JP2004288129A - Virtual file management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a virtual file management mechanism for easily executing file access and high speed retrieval without being conscious of a directory structure of a computer. <P>SOLUTION: When a user clearly operates a node operation window 30, the virtual file management mechanism 8 forms a data structure of the only free form on a control database 14. This data structure is a hierarchical constitution composed of a plane having a plurality of nodes mutually joined by a link having weight. A file 5 is dragged and dropped from a directory group 3 displayed by an explorer 6, and is registered in the node by attaching a keyword. A retrieval processing module 13 is constituted for retrieving the file at a high speed on the basis of a preference degree of the node determined from the weight of the link. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
The present invention relates to a computer, and more particularly, to a directory structure provided by a file management mechanism of an operating system (hereinafter abbreviated to an OS) of a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as a personal computer) without being aware of the directory structure. The present invention relates to a virtual file management mechanism and a data structure that allow a user to visually operate a window to access and search a file.
[0002]
2. Description of the Related Art In Windows, which is a general OS of a conventional personal computer, a directory group such as C: is provided, a subdirectory is set hierarchically under a root directory, and a file is stored in the subdirectory. It uses a file management mechanism with a type data structure. The user sequentially opens directories called folders and obtains a target file. The OS has a file search function as a standard function.
[0003]
When managing files in the above-described hierarchical directory structure, it is necessary to know the storage location of the file or the path to get there in order to access the target file. In recent years, the number and size of files to be stored have been dramatically increased due to the increase in the capacity of hard disk drives and the spread of writable DVD drives. In order to avoid complication of the directory structure, a plurality of directory groups such as D: ￥, E: ￥,... It is also arranged for each. However, as the type and number of files increase and the hierarchy of directories to be classified becomes deeper and more complicated, it becomes impossible to memorize all the types of files stored in which folders, and file access becomes quicker. Can not. In addition, when a large number of folders and files are searched by the OS-standard search system, efficient file access and file search are performed, such as a slow search speed and a large number of files matching a keyword (search word) being displayed. could not.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and does not require a user to be aware of a plurality of directory groups of a personal computer and a directory structure of a shared folder or a shared disk of a remote personal computer connected to a LAN or the like. It is another object of the present invention to provide a data structure of a virtual file management mechanism and a software implementation method.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a virtual file management mechanism implemented as an application above the file management mechanism of an existing OS, that is, a virtual file management mechanism realized as an application. It is configured so that the user can explicitly operate the displayed virtual file operation window. Here, the node corresponds to a directory or folder of the existing OS. A means for creating a categorized data structure by adding a node to which a user has added a keyword or deleting a node that has already been registered, and a folder in a directory group managed by the OS and a file in a shared folder of a remote personal computer. Is registered in a node in the data structure, and a file is searched using a keyword with an arbitrary node as a starting node.
[0006] By applying this means, the user can determine the type of the directory group, the logical location where the folders and files in the directory group exist, the location on the personal computer used by them, or the LAN. It provides a structure that allows access and file search without being aware of the physical location of a connected remote personal computer.
The data structure of the virtual file management system of the present invention comprises a plurality of planes forming a hierarchical structure, each plane having a plurality of nodes interconnected by weighted links, Are connected to the nodes of the lower plane by links. The user is provided with a means for explicitly operating the virtual file operation window to add or delete the plane or node.
[0008] The virtual file management mechanism determines the priority of the node based on the weight of the link connecting the nodes in the plane. The search processing routine searches for a node having a target file based on a keyword by following a link of the hierarchical data structure with a node designated by a user as a starting node. The search routine implements a means for displaying the contents of the file by passing the full path of the searched file to the OS explorer. When the target node is determined, a function of dynamically changing the weight of the link in the plane to update the priority of the node in the link and improving the speed of re-search is provided.
[0009] When the virtual file management mechanism adds a node or when the user explicitly specifies it on the virtual file operation window, the virtual file management mechanism uses a relation link between nodes other than the node to which the node is connected. Has the function of connecting. The relationship link changes the node or file search root. When the search process reaches the node having the related link in the search process, the search is speeded up by preferentially searching the node at the related link destination.
[0010]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the configuration of the virtual file management system. In the following embodiments, the present invention will be described by way of an example in which the present invention is implemented on Windows which is a typical personal computer OS.
In FIG. 1, a personal computer PCa operating on an OS 2a and a remote personal computer PCb operating on an OS 2b are connected to a network 1 such as a local network. It is assumed that the personal computer PCb is given the name "magpie". Reference numerals 3a, 3b, and the like 3 are directories each having a folder 4a, 4b, and the like 4 in which files 5a, 5b, and the like 5 are stored, and are under the control of file management of the OSs 2a and 2b, respectively. In particular, the folder 4a is a shared folder that can be used by a user 17) of another personal computer on the network 1, such as the personal computer PCa, and the shared file 3b. Reference numeral 16 denotes a shared drive such as a CD-ROM set to be shared. Reference numerals 6a, 6b, etc. denote explorers 6, which are application programs and shell programs used by the user when operating OS functions such as file operations and application startup.
The virtual file management mechanism 8 for controlling the virtual file management system of the present invention uses various management tables recorded in the control database 14 and an application program interface (API) 7 published by the OS. It is composed of various program modules that execute required processing. The user 17 of the PCa operates the data structure displayed on the node operation window 30 which is the main screen of the virtual file operation window 16 provided by the virtual file management mechanism 8 to register the file registered in the target node. Go to. In the virtual file operation window group 15, the window is switched to a window including various messages in accordance with the situation where the user 17 has performed the image operation on the node operation window 30. FIG. 4 is a configuration example of the node operation window 30.
The virtual file management mechanism 8 is software for realizing the virtual file management system of the present invention, and includes a plurality of processing modules. The initial node registration processing module 11 and the node addition / deletion processing module 12 form a data structure on the control database 14. In a node forming this data structure, the file registration processing module 9 registers the file 5a of the personal computer PCa, the file 5b in the remote PCb shared folder 4b, or the file in the shared drive 16. The file deletion / modification module 10 can delete a file from a node or change a keyword of a registered file. The search processing module 13 executes a file search using the data structure. These modules include a plane table, a node table, a file table, a link table, and a relation table. In the records that form these tables, the relationships between planes and nodes are linked by pointers to form a data structure. Is done.
In addition, these modules form a data structure in cooperation with the user through the virtual file operation window group 15 and execute a file registration or deletion process.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a data structure in which the virtual file management mechanism 8 structures a large number of files. Planes 20 forming a hierarchical structure such as 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, and planes 20 in these planes 20 are shown. The nodes 21 are arbitrarily arranged according to the designation of the user 17, and the nodes 21 in each plane 20 are interconnected by a weighted intra-node link 22. For example, node 21b is connected to nodes 21d, 21a, and 21c by in-plane links 22a, 22b, and 22c, respectively. In general, when there are n nodes in a plane, a node has n-1 links. The plane 20a is called an upper plane of the planes 20b and 20c, and the planes 20b and 20c are called a lower plane of the plane 20a. The plane 20a having no upper plane is referred to as a top plane, and the plane 20d having no lower plane is referred to as a bottom plane. To further clarify the positional relationship between nodes, nodes on the upper plane are called upper nodes, and conversely, nodes on the lower plane are called lower nodes. The upper node is connected to all nodes in the lower plane by an interplane link 23. For example, the node 21b is interconnected with all the nodes 21e, 21f, 21g in the lower plane 20b by inter-plane links 23a, 23b, 23c, respectively. When it is obvious without distinguishing between the intra-plane link 22 and the inter-plane link 23, they are simply referred to as links 22 and 23. .. P in the node 21 indicate the priority of the node in the plane. 24a and 24b are related links.
The data structure illustrated in FIG. 2 is a new data structure obtained by virtualizing all the directories 3a of the personal computer PCa, the shared folder 4b of the remote personal computer PCb, or the directory structure of the shared drive 16. The data structure set by the user is displayed in an easy-to-see form in the node display area 31 of the virtual file operation window 30 as shown in FIG. The user drags and drops the folder 3a or the file 5a in the directory structure indicated by the explorer 6a with the mouse, and performs an operation of superimposing the folder 3a or the file 5a on an appropriate node displayed on the node display area 31. The full path and file name of the file selected by are registered.
Although the screen format of the node operation window 30 can be freely designed, since displaying the entire data structure becomes complicated, a method of displaying each plane as shown in FIG. 4 is exemplified. FIG. 4 is a display screen of the plane 20b in which three nodes 21e, 21f, and 21g are registered. The upper node 21b is displayed at the upper right of the sword display area 31.
The basic operation of the virtual file management mechanism 8 will be described with reference to the data structure of FIG. When the user starts the software of the virtual file management mechanism 8, the initial node registration processing module 11 displays an initial node registration screen (not shown) on the node operation window 30. This screen is provided with, for example, fields for entering the names of three nodes and their keywords. In each of the fields, a node name (for example, reading, literature, company, etc.) and a keyword which are easy for the user to remember are attached. The node display area 31 displays a data structure including three nodes interconnected by the intra-node link 22 with the names of the nodes 21a, 21b, and 21c of the top plane 20a.
The node addition / deletion processing module 12 adds a node to a designated plane, or creates a lower plane and adds a node there. When the user clicks on the node 21b of the top plane 20a, a pop-up menu 35 is displayed. When "add node" is selected, a node addition screen is generated, so that the user 17 can enter the name of the node 21e, for example, "population intelligence". And enter a keyword to instruct registration. At this stage, the lower plane 20b is generated. In the plane name display field 34, the node name “document” of the upper plane 21a is entered. The connection relationship with the node 21e is displayed on the inter-node link 23a.
In the node display area 31, by right-clicking a circle indicating a node and selecting "add node" from a pop-up menu 35 displayed, an "internet" node 21f and a "LAN" node 21g are registered in the same manner. You.
When the nodes are added and the categorized node configuration unique to the user 17, that is, the data structure is completed, the file registration processing module 9 performs a file registration operation. To register a file, select the file 5a to be registered from the hierarchical directory displayed by the explorer 6a and drag and drop the file 5a in the node display area 31 to the node 21 (node 21g in the example of FIG. 2) where the file is to be registered. Do it by doing. At this time, the number of files to be dragged may be one or more. Alternatively, the folder 4a may be used. By using the function of the application program interface (API) 7 published by the OS such as Windows, the file registration processing module 9 can obtain the environment variables of the file 5a. Display on the file registration screen. The user confirms the file name, writes the keyword of the file 5a in the field, and instructs registration.
To check the registration status of the file, in the node display area 31, right-click on the corresponding node 21g to display a pop-up menu 35, and select "registered file". The registered file list is displayed in the list section 36 beside the node display area 31.
When it is unclear which node the file should be registered in, or when it is troublesome to determine the registered node, the user drags and drops the node display area 31 to a display area 31 other than the circle representing the node. At this time, the file registration processing module 9 passes the name of the file as a keyword to the search processing module 13 and requests a search for the corresponding node. The search processing module 13 executes a node search by using a keyword registered in a node or a file that has already been registered, and returns the found node number to the file registration processing module 9. The file registration processing module 9 registers the file in the node based on the node number.
The same applies when registering the shared file 5b. If the OS of the personal computer PCa is Windows, the shared folder 4b is displayed when the name Magpie of the remote personal computer PCb is specified in accordance with a complicated procedure on the window. When the user name and password are input, the file 5b in the folder is displayed. Is displayed in the explorer 6a. Then, when the file 5b is dragged and dropped onto a node, for example, 21b on the node display area 31, the file registration processing module 9 executes the file registration processing as in the case of the file 5a.
To delete a node, right-click on a node in the node display area 31, for example, 21f, and click "Delete / Change Node" from a pop-up menu 35 displayed. The node addition / deletion processing module 12 deletes the node 21f. At this time, the file information stored in the node 21f, the node 21n on the lower plane 20d, and all links connecting the other nodes are disconnected.
The search processing module 13 searches for a node and files stored therein. In order to perform this search at high speed, it is necessary to determine the priority P of the node based on the weight of the link between the nodes.
FIG. 3 shows a search algorithm. FIG. 3A shows a state before the search of the plane 20b, and FIG. 3B shows a state after the search. The priority P of the node in the plane is determined based on the weight of the link in the plane. As described above, the plane 20b has a name of "document" created by the user 17 below the upper node 21b. The data structure of this plane is generated in the order of the nodes 21e, 21f, and 21g. The link weights are assigned based on the order in which the nodes were created. For example, when the node 21g is added next to the node 21e, the weight of the link 22i is “2” and the weight of the link 22k is “3”.
The priority of a node is determined by calculating the total value of the weights of the links of the node and decreasing the value in ascending order. In FIG. 3A, the total value of the link weights of the node 21a is “3”, which is the smallest, so that P1 has the highest priority. The node 21f has priority 2 “P2”, and the node 21g has priority 3 “P3”. ". In the node display area 31, only 23a connecting the nodes 21e having the highest priority P1 is displayed as the inter-plane link in order to simplify the screen.
The weight of the link in the plane is set when the initial node registration processing module 11, the node addition / deletion processing module 12, the search processing module 13 or the like registers or deletes a node. When the weight of the intra-plane link 22 is changed, the priority P of the node is reset using the weight.
The search operation will be described by taking as an example a case where the target file is located at the node 21g having the lowest priority "P3" in the plane 20b. When the user inputs a keyword for search in the keyword input field 32 of the node operation window 30, specifies a start node (for example, the node 21a of the top plane 20a in FIG. 2), and presses the search button 33, the search starts. . First, the file of the node 21a is searched. If there is no file that matches the keyword, a search is made for the node 21b of “P2” having the next highest priority. Next, the process proceeds to the search of the lower plane 20b of the node 21b, and the nodes 21e and 21f are searched in the order of the node P as shown in the search route 25a of FIG. If the file is not found in 21f, a search is made on the lowest plane 20d where the lower node 21n is located. Since there is no lower plane below the node 21n, the process returns to the upper plane 20b to search for the node 21g and find a target file there.
When the file to be searched is searched by the node 21g, the weight of the in-plane links 22j and 22k connected to the node 21g is decremented by one as shown in FIG. 3B. The weight of the link 22j is updated from 2 to 1, and the weight of the link 22k is updated from 3 to 2. At this time, the weight of the link 22i is 3. When the priority of the node 21 is recalculated using the updated link weights as described above, the node 21g has the highest priority “P1”, the node 21f has the “P2”, and the node 21e has the lowest priority. "P3". Further, the search route 25a is traced in reverse, and it is considered that the node 21b has the search file, and the priorities of the four nodes on the top plane 20a are reset. At this stage, the priority of the node 21b becomes “P1”. Accordingly, when the same file is searched from the node 21a (priority P2), the search file reaches the node 21g where the search file is located on the search route 25b shown in FIG. As described above, when the file search on the same node, that is, the search with the same keyword is repeated, the search route 25 is shortened, and the search speed is greatly improved.
When a node having the file specified by the keyword is detected, a registered file list (file name) is displayed in the list section 36 of the node operation window 30. When a file to be referred to is selected and double-clicked, the search processing module 13 passes the full path to the explorer 6a, and the explorer opens the target file.
As described above, in the virtual file management system of the present invention, the user can use only the node operation window 30 handled by the virtual file management mechanism 8 to store the actual file 5a, 5b or the folder 4a, the shared folder 4b, or the shared drive 16. Can be accessed.
In the search operation, the start node is specified as described above, and the search processing module 13 performs the file search processing. When the file registration node is stored, the user directly designates a node on the node display area 31, for example, the LAN node 21g, designates "registration file" from the pop-up menu 35, and displays the registration file in the list section 36. Lets you open the file. When the search button 33 is pressed without specifying the start node, the node having the highest priority among the nodes displayed on the node display area 31 automatically becomes the start node.
In order to further improve the search speed, the virtual file management mechanism 8 provides a means for connecting nodes with a relation link 24 when registering the nodes as shown in FIG. The relationship link 24 can be connected to a node on another plane other than the node where the inter-node link already exists. In FIG. 2, the node 21n is connected to the node 21b of the upper plane 20a, and the node 21f is connected to the node 21i of the same plane 20c. The node addition / deletion processing module 12 automatically connects a relation link if a node having the same name as that node is already present in the data structure when a new node is added, if the above condition is satisfied. Further, right-clicking on the node portion of the node display area 31 and entering "plane name" in the window displayed when "add relational link" is selected from the pop-up menu 35, and further displaying the node on the plane displayed By selecting a name, a relation link can be explicitly linked.
In FIG. 2, when a file search is started from the node 21a, the search process follows the related link 24a next to the node 21b to search for the node 21n. If the search target file is located at the node 21n, it is not necessary to sequentially search the nodes on the plane 20b as illustrated in FIG. 3A, and the search speed is greatly improved. If there is no file to be searched in this node 21n, the search is performed according to the search route 25a shown in FIG. However, since the searched flag is set on the table of the already searched node 21n, the node 21g is searched next to the node 21f.
FIG. 5 is a processing flowchart of the search processing module 14 for executing the above-described search algorithm. When the user 17 inputs a keyword in the keyword input field 32 of the node operation window 30 and presses a search button 33, a search process is started in S1 and a search keyword is acquired in S2.
In S3, it is checked whether or not the departure node has been designated by the user. If no node has been designated, in S4, the node with the highest priority on the plane is acquired, and in S5, the file search processing of the node is executed. And set the searched flag.
In S6, when a target file that matches the keyword is found in that node, a message window (not shown) is displayed in S13 in which the file name is specified and the user 17 is asked to open the file or to open the file. When the user presses the "Yes" button in the window, the target file is opened by passing the full path of the file to the explorer 6a as described above.
In S14, when the processing of S13 is completed, the weight of the link is updated and the priority of the node is updated in S15 as shown in FIG. 3, and the search processing is ended in S16.
If the "No" button is pressed in the message window displayed in S13, or if the file cannot be found in S6, it is checked in S7 whether there is a related link. When the node is connected to another node by a related link, a file search process is similarly performed using the keyword in S5.
If there is no related link, the existence of a lower node of the node is checked in S9, and if there is a lower node in S10, a file search process is executed in S5 according to the priority of the lower node. If there is no lower node, a node having the next priority of the plane is selected in S11.
At this time, the search flag in the search route is checked, and if an unsearched node is on the search route, a file search process is performed in S5. If there are no unsearched nodes on the search route at S12, a file search completion message is displayed on the window at S16, and the search process is terminated.
[0042]
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the structure of a directory group of a computer, the directory structure of a shared folder or a shared drive of another computer connected to a network, and the physical structure of a computer. It provides a virtual file management system that allows the user to freely set a unique data structure without being aware of the actual location. The user can easily perform file access and file search of the directory group using the unified operation window.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, by applying a data structure in which planes in which a plurality of nodes are connected by links having weights are hierarchized, the search speed is greatly improved each time the search is repeated. An effective virtual file management system can be realized. Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, by connecting nodes having a close relationship that are not connected by the link with a related link, there is an effect that a more efficient file search can be realized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a virtual file management system of the present invention and a module configuration of a virtual file management mechanism.
FIG. 2 is an example of a data structure in which a node that stores a file is structured by a file management mechanism.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a search algorithm for a data structure.
FIG. 4 is an example of a node operation window for a user to create a data structure or search for a file.
FIG. 5 is a search processing flowchart.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Network, PC ... Personal computer, 2 ... Operating system (OS), 3 ... Directory group, 4a ... Folder, 4b ... Shared folder, 5 ... File, 6 ... Explorer, 8 ... Virtual file management mechanism, 9 ... File registration processing Module, 11: Initial node registration processing module, 12: Node addition / deletion processing module, 13: Search processing module, 15: Virtual file operation window group, 16: Shared drive, 20: Plane, 21: Node, 22: Within plane Link, 23: Inter-plane link, 24: Related link, 25: Search route, 30: Node operation window, 31: Node display area, 36: List section, P: Node priority

Claims (3)

A virtual file management mechanism that does not affect a file management mechanism of an operating system of a computer, the virtual file management mechanism having a unique data structure composed of nodes and links connecting the nodes. Comprises a virtual file operation window that is means for visually displaying and operating the data structure to a user of the computer;
Means for configuring a categorized data structure by adding a node with a keyword to the data structure or deleting the node,
From a file in a directory group managed by the file management mechanism of the computer or a file in a shared folder or a shared disk of a remote computer connected via a network, the virtual file operation window is opened via a shell program such as Explorer. Means for registering the full path and name of the file, such as the file and the shared folder, with a keyword in a corresponding node in the data structure by performing a drag and drop operation on the selected file. ,
Means for searching for a node or a file using a keyword, starting from an arbitrary node in the data structure,
Means for passing the full path of the searched file to the explorer and opening it,
A virtual file management method characterized in that file access and file search are performed without being aware of the directory structure of the file management mechanism of the computer or the remote computer. The data structure of the virtual file management mechanism according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of upper planes, each of which is a set of a plurality of upper nodes, and a lower plane including a set of a plurality of lower nodes related to the upper node. It is composed of a plurality of planes in a hierarchical configuration, and the nodes in each of the planes are data structures interconnected by weighted links,
The virtual file management mechanism determines a priority of a node in the plane based on a weight of a link of the node. The virtual file management mechanism traces a search route according to the priority from a departure node in the plane. Means for retrieving a file or node originally registered in each node, and means for dynamically changing the weight of an inter-node link when a target node is retrieved, thereby improving the speed of re-retrieval. A virtual file management mechanism of a virtual file management method, characterized in that: 3. The data structure according to claim 2, wherein a node on the same plane, a node on a lower plane of the node, and a related node other than an upper node of the node are connected when a new node is added or when a user By connecting the designated link with the related link, when the process of the search operation reaches the node having the related link, the search of the node and the file of the related link destination is performed, thereby improving the search speed. Virtual file management mechanism.

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