline capability with storage constraints.
3Ease of manufacture
If offline-capable applications are built without specialized tools, then development is simpler, but creating true offline functionality requires customized development effort
Solution Approach 1:
The application builder is designed as a universal tool that handles both online and offline application deployment through a single interface. It automatically generates offline packages, manages caching strategies, and handles synchronization protocols, eliminating the need for separate customized development processes while maintaining ease of use for standard online deployments.
Solution Approach 2:
The application builder performs self-service by automatically analyzing the application, identifying offline-critical components, and generating the appropriate offline package without requiring manual configuration. The system autonomously handles the complexity of offline deployment preparation, allowing developers to use the same simple workflow for both online and offline applications.
4Loss of information
If applications continuously synchronize data with the network, then data freshness is maintained, but this increases bandwidth consumption and power usage
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous synchronization, the system implements periodic data synchronization that occurs at scheduled intervals or when triggered by specific events such as network availability. This periodic approach maintains data freshness over time while significantly reducing bandwidth consumption and power usage compared to continuous synchronization, as the application can operate offline between synchronization cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system preemptively caches data before network disconnection occurs or before predicted periods of offline operation. By anticipating the need for offline functionality and pre-loading necessary data, the system prevents data staleness without requiring continuous synchronization, thereby reducing bandwidth and power consumption while maintaining data availability during offline periods.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems and methods for application builders for offline-capable applications. In some embodiments, a method for generating an offline-capable application includes the steps of: accessing an ontology associated with the offline-capable application; accessing one or more application assets associated with the offline-capable application; determining a cache strategy for the offline-capable application, the cache strategy comprising one or more caching rules, at least one caching rule of the one or more caching rules comprising one or more parameters, the one or more parameters comprising a specification of cached data and a cache condition; and building the offline-capable application using the ontology and the one or more application assets based at least in part upon the caching strategy.