Preview pre-generation based on heuristics and algorithmic prediction /assessment of predicted user behaviour

摘要

A system for determining if a preview of a file uploaded to a web-based collaborative environment is likely to be requested; for a file that is likely to be previewed, the system pre-converts the input format of the file to a target format suitable for providing the preview to minimize the time a user waits to be presented with the preview after making the request. Preferably, the likelihood of a file being requested is determined by identifying a criteria relating to the subset of files which are frequently accessed The present disclosure also includes a method of determining whether an intermediate format of a file generated during the conversion of an input format to the target format should be stored to be used later or discarded.