JP2021521502A - Comment preview displayed in context within the content item - Google Patents

Abstract

This technology is related to the detail pane that is displayed in conjunction with the File Explorer interface. The details pane allows you to view details, including activity, comments, and previews for the content items displayed in the details pane. In some embodiments, the content items displayed in the File Explorer interface are stored and accessible from different services, and the details in the details pane can also be sourced from a variety of sources. In some embodiments, editing or navigation can be performed within the preview of the content item. In some embodiments, the comment can be displayed with a preview showing the comment within the content item. [Selection diagram] FIG. 11

Description

The present technology relates to a graphical user interface for displaying details about a content item, and more particularly to displaying details about some content items in a folder of the File Explorer interface.

The traditional File Explorer application and associated user interface were built for older environments. Specifically, it was built to display content items stored in one location, such as locally stored content items and content items stored in network storage. These traditional file explorer applications are now out of date.

The above and other advantages and features of the technique will become apparent by reference to the particular implementation shown in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these drawings show only some examples of the present technology and do not limit the scope of the present technology to these examples. In addition, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand the principles of the art described and described with additional specificity and details by using the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a content management system and a client device.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary file system explorer, including a detail pane showing activity metadata for root folders, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary file system explorer, including a detail pane showing activity metadata and comments for subfolders, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary file system explorer, including activity metadata, comments, and a detail pane showing a preview of selected content items, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of an exemplary method for inputting details into the details pane, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 5B illustrates an embodiment of an exemplary method for presenting aggregated details and contextizing the aggregated details into selected folders, according to some aspects of the technique.

6A, 6B, and 6C are diagrams illustrating an exemplary file system explorer, including a detail pane showing aggregated details, according to some aspects of the technique. Same as above. Same as above.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of an exemplary method for providing a dialogue with a detail pane and populating a preview of a selected content item in some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary file system explorer, including activity metadata, comments, and a detail pane showing a preview of selected folders, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary file system explorer that includes activity metadata, comments, and a detail pane showing a dynamic preview of selected content items, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 10A shows an exemplary detail pane in a window separate from the file system explorer, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 10B shows an exemplary detail pane in a window separate from the file system explorer, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of an exemplary method for presenting a preview or dynamic preview within a detail pane, according to some aspects of the technique.

12A and 12B show an exemplary detail pane in a window separate from the File System Explorer, according to some aspects of the technique, showing a preview of where comments are anchored to content items. be. Same as above.

FIG. 13 shows an exemplary detail pane and a pop-out window showing a preview of where the selected comment is anchored to the content item, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary document in which comments are arranged, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 15 shows an exemplary detail pane and a pop-out window showing details of the content item associated with the selected activity, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 16 illustrates an embodiment of an exemplary method for rendering and interacting with a dynamic preview, according to some aspects of the technique.

17A and 17B are exemplary detail panes in a window separate from the File System Explorer, including dynamic previews of content items that can receive edits in dynamic previews, according to some aspects of the technique. It is a figure which shows. Same as above.

FIG. 18 illustrates an embodiment of an exemplary method for prefetching an activity or comment, according to some aspects of the technique.

FIG. 19 shows an example of a system for implementing a particular aspect of the technique.

Various examples of the present technology will be described in detail below. A specific implementation will be described, but it should be understood that this is done for illustrative purposes only. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the technology.

The disclosed technology is an area of the art for file explorer applications optimized to explain the modern day-to-day reality of where users store and access files, and how users interact with content items. Address the need for. In addition, the disclosed technology addresses the need to display types of information that were not previously published by the File Explorer application, but these types of information require the user to be a content item or the user's attention. It is important in helping identify possible content items. Identifying content items is more important than ever as the amount of stored data that users can access continues to grow.

Because many users store content items in content management systems, cloud-hosted document services, and client device local storage and network-accessible drives, the improved File Explorer is all about wherever they are stored. You should be able to view information about your content items. In some embodiments, the improved file explorer must be able to display a list of content items that contain content items from different sources at the same time.

The improved File Explorer is a new type available from different sources, as some sources where content items can be stored can contain different characteristics or can store different metadata related to content items. Information must be displayed.

The improved File Explorer is a recent activity related to content items, as many content items are currently shared with other users or can even be collaborative content items that allow multiple users to edit and comment on the content item. Information about should be presented.

File Explorer is available from the extended preview and because some users need to access many files just to make minor changes or to see minor updates or comments made on content items. You need to provide an extended preview that allows some actions without having to open the document completely.

The present technology provides a file explorer that satisfies one or more of the stated flaws of a conventional file explorer. By meeting the above needs, the technology not only solves the problems associated with displaying more useful information about content items from multiple diverse sources, but also provides some efficiency. With more useful information in one place, users do not have to interact with their computing devices to navigate the many additional screens that current technology exposes to all the data that can be presented to File Explorer. .. In addition, some actions can be performed without opening the content item completely and without opening the default application used to open the content item, so these actions can also save computing resources. In addition, users can be more efficient because they can search for related files, learn related information, and perform some tasks all in File Explorer.

In some embodiments, the disclosed technology is deployed, among other things, in the context of content management systems with content item synchronization and collaboration capabilities.
collaboration features, among owners. An exemplary system configuration 100 is shown in FIG. 1, which shows a content management system 110 that interacts with a client device 150.

account

The content management system 110 can store content items associated with the account and can perform various content item management tasks such as searching, modifying, browsing, and / or sharing content items. Further, the content management system 110 can allow an account to access content items from a plurality of client devices.

The content management system 110 supports a plurality of accounts. Entities (users, groups of users, teams, companies, etc.) can create accounts in the content management system 110, and account details can be stored in the account database 140. The account database 140 can store the profile information of the registered entity. In some cases, the profile information of the registered entity will include the username and / or email address. The account database 140 includes account types (eg, free or paid accounts of various tiers), allocated storage space, used storage space, client device 150 on which the registered content management client application 152 resides, security settings, It can include account management information such as personal configuration settings.

The account database 140 can store a group of accounts associated with an entity. Groups can have permissions based on Group Policy and / or access control lists, and members of the group can inherit permissions. For example, a marketing group can access one set of content items and an engineering group can access another set of content items. The administrator group can change the group, change the user account, and so on.

Content item storage

One feature of the content management system 110 is the storage of content items that can be stored in the content storage 142. The content item can be any digital data such as documents, collaboration content items, text files, audio files, image files, video files, web pages, executable files, binary files and the like. Content items can also include collections and other mechanisms for grouping content items with different behaviors, such as folders, zip files, playlists, and albums. A collection can reference multiple content items that are associated with or grouped by a folder or common attribute. In some embodiments, the content storage 142 is combined with other types of storage or database to handle a particular function. The content storage 142 can store the content item, and the metadata about the content item can be stored in the metadata database 146. Similarly, data about where the content item is stored in the content storage 142 can be stored in the content directory 144. Further, data regarding changes, access, etc. can be stored in the server file journal 148. Each of the various storage / databases, such as content storage 142, content directory 144, server file journal 148, and metadata database 146, can consist of multiple such storages or databases and can be distributed across many devices and locations. Other configurations are possible. For example, data from content storage 142, content directory 144, server file journal 148, and / or metadata database 146 can be combined into one or more content storages or databases, or into additional content storages or databases. Can be further segmented. Therefore, the content management system 110 may include more or less storage and / or database than shown in FIG.

In some embodiments, the content storage 142 includes, but is not limited to, receiving content items in storage, preparing content items in storage, selecting a storage location for content items, and receiving content items from storage. Associated with at least one content storage service 116 that includes software or other processor executable instructions for managing storage. In some embodiments, the content storage service 116 can divide the content item into smaller chunks for storage in the content storage 142. The location of each chunk that makes up a content item can be recorded in the content directory 144. The content directory 144 may include a content entry for each content item stored in the content storage 142. Content entries can be associated with a unique ID that identifies the content item.

In some embodiments, a unique ID that identifies a content item in the content directory 144 can be derived from a definitive hash function. The deterministic hash function prints the same identifier for all copies of the same content item, but different identifiers for different content, so this method of deriving a unique ID for a content item causes duplicate content items. Can be reliably recognized. Using this methodology, the content storage service 116 can output a unique ID for each content item.

The content storage service 116 can also specify or record the content path of the content item in the metadata database 146. In the content path,
It may include the name of the content item and / or the folder hierarchy associated with the content item. For example, the content path can include the path of a folder or folder where content items are stored in the client device's local file system. Content items are stored in blocks in the content storage 142 and may not be stored under a tree like the directory structure, but such a directory structure is a user-friendly navigation structure. The content storage service 116 allows the "root" node of the directory structure to define or record the content path of a content item that can be the namespace of each account. Within the namespace is a directory structure defined by the user of the account and / or content storage service 116. The metadata database 146 can store the content path of each content item as part of the content entry.

In some embodiments, the namespace can include additional namespaces nested in the directory structure as if they were stored within the root node. This can happen if the account has access to the shared collection. The shared collection can be assigned its own namespace within the content management system 110. Some shared collections are actually the root nodes of shared collections, but in the directory structure they are below the account namespace and can be viewed as folders within the account's folders. As mentioned above, the directory structure is only a user-friendly navigation structure and does not correlate with the storage location of content items in the content storage 142.

The directory structure in which the account browses content items does not correlate with the storage location in the content management system 110, but the directory structure is on the local content storage 154 of the client device 150, depending on the file system used by the client device 150. Can be associated with the storage location of.

As mentioned above, the content entry in the content directory 144 can also include the location of each chunk that makes up the content item. More specifically, the content entry can include a content pointer that identifies a location within the content storage 142 of the chunks that make up the content item.

In addition to the content path and content pointer, the content entry in the content directory 144 also identifies the user account that identifies the user account that has access to the content item and / or the content item and / or the namespace to which the content entry belongs. It may include a group identifier that identifies the group that has access.

The content storage service 116 can reduce the amount of storage space required by identifying the duplicate content item or duplicate block that makes up the content item or version of the content item. Instead of storing multiple copies, content storage 142 can store a single copy of a content item or a block of content items, and content directory 144 is a pointer for linking duplicates to a single copy. Or other mechanisms can be included.

Content storage service 116 describes a content item, a content item type, a folder, a file path, and / or a meta that describes the content item and various accounts, collections, or groups of metadata database 146 associated with the unique ID of the content item. Data can also be stored.

The content storage service 116 can also store a log of data related to changes, access, etc. in the server file journal 148. The server file journal 148 can include a unique ID of the content item and a description of the change or access action, along with a time stamp or version number and any other relevant data. The server file journal 148 can also include pointers to blocks that are affected by changes or content item access. Content storage service 116 uses content item version control to track changes in content items, different versions of content items (including branching of the version tree), and change history available from the server file journal 148. Can provide the ability to return to.

Content item synchronization

Another feature of the content management system 110 is that it synchronizes content items with at least one client device 150. Client devices can take different formats and have different capabilities. For example, the client device 1501 is a computing device having a local file system accessible by a plurality of applications residing therein. The client device 1502 is a computing device in which the content item is accessible only by a particular application or permission granted by the particular application, and the content item is typically stored in an application-specific space or cloud. The client device 1503 is any client device that accesses the content management system 110 via a web browser and accesses content items via a web interface. Although exemplary client devices 1501, 1502, and 1503 are represented in form factors such as laptops, mobile devices, or web browsers, the description is not limited to devices in these exemplary form factors. I want to be understood. For example, a mobile device such as client 1502 can have a local file system in local content storage 154 accessible by multiple applications residing there, or client 1502 can have a content management system via a web browser. You can access 110. Therefore, when considering the capabilities of the client device 150, the form factor should not be considered a limitation. One or more features described herein with respect to the client device 150 may or may not be available on all client devices, depending on the particular functionality of the device. The file access model is one such feature.

In many embodiments, the client device is associated with an account in the content management system 110, but in some embodiments, the client device can access the content using a shared link and does not require an account.

As mentioned above, some client devices can access the content management system 110 using a web browser. However, the client device can also access the content management system 110 using the client application 152 stored and running on the client device 150. The client application 152 can include a client synchronization service 156.

The client synchronization service 156 can communicate with the server synchronization service 112 to synchronize changes to content items between the client device 150 and the content management system 110.

The client device 150 can synchronize the content with the content management system 110 via the client synchronization service 156. Synchronization may be platform independent. That is, content can be synchronized across multiple client devices of different types, features, operating systems, and so on. The client synchronization service 156 can synchronize any change (new, deleted, modified, copied, or moved content item) to the content item at the specified location on the file system of the client device 150.

Content items can be synchronized from the client device 150 to the content management system 110 and vice versa. In an embodiment where synchronization is from the client device 150 to the content management system 110, the user can operate the content item directly from the file system of the client device 150, while the client synchronization service 156 modifies the files in the watch folder. On the other hand, changes in files in the directory on the client device 150 can be monitored.

When the client synchronization service 156 detects a write, move, copy, or delete of content in the monitored directory, the client synchronization service 156 can synchronize changes to the content storage service 116. In some embodiments, the client synchronization service 156 provides some features of the content storage service 116, including the above features such as partitioning the content item into blocks, hashing the content item to generate a unique identifier, and so on. Can be executed. The client synchronization service 156 can index the content in the client storage index 164 and store the result in the storage index 164. Indexing can include a path store, a unique server identifier, and a unique client identifier for each content item. In some embodiments, the client synchronization service 156 learns a unique server identifier from the server synchronization service 112 and a unique client identifier from the operating system of the client device 150.

The client synchronization service 156 can use the storage index 164 to facilitate synchronization of at least a portion of the content in the client storage with the content associated with the user account on the content management system 110. For example, the client synchronization service 156 can compare the storage index 164 with the content management system 110 and detect the difference between the content on the client storage and the content associated with the user account on the content management system 110. .. The client synchronization service 156 can then attempt to adjust the differences by uploading, downloading, modifying, and deleting content on the client storage as needed. The content storage service 116 stores modified or new blocks of content items and updates the server file journal 148, metadata database 146, content directory 144, content storage 142, account database 140, etc., as needed. Can be done.

When synchronizing from the content management system 110 to the client device 150, mounts, changes, additions, deletions, and movements of content items recorded in the server file journal 148 are notified to the client device 150 using the notification service 117. Can be triggered. When the client device 150 is notified of the change, the request for the change listed in the server file journal 148 is made after the last synchronization point known to the client device. If the client device 150 determines that it is out of sync with the content management system 110, the client synchronization service 156 requests a content item block containing the changes and updates the local copy of the changed content items.

In some embodiments, the storage index 164 reflects the latest display of the directory by the server synchronization service 112, while the other tree reflects the latest display of the directory by the client synchronization service 156. Stores the tree data structure. The client synchronization service functions to ensure that the tree structure matches by requesting data from the server synchronization service 112 or committing changes to the client device 150 to the content management system 110.

Occasionally, the client device 150 may not have an available network connection. In this scenario, the client synchronization service 156 monitors a linked collection of content item changes when a network connection is available and queues those changes for later synchronization with the content management system 110. be able to. Similarly, the user can manually start, stop, pause, or resume synchronization with the content management system 110.

The client synchronization service 156 can synchronize all content related to a particular user account on the content management system 110. Alternatively, the client synchronization service 156 can selectively synchronize a portion of the content of all content associated with a particular user account on the content management system 110. By selectively synchronizing only part of the content, space can be maintained on the client device 150 and bandwidth can be saved.

In some embodiments, the client synchronization service 156 selectively stores some of the content associated with a particular user account and stores placeholder content items in client storage for the rest of the content. For example, client synchronization service 156 stores placeholder content items that have the same filename, path, extension, and metadata for each complete content item on the content management system 110, but lack the data for the complete content item. can do. Placeholder content items can be a few bytes or less in size, but each complete content item can be quite large. After the client device 150 attempts to access the content item, the client synchronization service 156 can retrieve the content item data from the content management system 110 and provide the complete content item to the accessing client device 150. This approach can save significant space and bandwidth while providing full access to the user's content on the content management system 110.

Collaboration function

Another feature of the content management system 110 is that it facilitates collaboration between users. Collaboration features include sharing content items, commenting on content items, collaborating on content items, instant messaging, and providing presence and browsing status information about content items.

share

The content management system 110 can manage the shared content via the shared service 128. Sharing content by providing a link to the content can include making the content item accessible from any computing device that has network communication with the content management system 110. However, in some embodiments, the link can be associated with the access restrictions enforced by the content management system 110 and the access control list 145. Content sharing uses the sharing service 128 to link the content and share the content within the content management system 110 with at least one additional user account (in addition to the original user account associated with the content item). It is also possible to allow each user account to access the content. Additional user accounts can access the content by accepting it. Content can be accessed directly through the web interface service 124 or from within the directory structure associated with the account on client device 150. Sharing can be done in a platform-independent way. That is, the content can be shared across a plurality of client devices 150 of various types, features, operating systems and the like. Content can also be shared across different types of user accounts.

To share a content item within the content management system 110, the sharing service 128 adds a user account identifier or multiple user account identifiers to the content entry in the access control list database 145 associated with the content item. User account access can be granted to content items. Sharing service 128 can also remove the user account identifier from the content entry to restrict user account access to the content item. The shared service 128 can record the content item identifier, the user account identifier given access to the content item, and the access level in the access control list database 145. For example, in some embodiments, the user account identifiers associated with a single content entry can specify different permissions for each user account identifier with respect to the associated content item.

To share content items outside the content management system 110, the sharing service 128 is a uniform resource locator that allows any web browser to access the content item or collection within the content management system 110 without authentication. A custom network address such as URL) can be generated. To achieve this, the sharing service 128 can include content identification data in the generated URL, which can be used later to properly identify and return the requested content item. For example, the shared service 128 may include an account identifier and a content path or content item identification code in the generated URL. When the URL is selected, the content identification data included in the URL can be transmitted to the content management system 110, and the content management system 110 uses the received content identification data to identify an appropriate content item and the content item. Can be returned.

In addition to generating the URL, the sharing service 128 can also be configured to record in the access control list database 145 that the URL to the content item has been created. In some embodiments, the content entry associated with the content item may include a URL flag indicating whether a URL to the content item has been created. For example, the URL flag can be a Boolean value initially set to 0 or false to indicate that the URL to the content item has not been created. The sharing service 128 can change the value of the flag to 1 or true after generating the URL to the content item.

In some embodiments, the sharing service 128 can associate a set of permissions with the URL of the content item. For example, if a user attempts to access a content item via a URL, the sharing service 128 can provide a limited set of permissions for the content item. Examples of restricted permissions include restrictions such as users not being able to download content items, save content items, copy content items, or modify content items. In some embodiments, restricted permissions are from a specified domain, that is, from within a corporate network domain, or an account associated with a specified domain (such as an account associated with a corporate account) (eg, an account associated with a corporate account). Includes restrictions that only allow access to content items by (@ acme.com).

In some embodiments, the shared service 128 can also be configured to deactivate the generated URL. For example, each content entry can also include a URL active flag that indicates whether to return content in response to a request from the generated URL. For example, the shared service 128 may only return the content items requested by the generated link when the URL active flag is set to 1 or true. By changing the value of the URL active flag in this way, access to the content for which the URL is generated can be easily restricted. This allows the user to restrict access to the shared content item without moving the content item or deleting the generated URL. Similarly, the shared service 128 can reactivate the URL by changing the value of the URL active flag to 1 or true again. Therefore, the user can easily restore access to the content item without having to generate a new URL.

In some embodiments, the content management system 110 can specify a URL for uploading content items. For example, the first user with a user account requests such a URL and provides the URL to the providing user, who can use the URL to upload content items to the first user's user account.

Team service

In some embodiments, the content management system 110 includes a team service 130. The team service 130 can provide a function for creating and managing a defined team of user accounts. Teams can be created for a company using subteams (business units, project teams, etc.), and user accounts or teams assigned to teams and subteams can be created for predefined groups of user accounts. Team service 130 can provide a common shared space for teams, private user account folders, and shared folders with restricted access. Team services also provide an administrative interface for administrators to manage collections and content items within a team, allowing them to manage user accounts associated with a team.

Authorization service

In some embodiments, the content management system 110 includes an authorization service 132. The authorization service 132 ensures that the user account attempting to access the namespace has the appropriate rights to access the namespace. The authorization service 132 can receive a token from the client application 152 following a request to access the namespace and can return the authorized functionality to the user account. For user accounts with multiple levels of access (for example, user accounts with user and administrator privileges), authorization service 132 requires explicit privilege escalation to avoid unintended actions by the administrator. You can also do it.

Presence and browsing status

In some embodiments, the content management system can provide information about how the user with whom the content item is shared interacts with or has interacted with the content item. In some embodiments, the content management system 110 can report that the user with whom the content item is shared is currently viewing the content item. For example, the client collaboration service 160 can notify the notification service 117 when the client device 150 is accessing the content item. The notification service 117 can then notify all client devices of other users accessing the same content item of the presence of the user of client device 150 with respect to the content item.

In some embodiments, the content management system 110 can report a history of user interactions with shared content items. The collaboration service 126 queries data sources such as the metadata database 146 and the server file journal 148 to determine if the user has saved the content item, if the user has not yet viewed the content item, and so on. Notification service 117 can be used to distribute this status information to other users, thereby knowing who is currently viewing the content item, who has viewed it, or who has modified the content item.

Collaboration service 126 can facilitate comments associated with content, even if the content item does not natively support the comment feature. Such comments can be stored in the metadata database 146.

The collaboration service 126 can send and send notifications for the user. For example, a user can mention another user in a comment, and collaboration service 126 can send a notification to that user that he was mentioned in the comment. Various other content item events can trigger notifications such as content item deletion, content item sharing, and so on.

Collaboration service 126 can provide a messaging platform that allows users to send and receive instant messages, voice calls, emails and more.

Collaboration content items

In some embodiments, the content management service is a collaboration document service 134 that can provide an interactive content item collaboration platform that allows users to create collaboration content items at the same time, comment on the collaboration content items, and manage tasks within the collaboration content items. Can also be included. A collaboration content item is a file that the user can create and edit using the collaboration content item editor and can contain elements of the collaboration content item. Collaboration content item elements include collaboration content item identifiers, one or more creator identifiers, collaboration content item texts, collaboration content item attributes, interaction information, comments, shared users, and so on. Collaboration content item elements can be saved as database entities where collaboration content items can be searched and retrieved. Multiple users can access, view, edit, and collaborate on collaborative content items at the same time or at different times. In some embodiments, this is managed by requiring two users to access the content item through a web interface, where they can work on the same copy of the content item at the same time.

Collaboration companion interface

In some embodiments, the client collaboration service 160 can provide a native application companion interface for the purpose of displaying information related to the content item presented on the client device 150. In an embodiment in which the content item is stored and executed on the client device 150 and accessed by a native application, the content item is located at a specified location on the file system of the client device 150 so that the content item is managed by the content application 152. be. Native applications may not provide a native way to view the above collaboration data. In such an embodiment, the client collaboration service 160 can detect that the user has opened the content item and can provide the overlay with additional information about the content item, such as collaboration data. For example, additional information can include content item comments, content item status, and activity of other users who have previously or are currently viewing the content item. Such overlays can warn the user that changes may be lost because another user is currently editing the content item.

In some embodiments, one or more of the services or storage / databases described above can be accessed using a public or private application programming interface.

Certain software applications can access the content storage 142 via the API on behalf of the user. For example, a software package, such as an application running on a client device 150, may programmatically make an API call directly to the content management system 110 to read, write, create, delete, and delete the content when the user provides credentials. It can be shared or otherwise manipulated.

The user can view or manipulate the content stored in the user account through the web interface generated and provided by the web interface service 124. For example, the user can navigate within the web browser to the web address provided by the content management system 110. Content changes or updates made through the web interface, such as uploading a new version of a content item, can be reflected on other client devices associated with the user's account. For example, multiple client devices, each with its own client software, can be associated with a single account, and content items within an account can be synchronized across multiple client devices.

The client device 150 can connect to the content management system 110 on behalf of the user. The user can interact directly with the client device 150, for example, if the client device 150 is a desktop or laptop computer, telephone, television, Internet of Things device, and the like. Alternatively or additionally, the client device 150 can act on behalf of a user who does not have physical access to the client device 150, for example if the client device 150 is a server.

Some functions of the client device 150 are made possible by the applications installed on the client device 150. In some embodiments, the application can include components specific to the content management system. For example, content management system-specific components can be standalone applications 152, one or more application plug-ins, and / or browser extensions. However, the user can also interact with the content management system 110 via a third party application such as a web browser that resides on the client device 150 and is configured to communicate with the content management system 110. In various implementations, the client-side application 152 can present a user interface (UI) for the user to interact with the content management system 110. For example, the user can interact with the content management system 110 through a file system explorer integrated with the file system or through a web page displayed using a web browser application.

In some embodiments, the client application 152 may be configured to manage and synchronize the content of two or more accounts of the content management system 110. In such an embodiment, the client application 152 remains logged in to the plurality of accounts and can provide normal services to the plurality of accounts. In some embodiments, each account can appear as a folder within the file system, and all content items within that folder can be synchronized with the content management system 110. In some embodiments, the client application 152 may include a selector for selecting one of a plurality of accounts as the primary account or the default account.

Although specific components are presented in the content management system 110, the architectural configuration of the system 100 is merely one possible configuration, and other configurations with a large number of components or a small number of components are possible by those skilled in the art. Should be understood. In addition, a service has more or less functionality, including features that are described as being in another service. Moreover, the features described herein with respect to one embodiment can be combined with the features described with respect to another embodiment.

Although specific components are presented in the system 100, those skilled in the art will understand that the architectural configuration of the system 100 is only one possible configuration, and other configurations with a large number of components or a small number of components are possible. Will be done.

FIG. 2 shows a file browser interface 200 of a client application 152 according to some aspects of the present technology. The file browser interface 200 includes a content item list section 204 and a details pane 202. In some embodiments, the file browser interface 200 may be presented by an application stored and executed on a client device 150 having access to the services and databases of the local content storage 154 and the content management system 110. In some embodiments, the file browser interface 200 interprets the code downloaded from the content management system 110 or stored in the client device 150, among other features described herein. It may be presented by a web browser that renders features of the file browser interface such as Content Item List Section 204 and Details Pane 202. Regardless of the source of the code interpreted by the web browser that renders the file browser interface 200, the file browser interface 200 accesses the services and databases of the local content storage 154 and the content management system 110 according to the features described herein. can do.

The detail pane 202 may be populated and maintained by the detail pane service 162. As further described herein, the detail pane service 162 is responsible for requesting and populating the data displayed in the detail pane 202. In some embodiments, the detail pane service 162 may also be responsible for displaying the detail pane 202 in combination with a web browser on the client application 152 or client device 150.

Content item list section 204 is configured to list all content items contained within a grouping, regardless of where they are stored. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the content item list section 204 shows all the content items contained within the grouping 205 “Dropbox”. As is known in the art, Dropbox is a content management service that stores content items in cloud storage (such as a service managed by the content management system 110 described herein) of many types. You can maintain a synchronous copy of the content for the file. Items stored in the cloud and items whose copy is stored in the client device's local storage. However, Dropbox can also maintain content items that are stored only in the cloud. The content item list section 204 includes everything stored by the content management system 110, including both the content item stored in the local content storage 154 of the client device 150 and the content item stored in the content storage 142 of the content management system 110. You can display the representation of the content item of. Such content items can be opened directly from the local content storage 154 using a representation of the content item having a copy stored in both the local content storage 154 and the content storage 142.

Groupings such as Grouping 205 need not be limited to a single source. For example, grouping includes various content management system services (Dropbox, Box, SugarSync, iCloud, OneDrive, etc.), various online document editing services (Google Docs, Dropbox Paper, Microsoft Office Online, iCloud, etc.), etc. It can be linked to multiple different sources such as storage 154. In some embodiments as shown in FIG. 1, the file browser interface 200 and the detail pane 202 are part of the client application 152 associated with the content management system 110. In such an embodiment, the content management system 110 is considered a primary service and other services, such as any of the representative services listed above, are considered secondary services 170. In some embodiments, the secondary service may be provided by a third party service, such as a service that is not the provider of the file browser interface 200 and the details pane 202.

The detail pane 202 is configured to display information such as comments, activities, and previews related to the content item shown in the content item list section 204.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the detail pane 202 when no particular content item is selected in the content item list section 204. The information displayed in the details pane 202 when no particular content item is selected is related to one or more of the content items displayed in the content item list section 204. The information displayed in the detail pane 202 can be obtained from any service that stores one of the content items represented in the content item list section 204. Therefore, the information displayed in the detail pane 202 may come from multiple sources.

FIG. 2 shows the activity section 206 shown in detail pane 202. Activity section 206 lists information about the activity that occurs for the content item in content item list section 204. The activity that occurs with respect to the content item may include information such as the content item was opened, edited, shared, commented, and so on. In some embodiments, the activities that occur with respect to a particular content item can be further aggregated as described herein. The activity in the activity section can be sent to the client application 152 by the notification service 117.

In some embodiments, the content item listed in the content item list section 204 is the shared content item 209, and the file browser interface 200 displays an icon representing the user account 208 with which the content item in the grouping is shared. can do. In some embodiments, the icon representing user account 208 reflects a user account that is currently viewing a content item or has previously viewed a content item. In some embodiments, the icon representing user account 208 can be sorted from the most recent view of the content item to the oldest, the user account that recently viewed the content item is displayed to the left of the icon, and the content item. An icon representing a previously viewed user account may appear on the right. In some embodiments, only user accounts that have viewed the content item within a particular time period or since the content item was last revised are displayed with an icon representing user account 208.

FIG. 3 shows another view of the file browser interface 200. In FIG. 3, the file browser interface 200 displays grouping 215 "design assets" which are subfolders in a larger collection. As shown, the title of Grouping 215 is accompanied by a brief description 201 of the content of Grouping 215. In some embodiments, brief description 201 can be edited by a user who has sufficient privileges on folder 215. Similar to FIG. 2, the file browser interface 200 of FIG. 3 also includes an icon representing a content item list section 204, a detail pane 202, and a user account 208. FIG. 3 shows a detail pane 202 that includes a comment section 210 along with an activity section 206. Comment section 210 reflects that no comments have been provided to subfolder "Design Assets" 215, but at least one content item in subfolder "Design Assets" 215, as reflected in Activity Section 206. Has received a comment (for example, activity 207 reflects that a comment was made for content item 203). Other activities listed in activity section 206 reflect content items that have been added, edited, or shared within the subfolder "Design Assets" 215. The comment section 210 can be displayed in any detail pane view. In some embodiments, comment section 210 may display comments for the entire collection of content items (as shown in FIG. 3) displayed in content item list section 204, or may be selected in particular. It is possible to display a comment on a content item (as shown in FIG. 4).

Comment section 210 is configured to display comments about any content item listed in content item list section 204. In some embodiments, comment section 210 can also include a reply to a previous comment, forming a conversation thread. Comment section 210 also includes an interface for receiving comments. In some embodiments, comments may generally relate to grouping 215. In some embodiments, the comment can respond to a previous comment, thereby creating a conversation thread for the linked comment (as shown in FIGS. 9 and 15A). The comment can be sent to the client application 152 by the notification service 117.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, when a particular content item is selected in the content item view 204, the details pane 202 displays specific details (eg, activity, comment) for the selected content item. , Preview, etc.) can be displayed. FIG. 4 shows another view of the file browser interface 200, showing the grouping 215 again. However, in FIG. 4, the content item 203, which is a specific content item, is selected, and only the information related to the selected content item 203 is reflected in the detail pane 202. Here, the detail pane 202 includes a preview section 216 showing a preview 213 of the selected content item 203. The comment section 210 points to a comment 219 given to the selected content item 203 and provides an interface 223 for providing a new comment on the selected content item. Activity section 206 shows only the activities associated with the selected content item.

FIG. 5A shows an exemplary method of populating the detail pane 202 with information related to the content item displayed in the content item list section 204. The file browser application shows a content item stored locally on the client device 150 of the local content storage and / or a content item list showing the content item stored in an online service such as the content management system 110 or the secondary service 170. It may include section 204. The file browser application also includes a detail pane 202 populated with data by the detail pane service 162. The detail pane service 162 populates the detail pane 202 with information related to the content item in the content item list section 204 and responds to the input received in the detail pane 202.

The detail pane service 162 identifies the content item (or all content items in the directory opened by the file browser application) displayed in the content item list section 204 (302) and the content from the cache on the client device 150. You can get the existing details of the content item in the item list section 204 (304). In some embodiments, the cache can be part of the storage index 164. A cache is a collection of previously received information about a content item that has been previously displayed or may be displayed in the file browser interface 200. In some embodiments, the cache may be populated when the detail pane service 162 requests information about a content item from one or more sources. In some embodiments, the cache may be populated when the notification service 117 sends a notification about the content item to the client application 152.

As introduced above, the notification service 117 can receive information about the details of the content item and notify the client device 150. In some embodiments, the notification service 117 receives the raw event data and either transforms the raw event data into more meaningful details for the user, or aggregates the details to provide a better user experience. It is composed of. As described herein, Notification Service 117 may collect information about any file-level event for a content item. The notification service 117 can also access information about actions taken by collaborators with whom the content item is shared with respect to the content item. Notification service 117 can also access information about comments made about the content item and information about the time stamp of the date and time when the content item was last opened, created, or modified. In addition to accessing this information, Notification Service 117 can transform notifications and / or aggregate notifications related to content items or collections of content items to provide users with more meaning or a better user experience. .. Sending too many notifications to the client device 150, for example, as it can happen when a new collection of content items is shared, can degrade the user experience. In such cases, and in some implementations, notifications may be sent for all content items in the collection, which can result in many notifications. In another example, the notification service 117 may send a single notification about the shared collection, or a notification indicating that many content items have been shared. The notification service 117 can aggregate notifications before sending the notification to the client device 150, but in some embodiments, the detail pane service 162 is proprietary to the detail pane service 162 based on raw data. You can request raw (non-aggregated) data for storage in the cache so that decisions can be made.

In addition to retrieving details from the cache (304), the detail pane service 162 can request new details (306) for the content item in the content item list section 204. These details can relate to the activity and the comments that occur after the last recorded activity details stored in the cache.

As described above, the notification service 117 can execute the aggregation function. In some embodiments, the detail pane service 162 further aggregates the details by further combining the cached details and / or the details received in response to a new detail request (306) (308). )be able to. The notification service 117 aggregates only the notifications containing the details when the notifications are sent to the client device 150, while the details pane service 162 aggregates all the details received within a particular time period in a single notification. It can be aggregated regardless of whether it was received or received by multiple notifications at different times.

For example, the detail pane service 162 can aggregate details received within a period of time, such as last week, the last three days, today, and so on. The aggregated details are either cached or received from the content management system 110 upon request. The details may already be in a partially aggregated format. For example, the details may be in the form of two previously received notifications, with the first notification saying "5 items have been added" and the second notification saying "2 items have been added". Describe. These partially aggregated notifications can be fully aggregated into the details "7 items added" by the detail pane service 162.

The detail pane service 162 can aggregate details based on any common criteria. For example, details can be aggregated based on the actor, the person performing the action. Such details are "commented on nine Dropbox items" 244 (FIG. 6A). Details can be aggregated based on a common folder or content item such as "Assets (a folder with 292 items has been added." 246 (Figure 2), or "DCSl7043_JPG is commented by you, Tom, and 3 others." 207 (Fig. 3). For more information, "Since Monday, 312 items have been added to Dropbox, such as 246 (Fig. 6A), which can be aggregated by time. 246 (Figure 6A).

The detail pane service 162 can perform several types of aggregation. The first type of aggregation is a true aggregation that can group all the details related to the same criterion. An example of a true aggregation is "You commented on 9 items in Dropbox" 244 (Fig. 6A), which sums up the number of "commented" files. The second type of aggregation is debounce when the same or similar actions are performed repeatedly. For example, if a user makes multiple edits and saves them in the same content item, the details can be displayed as details for a single activity, such as "Weekly to-do list edited" (FIG. 2). The user ("you") may have made some edits, but activity details indicate that the file has been edited. The third type of aggregation is reclassification, where the raw events associated with the content item do not reflect the impression of the user's actions. A common type of reclassification involves deleting a content item and subsequently adding a content item. If there is a sequence of deleting and adding the same content item and the two events occur at close times, it is more likely that the user has moved the content item. Therefore, in reclassification, detail pane service 162 can reclassify deletes and add events to make them move events.

In some embodiments, the detail pane service 162 can also select the order (308) for displaying the details in the detail pane 202 (310). The detail pane service 162 can order details for display according to the relevance function. For example, an activity or comment may be an explicit user input indicating that the content item has the number of activities or comments in the content item, the number of collaborators, or the interest in the content item when details including the activity or comment are received. Can be ordered based on one or more factors, such as the last time you interacted with (view, edit, comment, etc.).

After the detail pane service 162 is cached and the received details are aggregated and ordered (308), the detail pane service 162 can display the details in the detail pane 202 (310).

In some embodiments, details about the same event can be aggregated based on the context of the selected folder. For example, FIG. 5B shows an exemplary way of displaying activity details according to the relevant context of the selected folder. This method begins when the detail pane service 162 determines that the folder has been presented (314) and presents the aggregated details of the content items in the presented folder and subfolders (316) (FIG. 5A). As described in steps 304, 306, 308, 310).

For example, FIG. 6A illustrates an embodiment showing the root folder 205 in the file browser interface 200. The detail pane service 162 populates the detail pane 202 with aggregated details, including details 244 and 246 associated with the content item displayed in the content item section 204. (FIG. 6A shows only the details aggregated in the details pane 202, which provides only a simplified example, where the details pane 202 provides details specific to a particular event for a particular content item, etc. It should be understood that non-aggregated details can be included.) Since FIG. 6A shows a file browser interface 200 showing the root folder 205, the details pane 202 shows aggregated details related to the entire directory. include. Details can be grouped according to any common characteristics. For example, the aggregated details 244 are grouped based on the content items commented by "you", and the aggregated details 246 are added to the content items added to the root folder 205 (or its subfolders) since Monday. Grouped based on.

You can select the aggregated details in the details pane 202. As shown in FIG. 5B, in some embodiments, the detail pane service 162 can determine that the aggregated details are selected (315). After the detail pane service 162 determines that the aggregated details have been selected (315), the detail pane service 162 can highlight the content items associated with the selected aggregated details (317). For example, FIG. 6B shows an exemplary file browser interface 200 showing details 244 aggregated as selected. According to step 315 of FIG. 5B, content items 229 and 209 are highlighted to reflect that the content items referenced by the aggregated detail 244 are in the highlighted folder (see FIG. 6B). .. In some embodiments, if the content item referenced by the aggregated detail 244 is stored directly in the root directory 205, the content item itself is also highlighted.

As mentioned above, the aggregated details can be contextualized according to the folders presented to the file browser interface 200. In FIG. 5B, the detail pane service 162 can determine that another folder is selected (318) and can present contextual details for the selected folder (320). .. This contextification is shown by comparing FIGS. 6A and 6C. FIG. 6A shows the Dropbox root folder 205, and FIG. 6C shows the folder design library 209, which is a subfolder of the Dropbox root folder 205. Thus, FIG. 6A contains aggregated details about all content items in the Dropbox root folder 205, and FIG. 6C contains aggregated details about content items in Design Library 209 or its subfolders. For example, in FIG. 6A, the aggregated detail 244 relates to nine content items that "you" commented on, whereas in FIG. 6C, the aggregated detail 249 is three that "you" commented on in the "design library". Only relevant for items. The context of the aggregated details associated with the content item commented by "you" has been changed from FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C to relate only to the content item in Design Library 209. Specifically, the aggregated detail 244 refers to nine content items, and the aggregated detail 249 refers to three of the nine content items. The aggregated detail 249 refers to three content items when only two content items are displayed (241 and 243). This is because some / all of the three content items are located in the folder "Digital" 241.

Similarly aggregated details 251 refer to 294 items (compared to 312 items in aggregated detail 246 in FIG. 6A) and subfolder "digital" 241 (path of aggregated detail 246 in FIG. 6A). By direct reference to "Design Library-> Digital"), it was contextualized for the presentation of Design Library 209 in FIG. 6C.

The details pane 202 precontexts by determining the context of the aggregated details on demand (eg, after the folder is selected) or by creating and storing the context of each (sub) directory. It can be processed and this table can be cached.

In some embodiments, in addition to contextualizing the aggregated details according to the folders displayed on the file browser interface 200, the detail pane service 162 differs based on the folders displayed on the file browser interface 200. Details, alternative groupings of details, and alternative sections for organizing and interacting with details can be presented. The detail pane service 162 can further determine if the content item list section 204 is displaying the root folder or subfolder, or if a particular content item is selected. When the content item list section 204 is displaying the root folder, the detail pane service 162 may only display the details of the activities related to the content items in the root folder. For example, as seen in FIG. 2, the file browser application 200 displays the root folder 205 and the details pane 202 displays only the activity section 206. FIG. 2 does not display a separate comment section 210 (seen in FIG. 3) or preview section 216 (seen in FIG. 4), but activity section 206 contains comments and displays thumbnail images next to the activity. By displaying fewer detail sections, the detail pane 202 can be kept from being overcrowded.

In some embodiments, the detail pane service 162 determines that the content item list section 204 contains too many directories for content items and only specific detail sections (eg, activities, comments, previews, etc.). Can be displayed. Similar to determining the displayed root folder, the details pane 202 can be kept from being overcrowded by displaying fewer detail sections.

In some embodiments, if the content item list section 204 is displaying subfolders, or is displaying less than the threshold number of content items, or is less than the threshold number of total activities to be displayed, the details pane. Service 162 can display additional types of information. For example, the detail pane service 162 can display a collection of content items displayed in comment section 210, content item preview section 216, or content item list section 204.

For example, FIG. 7 shows an example for receiving a content item selection or details about a content item and updating the detail pane 202 with details specific to the content item. The detail pane service 162 can determine that an individual content item in the content item list section 204 or the details of the detail section 202 associated with the content item have been selected (322). Both the content item selection and the content item details can be treated as the content item selection. When an individual content item (for example, content item 203 in FIG. 4) is selected, the detail pane service 162 provides the selected individual content item (content item 203) along with the comments and activities of the selected individual content item. You can perform actions to display a preview of (such as Preview 213). Therefore, the detail pane service 162 requests a content item preview for each selected content item (324) and displays the content item preview in preview section 216 (eg, as shown in FIG. 4) (326). be able to. In some embodiments, the content item preview may be available from the local cache (as described in step 304 of FIG. 5A). In some embodiments, the preview may be available from the content management system 110 (as described in step 306 of FIG. 5A). In some embodiments, the preview can be dynamically rendered by the detail pane service 162 (as further described with reference to FIG. 10). Further, the detail pane service 162 is specific to content items such as comment pane 210 and activity section 206, as seen having comments 219 and activity associated with, for example, the individual content item 203 selected in FIG. Other sections of the detail pane 202 of can be presented (328).

FIG. 8 shows another example of the file browser interface 200. In FIG. 8, the file browser interface 200 displays the contents of the subfolder "Autumn 2017" as seen in the directory path 224. FIG. 8 further shows two additional subfolders within the content item list section 204. The first of those subfolders is subfolder 220 "working" and the second subfolder is subfolder 225 "resources". Additional content items are listed in each of the subfolders 220 and 225. One such additional content item is the selected folder 211 "fonts". In response to the selection of folder 211, detail pane service 162 presents detail pane 202 showing preview section 216 showing preview 227 of folder 211. The detail pane 202 also includes comment section 210 and activity section 206 listing comments and activities in folder 211.

FIG. 9 shows another example of the file browser interface 200. In FIG. 9, the file browser interface 200 displays the content of the "Autumn 2017 issue" of subfolder 230, and further shows two additional subfolders in the content item list section 204. The first of these subfolders is subfolder 235 "latest" and the second is subfolder 220 "working". In FIG. 9, the content item 217 is selected and the detail pane service 162 displays a detail pane 202 showing a preview section 216 showing a preview of the content item 217. This preview is a dynamic preview, where preview section 216 renders the editable content of content item 217. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the preview section 216 shows a to-do list that can be manipulated directly from the detail pane 202 without opening the content item 217 in the default application normally used to open the content item 217. The dialogue with the content displayed in preview section 216 of detail pane 202 is described in more detail with respect to FIG.

10A and 10B show an example of a separate detail pane 222. In these embodiments, the detail pane 222 is displayed as a separate window of its own, as opposed to the detail pane 202, which is displayed as part of the file browser interface 200. The separated detail pane 222, which appears as a separate window of its own, functions in the same way as the detail pane 202 and can work in conjunction with the file browser interface 200. Similarly, any feature shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B can be present in any of the attached views of detail pane 202 shown in other figures.

FIG. 10A illustrates a preview section 216 showing a preview of the content item. Preview section 216 also shows the metadata associated with the content item. Specifically, preview section 216 shows 228 when the content item was last edited, next to information about the number of times the content item was opened 226. Displaying this information side by side is unique and convenient. Displaying information about how recently a content item was edited first is useful, but when combined with information about how often a file was opened 226, it provides an important additional context. Summarizing this information, it not only shows that the content item is currently related, but also that it was repeatedly related because it was opened repeatedly. Also, if the content item is opened many times, it indicates that the content item is likely to be shared. This can be confirmed by browsing activity section 206, which provides more context about who opened the content item.

One unique aspect of displaying the last edited information 228 next to the content item open count 226 is that this data can be obtained from a variety of sources. For example, the last edited information 228 may be derived from the operating system of the client device 150, and the content item open count 226 may be sourced from the content management system 110 or another platform that manages shared content items.

Another feature shown in FIG. 10A is the version information displayed within the activity section 206. For example, in some embodiments, activities related to a content item can be divided into activities related to different versions of the content item. As shown in FIG. 10A, activity section 206 displays the activity of the first version 234 and the activity of the second version 236. In some embodiments, the content item may be associated with an input in which it is declared that it should be designated as a new version. In some embodiments, the content item may be designated as a new version after the content item has been edited and saved.

FIG. 10B also shows an example of a separated detail pane 222. In FIG. 10B, comment section 210 reflects a comment about the content item shown in preview section 216. The comments shown in comment section 210 are shown collapsed so that the comment thread does not overtake the entire separated detail pane 222 or other comment threads. In some embodiments, when the comment thread is collapsed, the detail pane service 162 displays a subset of comments, such as the first and last comments in the comment thread, and provides information about the existence of additional comments 242. be able to.

In some embodiments, information about the presence of additional comments 242 may be feasible to take input and extend to display one or more of the collapsed comments.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary method relating to displaying a preview of a content item by the detail pane service 162 when the file browser interface 200 receives a selection of comments specific to a particular content item (350). .. In some embodiments, when the detail pane 202 displays a view that includes comment section 210, the detail pane 202 is assigned to a particular content item, regardless of whether the content item is a subfolder or a file. You are displaying a unique view. In some embodiments, when the detail pane 202 displays a view specific to a particular content item, the detail pane 202 also includes a preview of the particular content item. The preview can include a preview representing the content item or a preview of a portion of the content item. In some examples, when a particular comment or selection of a content item is received (350), the detail pane service 162 can present a preview showing the location of the comment within the content item. In some embodiments, the preview showing where the comment is anchored within the content item can replace the preview representing the entire content item in preview section 216. In some embodiments, a preview showing where the comment is anchored within the content item can be displayed in comment section 210, or in another pop-out box or window (see FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 13). As shown). In some embodiments, the comment anchor can be highlighted text, or a selected point, or a selected area within a content item.

The detail pane service 162 can determine if the content item is of a dynamically renderable type, as described in more detail below (356). Therefore, if the detail pane service 162 determines that the preview is dynamically renderable (356), the detail pane service 162 indicates the content item (stored locally or in the cloud) indicating the location of the comment selected in the content item. Dynamically render the preview from a copy (whether stored in storage) (361). The dynamic preview can be rendered as part of the detail pane service 162 or by the content authoring applet associated with the detail pane service 162. In some embodiments, the content authoring applet can read the content of the content item, find the comments within the content item, and render the appropriate part of the content item as a preview. In some embodiments, the content authoring applet can provide a web view from which the content authoring applet can render a preview from a copy of the content item stored in the content management system 110. Note that while a local copy of the content item may be available on the client device 150, Webview can still render the preview based on the content management system copy of the content item.

In some embodiments, the dynamic preview can receive edits directly in the preview. In some embodiments, the dynamic preview can receive and respond to input for navigating within the content item.

In some embodiments, the detail pane service 162 may not be able to render a dynamic preview of some content items. If the detail pane service 162 determines that the preview cannot be dynamically rendered (356), the detail pane service 162 requests a static preview showing a portion of the content item (358) and the selected comment is anchored. You can display a preview of the content item (360) that shows the location within the content item. Dynamic preview will be further described in connection with FIG. 16 below.

The static preview can be received from a content management system 110 that can provide a service that opens the content item and creates a preview of the content item that surrounds the selected comment within the content item. In some embodiments, this function can be pre-executed and the preprocessed preview can be sent to the client device 150 for caching. In some embodiments, the preview can be created and / or sent to the device 150 on demand and at the request of the detail pane service 162.

In some embodiments, a preview showing the comments within the content item may be automatically included in the comment section 210.

In some embodiments, while the content item preview showing the location of the comment within the content item is displayed, the detail pane service 162 provides another preview showing the location of another comment within the content item (360, You can receive an input to select another comment that results in the presentation of 361) (350).

12A and 12B show two examples of detail pane 222 showing an exemplary preview showing the location of comments within a content item. Although FIGS. 12A and 12B show a separate detail pane 222, it should be understood that all of the features shown therein apply equally to the detail panes of other form factors such as the detail pane 202.

As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the separated detail pane 222 includes a preview section 216 showing a general preview applicable to the content item 217. Comment section 210 displays a preview showing the location of comments for content item 217.

12A and 12B also show an expandable preview section 216. User interface control 232 can be activated to extend preview section 216 as shown in FIG. 12A to reveal metadata about content item 217. When the preview section 216 is expanded, the user interface control 232 can be selected to collapse the preview section 216 to hide additional metadata details.

FIG. 13 shows a file browser interface 200 including a detail pane 202 showing details about the content item 221. The preview pane 216 displays a preview of the content item 221 and the comment section 210 shows a comment about the content item 221. In FIG. 13, individual comments, comments 256, are selected, and in response, detail pane service 162 displays a pop-out window 262 that displays a preview of portion 258 of content item 221 to which comment 256 is anchored. it's shown.

FIG. 14 shows an example of content item 221 opened in a native or default application. As shown in FIG. 13, comment 256 is shown with part 258 of the document to which it is anchored.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a file browser interface 200 having a detail pane 202 showing the activity of subfolder 230 “Autumn 2017”. As shown in FIG. 15, activity section 206 contains comments grouped into categories based on the date the activity was recorded. Specifically, 264 are grouped for comments recorded as "today" and 266 for comments recorded as "yesterday".

In addition, FIG. 15 shows activity 233 associated with the selected content item 217. The detail pane service 162 receives a selection of activity 233 and is specific to content item 217, including a content item preview in preview section 216 and a preview 252 showing where the comment in comment section 210 is anchored within content item 217. A detail pane pop-out window 268 showing the details of is displayed.

As introduced above, some content items may help provide a dynamic preview of these content items. For example, cloud content items such as content items written in markup language or content items stored in online document services (such as Paper documents by Dropbox Inc. or Google Doc by Google Inc.) are detailed pane services. It may be rendered directly by 162. Other content items may be dynamically rendered with the help of services accessible via the API. Some content items may be dynamically renderable by providing a web view that displays some of the content items opened in the content management system. The dynamically renderable preview can be manipulated directly in the preview pane, allowing you to edit and make additional comments without opening the content item in the default application used to edit the content item.

FIG. 16 shows an exemplary method for rendering and interacting with a dynamically rendered preview. If the detail pane service 162 needs to present a preview of a content item whose preview can be dynamically rendered, the detail pane service 162 can dynamically render the preview (362) from a copy of the content item.

As mentioned above, dynamically renderable previews can receive dialogue and be edited directly in the preview. Thus, the detail pane service 162 receives a dialogue with the dynamically rendered preview by receiving user input to the dynamically rendered preview displayed in detail pane 202 (262 or 268) (364). )be able to. The detail pane service 162 can update the preview and the content item itself (366) in response to the received (364) dialogue. In this way, you can quickly modify a content item without having to open it in your default application. Changes can be reflected directly in the preview, which will continue to be available for interaction until the user opens the content item in the native application, selects another content item, or closes the file browser interface 200.

17A and 17B show an exemplary detail pane 222 showing an example of a dynamically rendered content item preview shown in preview section 216. In the example of FIG. 17A, a preview of the dynamically rendered document is shown in the collapsed preview section 216, and in FIG. 17B, the dynamically rendered preview is shown in the expanded preview section 216. As mentioned with respect to FIGS. 12A and 12B, preview section 216 can switch from a collapsed view to an expanded view through the selection of user interface control 232.

The dynamically rendered preview presents a checklist that can be interacted with to provide updates to both the preview and the underlying content item, as described with respect to FIG. In some embodiments, the preview can be obtained from the metadata stored with the content item. For example, some content items can be stored with workflow information such as a to-do list. In such embodiments, possible previews include displaying a to-do list. In some embodiments, the to-do list is part of the content item itself. In some embodiments, the to-do list can be stored in an accompanying metadata file.

In some embodiments where the preview is a dynamically rendered preview, it is possible not only to make changes to the parts of the content item shown in preview section 216, but also to navigate to other sections of the document. It is also possible. If the content item is a web document, such as a web page, you may be able to navigate the Internet content by clicking a link within the content item.

Dynamically rendered previews can be provided by including one or more content authoring applets within or associated with the detail pane service 162. The content authoring applet can contain sufficient code to render a particular document type, or at least a portion of a particular document type in preview section 216 of the details pane 202. In some embodiments, the dynamically rendered preview can be displayed in a frame under the control of the content authoring applet.

In some embodiments, the content authoring applet may contain code that renders the entire content item, and when rendering the content item, it may format the content of the content item for display within the preview section 216. can. In addition, applets can be allowed to scroll through the content of content items.

In some embodiments, the content authoring applet may contain only limited functionality as compared to the default application commonly used to view and edit the type of content item. For example, only basic editing and commenting features may be available.

In some embodiments, the content authoring applet can be configured to render only a limited portion of the content item. For example, you can render only part of a content item that has comments attached, or only part that contains a checklist. In some embodiments, some of the content items can be tagged and made available for display as a dynamically renderable preview.

In some embodiments, the content authoring applet can be configured to render a web view through communication with the web interface service 124. Such an embodiment may be useful to have the ability to render a variety of content items in a web view, depending on the content management system 110. For example, the content management system 110 may have the ability to open files specific to a particular document editor, or a particular image editor, or a particular spreadsheet application, and may use the web interface service 124 to view a web of content items. Can be provided. In such an embodiment, even if a content item is selected on the client device 150 and its version is stored locally, it is the content that is opened for the purpose of generating and interacting with the dynamic preview. This is the version of the content item stored in the management system 110. Changes made to the content item are stored in the content management system 110 and synchronized with the copy stored on the client device 150.

Similarly, in embodiments where the content item is a collaborative content item, the content authoring applet can be configured to render a web view of an online service that supports the content item. For example, collaborative content items can be rendered by a content authoring applet communicating with collaborative document service 134.

Rendering a dynamic content item preview with a content authoring applet that hosts a web view of the content item can be useful in many situations, but not so much if the client device 150 is not connected to the Internet. In such an embodiment, the content authoring applet can render local content items without working with the web server, even though the default behavior of the content authoring applet is to work with the web server to host the web view. Can include local resource libraries that are useful for In some embodiments, rendering the document in this way may limit the format of the document, or the features available.

When a dynamically renderable preview receives an edit, the edit is made to the content item itself (or the locally stored version if the dynamic preview is rendered from a locally stored version, or the dynamic preview is a web view). If provided in, it can be saved in (if stored by the content management system)).

In some embodiments, the content items are managed by a synchronized content management service 110, and when changes to the content item version are saved as described above, these changes are made to the content management system 110 or the like. Can be synchronized with other copies stored on the client device 150 of.

In some embodiments, the activities and comments provided in the detail pane 202 can be cached or prefetched before they are needed to provide a better user experience if the activities and comments can be provided more quickly. .. FIG. 18 shows an exemplary method for prefetching the activities and comments displayed in the details pane 202. The detail pane service 162 displays the detail pane 202 of the folder or the content item in the folder (402). The detail pane service 162 can prefetch (404) update activity and / or comment for content items stored in subfolders below the folder where information is currently displayed in detail pane 202. When the detail pane service 162 receives an input (406) within the file browser interface 200 and navigates to another subfolder, the detail pane service 162 displays the activity and / or comment previously cached (408). )can. The detail pane service 162 can request and continue to receive (410) activity and / or comment updates to update the detail pane 202 and the cache. In some embodiments, the notification service 117 can push new activities and new comments to the client device 150, which can also be cached.

The embodiment in which activities and comments are prefetched as described above utilizes a more intelligent system than simply requesting and downloading all activities and comments for all content items in the next lower level subfolder. Can be beneficial. Downloading activity and comments for these content items can be time consuming and require a lot of bandwidth, as some folders may still contain many content items in the next level subfolders. May become. In addition, users can navigate the directory structure faster than prefetching comments and activities. Thus, in some embodiments, the method shown in FIG. 18 can be modified to prefetch activities and comments according to a prefetch priority score.

You can determine the prefetch priority score for each content item to see its relative priority for prefetching content item comments and activities. In some embodiments, the prefetch priority score can be dynamically updated as a factor associated with determining a change in the prefetch priority score. The prefetch priority score can be an estimate of the probability that the user wants to access each particular content item on the client device 150.

In some embodiments, the prefetch priority score is the date last opened on the client device, the date last opened on another device, the last modified metadata value, the last shared date, the content item. Is based on the latest criteria, such as looking up the date when another user recently opened or edited a content item.

In some embodiments, the prefetch priority score is based on a value that indicates whether the user explicitly marks the content item as a favorite item, such as as subjectively important.

In some embodiments, the prefetch priority score is based on a value that represents how often a content item is modified or accessed in a content management system.

In some embodiments, the prefetch priority score is based on a value that represents how many user accounts are interacting with the content item over a period of time.

The prefetch priority score can be based on any combination of the above or other factors.

FIG. 19 shows, for example, a client device 150, a content management system 110, or a computing system 500 where components of the system can be any computing device constituting any of those components communicating with each other using a connection 505. An example is shown. The connection 505 can be a physical connection via a bus, or a direct connection to the processor 510, such as in a chipset architecture. Connection 505 can also be a virtual connection, a network connection, or a logical connection.

In some embodiments, the computing system 500 is a distributed system in which the functions described in the present disclosure can be distributed within a data center, multiple data centers, peer networks, and the like. In some embodiments, one or more of the system components described represent many such components, each performing some or all of the functions described by the component. In some embodiments, the component can be a physical device or a virtual device.

An exemplary system 500 is at least one processing unit (CPU or processor) 510 that couples various system components, including system memory 515 such as read-only memory (ROM) 520 and random access memory (RAM) 525, to processor 510. And connection 505. The computing system 500 may include a cache of high speed memory 512 that is directly connected to, in close proximity to, or integrated as part of processor 510.

Processor 510 is any general purpose processor and hardware service or software service such as services 532, 534, and 536 stored in storage device 530 configured to control processor 510, as well as the actual processor with software instructions. It can include a dedicated processor built into the design. Processor 510 may essentially be a fully self-contained computing system that includes multiple cores or processors, buses, memory controllers, caches, and the like. Multi-core processors can be symmetrical or asymmetric.

To enable user interaction, the computing system 500 may represent any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for voice, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphical input, a keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech, etc. Includes a capable input device 545. The computing system 500 can also include an output device 535 that can be one or more of several output mechanisms known to those of skill in the art. In some cases, the multimodal system can allow the user to provide multiple types of inputs / outputs to communicate with the computing system 500. The computing system 500 may include a communication interface 540, which generally operates and manages user inputs and system outputs. Since there are no restrictions on operation in a particular hardware configuration, the basic functionality here can be easily replaced with improved hardware or the firmware configuration as developed.

The storage device 530 can be a non-volatile memory device, such as a magnetic cassette, a flash memory card, a solid state memory device, a digital versatile disk, a cartridge, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and /. Or it can be a hard disk or other type of computer-readable medium that can store data that can be accessed by a computer, such as a combination of these devices.

The storage device 530 may include software services, servers, services, etc., and when the code defining such software is executed by the processor 510, causes the system to perform a function. In some embodiments, hardware services that perform a particular function are stored on a computer-readable medium in relation to the required hardware components such as processor 510, connection 505, output device 535, etc. to perform the function. Can include software components.

To clarify the description, in some examples, the technology is an individual function, including functional blocks containing devices, device components, steps or routines of software, or methods implemented in a combination of hardware and software. Can be presented as containing blocks.

Any of the steps, operations, functions, or processes described herein may be performed or implemented by hardware and software services or combinations of services, alone or in combination with other devices. In some embodiments, the service resides on one or more servers in the memory and / or content management system of the client device and performs one or more functions when the processor runs software associated with the service. It can be software that does. In some embodiments, a service is a program or collection of programs that performs a particular function. In some embodiments, the service can be thought of as a server. Memory can be a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage device, medium, and memory can include cables or wireless signals, including bitstreams and the like. However, when mentioned, non-temporary computer-readable storage media explicitly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and the signal itself.

The method according to the above example can be implemented using computer executable instructions stored from a computer-readable medium or otherwise available from a computer-readable medium. Such instructions can include, for example, instructions and data that cause a general purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or a dedicated processing device to perform a particular function or group of functions, or otherwise configure. Some of the computer resources used can be accessed over the network. Computer executable instructions can be, for example, intermediate format instructions such as binary, assembly language, firmware, or source code. Examples of computer-readable media that can be used to store instructions, information used, and / or information created during the methods described are examples of magnetic or optical disks, solid-state memory devices, flash memory. , USB devices with non-volatile memory, network storage devices, etc. are included.

Devices that implement these disclosed methods can include hardware, firmware and / or software and can take any of a variety of form factors. Typical examples of such form factors include servers, laptops, smartphones, small form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants and the like. The features described herein can also be incorporated into peripherals or add-in cards. Such functionality can also be implemented, as a further example, on circuit boards between different chips or different processes running on a single device.

Instructions, media for delivering such instructions, computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources provide the functionality described in these disclosures. Is a means for.

Various examples and other information have been used to illustrate aspects within the appended claims, but those skilled in the art will be able to derive different implementations using these examples. In addition, it should not imply a limitation of claims based on the particular features or arrangements in such examples. In addition, some subjects may have been described in a language specific to the examples of structural features and / or method steps, but the subjects defined in the appended claims have not necessarily been described. Please understand that it is not limited to features or actions. For example, such functions may be distributed or performed differently in components other than those identified herein. Rather, the features and steps described are disclosed as examples of system and method components within the appended claims.

Claims (20)

A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a computing system,
The computing system displays a file browser interface that presents content items and comments on the client device.
Receive a selection of comments from the presented comments that correspond to where the comments are anchored within the content item.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium that displays a preview of at least a portion of the content item, including the location where the comment is anchored within the content item, after selecting the comment from the presented comments. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the preview is a preprocessed image of a portion of the content item surrounding the location of the content item to which the comment is anchored. The preview is a dynamic preview and the instruction is given to the computing system.
Have the content authoring applet read the content of the content item
The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the content authoring applet renders a portion of the content item that surrounds the location of the content item to which the comment is anchored. The instruction is given to the computing system.
In the dynamic preview, receive an input that is an edit to the content item.
The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the edits are stored in the content item. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the edit is the addition of another comment or the deletion of the comment. The content item for which the comment is selected is stored as a local version on the client device and a cloud version in the content management system, and the dynamic preview is a web view of the cloud version of the content item. The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to 3. From the presented comment, it receives a selection of a second comment that corresponds to the location anchored within the content item.
After selecting the second comment from the presented comments, display a second preview containing at least a portion of the content item, including the location where the second comment is anchored within the content item. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1. Displaying a file browser interface on a client device, said file browser interface, including displaying, including a content item list section and a detail section containing comment details and activity details.
The content item list section is configured to present a representation of the first plurality of content items.
The detail section is configured to present comment details and activity details related to the first plurality of content items in the content item list section. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one activity detail of the activity details is a first aggregated detail that is an aggregation of a plurality of activity details that share at least the first common feature. Displaying a second plurality of content items, which is a subset of the first plurality of content items, in the content item list section.
The received activity notification is to be aggregated into at least the second aggregated details related to the second plurality of content items, the second aggregated detail being the first aggregated detail. 9. The method of claim 9, comprising aggregating, aggregating a plurality of activity details that share at least the first common feature used in. Receiving the selection of the first aggregated activity details and
After selecting the details of the first aggregated activity, highlighting two or more of the first plurality of content items in the content item list section to which the aggregated activity details relate. 9. The method of claim 9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one activity detail from the activity details is from a first data source and at least one activity detail from the activity details is from a second data source. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one activity detail from the activity details is from a first data source and at least one activity detail from the activity details is from a second data source. Receiving an activity notification containing activity details from a content management system, wherein the notification is received, received, in the order in which the activities that cause the activity notification substantially occur.
To cache the received activity notification and
9. The claim 9 comprises aggregating the received activity notifications into the first aggregated details relating to at least one of the first plurality of content items in the content item list section. The method described. Content management system and
A client device that communicates with the content management system, wherein the client device stores at least a part of content items managed by the content management system in the client device.
Display the file browser interface and dynamic preview section on the client device, including the content item list section,
A system comprising a client device, which is configured to render at least a portion of a content item as a dynamic preview in the dynamic preview section. Further, to the client device,
Receives input to the dynamic preview, edits the preview,
15. The system of claim 15, wherein the edits are stored in the content item. 16. The system of claim 16, wherein the dynamic preview includes a to-do list within the content item. The dynamic preview is rendered by a content authoring applet in the dynamic preview section of the file browser interface, which is a content authoring applet.
Read the content of the content item with the content authoring applet,
Display the dynamic preview and
15. The system of claim 15, comprising an instruction to receive user input in said dynamic preview that is effective in displaying a new portion of said content of said content item. 15. The system of claim 15, wherein the dynamic preview can be a web page, and links to the web page can be navigated from within the file browser interface. Further, to the client device,
When the client device is connected to the Internet, a version of the webview stored in the content management system for the content item to render the dynamic preview with the content authoring applet in the dynamic preview section. Display,
A locally rendered view of a locally stored version of the content item to render the dynamic preview to the content authoring applet in the dynamic preview section when the client device is not connected to the internet. 15. The system according to claim 15.

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