Shadow UI Cache for Faster Digital Adoption Element Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional algorithms for finding UI elements in digital adoption platforms are inefficient, particularly when dealing with large numbers of elements or complex hierarchies, leading to delays that negatively impact user experience.
Innovation Solution
A shadow UI cache is created to store UI element information, updated in response to structure change events, allowing for rapid retrieval of elements by leveraging structure change automation events and minimizing reliance on tree traversal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conventional UIAutomation library methods (FindAll, FindFirst) are used to locate UI elements, then element retrieval is performed using standard automation APIs, but the retrieval time becomes unacceptably long (3-10 seconds) when dealing with large numbers of elements or complex hierarchies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a shadow DOM representation that pre-processes and caches the DOM tree structure before element queries are needed. This preliminary action builds an optimized data structure that enables fast element retrieval without requiring full tree traversal at query time, directly resolving the speed-time contradiction by preparing the search space in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a shadow copy (shadow DOM) of the actual DOM tree that mirrors the UI structure but is optimized for querying. This copy contains the same element hierarchy and relationships but is organized to enable efficient search operations, allowing fast element retrieval without querying the original complex DOM structure directly.
2Speed
If element selectors with exact paths are used to reduce element finding time, then retrieval speed improves to under 5 seconds, but the complexity of identifying optimal element selectors increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The shadow DOM system automatically builds and maintains the optimized element hierarchy structure without requiring manual intervention to create element selectors or paths. The system self-services by programmatically constructing the shadow DOM from the actual DOM, automatically establishing efficient query paths and relationships, thereby eliminating the need for manual selector creation while maintaining fast retrieval speeds.
3Reliability
If Breadth First Search algorithm is used to traverse UI element trees, then element location is performed systematically, but the traversal becomes inefficient for elements deep within the hierarchy, exceeding acceptable time limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the DOM tree into a shadow DOM representation that organizes elements into an optimized hierarchy. This segmentation creates a structured format where elements are arranged to minimize traversal depth and maximize query efficiency, allowing systematic location without the time penalties of traversing deep original DOM trees using traditional algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are disclosed for creating a shadow representation of a user interface. The shadow representation which may take the form of a shadow UI cache is updated in response to detected structure change events. An exemplary application of the shadow representation is to improve the UI element retrieval for a digital adoption platform.