Method for sensing the status of a client from a server

摘要

An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a method implemented in a web server whereby extra and/or null byte streams are periodically sent to a browser during long, costly queries or searches, and the standard error response received from that browser (resulting from abandonment of the search) triggers abortion of the long operation. In one embodiment, the server periodically sends null messages to the browser in order to detect its presence. If a “not connected” error message returns, the server aborts the operation, freeing up resources. A second embodiment includes sending advertising and/or entertaining byte streams to the browser instead of null messages. In a third embodiment, a separate window is opened at the browser for delivery of the information and null messages are sent to it, allowing the user to ‘click off’ on the original browser during the wait period.