SharePoint Shortcut HTTPModule for Archived Data Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mechanisms for creating placeholders for archived data in enterprise information portals do not preserve the URL of the item, breaking links and workflows, and prevent end users from editing and saving changes.
Innovation Solution
A custom HTTPModule is added to the intranet portal application to intercept requests, identify shortcuts, and retrieve archived original data from an archive store, maintaining identification information to preserve links and workflows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If current mechanisms replace the item with an aspx file or html file that redirects a Web browser to the archived item, then the placeholder creation is simple, but the URL of the item is not preserved and links break
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a shortcut record that copies the essential identification information (URL, internal identifier, metadata) of the archived item. This shortcut record serves as a placeholder that preserves the original item's identity and links, allowing the system to reference the archived item without breaking existing URLs or workflows.
Solution Approach 2:
The shortcut record acts as an intermediary between the portal system and the archived item. Instead of directly replacing the item with a redirect file, the system creates a shortcut record that mediates access to the archived item, preserving URLs and enabling the portal to retrieve and present the archived content transparently.
2Quantity of substance
If the item is replaced by a shortcut file, then storage space is freed in the portal, but end users cannot edit the item and save changes back to the portal
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically handles shortcut records by detecting when a user attempts to edit an archived item through the shortcut. When editing is detected, the system retrieves the archived item, allows modifications, and saves the changes back to the portal, making the editing process transparent to the user while maintaining storage efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards the original item content from portal storage by archiving it, but recovers it when editing is required. The shortcut record enables the system to discard storage space while maintaining the ability to recover and modify the archived item when needed, then re-archive it after editing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If internal identifier is removed or replaced during archiving, then the archive store can manage items independently, but workflows dependent on links are broken
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the identification information into multiple components: the original URL, the internal identifier, and metadata. The shortcut record preserves all these components separately, allowing the archive store to manage items independently while maintaining the connection to the portal's identification system and preserving workflow functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for creating shortcuts within a database for archived items. A client computer sends a retrieval request for a given item to a web server. The given item may be an electronic document. A custom HTTPModule within the web server intercepts the request. The HTTPModule uses a uniform resource locator (URL) provided in the request to locate a record associated with the given item. If a given fixed string value is read from the record in place of the original content data, then the web server requests original content data for the given item from an archive store. The record still maintains identification information, such as a document identifier and the URL in order to maintain links and workflows. The retrieval request is not rerouted to an alternate path, and the client computer receives the original content data, rather than an indication of a shortcut.