Synchronizing conversation structures in web-based email systems

摘要

Web-based email systems are enabled to synchronize conversations and conversation properties. Conversations are enumerated to new clients providing folder-specific and global conversation information. After receiving the initial conversation information, clients maintain a conversation state, which is used in updating clients from a web service store through a conversation synchronization command employing an internal application programming interface within the email service.

主权项

1. A method executed on a computing device for synchronizing one or more conversations, the method comprising:
tracking the one or more conversations employing one or more tables at a web service; recording messages and conversation attributes from the one or more conversations in a conversation folder at a data store of the web service; receiving a conversation synchronization request from a requestor; calling an internal application programming interface (API) on a conversation view of the conversation folder to determine a changed subset of the one or more conversations that have changed at the conversation folder; comparing conversation data for the changed subset of the one or more conversations to the conversation view of the conversation folder to identify item properties and bodies of the changed subset of the one or more conversations; separating a synchronization state blob into a synchronization state for the conversation folder to synchronize; storing a current time as a last received time (LRT); and for the conversation folder to synchronize:
if the LRT is past a requested time window to synchronize, skipping to a next conversation folder, elsequerying for the one or more conversations with a time window that is less than the LRT; andwhen an LRT is reached that is greater than the requested time window to synchronize, storing a lowest LRT that has been detected in the synchronization state; and returning the item properties and the bodies of the changed subset of the one or more conversations to the requestor in a response, wherein the response includes at least one from a set of: an updated synchronization state blob, a flag indicating if there are more changes, the changed conversation and one or more added conversations that participate in the conversation folder, and one or more deleted conversations.