JP4861988B2 - Computer program that implements a file system shell browser - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates generally to file systems, and more specifically to file system shells.

  Current computer file systems contain various undesirable limitations. One limitation is that the user generally cannot control the structure shown to the user. In other words, when a folder is organized, the user must select a structure, after which the structure is difficult to change. As a specific example, in the “music” folder, the user can choose to organize music files in an artist / album format, in which case the album folder for each artist is grouped within that particular artist's folder. All the songs of a specific album are grouped in the folder of that album. The artist / album format does not help playing certain types of music (eg, playing two jazz songs by two different artists) or playing selected albums of different artists.

  Another problem is the possibility that the user has a large number of files that are difficult to organize. Some users implement certain strict arrangements for files and form a strict hierarchy for them. Managing such files becomes increasingly complex and difficult as the number of available documents increases, making searching and searching difficult. This problem is exacerbated when additional files such as shared files are used.

  Users also have to deal with files in different locations, such as on different devices, other PCs, and networks. For example, a user can choose to listen to music on a computer (such as accessible from a music program) or connect online to listen to music on a website, but these two sources are strictly Divided. Music from different locations is organized in different locations and is not held in the same way or in the same location. As another example, the files stored on the corporate network can be essentially separated from the files that the user has on the current machine.

  The user must track not only what file data is stored but also where it is stored. For example, in the case of music files, the user is forced to keep copies on various systems and attempt to track which music files are located where. For this reason, it is difficult to specify the file, and it is difficult even when the file is stored locally.

  Also, it is sometimes difficult to find files owned by the user and return to those files. It can be difficult for a user to remember where and how a particular file was stored. Given a set of folders, and similar files, users often find it difficult to quickly find what they are looking for. If the file is stored in a hard-to-find location, the task of identifying is quite complicated. In addition, after a user places many files in a folder, it is even more difficult to quickly analyze the folder, especially if their contents are similar.

  It is also sometimes difficult for a user to find files on the network or return to those files. Sharing and publishing a file is often a difficult task, and it is often even more difficult to receive such a file from someone who makes it available. Users typically have to remember or map the various sites and names needed to find files on the network.

  Namespaces can be different, which can cause confusion to the user as to what is “right”. This is especially true on networks with different naming conventions, restrictions, etc. For example, some operating systems may require a short name that does not contain spaces so that it can be displayed.

  Programs often store files in a directory or other name space dedicated to the program, and it can be difficult for users to get to those files. Programs often have a default directory and a place to store documents. The user often has to search the hard disk and guess where the files are stored.

  Also, related items are often stored in different locations. The related file held by the user may be stored in another part such as a hard disk. This problem is associated with the development of digital media services with multiple content types (eg, images, music, video).

  Another problem with the file system is related to the address bar. As the user navigates through the computer's file system, a conventional graphical interface control, called the address bar, indicates to the user where the user is in the file system hierarchy. The conventional address bar indicates the current position regarding the hierarchical structure of the file system consisting of folders, subfolders, and files. To change the user's location displayed in the conventional address bar, typically one of the following two methods is performed. One is to manually edit the address in the address bar. By manually editing the address in the address bar, the user can move to any number of locations in the file system hierarchy, but the user has specific information about the organization of the file system on the computer. In other words, you need to know the specific location of the file system. The second method involves using an external navigation tool that updates the address bar to reflect the new address or location during operation. When operating an external navigation tool, it is not necessary to manually edit the address in the address bar, but the user still needs to have specific information about the organization of the file system and to traverse the hierarchical structure. However, the traditional address bar has a one-to-one relationship between the address in the address bar and a specific location in the file system hierarchy, so it can be stored across multiple file system locations such as folders or drives. It is not possible to refer to the file or data that is stored.

  The prior art lacks an address bar that allows the user to specify an address to display a file that is stored across multiple locations in the file system or that has any of a variety of characteristics. The prior art further addresses addresses that can be easily modified by the user without manually editing the addresses or without specific knowledge of the organization of the underlying file system. The bar is also lacking. Furthermore, the prior art lacks an address bar that displays to the user an alternative selection of files that the user can choose to navigate to the selection of files. Such an address bar can also selectively display a conventional address bar interface to the user so that the user can interact with the address bar according to the previous operation history based on the user settings.

  Another problem with the file system relates to the identification of items stored on the computer. As the number of individuals using computers for daily routine work increases and various types of information such as images, music, and documents are stored, items stored in computing environments such as personal computers (PCs) The need for easy identification has increased dramatically. Documents and media are typically stored on a computer in a hierarchical fashion and organized with information or media stored in folders. By using the file system browser, the user can navigate through the file system to locate and open files and folders. For example, WINDOWS® EXPLORER ™ by the present applicant is an operating system utility for a user to browse a file system.

  For many users, it is difficult to correctly identify files based on information currently available in conventional file system browsers. Of course, the contents of the file can be confirmed by opening it with an application program, but this method of browsing the file is very inefficient. Since there is a function for displaying metadata about a file in the file system browser, the user does not have to open the file to identify a specific file, which is very convenient. For example, in the WINDOWS 9X operating system by the present applicant, a user can display object metadata by accessing a property sheet for a particular object. The property sheet presents a list of object attributes or settings to the user in a tabbed index card-like property page selection format, each page with standard dialog-style controls for customizing parameters. ing. However, the task of specifying an item using a property sheet is time consuming and cumbersome, and it may be difficult for some users to specify related metadata in the property sheet. Similarly, identifying items using InfoChips can be time consuming and tedious, as users can move their mouse over each file to view the limited metadata displayed in InfoChips. This is because it must be hovered.

  Traditional file system browsers do not allow the user to enter and edit metadata related to files and folders, and if so, the user can later identify the file, significantly Usability will increase. To date, the ability to enter and edit metadata by users has been limited to dedicated software programs. For example, in a media player for electronic music files, metadata associated with music albums and artists can be edited on the user side. Another example of such a program is an electronic image file application program. However, the usefulness of media players and other such programs is limited to the specific types of files supported by the program, as opposed to a generic file system browser that supports multiple file types.

  The WINDOWS® XP operating system by the present applicant includes an image browser for use in the “My Pictures” folder. The “My Pictures” folder has a special feature that allows the user to display an image as a photo rather than just as a document icon. The image browsing function of “My Picture” includes a function of displaying thumbnail-sized photos and large-sized photos, rotating photos in landscape orientation, and creating a slide show. The user can also display details of the photo, such as its dimensions, the date and time it was taken, and the name of the camera that took the photo. The preview control area in the “My Picture” folder has an enlarged preview image of the image selected by the user, an iterator button that assists the user in repeatedly displaying a series of images, and rotates the image clockwise or counterclockwise. Contains controls to do. Although WINDOWS® XP image browsing functionality has advanced to the state of the art by alleviating the need to call application programs for image display and manipulation, users are still associated with images. You cannot enter and edit metadata.

  There is a need to improve the user experience within a shell or file system browser so that the user can easily identify an item based on metadata associated with the item. There is also a need for a system and method for a user to enter and edit metadata associated with various types of items within a shell browser without invoking an application program. There is also a need for a file system or shell browser that provides the user with improved file content recognition capabilities so that the user can easily identify user files. There is also a need for an improved graphical user interface for a shell browser that allows selection of a previewer for a particular file type from a plurality of available previewers. There is also a need for an extensible shell browser that allows software developers to provide users with additional information and functionality based on file type. There is also a need to provide a similar UI experience across multiple collections of items.

  In one aspect of the invention, systems and methods are provided that use virtual folders. Virtual folders expose regular files and folders (also called directories) to users in different views based on metadata instead of the actual physical underlying file system structure on disk. Thus, the system can receive properties stored in the database and represent them as a folder-like container. Since users are already accustomed to working with folders, displaying virtual folders in a similar manner allows users to quickly adapt to new systems.

  According to another aspect of the invention, the virtual folder is implemented according to a method used in a computer system comprising a display and a memory for storing items. In this method, a metadata property is selected. The system then looks for items with the selected metadata property and is given a virtual folder display object that represents a collection of items with the metadata property.

  According to another aspect of the invention, the system comprises a folder processor for obtaining a query from a user and a relational database for storing information about the item. The folder processor first obtains a query from the user and passes the query to the relational database. The relational database sends the results back to the folder processor, and based on the results obtained from the relational database, the folder processor provides the results to the user as virtual folders. In one embodiment, the results sent back to the folder processor include database rows and columns. The database rows and columns are converted by the folder processor into an enumerator structure and then used to place the resulting virtual folder as an initial value on the display.

  According to the other aspect of this invention, the user can operate a virtual folder by direct operation. In other words, the mechanisms provided for manipulating virtual folders are similar to those currently used for manipulating traditional physical folders (eg click and drag, copy, paste, etc.). .

  According to another aspect of the invention, a method for performing direct manipulation of virtual folders is implemented in a computer system comprising a display and a memory for storing items. According to this method, a group of items is represented as a virtual folder. A predefined action is provided that can be executed for direct manipulation of the virtual folder. When the predefined action is executed, the virtual folder is manipulated as commanded by the predefined action. One example of a predefined action is to click and drag a virtual folder. In one embodiment, the action of clicking and dragging the first virtual folder to the second virtual folder performs the function of copying items from the first virtual folder to the second virtual folder. Copying an item to a virtual folder may involve adding or changing selected metadata properties associated with the item in some other way.

  In another aspect of the invention, a filter for manipulating virtual folders is provided. These filters are essentially tools for narrowing a collection of items. In one embodiment, these filters are dynamically generated based on the properties of separate items. For example, for a set of items, the filter mechanism can re-examine the properties and if the item generally has “authors” as a property, the filter can give a list of creators. Then, by clicking on a specific creator, items that do not have a creator are hidden. Thereby, the user can narrow down contents.

  According to another aspect of the invention, a method for filtering items is implemented in a computer system comprising a display and a memory for storing items having metadata properties. Display objects are prepared on the display, each representing one or more items. The metadata properties of the item represented by the display object are evaluated. Filter conditions that correspond to metadata properties that are shared by multiple items are shown on the display, so when a filter condition is selected, the items represented on the display share the specified metadata properties Narrow down to items to be.

  According to another aspect of the invention, a plurality of items are represented on the display, and the filter condition is dynamically generated based on the metadata properties of the items. When a filter condition is selected, the items represented on the display are narrowed down to items having metadata properties corresponding to the filter condition.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a filter area is provided in which a plurality of items are represented on the display and the user can select a filter by selecting a check box control. When the check box control is selected by the user, the items represented on the display are narrowed down to items that include the filter condition. When the user inputs a filter condition, items are successively filtered each time new characters are added to the filter condition.

  According to another aspect, a graphical user interface is implemented that includes a plurality of display objects, each display object representing a property control corresponding to one or more items and properties shared by the plurality of items. By selecting the property control, a list of filter conditions is displayed on the display. In one aspect, filter conditions may be displayed in a drop-down menu with each filter having a corresponding check box control.

  In another aspect of the invention, selecting a first check box control ensures that items represented on the display include only items that satisfy the filter condition corresponding to the first check box control. Can do. If the second check box control is selected when the first check box control is selected, the item represented on the display is the first respective filter condition corresponding to the first check box control, or Items that satisfy the second respective filter condition corresponding to the second check box control are included. That is, the logical sum operation is performed on the items in the view according to the filter condition.

  In yet another aspect, the second checkbox control is deselected, and the items represented on the display are only those items that meet at least one respective filter condition corresponding to the currently selected checkbox control. Can be included.

  In another aspect, when the property control is selected, a list of alignment commands can be displayed on the display separately from the list of filter conditions. Selecting the align command causes the items to be realigned on the display. Exemplary alignment commands include sorting, stacking, or grouping by properties associated with the selected property control.

  In yet another aspect, the property control can be a split button. According to this aspect, a list of filter conditions can be displayed on the display by selecting the first button part, and display objects can be rearranged by property by selecting the second button part. Can do.

  According to another aspect of the invention, a scope is used in a method for displaying an item on a computer system comprising a display. The present invention involves defining a scope of a physical memory location from which items are derived, the scope including current computer memory and at least one other physical location. When a query is received, in response to that query, the item is pulled from the physical location as defined in the scope, and the item pulled from the query is then displayed in a view on the display . In one embodiment, the at least one other physical location may be another computer, a location on the network, or an external storage device. In one embodiment, the view on the display can be switched to a physical folder view that shows the physical location where the item is physically stored.

  In other aspects of the invention, non-file items can be represented in virtual folders. In other words, files stored in memory are placed in a physical store. Virtual folders can be created to contain items that are not currently represented in the physical store. Examples of non-file items are email and contacts.

  According to another aspect of the invention, a method for displaying a non-file item is implemented in a computer system comprising a display and a memory for storing the item. The method includes providing a database that can be queried for both non-file items and file items. When a query is received, both non-file items and file items that match the query are retrieved, and items that match the query are then displayed on the display. In one embodiment, a relational database is provided that includes selected information about a file item and can hold an entire specific non-file item.

  According to another aspect of the invention, an address bar is provided for selecting content stored in a physical or virtual location. The address bar can include multiple segments. Each segment can correspond to a filter or selection criteria for selecting stored content. A segment includes a plurality of filters or selection criteria, and can represent content corresponding to each of the filters or selection criteria within a segment. In this case, a logical “sum” operation called “OR” filtering is performed on the content corresponding to different selection criteria from two or more different locations, whether virtual or physical. Can be accessed. Collectively, the corresponding filter of the segment in the address bar represents an address for selecting content stored on the computer file system.

  Each segment is an interactive segment that can respond to interaction by a user modifying the address bar address. Selecting a segment in the address bar deletes the segment following the selected segment from the address bar.

  According to one aspect, selecting a child control associated with a segment in the address bar displays a list of selectable child filters or selection criteria to the user. A child filter or selection criteria is a child of the filter or selection criteria included with the segment. When you select one of the child filters or selection criteria from the list of child filters or selection criteria, the current (child) filter or selection criteria for the segment displayed in the address bar is the selected child filter or selection If it is different from the criteria, it is replaced with the selected child filter or selection criteria. In addition, the segment after the replaced child filter or selection criteria segment is deleted from the address bar.

  In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a shell browser is provided that includes a window and an edit control. The window displays a group of items and also displays metadata values associated with one or more of the displayed items. By using the edit control, the user can modify at least some of the metadata values displayed in the window.

  According to another aspect of the invention, the graphical user interface is embodied on a computer readable medium and can be executed on a computer. The graphical user interface includes a first screen area that displays a collection of items in the shell browser, and a second screen area that displays metadata associated with one or more of the displayed items. Including. The graphical user interface further provides the user with a means in the shell browser to modify the displayed metadata.

  In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method is provided that allows a user to modify data in a shell browser. One such method includes displaying a plurality of items, receiving a first input from a user representing selection of at least one displayed item, and selecting the selected item (s) Displaying associated metadata and providing an edit control that is used when the displayed metadata is modified by the user. Other such methods display the welcome pane and metadata associated with the welcome pane and provide an edit control that can be used to modify the displayed metadata on the user side. Including.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a data structure including metadata associated with one or more items is displayed in the shell browser. A data structure stored on one or more computer-readable media includes a field that includes user-modifiable metadata associated with one or more displayed items and is included in the data structure. User modifiable metadata is also displayed in the shell browser.

  According to another aspect of the invention, a shell browser is provided that includes a default previewer and extensibility mechanism. The default previewer has a standard level of functionality for multiple item types. By using an extensibility mechanism, functionality beyond the standard level provided by the default previewer for one or more of the item types can be used.

  According to another aspect of the invention, a shell browser is provided that includes a first previewer and a second previewer. The first previewer provides standard level functionality for multiple item types, and the second previewer provides alternative or enhanced level functionality for one or more of the multiple item types. The shell browser is configured to selectively place either a first previewer or a second previewer for one or more item types.

  In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a graphical user interface for a shell browser that supports multiple item types is provided. The graphical user interface comprises a first screen area for displaying a collection of items in a shell browser and means for selecting a previewer for items displayed from a plurality of available previewers.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-implemented method for selecting a previewer in a shell browser that supports multiple item types is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of previewers in a shell browser for a particular item type and selecting one of the previewers for the particular item type. The method then associates the selected previewer with a particular item type.

  In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method is provided that allows a third-party previewer that supports multiple item types to be used within a shell browser. This method provides a shell browser with a default previewer for multiple item types and an extensibility mechanism that allows third parties to develop alternative previewers for at least one of the multiple item types. Providing.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a data structure including information indicating a plurality of previewers in the shell browser is prepared. A data structure stored on one or more computer-readable media includes a first field that includes information indicating a default previewer that supports multiple item types. The second field contains information indicating an alternative previewer for the first item type, and the third field invokes the default previewer when an item of the first item type is displayed in the shell browser. Or information indicating whether to call an alternative previewer.

  According to another aspect of the invention, different types of items are grouped into a library with a similar set of basic UI functions. In other words, a set of similar basic UI functions are provided for different types of libraries such as document libraries, photo libraries, and music libraries. This set of basic UI functions can include functions such as filtering, creating new categories, editing item metadata, changing pivots, and the like. Using this similar set of basic UI functions for the library, users can process and organize different types of items using attributes and functions that are already familiar to them.

  Another aspect of the present invention is to display a first component including a tree-like display of a plurality of hierarchically arranged items on a computer system or over a network via a dual component control of a graphical user interface. Provides a way to specify the scope of an item, and each item can be explicitly selected by the user to include and / or exclude from that scope. The GUI also displays a second component that includes a list that identifies baskets, ie items that are explicitly included and / or excluded from the scope. When the user explicitly selects a particular item, the control changes the state of the particular item from the previous state to the new state, and also identifies the state of each particular element in the series, after each Change to a new implicit state based on the new state of the item.

  In an exemplary embodiment, the state of each of the plurality of hierarchically aligned items is deselected, explicitly included, implicitly included, explicitly excluded It can indicate any of the states, implicitly excluded states. The list of items can identify the explicitly included items that correspond to each explicitly excluded item.

  In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, one or more computer readable media instructs a computer system to display a graphical user interface control for specifying a user-defined scope on a video display when excluded. Stores computer executable instructions. The GUI control shows a specific behavior, including displaying a plurality of hierarchically arranged items in, for example, an expandable / collapseable tree-like manner, each of the multiple hierarchically aligned items. Can be explicitly selected by the user to include and / or exclude from the scope. If the user explicitly selects an item to include or exclude from the scope, this control will implicitly include all descendants of the item explicitly selected for inclusion or exclusion from the scope, respectively. Choose to home. The control also displays a first list of items that are explicitly included in the scope, and a second list of items that are explicitly excluded from the scope, apart from a plurality of hierarchically arranged items. Each item in the second list corresponds to an item in the first list.

  According to another aspect of the invention, when a user explicitly selects an item that has been deselected or implicitly excluded, the control is explicitly selected to be explicitly included in the scope. Change the state of each selected item and the state of each descendant of an explicitly selected item that should be implicitly included in scope. When the user explicitly selects an implicitly included item, the control changes the state of the explicitly selected item that should be explicitly excluded from the scope and is implicitly excluded from the scope Should change the state of each descendant of the explicitly selected item.

  In some exemplary embodiments, the control corresponds to a first inclusion indicator corresponding to each displayed explicitly included item, corresponding to each displayed implicitly included item. , A second inclusion indicator that is less noticeable than the respective inclusion indicator, and an exclusion indicator corresponding to each displayed explicitly excluded item.

  Furthermore, various embodiments of the present invention comprise tools for creating an integrated collection. In some implementations of the invention, the tool may include a “basket” control that receives objects to be placed in the collection. The basket control, also referred to as a list pane, includes an interface for receiving and displaying data objects selected by a user for inclusion in a collection, for example. The user can therefore create a collection of data objects simply by sending the data objects to the basket control. The collection creation component then provides a collection corresponding to the object for which one or more data items are submitted to the basket control. In accordance with various aspects of the invention, a collection can be a discrete data (such as text), a data file, a pointer to a data file, a query or exclusion relating to identifying a data file based on specified criteria, one or more It can be compiled with the desired data object, including both virtual and physical folders that store data objects, as well as other collections of data objects.

  The basket control can be used alone to create a collection or hosted by other software objects. For example, various implementations of the present invention further include a “list maker” control that includes both a basket control and one or more user interfaces that can be used by a user to provide data objects to the basket control. Can be provided. For example, the list maker control may comprise a display graphical user interface (such as a file browser) for displaying data objects and a navigation toolbar for navigating the display graphical user interface. The listmaker control can then be hosted as desired by the software developer in various software applications.

  One or more aspects of the present invention may be directed to a method of creating a static list of computer systems, stored software, and / or data objects stored on the computer system. In some aspects of the invention, a graphical user interface (GUI) frame, such as an explorer frame, including a primary view pane and a list pane may be displayed on a computer display device. The primary view pane displays data objects stored in a first predefined location on the computer system, eg, a virtual or physical folder identified by the user, and the list pane is associated with that list pane. Displays information corresponding to items in the static list. Each item in the static list corresponds to a data object and includes information related to the data object, such as a pointer to the data object, the order of items in the list, annotations about the item, and the like. The user identifies the first data object displayed in the primary view pane to be added to the static list and provides input so that an item corresponding to the first data object is added to the static list. be able to. Information about the first item, such as icons, names, annotations, etc., can be displayed in the list pane. The user specifies a second predefined location, thereby allowing data objects stored in the second predefined location to be displayed in the primary view pane without changing the static list with which the list pane is associated. Can be displayed.

  According to various exemplary aspects of the invention, each static list has a persistence model, where the user does not state an explicit or implicit intention to save the static list. , Static list content is ignored. Implicit intent is indicated by the user changing the name of the static list from a default name to a user-defined name.

  Some aspects of the present invention implement systems and methods in which a preview representation of the file being created is presented to the user. The preview is displayed as part of the “save file” dialog, shows an indicia corresponding to the newly created file, and can show how the new file is visually represented in the GUI after saving. The preview can show certain behaviors, such as having a unique appearance and always appearing as the first element, to make it easier for the user to notice. The user can also interact with this preview to manage the file and / or edit its properties even before the file is saved. Also, in this preview, the saving process by the user can be performed by an advanced judgment function, for example, the user refuses to save the file in an invalid place, or the metadata field based on the user navigation by the GUI. It is possible to guide by automatically inputting an initial value.

  In another aspect of the present invention, a system and method for providing an improved file browsing interface to a user is provided by making the explorer or shell browser view a dedicated view. The browsing interface may be different depending on the displayed content. In some cases, the browsing interface can customize user interface options displayed in the browser panel based on the displayed content. The browser can rearrange, delete, and / or add displayed properties according to the content. Other aspects such as browser functionality, appearance, and / or organization can be customized based on the content. One or more templates can be provided and / or created to define a predetermined set of criteria for generating a browser panel. A software interface may also be provided that allows the creation of additional browser panels by the user and / or application. When the user interacts with such a browser, the appearance and / or function of the browser can be further changed.

  In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a shell browser with integrated page space controls is a navigation tool for computer storage systems, operating systems, networks, and the like. According to at least some embodiments of the present invention, a navigation tool and / or its corresponding user interface and display may be provided in a plurality of different windows, application programs, and the like. In at least some embodiments of the present invention, the navigation tool and / or the corresponding user interface and display panel (s) can be used to display various different files, lists, folders, pages, and / or other storage elements. A window or pane containing "links" can be included. Optionally, for navigation tools according to at least some aspects of the invention, customization for different application programs, customization for a portion of an application program, customization for a portion of an operating system, customization by different users, etc. (e.g. Customization by a software provider independent of the computer operating system supplier) and navigating information related to such files and / or information related to the user. It can be suitable or targeted to navigate such information. A navigation tool according to at least some embodiments of the present invention can also be a useful means of organizing and / or displaying information about a user's files, eg, by hierarchical properties, lists, automatic lists, folders, and the like. Also, using the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, a user can perform operations such as assigning properties to a file, changing assigned properties associated with a file, hierarchical properties as appropriate. Easy to use. In addition, according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, navigation for searching, identifying, and displaying information about, for example, query-based files and / or files stored or accessible in a search system A tool can be realized.

  Other aspects of the invention organize information relating to files located within and / or accessible through a computer system as described above (and as described in more detail below). Computer-executable stored to perform various methods and / or operate various systems, including systems and methods with navigation tools to search, identify, identify and / or display Relating to a computer readable medium containing instructions.

  One or more exemplary aspects of the present invention provide a method and system for creating and customizing multiple routes within a navigation pane or panel or page space control. Using such a system, users can avoid unnecessary navigation by allowing direct access to related documents, applications, and other data through such alternative routes. The user can customize the navigation pane by dragging the desired route or structure to a specific location within the navigation pane. A user can organize and reorganize routes in the navigation pane by clicking and dragging the route to a specific location relative to other routes on the pane. You can also create a shortcut to the route by dragging it to the desktop. The user can also take advantage of the option of adjusting the properties of each route, thereby allowing further customization.

  In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, in a multiple root system, the root can include other types of nodes beyond the typical physical location (ie, physical folder) used in the current system. More specifically, using a multiple route system, a user can define lists and auto lists as routes in the navigation pane. These lists and automatic lists can include files or other data that satisfy a specified set of rules or filter criteria. In addition, the route can include a custom extension (eg, MSN® Hotdrive) that corresponds to the user's email. These enhancements to the navigation system can greatly increase the user's freedom to customize a preferred set of navigation controls in various applications.

  In some aspects of the invention, systems and methods can be implemented that allow a user to modify properties (or metadata). In one aspect, a shell browser is provided that includes a display of file properties that can include multi-valued properties. The user can edit the multi-value property, and the system can assist the user in editing the multi-value property with a function of making an advanced judgment. The system can tokenize multi-value property values and can provide permanent prompt text within the multi-value property field as a means to prompt the user for field options.

  The system can display the aggregated property values and incorporate visual differences to associate the aggregated values with the file to which it is applied. Aggregated value editing is possible, and when editing aggregated multi-value properties, the system makes advanced decisions that allow users to use already used entries and property values. It may help to select (or avoid) entries based on various factors such as context. When aggregating multi-valued properties for multiple selected files, the system can also take steps to help preserve the order in which specific values appear in various files. Values that had a tendency to appear relatively frequently at the beginning of the multivalued property of the file have a tendency to appear towards the beginning of the corresponding aggregated multivalued property.

  In another aspect of the invention, a method and system for performing dynamic navigation of data based on user navigation is implemented. This method automatically performs dynamic scrolling of data in the second dimension while the user is manually navigating in the first dimension. The method includes displaying a view of the content in a predetermined displayable area within the window pane. The method further includes determining whether the user input results in the associated node being at least partially hidden. The method further includes automatically performing dynamic horizontal scrolling of one view of the content for a predetermined distance so that the associated nodes are fully visible or have increased visibility. In various embodiments of the present invention, the associated node is a node in a tree control (eg, navigation pane, navigation panel, page space control, etc.) with input or view focus, or of the user's mouse pointer or other input. It can be the node closest to the indicia. While it will be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented as a method, it can also be implemented as a system for user navigation or other data navigation in a folder tree control, as described herein.

  Various aspects of the present invention may communicate with other code modules via one or more programming interfaces or other interfaces for accessing data files. For example, one aspect of the present invention comprises a file dialog having a dedicated extensibility region that includes one or more user interface (UI) controls. The controls that can be placed in the extensibility region can be selected from a predetermined collection of UI control types. When an application requests the OS to display a file dialog, the application can request to include one or more controls of a type in a given collection. The OS then places the requested control in the extensibility area of the displayed dialog. The application need not supply data that explicitly indicates the location of the identified control in the dialog. The application may further require that controls be placed in groups and / or that separators be placed between groups.

  Many of the foregoing aspects of the invention and the resulting advantages will become apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

  The present invention is directed to a file system shell that incorporates a number of desirable functions. In essence, the shell provides the user with the ability to display and manipulate files and other items stored on the computer. In the following description, a summary of the functions shown in FIGS. 1 to 66 will be given first, followed by a detailed description.

  1-9 generally target the entire virtual folder system. A virtual folder is a method for exposing regular files and folders (also called directories) in a traditional user interface to users in different views based on metadata instead of the actual physical underlying file system structure on disk Is to provide. FIGS. 10-18 are generally directed to stacks related to the fact that a virtual folder takes properties stored in a database and can be represented as a container similar to a folder. FIGS. 19-21 generally illustrate direct manipulation of virtual folders related to implementing a mechanism for manipulating virtual folders similar to the mechanism currently used to manipulate standard folders. Target (for example, copy, paste, click and drag, etc.). 22-29 are generally directed to filters that include a set of tools for narrowing down a set of files / items. 30-34 are generally directed to quick links, which are a set of predetermined links that can be clicked to generate a useful view of a collection of files / items. FIGS. 35-36 are generally directed to libraries that relate to the concept that groups of available types of files can be associated with one and provide tools and activities related to a particular type of item. And FIGS. 37-38 generally illustrate multiple physical locations (e.g., different hard drives, etc.) so that a user can use all files / items as if they were in one location. Scopes related to the concept that files / items can be retrieved from different computers, computers on network locations, etc.). FIGS. 39-40 are generally directed to non-file items that can be stored in a database with files and can include items such as emails and contacts. FIGS. 41-50 are generally directed to a virtual address bar that includes a plurality of segments, each segment corresponding to a filter for selecting content. FIGS. 51-57 are generally directed to a shell browser that allows a user to easily identify an item based on metadata associated with the item. 58-66 are generally directed to extending the functionality of an object previewer in a shell browser that is configured to display a plurality of items representing a plurality of item types. In the following, each of these aspects of the present invention will be described in detail.

  As mentioned above, FIGS. 1-9 are generally directed to systems for implementing virtual folders. Virtual folders use the same or similar user interface currently used for file systems. Virtual folders expose regular files and folders (also called directories) to users in different views based on metadata instead of the actual physical underlying file system structure on disk. A location independent view is created that allows the user to manipulate files and folders using controls similar to those currently used to manage the file system. In general, this means that users can organize and reorder files based on their own unique properties, rather than performing management and organization tasks as an independent part of the system. . Virtual folders can be published in the same computer or across multiple computers, so that files or items located in different physical locations can be published in one view of several files or several items Or it can represent files or items from different virtual or physical locations, such as multiple disk drives on different network locations. In one embodiment, different items or files may be connected via an IP network to be included.

  Virtual folder modeling can also be used for traditional non-file entities. An application of this is to have a set of user interfaces similar to files and folders (ie objects and containers) to represent traditional non-file entities. One example of such a non-file entity is email, but others include contact information from a contact database. In this way, the virtual folder implements a meta-database view system that does not depend on where it functions, regardless of whether the data displayed is from a file or a non-file entity. In general, these aspects allow users to manipulate files and data, use common user interface technologies (drag and drop, double-click, etc.), and take advantage of rich integration of various data types Can increase the sex.

  FIG. 1 and the following description is a general description briefly describing a suitable computing environment in which the invention may be implemented. Although not required, the invention will be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a personal computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, characters, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention provides other computer system configurations, including handheld devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Can be used. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote storage devices.

  With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system for implementing the present invention includes a processing unit 21, a system memory 22, and a conventional system bus 23 that couples various system components including the system memory 22 to the processing unit 21. A general purpose computing device in the form of a personal computer 20 is provided. The system bus 23 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using various bus architectures. The system memory includes read only memory (ROM) 24 and random access memory (RAM) 25. A basic input / output system (BIOS) 26 including a basic routine for assisting information transmission between elements in the personal computer 20 at the time of startup or the like is stored in the ROM 24. The personal computer 20 further includes a hard disk drive 27 for reading from and writing to the hard disk 39, a magnetic disk drive 28 for reading from and writing to the removable magnetic disk 29, and removable CD-ROM or other optical media. An optical disk drive 30 for reading and writing to the optical disk 31 is provided. The hard disk drive 27, magnetic disk drive 28, and optical disk drive 30 are connected to the system bus 23 by a hard disk drive interface 32, a magnetic disk drive interface 33, and an optical drive interface 34, respectively. The drive and associated computer readable media implement non-volatile storage for storing computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and other data for the personal computer 20. The exemplary computing environment described in the present invention employs a hard disk 39, a removable magnetic disk 29, and a removable optical disk 31, but those skilled in the art will understand magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, It should be understood that other types of computer readable media capable of storing computer accessible data such as Bernoulli cartridges, multiple random access memories (RAM), multiple read only memories (ROM) may be used in this operating environment. I will.

  Many program modules, including operating system 35, one or more application programs 36, other program modules 37, and program data 38, are stored in hard disk 39, magnetic disk 29, optical disk 31, ROM 24, or RAM 25. be able to. A user can input commands and information into the personal computer 20 through input devices such as a keyboard 40 and a pointing device 42. Other input devices (not shown) include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, and the like. These input devices and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 21 via a serial port interface 46 coupled to the system bus 23, but may be connected to a parallel port, game port, or universal serial bus (USB). It can also be connected by other interfaces such as A display in the form of a monitor 47 is also connected to the system bus 23 via an interface such as a video card or adapter 48. One or more speakers 57 can also be connected to the system bus 23 via an interface, such as an audio adapter 56. A personal computer typically can include other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as a printer, in addition to a display and speakers.

  Personal computer 20 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more personal computers, such as remote computer 49. The remote computer 49 can be a personal computer, server, router, network PC, peer device, or other common network node and typically includes many or all of the elements described above for the personal computer 20. . The logical connections described in FIG. 1 include a local area network (LAN) 51 and a wide area network (WAN) 52. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, and the Internet.

  When used in a LAN networking environment, the personal computer 20 is connected to the local area network 51 via a network interface or adapter 53. When used in a WAN networking environment, the personal computer 20 typically includes a modem 54 or other means for establishing communications over a wide area network 52 such as the Internet. The modem 54, which may be internal or external, is connected to the system bus 23 via the serial port interface 46. In a network connection environment, program modules shown for the personal computer 20 or portions thereof can be stored in a remote memory storage device. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means can be used to establish a communications link between the computers.

  Implemented on a system of the type illustrated in FIG. 1, the present invention allows the user to easily perform basic tasks around file operations and folder navigation (browsing) and utilize them in new functions. Use virtual folders that can easily realize higher level storage functions. Virtual folders expose files and items to users in different views based on metadata instead of the actual physical underlying file system structure on disk.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a virtual folder system 200 according to the present invention. As described in detail below, virtual folders allow the user to change the “pivot” that controls how the data is viewed. For example, the user can display music as a flat list of all songs that can be grouped by album. Alternatively, the user can switch views to show only the genre or artist or year. The user can modify this view to show only those objects that are suitable for the task at hand. This improves the browsing experience and eliminates the need to navigate the folder further (up and down). The same lessons and possibilities apply to modeling other data types that are not stored as files. For example, contacts can be exposed to the user in this way, providing a familiar interface function and an infrastructure for richer operations than provided by a flat phone book.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the virtual folder system 200 includes a folder processor 210, a relational database 230, a virtual folder description database 232, other shell folder components 234, a folder handler component 236, and a shell browser and view component 240. . The folder processor 210 includes a native handling code component 212, a handler factory component 214, a property writer component 216, a rowset parser component 218, a query builder component 220, an enumerator component 222, and a property factory component 224.

  Relational database 230 stores properties for all files in the system. Also, some items such as contacts (that is, non-file items) are stored in their entirety. In general, this stores metadata about the type of file and the items it contains. The relational database 230 receives the SQL query from the query builder 220. The relational database 230 further sends the SQL row set to the row set parser component 218, one row per item column. However, the column is an item property.

  The virtual folder description database 232 includes virtual folder descriptions. The virtual folder description database 232 sends data to the query builder component 220 including the type to display in the folder, the initial filter, and a list of physical locations that indicate the results from (scope).

  With respect to other shell folder components 234, the folder processor 210 delegates from various types of items, including all files, to handlers or properties to an existing shell folder. Other shell folder components 234 send properties from other folders to property factory 224. Other shell folder components also send handlers to the handler factory 214.

  The folder handler component 236 defines code behavior for items that exist only in databases such as contacts. This is a function that allows a non-file item to perform a behavior similar to a file. The folder handler component 236 sends the handler to the handler factory 214.

  For the native handling code component 212, the folder processor 210 directly implements several handlers based on the item properties. The native handling code component 212 sends the handler to the handler factory 214. In the native handling code component 212 and the folder handler component 236, as with all namespaces, the virtual folder includes a set of handlers (context menus, icons, thumbnails, info chips,...) For those items. Must be. For most of these (infochips, data objects, drag and drop handlers, background context menus, ...), the virtual folder has a common (native) handler for all types held. However, there are other things that the creator of that type should provide (item's own context menu, writable property store, ...). Default handlers can also be overridden. In a virtual folder, this is reused for files, causing non-file items to do the same.

  The handler factory 214 takes the ID list and creates a code behavior that provides a context menu, icons, and the like. In general, the folder processor 210 goes to a native handler, external handler, or other shell folder to obtain a handler, as described above with respect to the native handling code component 212, other shell folder components 234, and the folder handler component 236. Delegates can be used. The handler factory component 214 sends the handler to the shell browser in the view 240 as requested by the view. The handler factory component 214 sends the property handler to the property writer 216.

  Property writer 216 converts user intent, such as cut, copy, and paste, into ownership of the file or item. The shell browser and view component 240 sends data to the property writer 216, including direct manipulation (cut / copy / paste) or metadata editing. In general, since virtual folders are organized based on the properties of items, operations such as move and copy (drag and drop) are edits to those properties. For example, moving a document from Author 1 to Author 2 in a view stacked by author means changing the author. The property writer component 216 implements this function.

  Row set parser 218 takes a database row set and stores all item properties in a shell ID list structure. The rowset takes a piecewise definition of the virtual folder and builds an SQL string that can then be published to the database. The rowset parser component 218 sends the ID list to the enumerator component 222. As described above, the rowset parser component 218 further receives data, one row per item, from the relational database 230 that includes the SQL rowset. However, the column is an item property.

  The query builder component 220 builds an SQL query. Query builder component 220 receives data from enumerator component 222 that includes the new filter from the navigation. The query builder component 220 further receives data from the virtual folder description database 232 that includes a list of types to display in the folder, an initial filter, and a list of physical locations for displaying results from (scope). Query builder component 220 sends an SQL query to relational database 230.

  In general, the query builder component 220 includes a set of rows (ie, tables). This is obtained by executing a query. The row set parser component 218 takes each row and converts the row to an ID list using the column name. An ID list is a well-known shell structure that is used to reference items in a namespace. By doing this, the virtual folder can be made similar to other namespaces for the rest of the shell. In addition, by caching this data, it is possible to minimize costly database access.

  The enumerator component 222 operates in response to navigation to the virtual folder. As described above, the enumerator component 222 receives the ID list from the rowset parser component 218 and sends a new filter from the navigation to the query builder component 220. The enumerator component 222 further sends data to the shell browser and view component 240 that includes the returned ID list for insertion into the view after navigation.

  Property factory component 224 takes an ID list and property identifiers and returns values for those properties. The property factory component 224 receives data from the handler factory component 214 that includes property handlers. As described above, the property factory component 224 further receives data from other shell folder components 234 including properties from other folders. Property factory component 224 also sends data including item properties to shell browser and view component 240 as requested by the view.

  The shell browser and view component 240 displays the contents of the folder in a window and handles all user interaction with the displayed file or item, such as clicking, dragging, and navigating. As such, the shell browser and view component 240 receives user actions. The shell browser and view component 240 also obtains the required code behavior from the folder, in this case data about the folder processor 210.

  As described above, virtual folders expose regular files and folders (also called directories) to users in different views based on metadata instead of the actual physical underlying file system structure on disk. Thus, the system can receive properties stored in the database and represent them as a folder-like container. Since users are already accustomed to working with folders, displaying virtual folders in a similar manner allows users to quickly adapt to new systems.

  FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 300 that is used by a user to provide a query that pulls back selected items. At block 302, the folder processor obtains a query from the user. At block 304, the folder processor passes the query to the relational database. At block 306, the results from the relational database are sent back to the folder processor. At block 308, the folder processor provides the results to the user in the form of virtual folders and items.

  FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 320 used when a virtual folder is created and displayed on the screen according to either a default query or a query from a user. At block 322, the default query is used when the user first opens the virtual folder. This default query is retrieved from the registry. For example, a default query in a music library can show all songs grouped by album. At block 324, the folder processor constructs a query object for the query and passes the query to the relational database. At block 326, the relational database generates query results and returns the results to the folder processor as database rows and columns.

  At block 328, the folder processor retrieves these results, converts them from the rows and columns of data into an enumerator structure, and uses them in the folder view and the resulting folder and user interaction with it. Display the item as the initial value on the screen. At decision block 330, the user determines whether to change the view (by issuing a different query or "pivot"). For example, the user can issue a “show all artists” pivot. If the user wants to change the view, the routine returns to block 324 where the folder processor passes this new query to the relational database, receives the returned new rows and columns, and builds a new enumerator structure. To do. The process then continues as described above, at which time the folder view is cleared and updated, at which time the enumerator is used to draw the “artist” object on the screen.

  In one embodiment, an album object is implemented that represents a container into which a user can navigate. For example, when the “Beatles” album is double-clicked, the view is navigated and all Beatles songs are displayed. The folder processor issues a “show all Beatles' songs” query to the relational database and returns the rows and columns of data for those songs. The folder processor creates an enumerator of all those songs and then draws them on the screen.

  The user can also select a view at any time while browsing the virtual folder. From the above embodiment, after narrowing down to display only Beatles songs, the user can change the view to display songs only as albums. The process of changing the view of an item to another representation is called “stacking”. This is because items are conceptually arranged into multiple “stacks” based on their representation. In this case, the songs are rearranged into multiple stacks for each of the various albums. The user can then navigate to one of these stacks and display only the songs from that particular album. Again, the user can rearrange these remaining views of the music into the stack based on properties (eg, ratings). If the rating property is selected, songs from that Beatles album are displayed in the stack with a 1-star, 2-star, or 3-star rating.

  The result of each query depends on which physical or virtual location is included in the scope. For example, the scope may include only some folders within the user's “my documents” folder. Alternatively, the scope can include all folders on the computer, as well as all folders on multiple networked computers. The user can display and change the scope through the scope property sheet. In one embodiment, the scope property sheet can be published by right-clicking on the virtual folder and selecting “properties”. The user can add a new folder to the scope or delete a folder that has already been added.

  Knowledge workers are a group of users for whom virtual folders are particularly useful. By using virtual folders, knowledge workers can easily switch document display by file type, by project, by case number, by creator, and so on. Because knowledge workers tend to have different ways to organize documents, virtual folders can be used to accommodate such various user settings.

  FIG. 5 is a tree diagram of a folder structure by arranging physical folders on the hard drive. This physical folder alignment is based on conventional implementations of folders, which may be based on NTFS or other existing file systems. Such a folder is called a physical folder because its structure is based on the actual physical underlying file system structure on disk. As described in more detail below, this is a virtual folder that creates a location-independent view where files and folders can be manipulated in a manner similar to that currently used for users to manipulate physical folders. In contrast.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5, the folder 400 is a “my documents” folder. At the first level, folder 400 includes folders 410, 420, and 430, which correspond to Clients 1, 2, and 3, respectively. At the second level, each of folders 410, 420, and 430 includes a folder 411, 421, and 431, respectively, each corresponding to a selected client contract. At the third level, each of folders 411, 421, and 431 includes folders 412, 422, and 432, respectively, which correspond to 2001, respectively. At the third level, each of folders 411, 421, and 431 further includes folders 413, 423, and 433, respectively, which correspond to 2002, respectively.

  It will be appreciated that a number of obstacles appear for users who wish to navigate the physical folder file structure as illustrated in FIG. For example, if the user wants to handle all the contracts that he has generated, he must first navigate to folder 411 to handle the contract for Client 1 and then re-navigate to folder 421. Then, the contract for Client 2 must be reached, and again the user must navigate back to folder 431 to obtain the contract for Client 3. With this alignment, it is difficult for the user to access all the contracts, and generally all contracts cannot be displayed and manipulated simultaneously. Similarly, if the user wants to display all of the contracts created in 2001, the user must navigate and re-navigate to folders 412, 422, and 432, respectively. As will be described in further detail below, the virtual folder of the present invention provides an improved file system structure.

  FIG. 6 is a tree diagram of a virtual folder structure. As described in detail below, virtual folders create location-independent views that allow users to manipulate files and folders in an easy-to-use manner. As shown in FIG. 6, the virtual folder is represented as a stack. The virtual folder 500 is an “all items” folder. At the first level, virtual folder 500 includes virtual folders 510, 520, and 530, which correspond to clients, contracts, and years, respectively. As described in more detail below, this structure allows a user to access a file according to desired parameters.

  FIG. 7 is a tree diagram of the virtual folder structure of FIG. 6, and at the second level, the virtual folder 510 further includes virtual folders 511 and 512, which correspond to the contract and year, respectively. . That is, the client stack of the virtual folder 510 is further filtered by contract and year. The process of determining which files and items are included in each of the virtual folders is described in further detail below.

  FIG. 8 is a tree diagram of the virtual folder structure of FIG. 7. In the third level, the virtual folder 511 includes a virtual folder 513, which corresponds to the year. In other words, the contract stack of the virtual folder 511 is further filtered by year. The virtual folder structure for virtual folders 510, 511, and 513 is structured according to client, contract, and year, but for virtual folders, as described in more detail below with reference to FIG. The following structured sequence can occur.

  FIG. 9 is a tree diagram of the virtual folder structure of FIG. 6, and in the second level, the virtual folder 520 is further filtered into virtual folders 521 and 522, which correspond to clients and years. ing. At the third level, virtual folder 521 has been filtered into virtual folder 523, which corresponds to the year. By contrasting the organizational structures of FIGS. 8 and 9, the flexibility of the virtual folder system can be illustrated. In other words, in the virtual folder system, the user navigates the virtual folder according to the desired parameters as opposed to relying on the view depending on the location of the physical file structure as illustrated in FIG. Can do.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a screen display 600 showing a stack of document libraries. As described above, stacks can be used to represent certain types of virtual folders. As will be described in detail below, screen display 600 includes quick link elements 610-613, filter elements 620-626, activity elements 630-633, information and control elements 640-645, and virtual folder stacks 651-655.

  The quick link element includes a selection to display an “all categories” quick link 610, an “all authors” quick link 611, a “January work” quick link 612, and an additional quick link 613. As will be described in more detail below, the quick links can be selected by the user to perform the desired navigation of the virtual folder. Quick links are implemented on the system side, and some quick links can be created and stored on the user side.

  The filter elements include a “filter by” indicator 620, an entry blank 621, a “by date” indicator 622, a “year” selector 623, a “pick an author” selector 624, a “pick a category” selector 625, and a “more filters” selector. 626. A “filter by” indicator 620 tells the user the fact that the following items can be used to filter virtual folders or items. The entry blank 621 provides an area where the user can enter a desired new filter condition. The “by date” indicator 622 tells the user that the virtual folder or item can be filtered by the selected year by selecting a date from the “year” selector 623. Using a “pick an author” selector 624, the user can filter according to a particular author. The “pick a category” selector 625 allows the user to filter according to the selected category. The “more filters” selector 626 allows the user to pull additional filters on the display.

  The activity selector includes a “create a new category” selector 630, “activity” selectors 631 and 632, and a “more activities” selector 633. As described in more detail below, the activities presented can be for generally desirable functions, or more specifically, for activities that are useful for the type of virtual folder currently displayed. It can be. For example, a “create a new category” selector 630 can be selected by the user to create a new category represented by a new stack.

  As described above, activity selectors 631 and 632 can more specifically target the type of folder or item being displayed. For example, the display of the present invention is that of a document library, and “activity” selectors 631 and 632 can be targeted to activities that have been particularly tailored, such as documents such as attachment editing or creation. If the library of the present invention was a photo library, the “activity” selectors 631 and 632 should be for activities that are specifically directed to photos, such as forming a photo album or sharing photos with other users. Is possible.

  Information and control elements include an information line 640 and an information line (address bar) 641, a control line 642, a backspace control 643, and information lines 644 and 645. Information line 640 and address bar 641 provide information regarding the current navigation of the virtual folder or item. In an embodiment of the present invention, information line 640 indicates that the current navigation is navigation to a document library, but address bar 641 indicates more complete navigation and indicates that the document library is in storage. Show. The control row 642 includes a number of standard controls and by using the backspace button 643, the user can go back navigation. The information line 644 gives numerical information regarding the content of the current navigation. In an embodiment of the present invention, information row 644 indicates that there are 41 items that occupy 100 MB in the document library stack. Information line 645 can be used to provide additional information about the selected file, and the like.

  The document library stack includes an “ABC Corp.” stack 651, a “backups” stack 652, a “business plans” stack 653, an “XYZ Corp.” stack 654, and a “marketing reports” stack 655. The numbers above each stack indicate how many items are in the stack. For example, the “ABC Corp.” stack 651 is shown to include eight items. The total number of items in the stack eventually becomes the number of items shown in the information row 644, which is 41 in the embodiment of the present invention as described above. A selection box SB that can be used by the user to select a desired item is provided. Selecting the “ABC Corp.” stack 651 provides a view of the items in that stack, as described below with respect to FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a screen display showing items in the “ABC Corp.” stack 651 in FIG. 10. Note that information line 640 and address bar 641 now indicate that the current navigation shows the “ABC Corp.” stack. The “ABC Corp.” stack 651 is shown to include eight documents 751-758, which correspond to documents 1-8, respectively. Information line 644 indicates that there are 8 items that occupy 20 MB of memory correspondingly. The document of FIG. 11 can further be arranged as a stack within an “ABC Corp.” stack. That is, within the virtual folder represented by the “ABC Corp.” stack 651, additional virtual folders can be organized to hold documents, as described below with respect to FIGS.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the stack function is selected for the document of FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the user can pull out the function box 760. The function box 760 includes a “view” selection 761, an “arrange icons by” selection 762, a “stacks” selection 763, a “refresh” selection 764, an “open containering folders” selection 765, a “cut” selection 766, and a “copy” selection 767. , “Undo” selection 768, “new” selection 769, and “properties” selection 770. The selection box SB is shown as being around the “stacks” selection 763.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the “stack by author” parameter is selected for the stacking function of FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 13, a box 780 with various stacking options is displayed. Stacking options include an “unstack” option 781, a “stack by category” option 782, a “stack by author” option 783, and a “stack by a user” option 784. The selection box SB is shown as being around the “stack by author” option 783.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the files in FIG. 13 are stacked by creator. As shown in FIG. 14, stacks 791 and 792 correspond to creators Bob and Lisa, respectively. As indicated by the numbers above each stack, Bob stack 791 contains two items and Lisa stack 792 contains five items. Item 758 (corresponding to document 8) was not included in the “author” stack because it did not have a creator. Stacks 791 and 792 illustrate that they can be organized at multiple levels, such as within “ABC Corp.” stack 651. Thus, a virtual folder can be formed at multiple levels, such as the “Lisa” stack 792 in the “ABC Corp.” stack 651 in the document library.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the “stack by category” option is further selected for the re-stacking function of FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 15, the selection box SB is around a “stack by category” option 782. Since some of the items are already stacked in the stacks 791 and 792, the selection of the “stack by category” option 782 causes the items to be restacked as described in detail below with reference to FIG. .

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the files in FIG. 14 are restacked by category. As shown in FIG. 16, stacks 793 and 794 correspond to the “XYZ Corp.” and “marketing reports” categories, respectively. Items 751 and 752, corresponding to documents 1 and 2, were not specified for additional categories and therefore did not enter any of the other category stacks.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which a physical folder quick link is selected. The selection box SB is shown as being around the “all folders” quick link 616. As described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 18, the “all folders” quick link 616 provides the ability to switch to a physical folder view.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a screen display indicating a physical folder. The physical folder shown includes the files of the virtual folder stack of FIG. That is, the items included in the stacks 651 to 655 in FIG. 17 are also included in some physical folders in the system. In FIG. 18, these are the “My Documents” folder 851 arranged on the computer of the present invention, the “Desktop” folder 852 arranged on the computer of the present invention, and the hard drive C: “ "Foo" folder 853, "My Files" folder 854 located on the server, "External Drive" folder 855 located on the external drive, "My Documents" folder 856 located on another computer, And as a “Desktop” folder 857 located on another computer.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the user can switch from the virtual file representation of FIG. 17 to the physical file representation of FIG. This allows the user to switch between virtual file representation and physical file representation depending on which is desirable for the current task. Various locations for the physical folders 851-857 also illustrate that the scope of the virtual file system may be relatively broad, as will be described in more detail below.

  FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 880 used by the user to manipulate the virtual folder directly. As explained in more detail below, the mechanisms provided for manipulating virtual folders are the ones currently used for manipulating regular folders (eg click and drag, copy, paste, etc.). It is similar. As shown in FIG. 19, at block 882, the system comprises predefined actions that the user can perform on the direct manipulation of virtual folders represented as display objects. At block 884, the user performs a predefined action. As described above, one example of this could be for a user to click and drag a virtual folder and copy its contents to another virtual folder. At block 886, the virtual folder and / or contents are manipulated as indicated by the action performed by the user.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which a new “West Coast” stack 656 has been added to the stack of FIG. The “West Coast” stack 656 was formed by a user creating a new category of “West Coast”. After the initial creation, the new “West Coast” stack 656 is empty and the number of items is zero. In the embodiment of FIG. 20, two items have been added to the “West Coast” stack 656. One way to add an item to the stack is to modify the additional category, such as selecting a particular item and adding the category “West Coast” to the two items as performed in the embodiment of FIG. Or add it to the category metadata for that item. This process illustrates that the category data is a metadata property for an item that is a type of ad hoc property. That is, this type of property has no implicit meaning and can be assigned any value by the user. For example, the category “property” can take any value, but the “author” property must be the name of a person. As will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 21, items can also be copied from other stacks to the “West Coast” stack 656 by click and drag (in this case, the item category is “West Automatically updated to include "Coast"). In this regard, FIG. 20 shows that the selection box SB is around the “ABC Corp.” stack 651 in preparation for a copy of its contents.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which a direct operation is used to copy a file from the “ABC Corp.” stack 651 to the “West Coast” stack 656. That is, as shown in FIG. 20, the user selects the “ABC Corp.” stack 651, and then, as shown in FIG. 21, the user clicks and drags the stack to “West Coast”. "It has been copied to the stack 656. Thus, the “West Coast” stack 656 that had two items in FIG. 20 now includes a total of ten items, including eight more items from the “ABC Corp.” stack 651. Has been. If an item from the “ABC Corp.” stack 651 is copied to the “West Coast” stack 656, this modifies the category description of the eight items to include the original “ABC Corp.” category. And modified to include the “West Coast” category. This illustrates some sort of direct manipulation that can be performed.

  Another example of direct manipulation is to right click on the item and select delete. In one embodiment, if the delete function is selected by the user, the user is asked whether to delete all items together or simply delete them from the current virtual folder. If only deleting an item from the current virtual folder category stack as described above, this can be done by deleting the desired category from the metadata for that item. That is, if one of the items copied from the “ABC Corp.” stack 651 to the “West Coast” stack 656 is then deleted from the “West Coast” stack 656, it will no longer include the “West Coast” category. This means that it can be done by correcting the category data for a specific file so that nothing happens.

  FIG. 22 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 900 for the system to dynamically generate new filter conditions. Filter conditions are used for virtual folder operations. Filtering conditions are essentially used as a set of tools to narrow down a set of items. In one embodiment, the filter consists of a metadata category and its value (shown to the user in the user interface as a clickable link or drop-down menu). Such exemplary embodiments are described with reference to FIGS. 141 and 142 below. The user clicks the filter condition to narrow down the current result set of items on the display.

  FIG. 22 illustrates a method for dynamically generating a filter. As shown in FIG. 22, at block 902, the properties (from metadata) of the items in the collection displayed on the current display are reviewed. At block 904, the proposed filter condition is dynamically generated based on the common properties of the items in the display. At block 906, the proposed filter condition is displayed to the user, thereby enabling selection to filter items. As an example of this process, the system examines the properties of a set of items, and if an item generally has “authors” as a property, the filter displays a list of authors that are the criteria for filtering. be able to. Then, by clicking on a specific Author, items that do not have an Author are deleted from their collection on the display. This filtering process provides a mechanism for the user to narrow down the collection of items on the display.

  FIG. 23 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 920 for the system to filter items based on selection of filter conditions. At block 922, the user enters a new filter condition or otherwise selects one of the filter conditions presented by the system. As described above, the filter conditions can be generated dynamically by the system or preset. At block 924, items from the collection displayed on the display are evaluated for whether the selected property matches the filter criteria. For example, if the filter condition is for an item for which “Bob” was the creator, the item is evaluated depending on whether its creator property includes “Bob”. At block 926, items whose selected properties do not match the filter criteria are removed from the collection displayed on the display.

  24-29 generally illustrate how the filtering process appears on the screen display. As described below with reference to FIGS. 24-29, in one embodiment, filtering may generally operate according to the following process. After the user clicks on the filter value, items that are outside the filter range leave the screen in an animated display. Animations are generally designed to reveal that items are being deleted and that no new items are added. When the return button 643 is selected by the user, the result of the filter operation is restored. In one embodiment, a navigation stack containing sequential filter actions is created and used to undo each of the filter actions when the back button 643 is selected. Each time a filter value is selected, the information area 640 and address bar 641 are updated to indicate the current filter value. In one embodiment, after a filter value is selected, the user is given the option to save a new quick link to the current filter navigation or create an automatic list as described in more detail below with respect to FIG. Once the filter value is selected, the filter control can be updated to be appropriate for the item remaining in the view.

  FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the stack of FIG. 10 is filtered according to the condition “AB”. As shown in the figure, in the filter area 621, the condition “AB” is input by the user. Information line 640 and address bar 641 indicate that the item in the display is currently an item filtered by the condition “AB”. As shown in the figure, the “ABC Corp.” stack 651 still contains 8 items, while the “Backups” stack 652 currently contains 3 items, and “XYZ Corp. The stack 654 also includes three items. Therefore, the information row 644 indicates that there are a total of 14 items that occupy a total of 35 MB of memory.

  FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the stack of FIG. 10 is filtered by the condition “ABC”. With respect to the filter condition “AB” in FIG. 24, the user simply enters an additional letter “C” to make the complete filter condition “ABC”. As shown in FIG. 25, information line 640 and address bar 641 indicate that the item on the display is currently an item that includes the condition “ABC”. The “ABC Corp.” stack 651 is still shown to contain 8 items, but the “Backups” stack 652 currently contains only 2 items. The “XYZ Corp.” stack 654 has disappeared because none of its contents match the “ABC” filter. Thus, information line 644 indicates that a total of 10 items occupying a total of 25 MB of memory are in the stack on the display. FIGS. 24 and 25 therefore show examples in which a user enters new filter conditions and examples in which those filter conditions are used to filter items displayed on the display.

  The back button 643 can be used by the user to reverse the filtering process. As described above with respect to FIG. 10, the use of the back button 643 allows the user to go back navigation. 24 and 25, after filtering according to the condition “ABC” in FIG. 25, the user can go back one step in the filtering process by selecting the back button 643; Returning to the state of FIG. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the return button 643 can clear all filter conditions and thus return to the state prior to the filter process being performed. In this case, when the return button 643 in FIG. 25 is pressed, the user returns to the state in FIG.

  In one embodiment, in addition to the back button, additional means are provided for the user to go back or modify the filtered navigation by some other means. This additional means involves allowing the user to access and modify the address bar 641 directly, which modifies the filter navigation. That is, by accessing and modifying the address bar 641 directly, the user can delete one or more of the applied filters or modify the value for any of the applied filters. This feature is described in further detail in commonly assigned US Provisional Patent Application No. 10 / 420,040 filed April 17, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference.

  A timer can also be used in connection with the user entering filter conditions as shown in FIGS. The timer is used to monitor input pauses by the user. After the selected no-input interval, the filter is applied. For example, in the state of FIG. 24, the user has already input the filter condition “AB”, and there is no significant time delay between “A” and “B”. After entering the condition “AB”, the user pauses and enters the state shown in FIG. 24 where the filter condition “AB” is applied. After some time, the user adds the letter “C” to complete the filter condition “ABC” and then pauses again, at which point the filter condition “ABC” is illustrated in FIG. Applied.

  In one embodiment, after the user enters a filter condition in the filter area 621 and then selects another filter or navigation, the navigation state is updated and the filter condition in the filter area 621 is again emptied. In addition, as described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 26-29, other filter controls can be updated based on the selection of several filter conditions.

  FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the filter condition “year 2002” prepared on the system side is selected. As described above, under the “by date” indicator 622, the year selection 623 includes 2000, 2001, or 2002. The selection box SB is shown to be around 2002, indicating that the user has selected it as the desired filter condition.

  FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a screen display to which the filter condition “2002” is applied. Also shown is another selection of “pick a month” selector 623A. As shown in FIG. 27, after applying the filter condition “2002”, the number of items in the stack is reduced. More specifically, the “ABC Corp.” stack 651 currently includes 6 items, the “Backups” stack 652 currently includes 8 items, and the “Business Plans” stack 653. Currently contains 3 items, and the “XYZ Corp.” stack 654 currently contains 5 items. Information row 644 indicates that there are currently a total of 22 items occupying a total of 50 MB of memory. Information line 640 and address bar 641 indicate that the item currently displayed on the display is an item that has been filtered to include the filter condition “2002”.

  FIG. 28 is a diagram exemplifying a screen display on which a list is displayed when selecting a month to be filtered. A box 950 containing a list of months is prepared. The box 950 is displayed on the display as the user selects the “pick a month” selector 623A. The selection box SB is shown around the month name “January”.

  FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the stack of FIG. 28 is filtered in January and further filtered by indicating the filter condition “day”. As shown in FIG. 29, information line 640 and address bar 641 indicate that the item on the display is currently an item filtered by the condition “January”. The “Backups” stack 652 is currently shown to include two items, but the “Business Plans” stack 653 is also shown to include two items. Information line 644 indicates that a total of four items occupying a total of 10 MB of memory are displayed on the display. If the user wants to further filter the results on a specific day, a “pick a day” selector 623B is provided. An exemplary calendar control 14400 from which a date or date range can be selected is shown in FIG.

  As described above with respect to FIGS. 24-29, filter conditions can be presented by the system or entered on the user side. Once a filter condition is selected, the remaining filter conditions presented can be updated (eg, after year “2002” is selected in FIG. 26, the option to select a year is no longer presented in FIG. 27). Instead, the “pick a month” option is given). As described above, the back button 643 can be selected by the user to go back through the filtering process. For example, after the month “January” is selected in FIG. 29, the user can select the back button 643 to return the filtering process to the year “2002”, as illustrated in FIG. The filter menu may further comprise a “stack by” function, which operates similarly to the “stack by” function described above with respect to FIGS. For example, a “file type” filter may have choices for “Excel”, “PowerPoint”, “Word”, and even “Stack by file type”. Selecting the “stack by” function switches the view to display stacks for various file types.

  In general, the filter can be configured to apply to different characteristics of the file or item. In one embodiment, the filters can be categorized according to different types, such as alphabetic indexes, discrete values, dates, and numerical ranges. Exemplary properties for an alphabetic index include: “file name”, “author”, “artist”, “contact friendly name”, “owner”, “document author”, “document title”, “document sub”, “document sub” "description". Exemplary properties for these discrete values are: “location”, “file type” (application name), “genre”, “track”, “decade” (musical), “rating” (musical), “bit” "rate", "protected", "document category", "document page count", "document comments", "camera model", "dimensions", "product name", "productX", "productX", "productX", "productX", "productX", "productX" ”,“ Document created time ”. Exemplary properties for the date may include “last accessed”, “last modified”, “created on”, “taken on” (image). An exemplary property for a numerical range may be “file size”.

  It will be appreciated that the user can narrow the list of items to find a particular item of interest by using the filters described above with respect to FIGS. As a specific example, the process described above allows a user to narrow down the current list of documents to display only Microsoft Word files that were created by a specific person and edited last week. . This feature allows the user to find a particular item in a list of multiple items, and the user does not have to manually scan each item in the list.

  FIG. 30 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 940 for creating a new quick link. As described in more detail below, a quick link is a predefined link that a user can click to create a user-selected view of a collection of items. In one embodiment, the quick link is considered a type of pivot. Quick links provide a mechanism for searching virtual folders. By clicking on the quick link, the user can navigate to the desired folder (just as the user clicks on “favorites” to navigate to the website). The quick link can be defined in advance by the system or set by the user. For example, clicking on “all authors” can return to a view stacked by the author. Clicking on “all documents” returns a flat view of all documents for all storage. Users can also create their own quick links.

  As shown in FIG. 30, at block 942, the user makes a selection on the display and indicates that a new quick link should be formed from the current filter condition or navigation. At block 944, the user gives a new name to the new quick link. At block 946, the new quick link is saved and the new quick link name is displayed in the quick link section on the display.

  FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating a screen display for creating a new quick link named “January Work” based on the filtering process of FIG. 29. As described above, in FIG. 29, the stack is filtered by the month of “January”. In FIG. 31, the user has instructed that the filtering process of FIG. 29 should be saved as a new quick link, and named the new quick link “January work”. Therefore, a new “January work” quick link 612 is shown in the quick link of the display. In forming a new quick link, the user is generally given an option such as “save this collection as a quick link”.

  FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the quick link “All Authors” is selected. As shown in FIG. 32, a selection box SB is displayed around the “All Authors” selection 611. Other examples of collections accessible via quick links include "all authors", "recipient documents", "all documents I've shared", "all documents I've authorized", "all documents ”,“ Desktop ”, and“ all types ”.

  FIG. 33 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which a list of all creators of the items in FIG. 32 is displayed. As shown in FIG. 33, an information row 950 is prepared, in which columns indicating the item name, creator, modification date, type, size, and item location are displayed. A list of Authors 951-954 is shown, which correspond to Authors 1-4, respectively.

  FIG. 34 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which “Author 1” is selected from the list of FIG. Author 1 documents include documents 951A and 951B, which correspond to documents 1 and 2, respectively. Document 951A is shown to be author 1 and was modified on July 11, 2001, is a Microsoft Excel file, occupies 282Kb of memory, and is obtained from the \\ server1 \ folder2 location It was done. Document 951B is shown to be author 1 and was modified on December 22, 2002, is a Microsoft Word file, occupies 206 Kb of memory, and is physically located in the My Documents \ folder1 location. Is stored. The locations of documents 951A and 951B also indicate that the virtual folder of the present invention can contain items from different physical locations, as described in more detail below.

  FIG. 35 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 960 for creating a new library. One example of a library is the document library described above with reference to FIG. In general, a library consists of a large group of available types of files that can be associated with one. For example, photos are one library, music is another library, and documents are yet another library. A library can include tools and activities related to a particular type of item. For example, a photo library may have tools and filters related to manipulating photos, such as creating a slide show or sharing images. As shown in FIG. 35, at block 962, a new library is created that should contain items with the selected characteristics. At block 964, the selected items are grouped into a library. At block 966, tools and / or activities related to the selected property of the item or other desired function are provided.

  FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which a collection of usable libraries is displayed. As shown in FIG. 36, the library includes a document library 971, a photo and video library 972, a music library 973, a message library 974, a contact library 975, and a TV and movie library 976, as well as all item libraries 977. including. All item libraries 977 are shown to contain 275 items, which is the total number of items from all other libraries combined. Information row 644 indicates that there are a total of 275 items currently occupying a total of 700 MB of memory. Note that document library 971 is the library described above with respect to FIG.

  FIG. 37 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 990 that defines the scope of a virtual folder collection or an automatic list collection. As described in more detail below, the virtual folder system can be accessed from multiple physical locations (eg, different hard drives, different computers, different network locations, etc.) to allow easy access to all items by the user. The item can be expressed. For example, a user is given music files from multiple physical locations on a single display and can manipulate them all at once.

  As shown in FIG. 37, at block 992, a scope is defined for the physical location from which the item is retrieved. At block 994, in response to the query, the item is retrieved from a physical location as defined in the scope. At block 996, all items retrieved by the query are displayed in a single view.

  FIG. 38 is a block diagram illustrating various sources that may form the scope of a virtual folder collection. As shown in FIG. 38, the system 1000 may include a current computer 1010, additional computers 1020, external and removable storage devices 1030, and a network location 1040. The entire scope 1001 is described to include all the physical locations from which the user's items are drawn to create a collection. The scope can be set and modified by the user. As described above, in other figures, FIG. 34 shows that different documents are from the My Documents folder on the server and the current computer, and a figure showing physical folders physically located in multiple locations. The item is illustrated as being able to come from different physical locations, such as 18.

  FIG. 39 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 1080 for including non-file items in a virtual folder collection. Non-file items are contrasted with file items that are typically located in physical file storage. Examples of non-file items include email and contacts. As shown in FIG. 39, at block 1082, the database is used to include non-file items along with file items that can be retrieved by the query. At block 1084, both non-file items and file items that match the query are retrieved in response to the query. At block 1086, both non-file items and file items that match the query are displayed on the display.

  FIG. 40 is a diagram illustrating a screen display showing various non-file items. As shown in FIG. 40, a plurality of items are filtered and narrowed down to those including “John”. These items are shown to include contact item 1101, email item 1102, and document items 1103 and 1104. Contact item 1101 and email item 1102 are non-file items. In the system of the present invention, such non-file items can be included with regular file items so that they can be organized and manipulated as desired by the user. As described above with respect to FIG. 2, such non-files can be completely stored in a relational database 230 that contains information about the properties of the file in some other way.

  In another aspect of the invention, a graphical user interface is implemented in which different types of filter controls are implemented. According to this aspect, metadata property controls corresponding to properties shared by multiple items are provided in list view mode. It will be understood that the above description applies to the following description as far as applicable and without specific reference.

  In the Microsoft Windows® XP brand operating system of Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA), the user is given a different view that displays on the display a list of folders and files currently identified in a tree structure. These views include a detail view, an icon view, a thumbnail view, a list view, and a tile view. Objects identified in these views can be sorted and grouped by a number of different metadata properties. FIG. 140 shows an exemplary screenshot of a detailed view in a Windows® XP brand operating system. In the detailed view, each row corresponds to a specific object and each column corresponds to a specific property of the object. Properties can be listed in the desired order. In this example, the properties identified from left to right include Name, Size, Date Modified, Date Created, Date Accessed, Author, and Type. Objects and their associated information are divided into two separate groups according to Type-HTML documents and Microsoft Word documents. The “Show in Groups” command is accessible by drilling down to the “Arrange Icon By” drop-down menu via the “View” drop-down menu at the top of the screen. When a property such as author is selected, object grouping is performed again by author. If grouping has not been activated, selecting a property will sort the objects by the selected property.

  Some aspects of the present invention are built based in part on the core functionality of the user interface of the Windows® XP brand operating system. Some aspects of the invention include an “arrange and filter” control that allows a user to filter the view using properties shared by multiple items. A user can easily add, change, or delete filter conditions from an address bar, such as the address bar 641 already shown in FIG. 24, by using the filter controls in some aspects, for example. . In one implementation of applying a filter control, the user can filter the view of the display object by disjunction “ORing” multiple values of a single property (eg author = “Bill” or “Bob”). ). In other aspects of applying filter controls, the user can reorder, group, or stack views of the display object by property.

  According to some aspects of the invention, the property header appears as a set of labels along the top of the list view in each of the view modes. This view mode can include any view of physical or virtual files including icon views, detail views, list views, tile views, and thumbnail views. Each of the properties in the property header acts as a property control and can be invoked by user selection, such as clicking on the property control to access the associated control function. There can be many properties available to the user. As such, it is considered practical to display a relevant subset of properties that are most useful to the user. In this regard, the set of properties displayed in the display header can be customized by the user, can be part of a predefined template, or can be a function of a query on the address bar. One way to select the set of properties to be displayed is based on the individual shell folder (ie, page) and by default customize the set of properties for each virtual folder (auto list), list, file folder, etc. Is possible. For example, the “Date Last Accessed” property is useful for a virtual folder named “Recent Documents” that shows all recently displayed documents, but it may not be useful for other virtual folders. In addition, the property can be deleted by changing the order in the property header or by, for example, drag and drop.

  141A illustrates a detail view property header 14100 according to an exemplary implementation of the present invention, and FIG. 142A illustrates another list view mode property header 14200, such as a tile view or a thumbnail view. As can be seen, the main difference between the property headers in FIGS. 141A and 142A is that the individual property controls in the header 14100 in the detail view are mapped to the column size in the detail view, whereas the individual headers in the header 14200 The property control of occupies only the area necessary to hold the property name. Below the property header is an area of list view mode (not shown) in which display objects (eg, physical files and folders, virtual files and folders) are displayed.

  Each property control in each header may comprise a split button that is divided into a main portion 14110 and a split portion 14112 as shown in the detailed view of FIG. 141B and the other list view modes of FIG. 142B. The split button state may be visible to the user when the cursor 14120 is placed over a portion of the property control or within the property header 14100, or may be visible when the property control is first displayed. it can.

  When the cursor 14120 is placed over the main part 14110 of the property control and selected (eg, clicked), the display objects are sorted according to the properties associated with the property control. In the example shown in FIG. 141B, the property is “Type” and when the main part 14110 of the property control is selected, the display objects are sorted alphabetically. Apart from that, you can view all physical folders, then all Microsoft Excel documents, then all Microsoft PowerPoint documents, then all Microsoft Word documents, then all virtual folders (automatic list), etc. . If the display object is sorted by property, the property control can visually indicate that the display object has been sorted by property. For example, a property control can exhibit a visual or other appearance such as a pressed button that can be distinguished from other property controls. If the display object is sorted by another property such as “Date” before sorting by “Type”, the property becomes the second sort condition, and the display object is sorted by date within the document type range. Sorted second.

  As shown in FIGS. 141C and 142B, placing the cursor 14120 over the property control split portion 14112 and selecting it will display an “arrange and filter” drop-down menu for the property corresponding to the property control. The “arrange and filter” drop-down menu provides various controls that the user can use to group, stack, or filter the view of the display object by properties corresponding to the property controls. The “arrange and filter” drop-down menu includes an alignment portion 14130 that includes a list of alignment commands and a filter portion 14135 that includes a list of filter conditions. The two lists can be separated by visual dividers as shown in FIGS. 141C and 142B.

  In the example of FIGS. 141C and 142B, the filter condition corresponds to the “Type” property of the item. The particular set of filters provided in the filter portion 14135 is a subset of possible filter conditions where at least one item in the view satisfies the filter condition. For example, if one of the display objects in the view is a photo with “vacation” as a keyword, “vacation” appears in the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu for the keyword property control corresponding to the keyword property. To do. It will be appreciated that not all filter conditions will fit in the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu. As shown in FIGS. 141C and 142B, a scroll bar control is provided, which allows the user to see other available filter conditions. It will be appreciated that items can be moved into and out of the view by operations such as drag and drop. Each time an item is added to or removed from a view, the particular set of filters provided in the filter portion 14135 is updated to account for the added or removed items.

  Filter conditions can be preset or generated dynamically based on property controls and evaluation of properties corresponding to items displayed in the view. FIG. 22 above and its accompanying description illustrate an exemplary routine for dynamically generating new filter conditions. The set of possible filters and their display order depend on how the items are classified by specific properties. In multi-valued properties such as keywork, each individual value can have its own bucket. Thus, if an item has the keyword “vacation; Hawaii; beach”, three independent buckets are filtered, one for “vacation”, one for “Hawaii”, and one for “beach”. Created for. The same process applies to grouping and stacking operations, which are described in more detail below.

  For property dates, assuming that today's date is Friday, November 19, 2004, the dates are: Long Time Ago, Two Years Ago, Last Year, 2004 January, 2004 February,. . . , 2004 August, 2004 September, Last Month, Three Weeks Ago, Two Weeks Ago, Last Week, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Two Days From Now, Later This Week, Later This Month, Next Year , Some Future Date. Other properties such as “Size” and “Type” may have the same bucketing as found in Windows® XP brand operating systems.

  According to one aspect, the list of filter conditions in the filter portion of a date related property (eg, date created, date modified, etc.) includes an additional filtering option, which is a filter called “Pick a Date” Can be placed at the top of the list of conditions. Selecting this filter condition displays a “calendar picker” control 14400 from which the user can select a particular date or date range. FIG. 14400 illustrates one example of such a control where the date “April 20” has been selected.

  Some properties, such as Filename, Comment, Description, cannot be split or bucketed. For these properties, there can be no useful subdivision that separates the properties into multiple separate buckets for grouping, stacking, and filtering purposes. In this case, the only option displayed in the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu is “sort”.

  Each filter condition in the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu may include a corresponding indicator that provides an indication regarding the number of items that satisfy the respective filter condition. As shown in FIGS. 141C and 142B, an icon 14138 is provided adjacent to the filter condition “PowerPoint” and represents a bundle of sheets. When other icons arranged adjacent to other filter conditions are examined, it can be seen that they also represent a bundle of sheets. However. The icon of the bundle of sheets changes in appearance and is dynamically generated, and the number of sheets stacked in the icon relatively represents the number of items satisfying the corresponding filter condition. For example, the icon 14138 indicates that more sheets are stacked than the icon corresponding to the filter condition “Email Message”, which is more sheets than the icon corresponding to the filter condition “Outlook Document”. Indicates that they are stacked. Therefore, there are more items that satisfy the filter condition “PowerPoint” than items that satisfy the filter condition “Email Message”, and there are more items that satisfy the filter condition “Email Message” than items that satisfy the filter condition “Outlook Document”.

  The filter portion 14135 can further include a check box control corresponding to each filter condition in the list of filter conditions. For example, the check box control 14140 corresponds to the filter condition “Illustrator Artwork”. Selecting the check box control next to the filter condition adds the filter condition to the current selection by checking the selected check box control, and the other in the filter portion 14135 of the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu. The check box control corresponding to the filter condition remains in the state before selection or deselection. Furthermore, by selecting a check box control, a live preview of the filter operation can be displayed in the area containing the display object. Therefore, when the check box control is selected, the items represented on the display include items satisfying the filter condition corresponding to the check box control. When no other check box control is selected, only display objects that satisfy the conditions of the selected check box control are represented on the display. It will be appreciated that selecting or deselecting the check box control can be performed in a variety of ways, including using a pointing device, keyboard input, voice input, and combinations thereof. For example, if the user holds down the <SHIFT> key, a range of filter conditions can be selected in a manner similar to that of multiple selections in a Windows XP brand operating system. .

  Referring to FIGS. 141C and 142B, each display object in the display area (not shown) is shown in the address bar (shown in the figure), for example, as described above with respect to FIG. The current query condition in (not). By selecting the check box control 14140, as shown in FIG. 141D, the check box control 14140 is displayed as a checked check box control 14140A, and only items satisfying the filter condition “Illustrator Artwork” are displayed. It is displayed on the display. A routine similar to the routine described in FIG. 23 can be used for the selection of a checkbox control when no other checkbox controls are selected, in which case step 922 of this scenario is a filter. Corresponds to selection by the user of a check box control corresponding to one of the conditions.

  After selecting the check box control, select the <enter> command, or issue the command outside of the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu by some other method (eg somewhere else on the graphical user interface) Clicking on a location closes the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu and applies the currently selected filter (s). Also, selecting a filter condition or an icon associated with the filter condition deselects the other check box controls, closes the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu, and applies the filter condition. In these cases, the address bar (similar to the address bar 641 shown in other figures such as FIG. 24) is updated to include the filter condition in the query.

  If a check box control is selected (checked), the selection of another check box control corresponding to the second filter condition will add that filter condition to the current selection. When you select an additional check box control, the additional check box control appears as a checked check box control, and only items that meet each of the filter criteria corresponding to the checked check box control are shown on the display. The Referring to FIG. 143, when the check box control corresponding to the filter condition “PDF document” has already been selected, the check box control corresponding to the filter condition “Excel Worksheet” is selected, so that the query in the address bar is displayed. The display is updated to include items that satisfy the condition and satisfy either of the filter conditions “Excel Worksheet” or “PDF document”. Thus, according to this aspect of the invention, a logical OR operation is performed when multiple checkbox controls, each corresponding to a respective filter condition, are selected from a single “arrange and filter” drop-down menu. The As described, selecting the <enter> command or issuing the command outside of the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu by some other method will close the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu. The currently selected filter is applied. In these cases, the query displayed in the address bar is updated to include a single filter that includes a logical OR combination of filter conditions. In the described embodiment, the filter added to the next segment in the address bar may be “Excel Worksheet, PDF document”.

  When the check box control is deselected, the check box control is displayed as unchecked, and items that satisfy the filter condition corresponding to the remaining checked check box controls are displayed on the display. If the check box control is selected (checked) in the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu, each checked check box will have the command “Don '” in the alignment part of the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu. It is possible to remove the check by selecting “t filter by <property name>”. Referring to FIG. 143, the alignment portion 14330 of the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu includes the command “Don't filter by Type” which, when selected, causes the selected checkbox control in the filter portion 14335 to be selected. Is deselected and unchecked. If there is no selected (checked) checkbox control in the filter portion, the “Don't filter by <property>” command is disabled and is dimmed as represented by the alignment portion 14130 in FIGS. 141C and 142B. Display.

  If the user closes the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu corresponding to the first property when at least one checkbox control is selected, the first property control will filter the view of the display object on the display. An indicator can be displayed indicating that it has been processed. Referring to FIG. 142C, symbol 14250 is displayed in a property control corresponding to property “Type”, indicating that the view of the display object has been filtered by property “Type”.

  "Arrange and filter" drop-down menu corresponding to the first property when the user selects the second property control from the property header to select at least one check box control corresponding to each filter condition Closing gives the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu corresponding to the second property control. In this case, the set of filter conditions in the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu is such that at least one item in the view can satisfy the filter condition for the first property control along with the filter condition for the second property control. A subset of conditions. This set of filter conditions may also include a filter that has already been selected from the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu associated with the first property control. For example, the user selects a check box control for the filter condition “PowerPoint” from the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu associated with the first property control “Type” and then the second property “Author” for the second property “Author”. If you select 2 property controls to display the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu for “Author”, the filter conditions “Hamlet” and “Horatio” both have “Hamlet” and “Horatio” respectively. Or, it appears if the creator is related to a plurality of “PowerPoint” files. However, if “Horatio” is not the creator of the “PowerPoint” file, “Horatio” does not appear in the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu. If “Horatio” and “Hamlet” are both appropriate filter conditions when the checkbox controls for each are selected, the view is logical operation Type = PowerPoint AND (Author = Hamlet OR Author = Horatio). It is updated with items that satisfy If the <enter> command is selected, the logical operation described above is applied and the address bar is modified to include the segment “PowerPoint” followed by the segments “Hamlet, Horatio” and the view meets the query criteria Updated to reflect the item. Generally speaking, values from different properties are combined with a logical AND operation when added to a query in the address bar.

  According to another aspect, if all property columns in the property header are not visible, the columns that do not fit on the property header are truncated and can be accessed through an overflow control, such as a chevron common to the toolbar. Selecting the chevron button displays a menu with truncated property controls. FIG. 143 shows an example where the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu is activated from the overflow property control. In particular, FIG. 143 shows the right end of the property header indicating that the chevron 14350 is accessible for additional properties. Selecting chevron 14350 displays two additional property controls corresponding to the properties “Author” and “Type”. The cursor is placed on the “Type” property control, the control corresponding to the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu is selected, and the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu including the alignment portion 14330 and the filter portion 14335 is displayed. .

  The alignment commands present in the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu are “Stack by <property>” and “Group by <property>” and “Don't Filter by <property>” described above. Including. In the example of the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu shown in FIGS. 141C, 142B, and 143, the property is “Type”. Thus, the alignment commands include “Stack by Type” and “Group by Type”.

  If the item in the view is not stacked by the property associated with the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu, the “Stack by <property>” command is enabled. Selecting the “Stack by <property>” command creates a stack of items in the view according to the classification applied to generate the filter condition. Thus, for the property “Type”, the stack is included in the list of filter conditions 14135 in the filter portion 14135 of the “Microsoft Word Documents”, “PowerPoint”, “Excel Worksheet”, and “arrange and filter” drop-down menus. Filter conditions can be included. An exemplary stack can exhibit an appearance similar to, for example, items 651-655 shown in the figure and described above in FIG.

  Furthermore, the “Stop Stacking by <property>” command can be used when the item is stacked by the property of the currently activated property control. Selecting this command stops stacking with the current property.

  If the items in the view are not grouped by the property associated with the “arrange and filter” drop-down menu, the “Group by <property>” command is enabled. Selecting the “Group by <property>” command creates a group of items in the view according to the classification applied to generate the filter condition. The appearance of the grouped items may be similar to the grouping in a Windows® XP brand operating system. Further, the “Stop Grouping by <property>” command can be used when items are grouped by properties of the currently activated property control. Selecting this command stops grouping by the current property.

  41 to 50 and FIGS. 134 to 135 are diagrams related to the virtual address bar corresponding to the information row 641 of FIG. 10 and formed according to the present invention. As will be described in more detail below, the virtual address bar includes a plurality of segments, each segment corresponding to a filter for selecting content. In summary, the corresponding filter of each segment represents a virtual address for selecting content.

  FIG. 41 is a block diagram of an exemplary network computing environment 1200 suitable for operating the present invention. The exemplary network computing environment 1200 includes a computing device, such as the personal computer 1202 described with respect to FIG. 1, for interacting with a user, the user being stored locally or remotely on the computing device. You can view the file. In the following description, the invention is described in terms of a personal computer, but computing device 1202 interacts with, but is not limited to, mini and mainframe computers, PDAs, tablet computers, and users, computing devices and others. Various types of physical devices, including files and other devices capable of displaying content stored in a location.

  The example network computing environment 1200 further stores files accessible from the computing device 1202 and is connected to the computing device via a communication network, such as the Internet 1206, as shown in FIG. One or more remote servers, such as a server 1204, may be provided. In addition, the computing device 1202 can further connect to other information sources that store files or other content, such as a remote database 1208. Those skilled in the art will understand that the files and information stored in both the remote server 204 and the remote database 1208, as well as in a local storage device such as the hard disk drive 166 (FIG. 1), are integrated file systems on the computing device. It will be appreciated that the computer device 1202 can be accessed as part of and can be displayed on the computing device 1202. Furthermore, although a particular configuration of the remote server 1204 and remote database 1208 is shown in FIG. 41, those skilled in the art will appreciate that this particular configuration is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention. You will easily understand that there is no.

  FIG. 42 illustrates an exemplary file viewer 1300 having a conventional address bar 1302 associated with displaying files in a computer file system, as found in the prior art. For purposes of this description, a file viewer is a view or window on a display device, such as display device 158 (FIG. 1), for displaying files or other content to a user. The file viewer may be a window corresponding to an executable program, particularly for displaying the file to the user. Alternatively, the file viewer can be used in an open or closed dialog box on an executable program that must save data to or retrieve data from a storage device that is connected locally or remotely to the computer system. Can be a view. It should be noted that the above example of a file viewer is exemplary and should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention.

  The address in the conventional address bar 1302 corresponds to a specific location in the file system. As already explained, to edit the address displayed in the conventional address bar 1302, the user must modify the address based on what is specifically known about the file system. Alternatively, the user can select an entry in the tree view 1304 and navigate to an alternative location. One skilled in the art will appreciate that other controls outside the address bar 1302 that are not shown in the exemplary file view 1300 are also available. The address displayed in the conventional address bar 1302 corresponds to a specific location in the file system, but related files that are distributed across multiple folders in the file system are associated with the conventional address bar 1302. Cannot be displayed in conjunction with.

  FIG. 43 shows an exemplary file viewer 1400 having a virtual address bar 1402 associated with displaying files in a computer file system. A virtual address bar 1402 with a virtual address 1404 is configured to display information similar to that displayed by the conventional address 1304 of the prior art file viewer 1300 of FIG. A virtual address, also called a virtual path, refers to a file stored in a computer file system according to selection criteria.

  Similar to a conventional address such as the address 1304 in FIG. 42, a file stored at a specific location in the file system hierarchy can be referred to in the selection criteria of the virtual address. However, in contrast to traditional addresses, virtual address selection criteria can also refer to files regardless of their particular file system location. Therefore, a virtual address can refer to a file stored in a plurality of locations in a computer file system including a physical location and a virtual location. As shown in FIG. 43, the file viewer 1400 may display additional files such as files 1406 and 1408 that are not found in the file viewer 1300 of FIG. 41 according to the virtual address 1404 in the virtual address bar 1402. it can. Furthermore, the virtual address bar 1402 can further be used to display content other than files in the computer file system. For example, the virtual address bar 1402 can be used to reference content including system devices, system services, or Internet locations.

  FIG. 44A illustrates manipulating the segment of virtual address 1404 to navigate through the computer file system. Each virtual address bar, such as virtual address bar 1402, consists of one or more interactive segments, such as segments 1502, 1504, 1506, and 1508. Each segment in the virtual address bar may correspond to one or more predetermined filters or selection criteria for all available content or files accessible from the computer file system. In summary, the filters for all segments in the virtual address bar 1402 represent the virtual addresses in the virtual address bar.

  The first segment in the virtual address bar, such as segment 1502, is called the root segment, or route filter. The root segment represents the broadest category of content that can be used for selection by the virtual address bar 1402. For example, the segment 1502 “Files” may represent a filter that references all files accessible from the computer file system. Alternatively, the root segment may represent a filter that refers to all system services available to the user on the computer system, or a filter that refers to all hardware devices installed in the computer system. One skilled in the art will appreciate that many other alternative route filters can be used in accordance with the present invention. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are given for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. In addition, the label displayed for each segment such as “Files” on the root segment 1502 is exemplary and should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention. According to an exemplary embodiment, the labels displayed on the segments are user configurable.

  Each additional segment in virtual address bar 1402, such as segments 1504, 1506, and 1508, represents an additional filter to be applied when selecting and displaying a file or content in file viewer 1400. For example, the root segment 1502 “Files” refers to all files available to the computer system. In segment 1504 “Document Library”, the file selected by root segment 1502 is filtered by selecting a file generated as a document by the user, such as through a word processor, spreadsheet, or some other document generation application. Segment 1506 “Word Documents” filters the files selected by segment 1504 according to a document generated using a word processor, such as the Word application of Microsoft Corporation. Finally, segment 1508 “Author A” filters the word processing document selected by segment 1506 depending on whether “Author A” was the creator. Therefore, content selected according to the virtual address represented in the virtual address bar 1402 must satisfy the filter condition corresponding to all segments in the virtual address bar.

  The segments in the virtual address bar 1402 are generally ordered from the most inclusive filter to the least inclusive filter. For example, as already described, segment 1502 “Files” is the broadest and most inclusive. Segment 1506 “Word Documents” and segment 1508 “Author A” are the least inclusive. Virtual address bar 1402 illustrates segment ordering from left to right, and segments 1504, 1506, and 1508 follow the root segment 1502 for purposes of describing the present invention. However, it will be understood that other orientations such as top-to-bottom alignment are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. As such, a left-to-right orientation should be considered exemplary and should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention.

  As already mentioned, the segments in the virtual address bar 1402, such as the segments 1502, 1504, 1506, and 1508, do not necessarily correspond to specific locations in the computer file system such as folders, drives, and directories. Therefore, a segment 1504 “Document Library” can refer to a file or content distributed on a plurality of servers, drives, or folders / directories. However, some segments within the virtual address bar 1402 can refer to specific locations with a computer file system hierarchy. A detailed description of a virtual address segment that references a particular file system location is given below with respect to FIGS. 48A and 48B.

  In contrast to the traditional address bar, each segment in the virtual address bar 1402 represents an interactive user interface element that can be acted upon. For example, a segment in virtual address 1402 may respond to user selection, monitor whether the cursor is placed on that segment for a specific period of time, and delete it from the virtual address bar by dragging which is a user interaction. it can. Thus, as shown in FIG. 44A, the user places the cursor 1510 over a segment in a virtual address bar 1402, such as segment 1504 “Document Library”, and selects or clicks that segment to that level. Navigate, that is, the virtual address can be truncated at that segment, as described with respect to FIG. 44B.

  FIG. 48B illustrates the result of selecting segment 1504 in virtual address bar 1402. The user has indicated that he wishes to navigate to that level in the virtual address by clicking on the segment 504 in the virtual address bar 1402. In fact, the user cuts off the filter after the selected segment. For example, by clicking on segment 1504 “Document Library” (FIG. 44A), the resulting virtual address 1404 no longer includes segments 1506 “Word Documents” and 1508 “Author A” (FIG. 44A). In addition, the resulting virtual address 1404 in the virtual address bar 1402 is more inclusive because the user has already navigated to a less restrictive set of filters. This includes adding documents in file viewer 1400 of FIG. 44B that are not yet visible in file viewer 1400 of FIG. 44A, including document 1512, document 1514, and document 1516, and because of area constraints, file viewer 1400 (FIG. 44B) is indicated by the presence of a scroll button 1518 indicating that additional files that cannot be displayed are visible.

  FIG. 44C is similar to FIG. 44A, but replaces segment 1508 with segment 1520. Segment 1520 includes two filters or selection criteria “2002” and “2003” that are logically combined and the results are displayed in file viewer 1400. A “,” between two filters or selection criteria is used as a logical operand. It will be understood that Boolean operators such as AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR can be applied. In the implementation of the present invention, “,” is used as the “OR” operator and meets all the previous filter or selection criteria (Files, Document Library, Word Documents) conditions and is created in “2002”. Or an item created in “2003” satisfies the logical expression and is displayed in the file viewer 1400. Two filters or selection criteria can identify items in a virtual or physical location. For example, one filter or selection criteria can identify items at a physical location, while the other filter or selection criteria can identify items at a virtual location. Any number of filters or selection criteria can be logically combined into a single segment, but for practical purposes, the combined number can be combined on the address bar to minimize user confusion. It would be better to limit the number that can be displayed. It is within the scope of the present invention to logically combine filters or selection criteria across multiple properties, but logically combine filters or selection criteria within the same property for organizational purposes, It is preferable to avoid user confusion that may occur.

  It will be appreciated that a logical combination of filters or selection criteria may appear in one or more segments in the address bar. For example, if a segment is added using “Author A” and continues after segment 1520 in FIG. 44C, the item displayed in the file viewer is created in “2002” or “2003”, and A is created. It is further narrowed down to the word document that is a person. When the segment “Document Library” is selected from FIG. 44C, the file viewer 400 shown in FIG. 44B appears, the segments “Word Documents” and “2002, 2003” are deleted, and the condition of the filter “Document Library” is satisfied. The file is displayed.

  In addition to selecting a segment in the virtual address bar to navigate to a less restrictive segment, if the user also wants to navigate or select the peer filter of the current segment in the virtual address There is also. A peer filter is an alternative filter that can be selected and applied to a given segment in the virtual address bar. For example, referring to FIG. 44A, the peer filter for segment 1506 “Word Documents” may include filters such as “Excel Documents”, “Journals”, and the like. Other types of filters including specific file system locations, hardware devices, or computer services can also be applied to a given segment in the virtual address bar. A peer filter may or may not be logically related to the current filter of a given segment. Each segment in the virtual address bar can have a peer filter. Choosing a peer filter for a segment in the virtual address bar is sometimes referred to as “navigating horizontally”. Selecting a peer filter for a segment in the virtual address bar is described below with respect to FIGS. 45A-45D and also with respect to FIG.

  45A-45D are pictorial diagrams illustrating selecting a peer filter associated with a segment of a virtual address in virtual address bar 1600. As shown in FIG. 45A, the virtual address bar 1600 has a virtual address that includes a plurality of segments, segments 1602-1608. In order to select a peer filter for a given interactive segment in the virtual address bar 1600, the user must perform an alternative selection or an alternative operation for that interactive segment. One way to make an alternative selection is to right click on a given segment. Right click is known in the art and means using a mouse secondary button, or other input device, but the secondary button is typically on the right side of the mouse. Apart from that, interactive segments can monitor when the cursor is placed on them, so you can place the cursor on the interactive segment and leave the cursor in place for a certain period of time, also called hovering. Alternative choices can be made. However, although alternatives for displaying peer filters are described herein, these are for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention. One skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many alternative means for generating an alternative choice.

  Referring to FIG. 45A, to illustrate selecting an alternative segment, the user first places the cursor 1610 over the segment 1604 “Document Library” for a predetermined time, ie, hovering over that segment. And select that segment. FIG. 45B shows a result of selecting one of the segments 1604 “Document Library” in the virtual address bar 1600. As shown in FIG. 45B, after alternatively selecting segment 1604 “Document Library”, peer filter 1612 is displayed indicating that the peer filter corresponds to the selected segment. It will be appreciated that the peer filter displayed in the peer filter view 1612 is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 45C, to select an alternative peer filter, the user places the cursor 1610 over one of the filters displayed in a peer filter view 1612, such as peer filter 1614, Select. As shown in FIG. 45D, after selecting the replacement peer filter 1614, the already selected segment 1604 (FIG. 45A) is replaced with a new segment 1616 representing the selected replacement peer filter 1614. In addition, the segments following the alternative 1604 segment 1604 in the virtual address bar 1600 of FIG. 45A, in particular the segments 1606 “Journals” and 1608 “All Documents in 2002”, are removed from the virtual address bar 1600 in FIG. 45D. Deleted. Thus, although not shown in the figure, files or content already selected according to segments 1604 “Document Library”, 1606 “Journals”, and 1608 “All Documents In 2002” will no longer be displayed in the corresponding file viewer. , Only files or content selected according to segments 1602 “Files” and 1616 “Picture Library” will be displayed.

  In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the user may wish to navigate or select to the child filter or selection criteria of the current segment in the virtual address. In the file tree structure, a parent node (or parent filter) has children represented by child nodes. Each child node is a child filter or selection criteria and further refines the parent node or parent filter or selection criteria. Each segment in the virtual address bar can have child filters or selection criteria. In FIG. 44A, segment 1504 is a child of segment 1502. Selecting a child filter or selection criteria for a segment in the virtual address bar is described below with respect to FIGS. 135A-135D and also with respect to FIG.

  135A-135D are pictorial diagrams illustrating selecting a child filter or selection criteria associated with a virtual address segment in virtual address bar 13500. As shown in FIG. 135A, the virtual address bar 13500 has a virtual address that includes a plurality of segments, segments 13502-13508. To select a child filter or selection criteria for a given interactive segment in virtual address bar 13500, the user can select a child control associated with that given interactive segment. Child controls 13503, 13505, 13507, and 13509 are associated with interactive segments 13502, 13504, 13506, and 13508, respectively. It will be appreciated that each segment and its associated child control can form a split button.

  One example of selecting a child filter or selection criteria is described with respect to FIGS. Referring to FIG. 135A, to select a child filter or selection criteria, the user first places the cursor 13510 over the child control 13505 for a predetermined amount of time, i.e., hovering over that control to place the child control. select. Other selection operations are possible, such as selecting a control by performing a left click operation on child control 13505. FIG. 135B shows the result of selecting the child control 13505 associated with the segment “Files” in the virtual address bar 13500. As shown in FIG. 135B, after selecting a child control 1305, a child view 13512 is displayed that includes a list of child filters or selection criteria for the corresponding interactive segment 13502 and a corresponding icon for the child filter or selection criteria. The This icon allows you to identify a specific type for a child filter or selection criteria, such as representing a virtual location or a physical location, and also a specific type of virtual or physical location . In this example of a child view, a split menu is displayed, with icons in the left column of the child view and child filters or selection criteria in the right column of the child view. It will be appreciated that the child filters or selection criteria and icons displayed in the child view 13512 are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention. It will also be appreciated that an icon can be displayed adjacent to an address type regardless of whether it is part of a child view, peer view, or something else.

  As shown in FIG. 135C, to select a child filter or selection criteria, the user displays a cursor 13510 with a child filter or selection displayed in a child filter view 13512, such as a child filter or selection criteria 13514. Place on one of the criteria and select the child filter or selection criteria 13514. As shown in FIG. 135D, after selecting the child filter or selection criteria 13514, the segment 13504 that follows the parent segment 13502 associated with the child control 13505 (FIG. 135A) is the selected child filter or selection. Replaced with a new segment 13516 representing the reference 13514. In addition, the segments following segment 13504 in virtual address bar 13500 of FIG. 135A, particularly segments 13506 “Journals” and 13508 “All Documents in 2002”, are deleted from virtual address bar 13500 in FIG. 135D. Thus, although not shown in the figure, files or content already selected according to segments 13504 “Document Library”, 13506 “Journals”, and 13508 “All Documents In 2002” will no longer be displayed in the corresponding file viewer. , Only files or content selected according to segments 13502 “Files” and 13516 “Picture Library” will be displayed.

  A segment can be added to the virtual address in the virtual address bar through various user interaction operations at the end of the existing segment. To add a filter to a virtual address in the virtual address bar, the user can operate an actionable control associated with a particular filter found on the window, or a file viewer with a virtual address bar. . For example, referring to the file viewer 1400 of FIG. 43, the user can click the actionable control 1412 “2003” to add a filter corresponding to the virtual address 1404 in the virtual address bar 1402. Alternatively (not shown in the figure), the user can enter a known filter at the end of the virtual address by entering the name of the filter. Many other ways of adding a filter to a virtual address exist and are all considered to be within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, it will be understood that the above examples are for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limitations on the present invention.

  When a filter is added to a virtual address in the virtual address bar, a process is performed that prevents the newly added filter from conflicting with a filter that currently exists as part of the virtual address. If a newly added filter conflicts with an existing filter, the existing filter is deleted. The newly added filter conflicts with the existing filter in the virtual address when the newly added filter is different from the range of the existing filter and is either wider or not wider than the existing filter . Furthermore, the newly added filter conflicts with the existing filter when the newly added filter and the existing filter are mutually exclusive. However, a newly added filter corresponding to an existing filter is not added because it has no effect. It will be understood that the above conflict description is provided for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention. One skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be other conflicts between filters that are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

  46A-46D are pictorial diagrams illustrating adding a filter to the virtual address 1702 in the virtual address bar 1700 and deleting the existing conflicting filter. FIG. 46A illustrates an exemplary virtual address 1702 displayed in the virtual address bar 1700. A new filter represented by segment 1706 “2002” is added to virtual address 1702 as shown in FIG. 46B. As described above, a new filter is added to the end of the virtual address, which is shown by placing segment 1706 “2002” at the end of the segment in virtual address bar 1700 of FIG. 46B. From now on, the process performed to add segment 1706 “2002” determines that the added filter conflicts with the current filter in virtual address 1702. Therefore, the existing filter is not deleted from the virtual address 1702.

  As shown in FIG. 46C, another filter is added to the virtual address 1702, which is represented by the segment 1708 “Author A”. The process performed to add this new filter determines that the new filter “Author A” will conflict with the filter represented by segment 1704 “Author A-F” because it is narrower than the existing filter. . Accordingly, the segment 1704 “Author A-F” is deleted from the virtual address bar 1700, and the segment 1708 “Author A” is added to the end of the segment in the virtual address bar.

  FIG. 46D illustrates the result of adding a segment 1710 “2003” to the virtual address bar 1700 of FIG. 46C. The filter in virtual address 1702 is restrictive and not cumulative. Each filter further restricts the selected content. Thereby, the mutually exclusive filter prevents selecting a file or content at the virtual address 1702 and thus causing a conflict. As illustrated in FIG. 46D, segment 1706 “2002” (FIG. 46C) is removed from virtual address bar 1700 because it is mutually exclusive with newly added segment 1710 “2003”, resulting in a conflict. .

  When the virtual address bar such as the virtual address bar 1800 (FIG. 47A) cannot display the entire virtual address because the size of the virtual address bar is limited, a part of the virtual address is displayed according to the size of the virtual address bar. . However, the undisplayed portion of the virtual address can still be accessed by the user. More specifically, the virtual address bar displays an actionable visual indicator that scrolls the virtual path within the virtual address bar. 47A and 47B illustrate an exemplary virtual address bar 1800 that displays virtual addresses whose virtual addresses exceed the display limit of the virtual address bar. As shown in FIGS. 47A and 47B, scroll icons 1802 and 1804 indicate the direction in which virtual address bar 1800 scrolls to display the previously undisplayed portion of the virtual address. However, although the exemplary figures illustrate the use of scroll icons, this is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many other ways to scroll through virtual addresses in the virtual address bar, all of which are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

  According to another aspect, when an overflow condition occurs such that the address bar is too small to accommodate all of the interactive segments including the address, the displayed interactive segment is the most specific. For example, referring to FIG. 47C, the wider interactive segment FILES is not included, but the most specific interactive segment is displayed on the virtual address bar 1800. Chevron 1806 is used as an overflow indicator to indicate that the adjacent interactive segment DOCUMENT LIBRARY has an ancestor that is not displayed. The chevron 1806 has a dual role in that it is used not only as an overflow indicator but also as a child control. As shown in FIG. 47C, selection of chevron 1806 yields a filter or selection criteria list 1812 including filters POWERPOINT DOCUMENTS, WORD DOCUMENTS, VISIO DOCUMENTS, and EXCEL DOCUMENTS for interactive segment DOCUMENT LIBRARY, An interactive segment DOCUMENT LIBRARY ancestor list 1808 containing FILES is also displayed. By selecting an ancestor or child filter from the ancestor or child filter list, the address bar is modified to display that filter and delete all subsequent filters. It will be appreciated that the chevron 1806 can be used as a control for displaying an ancestor list, and there can also be independent child controls.

  FIG. 48A is a block diagram illustrating a virtual address bar 1900 having segments that reference both a virtual location and an actual location in the file system. As already described, the virtual address in the virtual address bar 1900 can include a segment that references a particular location in the computer file system hierarchy, and can further include a virtual or logical in the computer file system. A segment referencing the location can also be included. The file or content referenced by the virtual segment can be distributed over a number of physical locations. The virtual address bar 1900 may include a segment that refers to a physical location and a segment that refers to a virtual location. For example, the virtual address bar 1900 includes a segment 1902 “Local Disk (C :)” that refers to a file or content contained in a particular area in the computer file system on a particular drive “C”. Alternatively, segment 1904 “Case Files” itself references files or content stored in multiple folders within the computer file system hierarchy associated with the case file. However, the segment 1904 “Case Files” combined with the segment 1902 “Local Disk (C :)” refers only to the case file on the local drive “C”. In addition, the segment 1906 “Contains'Fax” further filters the files that are on the local disk C: and that are associated with the case file according to whether they contain the word “Fax”.

  As shown in FIG. 48B, the virtual address bar 1900 can be configured to function as a conventional virtual address bar. For example, referring to FIG. 48A, placing the cursor 1908 within an empty area of the virtual address bar 1900 and clicking on it causes the virtual address bar 1900 to represent the virtual address as shown in FIG. 48B. Switching from segment display to functioning as a conventional address bar displaying a conventional address 1910. The conventional address 1910 in the virtual address bar 1900 of FIG. 48B approximates the virtual address displayed in the virtual address bar 1900 of FIG. 48A. However, filters in the virtual address bar 1900 of FIG. 48A that do not correspond to physical locations in the computer file system cannot be displayed and are removed from the conventional address 1910. In particular, segment 1904 “Case Files” and segment 1906 “Contains'Fax” are not part of conventional address 1910 (FIG. 48B).

  To reconfigure the virtual address bar 1900, which functions as a conventional address bar, to function normally as a virtual address bar, the user must indicate otherwise by clicking on an empty area of the bar. Don't be. When configured to function as a conventional address bar, the virtual address bar must allow the user to click on an empty area for address editing purposes. When clicking on an empty area of the conventional address bar, the editing cursor is placed at the end of the address / path for editing purposes. Thus, to reconfigure the virtual address to function again in the normal manner as described above, the user either presses a predefined key or key sequence such as the Esc or Tab key or other window or view The focus must be placed on other areas of the window or view by clicking on the area. One skilled in the art will understand that other user actions must also be used to reconfigure the virtual address bar 1900 to function again in the normal mode as described above, all in accordance with the present invention. It is considered to be within the range.

  FIG. 49 is a flow diagram illustrating a peer filter selection routine 2000 for selecting a peer filter for the identified segment in the virtual address bar. Beginning at block 2002, the routine 2000 detects activation of peer filter selection. Activating the peer filter selection process is described above with respect to FIGS. At block 2004, the segment for which peer filter selection has been requested is identified. At block 2006, a peer filter for the identified segment is determined from a predetermined list of peer filters. At block 2008, the peer filter is displayed to the user. At block 2010, the user's peer filter selection from the displayed peer filter is obtained. At block 2012, the virtual address is truncated by deleting the identified segment from the virtual address bar and additional segments following the identified segment. At block 2014, a segment representing the selected peer filter is added to the remaining segments in the virtual address bar. Thereafter, the routine 2000 ends.

  FIG. 50 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary add filter routine 2100 for adding a filter to a virtual address in the virtual address bar. Beginning with block 2102, the example routine 2100 obtains a filter that is added to a virtual address. For example, as already described with respect to FIG. 43, a filter can be added to a virtual address in response to a user action outside the virtual address bar, or alternatively, enter the name of a predefined filter Can be added directly to the virtual address bar.

  At block 2104, a determination is made whether the new filter conflicts with an existing filter that already exists before the virtual address. As already described with respect to FIGS. 46A-46D, the new filter may conflict with the existing filter by substantially narrowing or widening the scope of the existing filter. Alternatively, the new filter may conflict with the existing filter because the new filter and the existing filter are mutually exclusive. If, at decision block 2104, the new filter conflicts with the existing filter, at block 2106, the existing filter is deleted from the virtual address. Alternatively, at 2104, if the new filter does not conflict with the existing filter, or after deleting the existing conflicting filter at block 2106, the new filter is added to the end of the virtual address at block 2108. . Thereafter, the exemplary routine 2100 ends.

  FIG. 134 is a flow diagram illustrating a selection routine 2200 for selecting a child filter or selection criteria for an associated segment in a virtual address bar. Beginning at block 2202, the routine 2200 detects selection of a child control. The child filter selection process is described above with respect to Figures 135A-135D. At block 2204, the parent segment associated with the selected child control is identified. At block 2206, child filters for the identified parent segment are determined from a predetermined list of child filters. At block 2208, the child filter is displayed to the user. At block 2210, a child filter selection from the displayed child filter is received from the user. At block 2212, the virtual address is truncated by deleting the segment that follows the parent segment. At block 2214, a segment representing the selected child filter is added to the remaining segments in the virtual address bar. Thereafter, the routine 2300 ends.

  51-57 are diagrams relating to systems and methods according to other aspects of the present invention that improve the user experience within a shell browser. More specifically, systems and methods are realized that allow a user to identify an item relatively easily based on metadata associated with the item.

  Referring to FIG. 51A, window 2200 represents a screen-sized display area for a shell browser graphical user interface. Window 2200 includes a preview pane area 2202 and a view area 2204. Preview pane 2202 can include a preview control 2206, a user interface (UI) or edit control 2208, and a task control 2210. Typically, using preview control 2206, a user can obtain an image or other visual display of an item (eg, a selected file) to be previewed. The preview control 2206 can also present to the user controls such as iterator buttons that allow the user to shift focus from one item to the next by clicking the mouse button. Metadata corresponding to one or more items and / or metadata corresponding to item containers may be displayed at various locations within window 2200. For example, edit controls and metadata can be co-located within the edit control area 2208, so that the edit control area not only includes the display of key properties of previewed items, but also edits to the metadata. Present the user with options to do. Task control 2210 includes tasks related to namespaces and / or selections.

  For the purposes of the present invention, the terms “metadata” and “user modifiable metadata” exclude shell item names. The term “shell item name” refers to a property used for the purpose of sorting and displaying items in the shell browser. As described above, one unique aspect of the present invention is that the user can edit metadata within the shell browser.

  One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention contemplates the presence of optional features within window 2200. For example, preview control 2206 and task control 2210 are not essential features for the purposes of the present invention. In addition, other non-essential features not shown in FIG. 51A are also within the scope of the present invention, such as an iterator button that allows the user to open / close the preview pane or a toolbar that includes a show / hide button. is there. However, using these and other optional features, users can easily find specific items within the shell browser.

  View area 2204 comprises a list view of one or more items 2212, such as file system files or folders. The term “list view” means an enumeration or list of items in a container. “Item” and “shell item” can be used interchangeably herein to refer to files, folders, and other such containers, and other non-file objects that can be represented in a list view. Examples of non-file objects can include, but are not limited to, contacts, favorites, and email messages. The terms “shell browser” and “file system browser” can be used interchangeably herein and can be used by a user to navigate within various namespaces including files and other non-file items. Point to browser.

  One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention contemplates many possible designs and layouts for the window 2200. For example, the preview pane 2202 is shown above the view area 2204 in FIG. 51A. However, other layouts, such as arranging the preview pane 2202 and the view area 2204 side by side, are clearly within the scope of the present invention. The arrangement of the edit control 2208 is further independent of the arrangement of the displayed metadata, and is independent of the arrangement of any other controls. There are also many possible view types for the items shown in the list view area 2204 such as details, slideshows, filmstrips, thumbnails, tiles, icons, etc.

  FIG. 51B is similar to FIG. 51A, except that the view area 2204 is replaced with a view area 2214 that displays the item 2212 in the detailed mode. As is typical for shell items displayed in advanced mode, item 2212 is aligned in the left column of view area 2214 and one or more headings 2216 are arranged in the same row. Form the top row of a collection of columns containing metadata 2218 related to the corresponding item being. Importantly, the present invention contemplates that a user can explicitly change a metadata value to another value through instantiation of one or more edit controls 2208 somewhere within the window 2200. For example, edit controls can be provided in the preview pane 2202 and / or the view area 2214. For example, an edit control that is initially hidden from the user can be provided in the view area 2214. Such a control can be instantiated, for example, when the user hovers over metadata 2218 and then clicks to enter edit mode.

  Referring now to FIG. 52, a schematic diagram of the welcome pane 2300 in the shell browser is shown. The welcome pane is also referred to as the “empty selection” pane because it represents a namespace or container as opposed to selection. If the user has not yet made a selection, the preview pane 2302 displays the key tasks related to the metadata 2304 and the folder or shell library. If desired, the tasks can be divided into a premier task 2306 and other related tasks 2308. The welcome pane 2300 further includes a view area 2310 in which a plurality of files or other items 2312 can be displayed. The welcome pane metadata 2304 can include information such as properties of containers (eg, MyPictures), in which case the metadata display is static. Alternatively, welcome pane metadata 2304 can include information such as metadata sampling from each of the in-container items, where the metadata display can change frequently. For example, the metadata display can be limited to the properties of one item at a time with a cyclic display of items every 30 seconds.

  FIG. 53 is a schematic diagram of a selected pane 2400 in the shell browser. Contrary to the welcome pane, the selected pane represents a selection by the user. If the user selects a container or folder, the selected pane need not be the same as the welcome pane for that container or folder. In FIG. 53, the selected pane 2400 includes a preview pane 2402 that includes a preview control 2404, a metadata display 2406, and a task display 2408. Like the welcome pane 2300 (FIG. 52), the selected pane 2400 further includes a view area 2410 where multiple files or other items 2412 can be displayed. However, in FIG. 53, the user has selected one of these files. Thus, the preview control 2404 displays a preview image of the selected file, the metadata display 2406 displays the properties of the selected file, and the task display 2408 is associated with the action on the selected file. Displays a menu of tasks.

  FIG. 54 is a schematic diagram of the selected pane of FIG. 53, but also includes a context menu 2500 that allows the user to modify metadata within the shell browser according to one embodiment of the invention. The context menu 2500 of FIG. 54 displays several options for the user to change the selected metadata. The generic text shown in menu 2500 is, of course, only one example of the type of options that can be displayed to the user to edit the displayed metadata. The context menu can be displayed in any window, including the welcome pane, which improves the user experience. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention can support a number of different context menus. For the purposes of the present invention, one means of enabling user modifications to the metadata displayed in the shell browser is to display a context menu, such as the editable metadata context menu 2500. The user can invoke a context menu, for example, by clicking on the corresponding text or object in the preview pane.

  One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention contemplates means other than context menus that allow user modifications to the displayed metadata in the shell browser. As such other means, there is a method in which the user clicks on the metadata to enter the edit mode. In contrast, the user can enter edit mode by hovering over the associated text or object in the preview pane. Numerous alternative means are available and are within the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 55 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 2600 that enables a user to modify metadata displayed in the welcome pane within a shell browser according to one embodiment of the invention. Method 2600 includes displaying welcome pane and metadata associated with the welcome pane at 2602. Then, at 2604, the method provides control for user modification of the displayed metadata. If the user operates a control that modifies the metadata displayed at 2606, this method associates the modified metadata with the welcome pane at 2608 and the modified metadata is displayed the next time the welcome pane is displayed. To be displayed when.

  FIG. 56 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 2700 that enables a user to modify metadata displayed in a selected pane within a shell browser according to one embodiment of the invention. At 2702, the method 2700 initially displays a number of items, such as items in the welcome pane or items in the selected container. If the user selects one or more of the items at 2704, the method displays metadata associated with the item (s) selected at 2706. At 2708, the method displays controls for user modification of the displayed metadata. If the user operates a control that modifies the metadata displayed at 2710, the method associates the modified metadata with the selected item (s) at 2712 so that the modified metadata is Display the next selected item (s) when it is displayed.

  If the user selects multiple items at 2704, the displayed metadata can include the intersection of the properties of the selected item, the union of the properties, or possibly a new property associated with the selected item. . Alternatively, the displayed metadata can include a rotation sample of metadata from each of the selected items (eg, from one selected item's metadata to the next selected item's metadata). Cycle through the data every 30 seconds). The display of metadata resulting from the selection of all items may be the same as the display of metadata resulting from the empty selection.

  FIG. 57 is a block diagram of a data structure 2800 that stores user-modifiable metadata associated with items displayed in the shell browser. Data structure 2800 includes a title field 2802 indicating the name of the item. For non-file items, the title field 2802 may contain the name of the property used to order the items alphabetically in the list view. The data structure 2800 includes a user editable property field 2804 that includes one or more properties associated with the item being displayed, and the user editable characteristics are displayed in the shell browser along with the displayed item. Is displayed. Data structure 2800 may optionally include a read-only property field 2806 that stores read-only properties associated with the item being displayed that are worth displaying in the shell browser. Given the size constraints of the metadata display within the shell browser, the number of properties in fields 2804 and 2806 can be limited. Accordingly, the data structure 2800 can optionally include an “all properties” field 2808, which is a location that includes all of the properties or metadata associated with the item being displayed (eg, a property page). Stores a link or pointer to Of course, the “all properties” field 2808 may not be necessary if the fields 2804 and 2806 include all the properties associated with the item being displayed. Data structure 2800 may be stored on one or more computer readable media, such as in a file system or shell, thereby displaying a rich storage view within the shell browser and improving the user experience.

  In the present invention, many scenarios that are not possible with a conventional shell browser can be realized. In the first example, students can manage projects using the preview pane. When students get new documents as part of a project they are working on, they select the document creator name and project name by selecting them in their document library and using the edit controls. Can be entered in the keyword field. Then, a new document appears in the favorite view “Documents Grouped by Keyword and Listed by Author”. A second example of a new scenario that can be used with the present invention involves looking for materials for an upcoming advertising campaign. When an employee browses through a stock collection of his employer's photos using a shell browser, he selects a few images and adds a new keyword “Summer 2003 Campaign” from the preview pane. If updating the metadata for multiple selections, the employee can then pivot by keyword to display all of the “Summer 2003 Campaign” files that are grouped together. Many other scenarios utilizing the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  58-66 are related to systems and methods that extend the functionality of an object previewer in a shell browser that is configured to display a plurality of items that represent a plurality of item types. As described in more detail below, a shell browser with a default previewer and extensibility mechanism is provided. The default previewer has a standard level of functionality for multiple item types. By using an extensibility mechanism, functionality beyond the standard level provided by the default previewer for one or more of the item types can be used.

  FIG. 58 is a schematic diagram of a prior art graphical user interface for browsing images stored in a folder within a shell browser environment used to view other non-image files and folders. As mentioned above, the need to be able to easily identify items stored in a computing environment such as a PC increases dramatically. For digital images, the user has traditionally had to call a third-party software program to display a particular file on the PC. FIG. 58 illustrates a conventional solution, a filmstrip, that allows the user to more easily display an image associated with a given file within a graphical operating environment. Can be identified. The goal of the filmstrip view is to provide a quick and iterative process that allows the user to preview a resizable image of one or more image files in the folder, while viewing other folders when browsing a folder of images. It was to reduce the need to use software programs.

  FIG. 58 relates to a system for browsing images stored in a folder, where a series of folder images are used to display other non-image files and folders ( That is, it is displayed as a single line of thumbnails in the shell browser). Further, when the user selectively traces the thumbnail with the cursor, an enlarged preview image of the user-selected thumbnail is displayed. FIG. 58 is a diagram of a typical window on the user's screen. As shown, the window 3200 is divided into a plurality of areas including a header area, a task option area 3206, a preview control area 3202, a caption or comment area, and a filmstrip area 3204. The task options area 3206 includes a list of tasks that can be selected by the user to perform various operations related to managing files and folders, along with other system options. Some of these operations are specific to images in the filmstrip area 3204 and the preview control area 3202. A preview control area 3202 is a space in which an enlarged preview image of the user-selected image is displayed. This space can also include navigation icons to help the user repeat a series of images. Immediately below the preview control area is a comment area caption that can be used to display various text information. The filmstrip area 3204 comprises a space for displaying a single row of thumbnail images P1, P2, P3, and P4 of image files stored in a given folder. In addition, the filmstrip 3204 also includes a cursor for the user to scroll through the folder for image files. Note that the filmstrip area 3204 can include and display thumbnail images in a mixed orientation. For example, as shown in FIG. 58, P1, P2, and P4 are horizontally long, but P3 is vertically long.

  The user can select one of the thumbnail images, so that a larger preview image of the user thumbnail selected image can be displayed in the preview control area. In addition, in the user selection of a thumbnail image, the user can select and execute one of the tasks listed in the task option area 3206 for the selected image. By using the first control button, the user can preview each enlarged image of the thumbnail images in a given folder quickly and continuously by repeating in one direction. That is, the user does not have to specifically “click” each and every successive thumbnail image to preview the image. Instead, the user can go through the folder by simply repeatedly clicking the first control button. The second control button performs a similar iterative function, but only in the opposite direction.

  Referring to FIG. 59, a window 3300 represents a screen-sized display area for a shell browser graphical user interface. Window 3300 includes a preview pane area 3302 and a view area 3304. Preview pane 3302 can include a preview control 3306, an edit or metadata control 3308, and a task control 3310. Typically, using preview control 3306, a user can obtain an image or other visual display of an item (eg, a selected file) to be previewed. The preview control 3306 can also present to the user controls such as iterator buttons that allow the user to shift focus from one item to the next by clicking the mouse button. The edit control 3308 not only includes display of the key property of the item to be previewed, but also displays to the user a control for editing the metadata. Task control 3310 includes tasks related to namespaces and / or selections.

  One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention contemplates the presence of optional features in window 3300. For example, metadata control 3208 and task control 3210 are not essential features for the purposes of the present invention. In addition, other non-essential features not shown in FIG. 59 are also within the scope of the present invention, such as a toolbar that includes an iterator button or a show / hide button so that the user can open / close the preview pane. is there. However, using these and other optional features, users can easily find specific items within the shell browser.

  View area 3304 comprises a list view of one or more items 3312, such as file system files or folders. The term “list view” means an enumeration or list of items in a container. “Item” and “shell item” can be used interchangeably herein to refer to files, folders, and other such containers, and other non-file objects that can be represented in a list view. Similarly, “shell item” refers to an item in a shell library. Examples of non-file objects can include, but are not limited to, contacts, favorites, and email messages. The terms “shell browser” and “file system browser” can be used interchangeably herein and can be used by a user to navigate within various namespaces including files and other non-file items. Point to browser.

  One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention contemplates many possible designs and layouts for the window 3300. For example, the preview pane 3302 is shown above the view area 3304 of FIG. However, other layouts, such as arranging the preview pane 3302 and the view area 3304 side by side, are clearly within the scope of the present invention. There are also many possible views for the items shown in the view area 3304 such as details, slideshows, filmstrips, thumbnails, tiles, icons, etc.

  Referring now to FIG. 60, a schematic diagram of a welcome pane 3400 within a shell browser is shown. The welcome pane is also referred to as the “empty selection” pane because it represents a namespace or container as opposed to selection. If the user has not yet made a selection, preview pane 3402 displays metadata 3404 and key tasks related to the folder or shell library. If desired, the tasks can be divided into a premier task 3406 and other related tasks 3408. Welcome pane 3400 further includes a view area 3410 in which a plurality of files or other items 3412 can be displayed. The welcome pane metadata 3404 can include information such as properties of containers (eg, MyPictures), in which case the metadata display is static. Alternatively, welcome pane metadata 3404 can include information such as metadata sampling from each of the in-container items, where the metadata display can change frequently. For example, the metadata display can be limited to the properties of one item at a time with a cyclic display of items every 30 seconds.

  FIG. 61 is a schematic diagram of a selected pane 3500 in a shell browser. Contrary to the welcome pane, the selected pane represents a selection by the user. If the user selects a container or folder, the selected pane need not be the same as the welcome pane for that container or folder. In FIG. 61, the selected pane 3500 includes a preview pane 3502 that includes a preview control 3504, a metadata display 3506, and a task display 3508. Like the welcome pane 3400 (FIG. 60), the selected pane 3500 also includes a view area 3510, where multiple files or other items 3512 can be displayed. However, in FIG. 61, the user has selected one of these files. Thus, the preview control 3504 displays a preview image of the selected file, the metadata display 3506 displays the properties of the selected file, and the task display 3508 is associated with an action on the selected file. Displays a menu of tasks.

  FIG. 62 is a schematic diagram of a selected pane that is similar to the 3500 selected pane of FIG. 61 but with extended controls, according to one aspect of the present invention. Selected pane 3600 includes a preview pane 3602 that includes a preview control 3604 with expanded controls 3614, a metadata display 3606, and a task display 3608. Selected pane 3600 further includes a view area 3610 that can display a plurality of files or other items 3612. The user has selected one of the files 3612 so that the preview control 3604 displays a preview image of the selected file, the metadata display 3606 displays the properties of the selected file, and the task. Display 3608 displays a menu of related tasks related to operations on the selected file.

  Extended controls 3614 typically represent a level of functionality beyond that obtained from a shell browser. For example, the default preview pane or preview control as shown in FIGS. 58 and 61 merely displays a preview of the selected item. If the item is a word processing document or slide presentation, the default preview image can be the first page of the document or slide deck. However, by extending the functionality of the preview image and enhancing interactivity, the user can operate the expanded control 3614 very easily and can view the document or slide presentation page by page. This increased level of functionality improves the user experience, but it provides a more comprehensive view of the previewed item without opening it, for files that cannot be easily identified on the first page alone. This is because it is particularly useful.

  Extended controls 3614 can be made available to the user as part of an alternative previewer within the shell browser. The term “previewer” refers to a preview control or a preview pane that includes a preview control. The present invention provides users with a default previewer with standard level functionality for multiple item types and one or more alternative previewers with different levels of functionality for specific item types to enhance the user experience A shell browser can be considered. Start developing alternative previewers for independent software developers (ISVs) and other third-party developers to add value to the file browsing experience by showing relevant aspects of files in an easily identifiable manner wear. In the present invention, a number of file types, including but not limited to image files, video files, contacts, games, scanners, video cameras, document files, spreadsheet files, slide presentation files, graphic files, and tablet ink files. And consider non-file item type custom previewers.

  The present invention can implement many scenarios that were not possible with conventional shell browsers, some of which have been described above. Third parties are allowed to look at the file type and explain and demonstrate that file type by providing code that can provide a meaningful image that the user understands. For example, Apple may implement a QuickTime ™ preview control that is displayed when the user selects a QuickTime ™ file in the shell browser. This preview control is an operating system that includes functions such as displaying the first 5 seconds of a QuickTime ™ movie and / or displaying buttons and controls for the user to launch the QuickTime ™ player. It is possible to have an alternative or enhanced functionality level that exceeds the default previewer in the system shell. Alternative previewers for music files can have similar extended functionality. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the possibilities for the alternate previewer's extension are unlimited.

  FIG. 63 is a schematic diagram of a selected pane similar to FIG. 61, but also includes a context menu 3714 that allows a user to modify metadata within a shell browser according to one embodiment of the invention. Selected pane 3700 includes a preview pane 3702 that includes a preview control 3704, a metadata display 3706, and a task control 3708. Selected pane 3700 further includes a view area 3710 in which a plurality of files or other items 3712 can be displayed. One skilled in the art will appreciate that for the purposes of the present invention, metadata control 3706 and task control 3708 are not essential features. The present invention contemplates the existence of these features and / or other optional features that help the user to easily find certain items within the shell browser or to enhance the user experience in some other way. .

  The context menu 3714 of FIG. 63 displays a plurality of options to the user, including an option to select either a default previewer or an alternative previewer for the selected item. The generic text shown in menu 3714 is, of course, only one example of the type of option that can be displayed to the user to select a previewer. The context menu can be displayed in any window, including the welcome pane, which improves the user experience. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention can support a number of different context menus. For the purposes of the present invention, one means of enabling user selection of the previewer within the shell browser is to display a context menu, such as context menu 3714. The user can invoke a context menu, for example, by clicking on the corresponding text or object in the preview pane.

  One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention contemplates means other than a context menu for selecting a previewer for items displayed from a plurality of available previewers in the shell browser. As such other means, there is a method in which the user clicks the preview control to enter the selection mode. Similarly, the user may be asked to select a previewer by right clicking in the preview pane. In contrast, the user can enter the selection mode by hovering over relevant text or related objects in the preview pane. Numerous alternative means are available and are within the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 64A is a flow diagram illustrating a method 3800 that allows a user to select a previewer in a shell browser that supports multiple item types according to one embodiment of the invention. The method 3800 displays a plurality of previewers in the shell browser at 3802. These multiple previewers can include a default previewer for multiple item types and one or more alternative previewers for specific item types. These alternative previewers can include installed applications developed by third parties. At 3804, the method 3800 displays two or more previewer options for a particular item type to the user. The prompt to select the previewer is triggered by the shell browser (eg after displaying a new item type) and / or by the user (eg by clicking on some object to display a context menu) Can do. After receiving from 3806 an input instructing to select one of the previewers for a particular item type, the method 3800 associates the selected previewer with the particular item type at 3808. The selected previewer remains in use until the user selects another. However, when the selected previewer is an installed application, the use of the selected previewer is also terminated by uninstalling the application.

  FIG. 64B is a flow diagram illustrating a method 3810 for automatically selecting a previewer in a shell browser that supports multiple item types according to one embodiment of the invention. The method 3810 displays a plurality of previewers in the shell browser at 3812. These multiple previewers can include a default previewer for multiple item types and one or more alternative previewers for specific item types. These alternative previewers can include installed applications developed by third parties.

  At 3814, the system (not the user) automatically and transparently selects a default previewer from two or more previewers for a particular item type. The system can select a previewer in response to an event such as the display of a new item type or the presence of an alternative previewer. The system is configured to select a default previewer based on logical rules. Under exceptional circumstances, the system can override those rules at 3816 and make a decision to select a previewer that would not have been selected according to the applicable rules. For example, if the rule is to select a new available previewer over the current default previewer, the installed application will generally change the default previewer from the installed application to the currently available previewer. You can have permission to change. However, for example, the shell browser may reserve the right to override changes proposed by a newly installed application. For example, an override may be appropriate if a newly installed application cannot authenticate as the proper owner of the item type in question.

  In any case, method 3810 associates the previewer selected at 3818 with a particular item type. The selected previewer remains in use until another is selected. However, when the selected previewer is an installed application, the use of the selected previewer is also terminated by uninstalling the application.

  Referring now to FIG. 65, a flow diagram illustrates a method 3900 that enables a third party previewer to be used in a shell browser that supports multiple item types according to one embodiment of the invention. The method 3900 includes implementing a shell browser with a default previewer for multiple item types at 3902. The method 3900 further includes implementing an extensibility mechanism for third party development of an alternative previewer for at least one of the plurality of item types at 3904. An alternative previewer can be registered in the shell browser at 3906. For installed applications, registration can be performed substantially at installation time. For example, if the application is installed by an OEM, an alternative previewer can be registered before the user purchases the computer. Alternatively, the user can install the application locally or remotely.

  In 3904, there are a number of possible approaches to the extensibility mechanism referenced above. One such approach involves exposing a set of application program interfaces (APIs) so that independent software development companies (ISVs) and other third party development companies can develop alternative previewers. In the API approach, there is a registration mechanism that allows an ISV to associate a preview control with an item type owned by the ISV. When that type of item or file is selected in the shell browser, the ISV preview control is instantiated through this registration mechanism and an extensible API. The API sends data representing the selected item (s) in the view and data representing the parent container of the item in the view to the preview control. The preview control operates on this data and realizes a user interface displayed on the shell browser through the API. The user can make input with keystrokes and mouse events passed to the preview control that can operate on user input events by the shell browser.

  One skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many possible approaches in the context of the extensibility mechanism of the present invention. In addition to the API approach, similar functionality can be achieved through user configuration, pointers to HTML, or flash hosting. Further, the extensibility model may require that only one application that owns the selected item type has only one alternative previewer. That is, the number of available previewers may be limited to one default previewer and one alternative previewer in order to avoid degradation of the user experience where multiple registered enhanced previewers compete with each other. It can be done. However, with other models, an application that can handle the selected item type can include another previewer. In the alternative model, another previewer can be prepared for any item type in the execution code. Also, in some situations, it may be desirable to be able to replace or delete the default previewer. Many other models are possible and contemplated by the present invention.

  FIG. 66 is a block diagram of a data structure 4000 that is stored on one or more computer readable media and includes information indicating a plurality of previewers in a shell browser. Data structure 4000 includes a default previewer field 4002 that includes information indicating a default previewer that supports multiple item types. The substitute previewer field 4004 includes information indicating a substitute previewer for the first item type. The other alternative previewer field 4006 can include information indicating a second alternative previewer for that first item type, or can include information indicating an alternative previewer for the second item type. . One skilled in the art will appreciate that in some cases there is only one alternative previewer field, and in other cases there may be two or more alternative previewer fields. The selected previewer field 4008 includes information indicating whether to call a default previewer or an alternative previewer when an item of a particular item type is displayed in the shell browser. If field 4006 includes information indicating an alternative previewer for the second item type, the selected previewer field 4010 is displayed when one or more items of the second item type are displayed in the shell browser. May include information indicating whether to call a default previewer or an alternative previewer. Information stored in fields 4002, 4004, and / or 4006 may include a preview accord that is configured to execute when the user selects an object of that type.

^** Defining scopes with explicit exclusions: As described above with reference to FIGS. 37-38, a user or application can define a single scope that spans multiple physical locations . In accordance with exemplary aspects of the present invention, a user or application may further use an advanced user interface that removes ambiguities associated with tri-state selection controls to identify specific locations not included in the scope. , Excluding from scope can be defined. Accordingly, one or more aspects of the present invention can be used in software input controls where a user defines the scope, or range, of an item as affected by subsequent computer operations. Embodiments include defining the scope of software functions to be installed or storage locations to be searched. These are given for the purpose of illustration only two examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

  In accordance with an exemplary aspect of the present invention, referring to FIG. 67, in addition to providing a hierarchical selection tree 6703, the scope selection control 6701 is explicitly excluded items 6707 and explicitly excluded. A basket 6705 that identifies the item 6709 to be included. By using the scope selection control 6701, the user can quickly see which is included in the scope and which is excluded from the scope by examining the basket. The control 6701 further provides user detail controls at each folder level that specify what is included in the scope or what is excluded through interaction with the tree 6703. In various aspects of the invention, described in further detail below, the scope selection control 6701 can use different visual indications to indicate different states of inclusion in the resulting scope. By maintaining synchronization between the basket 6705 and the tree 6703, the user using the scope selection control 6701 can quickly switch between the hierarchical tree mode and the excluded basket mode of scope checking, and the existing for creating and modifying scopes. The controls can be greatly optimized.

  The operation of the scope selection control 6701 will be described with further reference to FIG. The scope was selected for inclusion by the user, either explicitly or implicitly, via the scope selection control 6701, excluding items that were explicitly or implicitly selected for exclusion by the user. It can be defined as a collection of resulting items. Explicit selection means that the user positively selects a particular item to be included or excluded. An implicit selection refers to a descendant of a positively selected item that inherits the inclusion / exclusion status of an explicitly selected ancestor. An item is said to be deselected if the user has not explicitly or implicitly selected the item for inclusion or exclusion.

  The hierarchical selection tree 6703 can include an expand / collapse widget 6803 next to each folder that has at least one subfolder, as is known in the art. By clicking on the expand / collapse widget 6803 or selecting in some other way, the corresponding node of the tree is expanded or collapsed. As described herein, clicking on other locations in a row or selecting in some other way can switch the location selection from the current scope. Double-clicking on a row can both select nodes for inclusion / exclusion and expand children by one or more levels. The user can also select the check boxes 6805a to 6805k corresponding to the selected item to switch the item status.

  If the user explicitly selects a row to be included, the scope selection control 6701 is a first that indicates that the item is explicitly included, for example by drawing or rendering an indicator or graphic on the display screen. A selection in the hierarchy can be indicated by displaying an inclusion indicator. For example, in FIG. 68, the user may have defined a scope of a search location for searching for the requested digital photograph. Check box 6805b indicates that “2003” is explicitly selected, which indicates that a picture was taken in 2003. The check box 6805b is checked, and the corresponding line can be highlighted. Thus, all files and folders contained within the checked folder are currently contained within the scope. If the explicitly selected folder includes subfolders, the control 6701 can automatically expand the subfolder to be displayed to the user by one or more levels.

  As a result of explicitly selecting “2003”, all children and descendants of “2003” are implicitly selected. The implicit selection of inclusion objects can be represented by presenting a second inclusion indicator that indicates that the item is implicitly included. For example, in FIG. 68, check boxes 6805c-6805i corresponding to all descendants of “2003” are displayed so as to include a thin check mark, and each corresponding row can be displayed in a thin highlight display. .

  If the user explicitly selects an item, it can also be added to the basket 6705 at the appropriate location, ie either included item 6707 (included) or excluded item 6709 (excluded). It is. The control is preferably able to maintain a one-to-one ratio between the explicitly selected item and the entry in the basket. For example, in FIG. 68, the user explicitly selects the folder “2003” as an inclusion target in the scope. In addition to marking the folder “2003” as explicitly selected in the hierarchy 6703, the control 6701 further displays a list of items that are explicitly selected in the inclusion 6707. There are currently no other entries in the basket 6705 of FIG. 68 because the user has not yet selected another location to include or exclude.

  In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a folder is selected implicitly even if the user originally explicitly selects that folder for inclusion or exclusion under certain circumstances. it can. For example, assume that a user first explicitly selects a folder Vacation. The Vacation folder is explicitly selected, and the Fiji and Europe subfolders are implicitly selected. Thereafter, it is assumed that the user explicitly selects the 2003 folder. The 2003 folder is marked as explicitly selected, and all subfolders including the Vacation subfolder are marked as implicitly selected. That is, whenever a user explicitly selects an item, all sub-items can be marked as implicitly selected, regardless of their previous selection state. However, according to one aspect of the invention, the fact that the user has already explicitly selected an item can be stored for later use. For example, the user recognizes that the 2003 folder has been accidentally selected at the first location and deselects the 2003 folder later. Each sub-item of the 2003 folder returns to the previous state, and thus the Vacation folder returns to the state that has been explicitly selected. If the user has finished editing the scope and wants to save the scope for later use, save the scope with each selection, or information about the selection that is not related to the final saved scope Scopes that do not contain can be saved. For example, in the above example, the fact that the user first selected the Action folder may be discarded when the scope is saved, but that is because the previous selection of the Action folder becomes the final saved scope. This is because it may not be related.

  Still referring to FIG. 69, when a user selects a folder for exclusion, the folder and all descendants are deleted from the scope. To select a folder as an exclusion target, the user implicitly selects the folder as an inclusion target and then explicitly selects it, that is, the user deselects the folder. If the user explicitly selects a row to be excluded, the scope selection control 6701 may indicate the selection in the hierarchy by displaying a first exclusion indicator that indicates that the item is explicitly excluded. it can. For example, in FIG. 69, the check box 6805f indicates that the “Ex-Girlfriends” folder has been explicitly excluded from the scope. The check box 6805f is marked with a non-thin X and the highlighted display of the corresponding line is deleted. Thus, all files and folders contained within an explicitly excluded folder are excluded from the scope. If the explicitly excluded folder contains a subfolder, the control 6701 can automatically collapse the subfolder so that only the explicitly excluded folder can be displayed to the user (without descendants). If the user subsequently expands a widget corresponding to an explicitly excluded folder, the offspring can be displayed with a second exclusion indicator to indicate an implicit exclusion.

  As a result of explicitly selecting “2003” as an exclusion target, all children and descendants of “2003” are implicitly excluded from the scope. An implicit selection of exclusion targets can be represented by presenting a second exclusion indicator that indicates that the item is implicitly excluded. For example, in FIG. 69, check boxes 6805g-6805i corresponding to all descendants of “Ex-Girlfriends” are displayed so as to include a thin X mark, and the highlighting of each corresponding row can be deleted. .

  If the user explicitly excludes an item, the item is added to an exclusion 6709 in the basket 6705, and each explicit exclusion can be explicitly indicated as a property of the included item (each exclusion is further , And can be stored as containment properties as appropriate). For example, in FIG. 69, the user explicitly excluded the folder “Ex-Girlfriends” as an exclusion target from the scope. In addition to marking the folder “Ex-Girlfriends” as explicitly excluded in the hierarchy 6703, the control 6701 further includes in the exclusion list 6709 corresponding to the folder 2003 explicitly included in the inclusion 6707. A list of explicitly excluded items can be displayed.

  If the user explicitly selects an item that is explicitly included, control 6701 interprets the explicit reselection of the item and changes the user's mind regarding the item being in scope Can be shown. However, instead of explicitly excluding the reselected item, control 6701 simply removes the explicit inclusion status from the reselected item and also removes any descendant's implicit inclusion. But does not mark the reselected item or any of its descendants as explicitly or implicitly excluded. These items return to the unselected state. Correspondingly, the item is deleted from the basket 6705, the check box corresponding to the item in the tree 6703 can be returned to its initial blank state, and the highlighting can be deleted. Thus, according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention, only items previously implicitly included can be explicitly excluded from the scope.

  Still referring to FIG. 70, the user can explicitly include items from previously implicitly excluded locations. In FIG. 70, the user includes a folder “Cyndy” in the scope because the user is still friends with Cindy who is his original lover, but does not want to include other original lover photos in the scope. Made a decision. After explicitly selecting the folder “Cindy” as the inclusion target, the scope selection control 6701 first shows the inclusion indicator in the check box 6805g and highlights the corresponding line. The implicit exclusion status of folders Ex-Girlfriends, Janet, and Karen is not changed because they are not descendants of Cindy, but rather are ancestors and equivalences, respectively. With explicit inclusion of folder Cindy, scope selection control 6701 adds the corresponding item to basket 6705 in inclusion 6707.

  In addition to interacting with the tree 6703, the user can also interact with the basket 6705 to view or modify the scope. The basket preferably displays the item name, location, and icon for each explicitly selected item (although different information can be displayed as needed). If the entire path of the item cannot be displayed due to the physical display size of the basket, it can be truncated, for example, “...” as shown in FIG. Can also be used). Alternatively, truncation can be performed in the middle of the path, as illustrated by the ellipsis in the middle of the path of FIG. In control 6701, the portion of the path to be truncated can be determined according to the desired algorithm. In one exemplary embodiment, the control 6701 displays the immediate parent first, displays the route (eg, C: \, D: \, etc.) second, and finally displays the full path, Alternatively, truncation can be determined with a priority of writing ancestors in the parent's order in the path until the allocated space is full.

  For example, selection of a folder in basket 6705 may cause tree 6703 to automatically expand and / or scroll to display the selected folder if it is not already visible in the current view of tree 6703. The tree can also automatically expand the selected folder to display subfolders of the selected folder. An explicit exclusion can be defined as a multi-valued property (MVP) of an explicitly included item, in which case it is added to the basket even if there are multiple exclusions corresponding to the same explicitly included item Rather, the other line is added to the exclusion corresponding to the explicitly included item. For example, the view of FIG. 71 occurs when the user explicitly includes the folder “2003”, then explicitly excludes the folder “Fiji”, and finally excludes the folder “Janet” explicitly. . When the user hovers the mouse pointer 7101 over an exclusion from “2003” in the basket 6705, the control 6701 can display the unomitted MPV 7103 so that the user can examine those exclusions. . If the user selects exclusion from basket 6705, as in the case of inclusion, control 6701 can automatically navigate tree 6703 to the selected item.

  When the user completes the definition or modification of the scope, the user can save the scope to the storage medium 22, 24, 39, 30, etc. for later use. Saving the scope is useful when the user repeatedly performs searches on the same scope while changing the matching criteria. When saved, the scope can be saved as an ordered list of explicit inclusions, with each entry in the explicit exclusion list having zero or more explicit exclusions as an MVP. Thus, the list can store all explicit selections by the user. However, if the user explicitly selects an item first and then explicitly deselects that same item, the item may not be included in the list (for example, wrong in the first place) Recognize that it was selected). In this way, the appropriate scope can be recreated based on the ordered list, and new folders that are descendants of items that are explicitly included or excluded each time the scope is used will be This is taken into consideration when reusing the scope.

  For example, according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention, the scope can be stored as an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file. The following XML illustrates a scope that identifies explicit inclusions and explicit exclusions, where each exclusion is stored as a property of inclusion, and the order is more dependent on the order in which the data is stored in the XML file. Retained.

  FIG. 72 illustrates a method for generating a scope using the scope selection control 6701 described above. In step 7201, the user explicitly selects an item in the tree 6703. In step 7203, the scope selection control 6701 determines whether the explicitly selected item is already set to be included in the scope. If so, the method proceeds to step 7209. Otherwise, the scope selection control 6701 of step 7205 determines whether the explicitly selected item is currently set as explicitly excluded from the scope. If so, in this step 7206, the scope selection control returns its status of the explicitly selected item to the parent status of the explicitly selected item. In step 7205, if the explicitly selected item is not currently explicitly excluded (meaning that the item is implicitly excluded or selected), the scope selection control of step 7207 Includes the explicitly selected item in the scope and implicitly includes all descendants of the explicitly selected item in the scope. Next, in step 7208, the scope selection control 6701 adds the explicitly selected item to the containment 6707 of the basket 6705.

  In step 7209, the scope selection control 6701 determines whether an already included item is already explicitly included or is already implicitly included. If the item was already implicitly included, in step 7211, the scope selection control 6701 explicitly excludes the explicitly selected item and implicitly displays all descendants of the explicitly selected item. To be excluded. Next, in step 7213, the scope selection control 6701 adds the explicitly selected item to the containment 6709 of the basket 6705 corresponding to the closest explicitly included ancestor of the explicitly selected item. To do.

  In step 7209, if an explicitly selected item has already been explicitly included, in step 7215 the scope selection control 6701 deletes the containment status for the explicitly selected item and explicitly selects it. Return all descendants of a given item to its previous state. In step 7217, the scope selection control deletes the explicitly selected item from the inclusion 6707, along with the corresponding exclusion 6709. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the behavior when an item is deselected can vary. For example, items that are explicitly included or excluded may not return to a deselected state if their ancestor is deselected.

  After step 7206, 7208, 7213, or 7217, in step 7219, the scope selection control determines whether a modification is still desired. This determination does not specifically require the user to make more corrections, but instead simply proceeds to step 7201 to make another correction, while the user selects “Save” or “Search” at step 7221. The button is selected to implicitly indicate that the user has completed the scope definition and that the computer 20 indicates to the computer 20 that the scope can be used for whatever purpose the user has defined the scope. It can be carried out. A scope can be said to be an ordered list resulting from an explicitly included item, including a corresponding explicit exclusion, defined by a basket.

  One skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more steps can be chosen arbitrarily, and that the steps can be rearranged to achieve similar results. Further, if the above description indicates that the scope selection control 6701 performs some action or makes some decision, the scope selection control 6701 is stored in the computing device 20 and executed by the processor 21. May be operating according to or under the control of control logic, such as software or hardware instructions.

^** List pane for static list operations: As described above with reference to FIGS. 51-66, shell browsers (also called file explorers, explorers, or file browsers) are files and non-files Can be used to navigate between items. Additional exemplary embodiments are described with respect to FIGS. FIG. 73 illustrates an explorer frame 7301 having a list pane 7303, a main view pane 7305, and a navigation pane 7307. The explorer frame 7301 may also include other features such as a breadcrumb bar 7309 (also referred to as a virtual address bar), a menu bar 7311, a search window 7313, and an information or preview pane 7315. The list pane 7303 may show similar behavior to the basket control 201 described above. Thus, the list pane is a simple in-frame module that can be used by the user to manipulate a collection in the context of the main explorer window, for example a static list.

  Thus, for example, the user creates a to-do list, opens the to-do list in the list pane 7303, and adds multiple items to the to-do list while browsing the system shell via the main view pane 7305. Thereafter, the list pane 7303 is closed, and the revised to-do list can be saved as appropriate. As another example, the user may select several photos stored across multiple folders that are displayed in sequence in the main view pane 7305, place the selected photos in the list pane 7303, and A collection of photos can be printed by selecting all photos in the list pane 7303 by selecting “print” from the menu or menu bar 7311. The user can close the list pane with or without saving the new collection of photos as desired.

  The user can open the list pane by selecting the “Window” menu in the menu bar 7311 and then selecting “List Pane” from the “Window” menu (not shown). The display status of the list pane 7303 can be switched by selecting “Window”> “List Pane” again, which is equivalent to “Window”> “List Pane”. In some embodiments, the list pane 7303 can be switched using a keyboard shortcut, eg, Ctrl-K. The act of the user selecting “Window”> “List Pane” from the menu bar 7311 or entering Ctrl-K via the keyboard depends on whether the user wants to create a new persistent static list or It may be ambiguous as to whether to collect a few items for the immediate task at hand and then close the list pane without saving the list. Thus, according to one embodiment of the present invention, when the user opens the list pane 7303, the objects in the list pane 7303 are stored at least temporarily. If the user closes the list pane 7303 without explicitly saving the static list, the contents of the static list are discarded. However, the user saves the static list and makes the static list permanent, for example, to reuse the static list later or share the static list with other users. Can do. In one embodiment, the temporary storage is LocalAppData \ Windows® \ Temporary List. wpl. Each Explorer window opened by the user has a unique temporary storage associated with that window for the purpose of storing the temporary static list until the user saves the static list positively as appropriate. be able to.

  The user can use the temporary list in the same way that other lists in the basket are used. Items can be added, deleted, reordered, etc. If list pane 7303 is open, the user right-clicks on any item in main view 7305 and selects a context menu (not shown) “Add to List Panel” or menu bar 7311. Can be displayed, which inserts the item as the new last item in the list in the list pane 7303. The user can also drag and drop items into the list pane 7303. However, since this is a temporary list (similar to “now playing” in Windows® (Copyright) Media Player), the contents of this list are either displayed by the user closing frame 7301 or list pane 7303. Discarded when closed. If there is content not stored in the list pane before closing the list pane 7303 or the frame 7301, the system can notify the user accordingly.

  If the user wants to save the temporary list, he selects title text box 7317, enters a name for the list identified by the contents in list pane 7303, and selects "Save" icon 7319. be able to. Selecting the “Save” icon 7319 invokes a common file dialog that allows the user to select a location to store the static list. Alternatively, the user can select a context (eg, right click) in the list background and select "Save ..." from the context menu to invoke the common file dialog.

  The user can also open the list pane 7303 by selecting “File”> “New”> “List” from the menu bar 7311, whereby the list pane 7303 is opened when already closed. . If the list pane is already open, selecting “File”> “New”> “List” causes the system to discard the items currently in the list pane 7303 and create a new temporary list. The new temporary list behaves as a list created by the user selecting "View"> "List Pane" and has the same persistence model (i.e. it is destroyed when closed unless the user first saves it) ).

  The navigation pane 7307 can include a list node 7321 that represents all static lists created by the user or stored at a particular location by the user. it can. The user can also create a new list by context-selecting list node 7321 and selecting “New List” from the context menu, so that in frame 7301, the default title is, for example, a plurality of default Open a list pane 7303 containing an empty list that is “New List” or “New List (n)” for which a new named list has been created. Optionally, in the navigation pane 7307, the list name of the newly created list automatically enters edit mode and / or the user can edit the list name in the title text box 7317 in the list pane 7303. it can. A new list is created in the default save location of a given explorer frame 7301.

  In accordance with some aspects of the invention, the list title may always be editable and a new name for the list in the list pane 7303 can be entered, so that the system can list the list on the storage device. Change the name of. If the user selects the “save” button 7319 for a list that has already been persisted (ie, the list has already been saved), the system determines whether the user has selected the “Save as ...” option. Can be performed as follows. In addition, when the user selects “File”> “New List” from the menu bar 7311, there may be no change in the appearance state of the navigation pane. That is, if the list node 7321 is currently expanded, a new list is displayed hierarchically below the list node 7321, although there is free space or can be displayed with alphabetical insertion. Assume that However, if the list node 7321 is not currently expanded, there is no noticeable change in the navigation pane 7307. When the list in the list pane 7303 is empty, the list pane 7303 can display a message that instructs the user how to create the list, for example, “Add files to this list by dragging the in here”.

  The user can double-click list pane header 7320 or select in some other way to close list pane 7303 and display the list contents in main view 7305. Alternatively, the user can open a new explorer window rooted at the list displayed in the list pane 7303 by double-clicking while holding down the Shift key. When the user selects the “X” (or equivalent) in the top right corner of list pane 7303 (not shown), it closes list pane 7303 without navigating within main view 7305. be able to. If a persistent list is edited in the basket, there can be an explicit save model, in which case when the user closes the list pane 7303 or explorer frame 7301 or navigates the list pane to another list, The system displays an explicit dialog box that asks the user if they want to save changes.

  Items in the list pane 7303 can exhibit behavior similar to items in the main view 7305. For example, clicking or selecting a given item in the list pane 7303 selects that item. If the focus moves between the main view 7305 and the list pane 7303, both the main view 7305 and the list pane 7303 will continue to reflect their selection state (no matter which pane the input focus is on, the soft Using selection state). However, exactly one focus has only one pane, which is reflected in the view as a visual clue to the user as to how the arrow keys work. When the focus is in the list pane 7303, the same selection and key are operated in the same manner as in the main view 7305, and all of them are selected by Ctrl + A and moved by an arrow key.

  Using the system described above, the user can drag and drop into and into the list pane 7303 so that the user can add, delete, reorder objects in the static list, And some other form of operation can be performed. When dragged to the basket, the system can display various visual cues to the user. First, the explorer frame can highlight the outer edge of the list pane 7303 to indicate that the list pane 7303 is an active drop destination. The list pane can also display an insertion bar (not shown) when there are multiple items in the list. As the user navigates through the main view 7305, the list pane 7303 remains rooted at the given list, and the user does not engage in a number of monotonous drag and drop operations going back and forth between windows. Navigating the file system within the main view 7305 provides an efficient and simple mechanism that can increase the contents of the collection.

  Still referring to FIG. 74, after the user creates and saves the list 7401, the user context-selects the persisted list 7401 to display the context menu 7405, selects the context option 7403, and selects the list pane 7303. By opening the list in, the persisted list 7401 in the list pane 7303 can be reopened. The user can select the list icon 623 in the list pane header 7320 and select the entire contents of the list currently being edited in the list pane 7303. The user can context-select (eg, right-click) list icon 623 to display a context menu 7405. As appropriate, the user can right-click icon 623 and drag to a new location to move the list storage location, or create a copy of the list at the new location.

  According to one aspect of the invention, a static list may have tasks associated with the static list, such as, for example, “Print photos”, “Burn CD”, “Make movie from video clips”. it can. In such embodiments, task selection can open a blank list containing task specific controls. Alternatively, if the user opens a static list that is already associated with a task, the list pane 7303 can automatically display task-specific controls depending on the particular task. The user interaction of the list pane 7303 is the same, except that there is a comprehensive optimized task that the user will follow while in task-based mode.

  Therefore, for example, FIG. 75 illustrates a part of the explorer frame 7501 before the user opens the list pane. The explorer frame 7501 includes a menu bar 7503 having task options 7505a, 7505b, and 7505c. Task 7505c specifically refers to burning a CD. Tasks 7505c and 7505b may mean, for example, printing a photo and creating a movie from a video clip, respectively. After selecting task 7505c, the explorer frame opens a list pane 7303 that includes integrated task-specific controls 7601, as further illustrated in FIG. In this embodiment, task specific controls 7601 provide the option for the user to write the contents of the static list to a CD or other optical media or storage device. In such a scenario, the system writes that the actual copy of the identified object is written to CD or other media, and that if the collection is a static list, a simple shortcut or pointer is not written to the object. Can be provided with logic to know. Objects identified by the list in the list pane 7303 can be written in the order specified by the static list, with annotations if applicable.

  The task-based list may also be temporary and may be destroyed when pane 7303 or frame 7501 closes, unless the user initially saved the collection as described above. After the user completes the main task (burn, print, etc.), the task control 7601 automatically switches to the “Save” button, and the task base list must be saved unless the user closes the list pane 7303 or the frame 7501. It can be emphasized again that you will lose.

  The list pane 7303 can be displayed in innumerable ways of displaying details, formats, and the like, with the above-described functions as they are, in countless ways. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the following description of exemplary views is merely an example, and does not limit the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Various modifications are possible depending on the artistic design, allocation area, and the like. In an exemplary embodiment, the view state of the list pane may display a tile that includes a 32 × 32 dot icon with two rows of corresponding metadata. The icon size can be locked as appropriate by the system and / or the user (thus pressing Ctrl while clicking the mouse can be disabled) or variable. The list pane 7303 can optionally limit horizontal resizing so that tiles are never displayed side-by-side, allowing the user to perceive the order of items in the collection by displaying a vertical order. Can be held easily. Also, the list pane preferably rearranges and displays items only in the order in the static list.

  Various additional optional features may be included in one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention. For example, if the user closes the explorer frame and the list pane is open on a named list (for example, a list with an explicit name and no temporary default name), the user When reopened, the list pane can keep the list that the user has viewed before. If there is a list in the list pane that should be temporarily destroyed when the frame is closed, when the explorer frame is reopened, the list is destroyed but the list pane remains open (empty) Can be.

  The list pane is preferably opened as the rightmost pane and by default can be opened to be 200 pixels wide. The cursor can change to a resize grabber when hovering over the boundary between the list pane 7303 and the main view 7305. The list pane can be resized to a minimum width, eg 33 pixels, and the list pane size preferably persists with every explorer frame. The list pane can further be resized to a maximum size, eg, large enough to allow the list pane to grow in the main view 7305 (eg, the list pane cannot be larger than the minimum size of the main view 7305). . One skilled in the art will also appreciate that the default size can be other than 200 pixels and that the list pane can be displayed in a location other than the rightmost pane. For example, in a system that reads right-to-left (rather than left-to-right as in most Western countries), the list pane can be displayed as the leftmost pane rather than the rightmost pane.

^** Preserved file preview representation: One aspect of the present invention is a system and method for improving the user experience when creating a file by providing the user with a preview representation of the file that is about to be created on the system. About. FIG. 77 shows an exemplary view 7701 as seen in the GUI when saving a file. View 7701 displays various indicia 7702 that represent files that exist according to the criteria used to generate view 7701. Such criteria may vary depending on user settings. For example, the view 7701 can be generated to display the contents of a given folder on the system. Alternatively, view 7701 can display all files of a given file type (eg, MICROSOFT EXCEL ™ Worksheet is shown in the example of FIG. 77). View 7701 is also obtained from a combination of criteria. For example, view 7701 may be a view of all worksheets belonging to a specific user, a specific project, or stored in a specific folder. Possible criteria are nearly infinite and include file size, creation date, edit date, project, owner, storage location, user, file name, etc. in addition to those already listed above.

  View 7701 represents a preview representation 7703, a ghost, which represents a file that is about to be saved on the system, where the ghost is the GUI location where a new file is displayed when the save operation is performed. To the user and identifies the location or view to be found when the new file is saved. In the example of FIG. 77, the file is not named and is therefore labeled with “Untitled”. Ghost 7703 may have a different appearance indicating that it represents a file that is not yet technically a stored file on the system. Appearance distinction can be a transparency or opacity setting, color, font, highlight, or other means of giving a different appearance. To prevent the user from losing tracking of the ghost 7703 (selecting a different folder where the file is stored) when navigating through different views, the ghost 7703 is always displayed in place in the view. Can be configured. For example, as shown in FIG. 77, ghost 7703 can be configured to be displayed as the first mark shown. The difference in appearance can correspond to changes that occur when a file is selected. For example, ghost 7703 can be selected by default, and its mark can have the appearance used in the system to indicate the selected object (eg, with the same distinction described above) be able to).

  The ghost 7703 can be treated as another mark in the view 7701. The user can select, highlight, modify, drag and drop the ghost 7703 as in the case of other marks. FIG. 78 shows an example of the view 7701 of FIG. 77, where a mark 7801 representing an existing file on the system has been selected by the user. That is, the mark 7801 can be given a distinct appearance and can have a different appearance from the ghost 7703. However, ghosts can include additional features that are not associated with indicia 7801 for files that already exist. For example, ghost 7703 can be associated with a unique context menu of functions and options that can be applied to files that have not been saved.

  Ghosts are not limited to GUIs and views where large marks are used. Conversely, they can also be displayed in other types of views, such as a list display as shown in FIG. In FIG. 79, ghost 7901 gives the user a preview representation of the file that is about to be saved (in this example, the file is named “Accounts Receivable”).

  The ghost can be incorporated into a system file panel or common file dialog GUI, such as the “Save File” dialog 8001, shown in FIG. 80, which can be shared by multiple applications on the system. In the dialog / panel 8001, a preview representation can be displayed showing how a ghost 8002 appears and how it will be displayed after the new file is saved. In this example, three views 8003, 8004, 8005 are shown, one view 8003 includes a MICROSOFT EXCEL® worksheet file mark and one view 8004 includes a MICROSOFT POWERPOINT® presentation. One view 8005, including a file mark, includes a MICROSOFT WORD (R) document mark. Ghost 8002 is displayed in first view 8003 because the file is currently set to be saved as a MICROSOFT EXCEL® worksheet. This setting is shown in the metadata portion 8006 of the display, where a set of metadata (eg, creator, file type, etc.) that is about to be saved can be displayed.

  The user can interact with the ghost 8002 to change the metadata of the file that is about to be saved. The user can drag and drop ghost 8002 onto a different view to change the properties of the new file to match the properties of the new view to which ghost 8002 is dropped. For example, if the file type is changed by clicking and dragging the ghost 8002 from the worksheet view 8003 to the presentation view 8004, the system automatically updates the metadata 8006 so that the new file is of type “worksheet”. It can reflect that the type is “presentation” instead of “”. Similarly, other changes to the metadata can be made by moving the mark. For example, if one view corresponds to an item having a first priority and the second view corresponds to an item having a second priority, moving the mark from the first to the second The document priority level can be changed to match the two views.

  Changes made to the metadata can also be automatically reflected in the ghost 8002. For example, if the user enters a different file name or type in the metadata 8006, the ghost 8002 automatically changes and / or rearranges to reflect the new metadata to make the title a new name. It can be changed and automatically rearranged to get the correct view based on the new file type (eg, view 8004 when the user changes the type to presentation). As in other embodiments, if the view shows the first priority and the priority is changed in the metadata, the indicia can be moved to a different view showing the document with the new priority. . In some cases, this causes the ghost to disappear completely from the user's current screen when the ghost 8002 is rearranged to a view or location that is not currently displayed on the screen.

  The “Save File” dialog may also include a “Save” button 8007 and a “Cancel” button 8008 for executing or canceling the save process.

  81A and 81B illustrate an exemplary process that may be performed when a file is created on a computing system. Step 8101 receives a request to start saving a new file, generates a ghost preview as described above, and displays the current saved file if the file was saved using the current metadata. It is possible to reflect how it is done. In the new file, the metadata can be automatically written as an initial value by an application requesting storage. The display can further include a display of editable metadata and can also include a preview thumbnail image of the file.

  At step 8102, the system can check to see if the user has changed the current view to fit the new file to the properties of the new view. Changing the view may simply refer to navigating in the display space, or changing the criteria for a given display, and by entering different criteria (eg, type *. request to view wav files), and / or GUI (eg, drag and drop a ghost into a new view, or just click on the folder mark to enter the folder). For example, if the user requests to display a different view of a file, such as a file of a different type, a different location, a different project, as described above, the process proceeds to step 8103, where the new view is a valid view of the file. It can be determined whether it represents a storage location (physical location or logical location). For example, the user may not have the privilege to save the file to a particular location or view, or the file to be saved is incompatible with other files in the new view (e.g. , The user changes the view to a spreadsheet view and the new file is an incompatible image file). As another example, a ghost from a common file dialog may be prohibited from being moved to a location outside the dialog. Changing the view does not necessarily change the properties of the new file. In some cases, the user has simply changed the view to display a different file without wanting to update the new file's properties to match the changed view's properties. Sometimes. For example, the user may only want to see what other documents exist for a particular priority without necessarily changing the priority of the stored file. If no such update of the property is desired when the view is changed, the process can move from step 8102 to step 8106.

  If the new location is invalid, the system can move to step 8104 and take action to alert the user that an invalid location has been selected. For example, the preview ghost can simply disappear from view. Further, a message can be given to the user. If this happens, the system can simply stay in this state until the user selects a different view that represents a valid location for the file. Alternatively, the user can abort the process, for example, by pressing a “Cancel” button 8008.

  If the new view is a valid location, the system can proceed to step 8105 to complete the change. This can involve repositioning the preview ghost to be displayed in the new view. File metadata can also be automatically updated to reflect the required metadata (if any) of the newly selected view. For example, if the user selects a new view of all files in a given project, the “Project” metadata property can be revised to reflect the new project.

  At step 8106, the system can check to see if the user has requested to replace the existing file with a new file. This can be done, for example, by dragging and dropping a ghost preview mark over an existing file mark. If this occurs, step 8107 can be taken to preserve the original set of metadata properties, for example, by saving them in memory. The displayed metadata properties are replaced by the properties of the replacement file and can reflect the fact that the new file has the same properties as the file it replaces. Saving the original properties is useful if the user changes their mind about replacement. Of course, dragging and dropping onto an existing file is not necessary and step 8106 can be skipped if such functionality is not desired.

  In step 8108, the system waits to see if the user performs a save process (eg, by pressing a “Save” button 8007). If the user performs a save process, in step 8109 the old file is replaced with the new file. The previous property held in step 8107 can be discarded.

  If the user decides not to perform the replacement process, such as by selecting the ghost again, the process returns to step 8110 where the ghost may be displayed in the previous state. The original metadata properties saved in step 8107 can be used to redo the initial value entry in the ghost preview metadata field. Alternatively, a new file can retain the properties of the file that should have been overwritten previously. This alternative means that the user can easily duplicate the entire set of metadata properties without having to enter them individually. For example, the properties of an item that should have been replaced (no longer replaced) can be retained as a “stamp” or a new default set of properties that can be applied to new saved files in the future.

  At step 8111, a check can be made to determine whether the user has edited the metadata property value using, for example, the metadata display area 8006. If the user is editing the metadata, the system automatically moves the ghost preview of step 8112 to a new location appropriate for the new property, and if necessary, updates the appearance of the ghost preview to create a new metadata property. (E.g., if the file type changes, select a different mark or revise the file name under the mark).

  In step 8113, the system can check to see if the user has requested that the save be performed, such as by pressing a “Save” button 8007. If the user has requested a save operation, the new file is saved in step 8114 and the ghost preview disappears (this time the new file is displayed as a normal mark).

  If the user has not yet finalized the save, a check can be made at step 8115 to determine whether the user has aborted the save operation, for example, by pressing a “Cancel” button 8008. If the user cancels the save operation, the ghost can be deleted at step 8116. Ghost property data can also be deleted from the system.

^** Explorer View Specialization: According to one aspect of the invention, an Explorer (shell browser) window (eg, as described above with respect to FIGS. 51-57) is used or navigated. Specialization based on data / files that can be improved, thereby improving the user experience when viewing files on the system. FIG. 82 shows a relationship diagram illustrating how different panels such as display areas in the Explorer window are conceptually related. In some cases, there may be a “Start” panel 8201 that can be used as an initial display area that is provided to the user to begin browsing files available through the system. The “Start” panel 8201 displays a different panel for viewing files, such as the Music browser 8202, Documents browser 8203, Pictures browser 8204, Computer browser 8205, or other browsers 8206 that the system and / or user desires. Functions can be prepared. Each of these browsers may be a top panel for viewing files that meet certain criteria. For example, the Music browser 8202 can display a list of files on the system that meet certain music criteria, such as audio music file types. The browser further uses different criteria, such as a Genre 8202a browser panel that displays files that meet one or more genre criteria, or a Playlist 8202b browser panel that displays files related to one or more playlists of a song. You can also have a sub-browser created. These panels can also display files that meet other criteria. For example, the Genre 8202a panel may display a subset of music files that are songs that include genre information, and may include a Rock 8202c subpanel that displays other subsets of music files that include rock and roll genres. it can. Any number of panels can be created that can accommodate the desired relationship and method of displaying file data. The Documents browser 8203 can comprise a separate browser for a particular type of document (eg, a spreadsheet), or documents related to a given project (eg, an XYZ project).

  Each available browser can be defined by a template stored in the memory of the computer system. A template can simply be a file that identifies the content of the view, the organization, the features to display, and the like. The template can also specify an actual file displayed in the browser view.

  FIG. 83 shows an example of the browser display 8301. This display 8301 can include one or more commands 8302 provided to the user. These commands can be in the form of command inputs such as menus, links, buttons, icons, or other indicia, and can be custom selected based on a template that defines the browser view. For example, if the browser 8301 is to display a music file, the command 8302 may be used to send a specific command that is meaningful for a music file such as “Copy to CD”, “Play”, and / or “Shop for Music Online”. Can be included. Of course, command 8302 edits the “File” command for file operations (eg, save and open a file) and the current panel (eg, create a duplicate panel or reorder multiple existing panels). It can also include commands associated with and shared by various browsers, such as commands for, and can also include a menu of commands. In addition to the presence or absence of commands, the command display 8302 can further customize the appearance of the display, such as color, details of user interface elements (color, size, positioning, etc.), ordering of selectable elements.

  Display 8301 may include a list panel 8303 that shows available browser panels. This list contains a list of all available views on the system and can be displayed in a nested menu / submenu format to save display space. This view range can be called page space. Alternatively, a subset of browser panels associated with the current panel can be displayed in list 8303, reducing page space. For example, if the current display 8301 is a music panel, the list 8303 can display Playlist and Genre view options, or specific playlists and / or genres with dedicated panels.

  Display 8301 can include a file panel 8304 that can store a list of files that meet the criteria set for the current browser panel. The file panel 8304 includes a mark representing the data file (such as an icon and / or text) and one or more properties of the file (eg, name, creator, file size, file type, project affiliation, creation / modification date, etc.) Can be included. These properties can be arranged in columns, etc., and can be rearranged and / or modified depending on what is appropriate given the criteria used for the selected display 8301. For example, the music browser can choose to display “Song Title” as the first property in the list and “Artist” and “Album” as the next property in the list, but in the browser for project XYZ, “Edit Date” can be displayed in the list as the first property, and “File Size” and “File Type” can be displayed in the list as the next property. Some browser types may want to omit unnecessary properties (eg, the “Album” property is not very useful for spreadsheet documents). Each browser display 8301 can have a customized array of files and associated properties. Column width, row size, mark appearance (eg, size, color, etc.), grouping, stacking, and other display properties can be included in this customization. For example, some browsers can display a file as a thumbnail (for example, an image browser does this), while other browsers simply display a file in a textual list of files and their properties. Only.

  Display 8301 can further include a preview panel 8305 that displays a preview of the contents of one or more selected files from file panel 8304. Also, a property panel 8306 that displays the properties of one or more selected files from the list view data 8304 may be used. The property details and / or amount displayed in the properties panel 8306 is greater than that displayed in the list view 8304. Display 8301 may also include other types of displays and user interface elements such as navigation commands, panel size setting commands.

  Each of the various parts of display 8301 can be implemented as a different software module. For example, a Commands module having a role of defining user interface elements that enter the Commands display 8302, a Listview module for processing display elements in the file panel 8304, a Preview module for generating the contents of the preview panel 8305, and the like can be considered. . These modules can expose an application program interface (API) to enhance interoperability with other applications, such as a given view, its location, its size criteria, etc. Parameters can be assigned. Separate modules can simplify the process of defining new panels with different layouts and arrangements.

  Further, each browser display 8301 may have a difference other than simply putting different contents in the display area. For example, each browser may have its own customized array of display areas, thereby resizing / adding / deleting specific areas based on specific browser criteria and / or content be able to. For example, the music browser may want to discard the preview panel 8305 and prepare a music command (for example, play, pause, cue, add to playlist, burn to CD, etc.) in the command area 8302. Other display areas can be rearranged and / or resized to take advantage of the space already occupied by the preview panel. The specific layout of the browser can be set by a template that defines a browser view, for example. For example, FIG. 84 illustrates one embodiment of different browsers 8401 having elements arranged in different ways. In that embodiment, the list of available browser views 8402 has been expanded to occupy the space abandoned by the preview panel. Another difference is that each browser view can have its own display theme, such as a watermark pattern, color theme, font, etc., thereby making it more distinguishable from other views on the system. Context menus (eg, available commands, text, etc.), user interface behavior, left / right mouse click default commands, and other display / interaction attributes may also vary from browser to browser.

  FIG. 85 illustrates an exemplary process for displaying various browsers. At step 8501, the system may receive one or more criteria that define the view to display. The sources of these standards vary. For example, the user may have selected a predefined template for display, but the system simply receives the selection (or criteria associated with the template). Alternatively, the system can receive new view criteria, such as a new view based on a keyword search using keywords provided by the user.

  In step 8502, the criteria can be used to identify various files on the system that should be included in the browser display that meet or match the criteria. These files can be identified through a search of the system's memory, or simply from the template information if the files to be listed in the template have already been identified.

  Once the file is shown, the system can assemble a specific browser view or panel at step 8503. Assembling the panel can include referencing a predefined template to determine the various elements / modules required within the panel. In some cases, the panel will have a criterion if the file identified for display meets a different set of criteria than the one set for the template, or the identified file is more refined. It can be further customized and / or modified if it is suitable for display with a different template. For example, if the user requests a browser for all files associated with a given project, such as XYZ Project, the system can be expected to display a project browser panel. Such a panel may be defined with the possibility that a project contains multiple types of files and has multiple independent display areas for separating files based on file type. However, if a particular project happens to provide just a certain type of file, the system can dynamically customize the browser panel for the current display. Further customized panels may have extended command options applicable to that file type, or delete display areas and / or elements that would otherwise be used to display other types of files Can do. The browser view can be dynamically modified based on the features of the file that meet the criteria used to set the panel. Other types of custom assembly can also be performed. The browser can adjust the panel according to the number of displayed files and transfer a part of the screen space of the first display area to a different display area (for example, the displayed list view is small, The property area that appears is larger). The browser can adjust the panel based on the search criteria used to identify the file to display (eg, incorporate the criteria into a given portion of the display, or return the results to that criteria, and the file's Can be arranged based on the degree of match).

  At step 8504, a browser view can be generated on a display device associated with the computer system. Then, in step 8505, the system can check to see if the user has performed an interaction with the browser view or provided input to the browser view. User interaction may include editing text, navigating in the page space by selecting different views, and / or interacting with displayed elements on the browser. If the user provided input, at step 8506, the system can revise the browser accordingly. Revisions to the browser can include one or more deletions, additions, or modifications of displayed elements in the browser view, which can result in dramatically different displays. For example, when a user displays a Music browser view, one of the music files is selected and a request is made to display the Project browser for the project associated with the selected music file—the Project browser is fully Can have different display formats. The browser display can be dynamically modified to add and / or remove the functions described above, so that the browser interface can provide the user with a high level of information depending on the situation.

  When changing or revising a particular browser, the system can provide a visual effect that makes the transition appear smooth. For example, use animation to show the repositioning of display elements, use fading to show element additions / deletions, and use morphing effects to show how one element changes to the other. Can do. Different views are possible, but the user (or system or application) will have a browser view with multiple features (eg display elements, available commands, menus) or formats to minimize user confusion It can also be specified not to change in.

  In step 8507, which is executed after step 8506 or if there is no input from the user in step 8505, the system checks to see if the browser is closed or closed, and if so, this browser The browser process for can be terminated. If not, the process can return to step 8505 to wait for further user input.

  FIG. 86 is an exemplary diagram illustrating logical relationships that may exist in the system to generate the various browser views described above. Browser views are typically managed by the underlying operating system (eg, the Managed 8601 group on the left of FIG. 86) or managed by the operating system so that individual post-installation applications can control the view. It can be unmanaged (for example, Unmanaged 8602 group on the right of FIG. 86). The system can define a basic overall view frame 8603, which can define aspects common to multiple views. For example, the basic view frame 8603 of the system can include a preview pane, a left pane, and a task pane. The basic configuration can be passed to the unmanaged browser application 8604 (eg, as a data structure), which causes a default view routine 8605 to be called to generate the desired default browser view for the browser application 8604. it can. The application can include a subroutine 8606 that is used to launch a browser view, which routine 8606 stores managed data that stores a page description 8607 that defines the view to be generated for that particular browser application 8604. You can access the structure.

  Page description 8607 may include a reference to browser page structure 8608. The browser page 8608 structure can include various properties that ultimately define the view. For example, there may be a view property 8609 that defines the basic attributes to be included in this view (these attributes may be the same preview pane, left pane, and task pane in the basic view frame 8603). The page 8608 can also have a data source property 8610 that can identify the location from which to get data that enters a particular view as an initial value. For example, source 8610 can include a static list of data. Page 8608 can also include command properties 8611, which can identify various commands supported by the view. Each command can be implemented by a separate application and / or routine and can include commands for handling preview pane tasks, context menu options, and the like. Of course, the above is just one example of managing and implementing various browser views.

  In the above description, it is called “browser”, but the functions described herein need not be limited to the system shell browser. An application that wants to display a customized view of a data file can utilize the functionality described herein.

  Other embodiments and implementations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the specification, including the drawings. For example, the various steps of the described process can be rearranged, modified, and / or deleted as necessary to implement a selected subset of the functions described herein. . In addition, in the above, references to some features found in one or more “aspects” or “embodiments” of the “invention” are conveniently used alone or in combination with other concepts. This is done to illustrate the various concepts that can be used, and it is implied that there is only one inventive concept in the specification, or that all the functions described are claimed in any of the claims. It should not be interpreted as. Rather, each of the claims exists as a separate and distinct invention and should not be construed as having any more limitations than those referred to.

^** Page space control: A vast amount of information is stored on and / or available through computer systems and networks, and this information can be used by computer users for a variety of different purposes can do. A computer can provide such a vast amount of information to the user, but the information is valuable and useful to the user only if the user can reliably identify and retrieve the desired information from the system or network. Stored information is worthless to the user if it cannot be easily identified and / or retrieved without incurring substantial search time, effort, and / or frustration. . Thus, various aspects of the invention are for storing, retrieving, navigating, and / or retrieving electronic information that is within a computing system and / or network and is available through the computing system and / or network. Systems, methods, and computer-readable media. This section is divided into several sections to help the reader. These sections consist of terms, an overview of various aspects of the invention, examples of systems, methods, and computer-readable media according to the invention, and conclusions.

  Page Space Controls: Terminology: The following terms may be used in this section and throughout this specification, and unless otherwise noted or apparent from context, these terms have the meanings given below: .

  “Hierarchical property” —a type property whose value can contain an ordered collection that categorizes a unique string. Each string can be unique, for example, by the path to which it is specified, and this path can further be used to define the category to which each property value belongs.

  “Parent property value” —a property value having one or more possible child property values.

  “Child property value” —a property value that is a child of another property value.

  “Auto List” —A list of files or other data resulting from a query of information across a fixed scope that matches a preselected set of filter criteria. Examples of the “automatic list” include, but are not limited to, file creation dates, file creation time, last edit date, last edit time, file rating data, file author list, last use = last use = last use = last use = Including. A “navigation panel” as described below may include one or more “automatic lists”.

  "List"-a shortcut or "link" to an automatic list, file, file collection, folder, etc. A “navigation panel” as described below may include one or more “lists”.

  "Page"-a specific folder, virtual folder, list, auto list, etc. A “page” can constitute one node in a hierarchical table of destinations to which a user can navigate, for example by selecting an item from a menu, a navigation tool according to the present invention, and the like. The listing of individual “pages” or “pages” at various levels within a storage system and / or available through a computer system or network, as described in more detail below, and / or navigation panels and / or It can be displayed in the display panel.

  “Computer-readable medium” —A usable medium that is accessible to a user on a computer system. For example, without limitation, “computer-readable media” may include computer storage media and communication media. "Computer storage media" includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in a method or technique for storing information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. . "Computer storage medium" includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital multipurpose disc (DVD) or other optical storage device, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic Includes disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or other media that can be used to store desired information and that can be accessed by a computer. A “communication medium” typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and is capable of providing any information delivery. Includes media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. For example, without limitation, communication media include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media. Any combination of the above must fall within the scope of a “computer readable medium”.

Page Space Control: An Overview of Various Aspects of the Invention Page Space Control: An Overview of Various Aspects of the Invention: Storing Properties in a Hierarchical Relationship Some aspects of the present invention include storing data structures It relates to a computer-readable medium. A data structure according to at least some embodiments of the invention includes: (a) a first data set that includes at least a portion of the contents of an electronic file; and (b) a property data that includes property data associated with the electronic file. Two data sets. The second data set includes a first flat path character string indicating a first property associated with the electronic file, and the first flat path character string indicates a hierarchical structure of property data. Optionally, if desired, the second data set may include a plurality of flat path strings of data indicative of a plurality of properties associated with, for example, a hierarchical electronic file. The second data set can be provided in any desired manner, for example, as metadata included in and / or associated with the first data set. Of course, if necessary, a third data set (or more data sets) containing additional property data can be stored and / or associated with the electronic file, in which case the third data set (or Additional dataset) contains other flat path strings that indicate other properties associated with the electronic file, and the additional flat path strings are in the third (or additional) dataset Indicates the hierarchical structure of property data.

  Additional exemplary aspects of the invention relate to systems and methods for storing electronic data including hierarchical property information. Such systems and methods include: (a) creating an electronic file containing electronic data for storage on a computer readable medium (eg, using one or more computer processing systems); (b) Receiving input data indicative of a first property value included as part of or associated with the electronic file (eg, via a mouse, pen, digitizer, keyboard, network connection, disk drive, etc.); The property value includes a first data set including a first flat path string indicating the first property value, and the first flat path string indicates a hierarchical structure of the first property value. (C) storing an electronic file with a first path string contained therein or associated with it The first flat path string can include being stored or associated with the electronic file in any desired manner, such as through link information, as part of the file, as metadata, etc. . Optionally, systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the present invention can further receive input data indicative of a second property value included as part of or associated with an electronic file, the The second property value includes a second data set that includes a second flat path string indicative of the second property value, and the second flat path string includes the second property value. A hierarchical structure is shown, and storing the electronic file includes storing the electronic file with a second flat path string contained therein or associated therewith. In this method according to the present invention, any number of property values can be stored and / or associated with an electronic file.

  Still further exemplary aspects of the invention relate to systems and methods for processing electronic data that includes associated hierarchical property information. A system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention includes (a) receiving data (stored in a computer system or network memory) that indicates a hierarchical structure of a plurality of predefined property values on a computer system or network Each defined property value has a unique flat path data string associated with it when compared to all other defined property values in the hierarchy, and (b) the user in the hierarchy Receive user input indicating new property values to include in the desired location (eg, via mouse, pen, digitizer, keyboard, network connection, disk drive, etc.), (c) based on where the user wants in the hierarchy The new property value is all other existing in the hierarchy. You can of and determining whether with a flat path data string different from the flat path data string. The flat path data string for the new property value can include, for example, at least a first parent property portion and a first child property portion (as appropriate for the first parent property portion or the first child property portion). At least one of which may be the same as part of at least one other predefined property value in the hierarchy). This method also allows the new property value to be changed by the user if it is determined that the flat path data string for the new property value is different from all other flat path data strings for the properties present in the hierarchy. It can include adding to the hierarchical structure of the desired location.

  In the use of various systems and methods according to embodiments in accordance with the present invention, a user can enter an input indicative of a search query into the system, where the search query is a search property that includes property values within a hierarchical property structure. Includes selection. Once a search query has been entered, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention can be stored on or utilized through a computer system or network (as appropriate for the search target). You can find out which electronic files meet the search query criteria (using a search scope that limits the scope of the file) and the electronic files that are determined to meet the search query criteria are stored in it, Or a first search property associated therewith. As another example, a search query may include a user selecting multiple properties in a hierarchical structure, stored on a computer system or network, or available through a computer system or network (where appropriate, restricted). Determining which electronic files satisfy the search query condition (within the specified search scope) may include identifying an electronic file that includes at least one of the selected properties.

  Property values included in computer readable media, systems, and methods according to some embodiments of the invention may be used in any suitable or desired manner without departing from the invention, for example, a hierarchy of property data within a property data set. Can be stored in a way that shows the structure. For example, the property data structure may include parent property value-delimiter-child property value, parent property value-delimiter-child property value-delimiter-grandchild property value, child property value-delimiter-parent property value, and / or Alternatively, it can take one of the following forms: child property value-delimiter-parent property value-delimiter-grandchild property value. Of course, any number of levels of data structures in the property hierarchy and flat path data strings can be prepared without departing from the invention.

  Additional aspects of the invention provide a computer readable medium for providing hierarchical property data and / or using hierarchical property data, eg, to perform various methods and / or operate the various systems described above. It relates to a computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions stored therein for storing, retrieving, navigating and / or retrieving electronic files and related information.

  Page Space Control: Overview of Various Aspects of the Invention Description: Multiple Property Selection: Another aspect of the invention is for processing input data that includes multiple user selections, including multiple selections of electronic file property data. It relates to a method and a system. Such systems and methods include, for example, (a) selecting a first search parameter from a hierarchical structure that includes a plurality of search elements (eg, a user such as a mouse, pen, digitizer, keyboard, network connection, hard disk, etc. (Through an input device), (b) selecting a second search parameter from the hierarchical structure (eg, through a user input device such as a mouse, pen, digitizer, keyboard, network connection, hard disk, etc.), (c) a first Determining whether the search parameter is located in the same set of elements as the second search parameter in the hierarchical structure (eg, using a computer processing system). Various displays can be generated by the computer processing system depending on whether the first search parameter is determined to be located in the same set of elements as the second search parameter (eg, on a computer display device). To). According to at least some embodiments of the present invention, a search result indicating a union of electronic files that satisfy the conditions of the first search parameter or the second search parameter is obtained when the first search parameter is within a hierarchical structure. And can be displayed when it is determined that the second search parameter is arranged in the same element set. In addition, or alternatively, a search result indicating a product set of electronic files satisfying both the first search parameter and the second search parameter is obtained by using the first search parameter as the second search parameter. It can be displayed when it is determined that the element is placed outside the element set in the hierarchical structure.

  According to at least some embodiments of the present invention, the hierarchical structure (s) of various search elements may include multiple properties arranged in a hierarchy. At least one of the search parameters may include one of these defined property values. Optionally, in at least some embodiments, at least one of the search elements comprises a folder element, a list element, an automatic list element, or other desirable element in a hierarchical structure. Still additional features of at least some embodiments of the present invention are based on search activity, based at least in part on user input selecting a hierarchy of search elements and / or a portion of the hierarchy for a search scope. It may include determining or defining a scope.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a computer containing computer-executable instructions stored to perform various search methods and / or operate various search systems, including systems and methods as described above. It relates to a readable medium.

  Page Space Control: Overview of Various Aspects of the Invention: Grouping and Stacking in Display Panel: Yet another exemplary aspect of the invention is stored in or through a computer system or network It relates to a computer display with a user interface for searching for available electronic files. A user interface according to at least some embodiments of the present invention includes: (a) a navigation panel (also referred to as a page space control) that displays a hierarchical structure (page space) of search elements, wherein at least some Individual search elements are expanded in response to user input as appropriate, and navigation that receives user input directed to one or more search elements that can display one or more child search elements in a hierarchical structure. A panel, and (b) displaying information related at least in part to the search results obtained from searching the electronic file, the search results being determined based at least in part on user input received through the navigation panel. And a display panel. Once expanded, individual search elements in the navigation panel hierarchy can remain expanded to display child elements in the hierarchy regardless of how the search results are displayed in the display panel. (For example, stacking, grouping, a combination of grouping and stacking, etc.). The various search elements in the hierarchical structure can include, for example, property values, list elements, automatic list elements, folder elements, etc., and the hierarchical structure can be defined at least in part by individual user input. .

  According to at least some embodiments of a user interface according to the present invention, display of a user interface by user input selecting a child search element in the hierarchy of the navigation panel or changing the search element in some other way Corresponding changes in search results displayed in the panel are created and / or driven.

  Yet another exemplary aspect of the invention relates to a system and method for navigating electronic data stored in or available through a computer system or network. Such systems and methods provide (a) a navigation panel that displays a hierarchical structure of navigation elements (eg, using a computer processing system), wherein at least some individual navigation elements in the hierarchical structure are: Suitably expanded in response to user input to be able to display child navigation elements in a hierarchical structure; and (b) receiving user input through a navigation panel and selecting one or more of the navigation elements (eg, (C) through a mouse, pen, digitizer, keyboard, network connection, disk drive, etc.) (c) display at least in part information related to the search results obtained from searching electronic data, eg on a display device , Search results through the navigation panel Only at least in part on user input taken is determined based, information may include a be displayed on a display device simultaneously with the display of the navigation panel. In addition, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention further receives new user input through the navigation panel and selects one or more new navigation elements from the hierarchical structure (eg, Changed (eg, using a computer processing system) and changed based at least in part on a new navigation element or selected element (via an input system as described above) The information can include being displayed on the display device simultaneously with the navigation panel. A new user input may be composed of child navigation elements in a hierarchical structure from navigation elements that are initially selected and thereby narrow down the information displayed in at least some embodiments. Again, the various search elements in the hierarchy can include, for example, property values, list elements, automatic list elements, folder elements, etc., where the hierarchy is defined at least in part by individual user input. can do.

  Still further systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the present invention are systems and methods for displaying information about electronic data stored on or available through a computer system or network. Can be included. Such systems and methods provide, for example, (a) a navigation panel (generated using a computer processing system) that displays, for example, a hierarchical structure of navigation elements on a display device, and the individual elements within the hierarchical structure. At least some of the navigation elements include a folder element; and (b) receiving user input through the navigation panel and selecting at least one new folder element (eg, user input as described above). (Using the device), (c) displaying on the display device information related at least in part to the search results obtained from searching the electronic data, the search results being displayed in the user input received through the navigation panel. Determined at least in part based (eg, computer processing Using a stem), information can be subfolders is provided under the selected folder element and a be displayed in a form that is displayed as a stack. An additional feature of at least some systems and methods according to some embodiments of the present invention receives new user input (eg, via a user input device) through the navigation panel and includes one or more from the hierarchical structure. Selecting a new navigation element, changing the displayed information (eg, generating a display using a computer processing system) based at least in part on the new navigation element or the selected element; Can be included. New user input can be used to select property values in the hierarchy, and the displayed information corresponds at least in part to electronic data with the selected property value already associated. be able to.

  Still further aspects of the invention implement a user interface, including implementing the user interface, performing various methods, and / or operating various systems as described above, Computer-executables stored on a computer-readable medium that perform various search and / or display methods and / or operate various search and / or display systems, including using hierarchical search and navigation elements The present invention relates to a computer readable medium including instructions.

  Page Space Control: Examples of systems, methods, and computer readable media according to some aspects of the present invention: in modern computer operating systems and application programs running thereon, many file navigation, search, listing, and A retrieval operation is performed via a query operation, in which the system attempts to identify items (such as stored electronic files or other data) that satisfy various query parameter conditions. In some aspects of the invention, navigation that can be used in at least some cases for item placement and file storage, assisting the user in navigating these files, searching, listing, and / or retrieving. Provide tools.

  According to exemplary aspects of the present invention, a user may use a navigation tool according to the present invention to navigate to and / or identify information related to any page in a navigation control menu, for example, page Add items to the navigation control menu or list view, add items to any set (property set, auto list set, folder set, etc.), existing and / or system folders (eg, “My Documents” folder, etc.) ), Display expanded subfolders within a folder, add properties or other data to files or other items (eg, in a hierarchical manner as appropriate), or even an automatic list or system generated Stored in the list It is possible to perform such be added to the file or item. Further, according to at least some exemplary aspects of the present invention, a user and / or an independent software development company customize a system navigation tool for use in different application programs, different views, different modes of operation, etc. be able to. If necessary, the user can be provided with various tools to return the navigation panel to the previous or initial state.

  If necessary, as a more specific embodiment, the navigation tool according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a list and / or an automatic list that allows a user to quickly identify and display information related to a page of interest. Can be designed or customized. For example, if necessary, the system may have a list named “Documents Stacked by Author” (or something similar) or an automatic list, which will allow the user to name the various documents. Based on author (the user can further drill down into the stack, if necessary, for example to identify a specific document by a specific author) and / or create, store, edit, download Based on the properties associated with the file when modifications, etc. are made, you can quickly jump to a view showing the “stack” of the collected files. Other potential groupings or listings of the stack may include listings such as “important documents”, “reentent documents”, “good music”, “recently used”, “recently obtained”, and the like.

  A more detailed description of various aspects of the invention follows. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this description merely includes examples of various aspects of the invention and does not limit the invention.

  Page Space Control: Examples of systems, methods, and computer-readable media according to some aspects of the invention: Storage of properties in hierarchical relationships: As noted above, some exemplary aspects of the invention generally include: Relates to systems and methods for storing and using “properties” along with individual stored files or data available on and / or through a computer system or network. In general, when saving a new file to a computer system or network, such as a PC, a network of PCs, a server, etc., a user can typically assign a “property” to the file. Examples of such “properties” include Comments, AuthorID, Keywords, and the like. While this feature is useful and may be appropriate in some cases (eg involving a very small set of properties), this traditionally available “flat” property structure can be managed and / or managed over time. Or it can be difficult to use (eg, increasing the total number of properties available). Also, when using this flat property data structure, the user must enter each desired property and / or associate it with a separate file separately. This is a time consuming task. In addition, the property cannot be accurately and / or completely associated with each file, which may limit the user's ability to search, identify, and / or retrieve the desired data later. is there. For example, as the number of different individual available properties increases, a user can be sure that an item is selected if the search query must specify exactly one or more of the individual properties associated with the file. It becomes increasingly difficult to remove.

  In at least some exemplary aspects in accordance with the present invention, a user can assign and store at least some file “property” data along with the electronic file, eg, as metadata. Property data is part of a hierarchical structure. Even though more properties are available to the user (eg, through user designation and / or user definition of new properties), by providing a hierarchical property according to some embodiments of the present invention, the user can You can quickly assign multiple properties to a file through one property assignment action. Also, the availability and use of hierarchical properties according to some embodiments of the present invention allows a user to have greater control over the ordering of property values (eg, the display of a hierarchy is the most common or higher in the hierarchy) In addition, the user can express the relationship between property values and reflect the relationship when retrieving items or assigning values to items. Also, the availability and use of hierarchical properties in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention provides the user with an inevitable means of organizing the values generated within the property and using this organization to browse and retrieve items. . As described in more detail below, the use of hierarchical properties according to some embodiments of the present invention allows a user to easily navigate a file between different properties using a single property and select the desired file. And / or the file can be retrieved (in at least some cases, the property being searched is not explicitly assigned to the file by the user, it is simply one of the hierarchy of properties assigned by the user. Even if it was a part).

  FIG. 87A illustrates an exemplary property hierarchy 200 for a “keyword” property that can be used in connection with various electronic files such as digital images, music, video, electronic documents, and the like. In this example, the user can use a hierarchical structure to assign properties to the file, such as when the file is first stored, created, downloaded, modified, edited, moved, etc. 200 is defined. In this hierarchical structure 200, a “People” node constitutes a parent level node in the hierarchy 200. The “People” node contains three direct child nodes (ie, “Friends”, “Family”, and “Co-Workers”), each of which, as shown in the figure, It also contains individual child nodes. In use, assigning a keyword to a file (for example, including the keyword in the metadata associated with an electronic file) not only associates that particular keyword with the file, but also over the associated keyword in the hierarchy. Is associated with the file. As a more detailed example based on FIG. 87A, in this exemplary system and method, these keywords are present in the hierarchical path associated with the assigned keyword “Dad” (ie, this example The entire hierarchical keyword data applied in the above is Dad> Family> People), and even when the keyword “Dad” is assigned to the electronic file, the keywords “Family” and “People” are automatically associated with the file. Thus, a search query that includes any one of the three terms “Dad”, “Family”, and / or “People” returns a hit for this file. Without the hierarchy according to this embodiment of the present invention, if the user wants to associate each keyword with the file and / or want to be able to retrieve information related to the file based on any of these keywords, All of these keywords must be applied to the file separately (eg, “Dad”, “Family”, and “People”, respectively).

  Additional aspects of the invention relate to systems and methods for entering or capturing hierarchies (eg, user-defined hierarchies, auto-generated hierarchies, etc.) that may exist between properties. If necessary, this hierarchical property information can be used to store hierarchical folders in various commercially available systems and methods (such as those sold by Microsoft Corporation) as a flat path, for example, as metadata contained in and / or associated with the electronic file itself. Can be stored in a manner similar to that stored in systems and methods having folders available to various operating systems and application programs. More specifically, in a system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, one or more hierarchical properties of an electronic file are converted to a flat path string (similar to a known flat folder path string). For this reason, the shell operating system allows the folder hierarchy to be navigated and / or processed in various conventional systems and methods that today use the folder structure Information related to stored files can be correctly stacked, filtered, grouped, and / or navigated or processed in some other way using hierarchical properties. Similarly, by implementing a hierarchical data structure for properties, users can enter sub-properties in a manner similar to that known and can enter sub-folders in the traditional folder system. The lower child property level in can be reached.

  In a data structure (eg, for a dataset or field, such as metadata associated with a file), various property values can be distinguished by a path, such as the flat path string described above. In this way, individual values (eg, individual node names) may appear multiple times in the hierarchy, provided that the path to the same node name or value is the respective location where the name appears. Be different. FIG. 87A shows an example. In particular, as shown in FIG. 87A, the value “Jim” is displayed under both the “Family” node and the “Co-Workers” node. Since the paths to these two “Jim” values are different from each other (ie, People> Family> Jim and People> Co-Workers> Jim), the same final termination name (as shown in FIG. 87A as appropriate). These two values (including on the same hierarchy level) can coexist without problems in the hierarchy. A particular node name or value can appear many times in the hierarchy when the path to that node name or value in each instance is different from all other paths to the same name or value.

  An additional exemplary aspect of the invention relates to a process for clarifying properties in different branches of a hierarchical structure that use the same name or node value. In the example described above in conjunction with FIG. 87A, the name “Jim” is associated with both family members and colleagues. In order to distinguish between these two cases, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention compares the values of higher levels of the hierarchy for the two cases of interest, and the parent property where the value of interest is rare. Only have a node, or a path. Using the above example, the system and method according to at least some examples of the present invention can distinguish between two common node names in the hierarchy by looking at the parent node of each “Jim” node . As a result of this investigation, it was found that one “Jim” node has “Family” as a parent node, while the other “Jim” nodes have “Co-Workers” as their parent node. Because their immediate parent nodes are different and distinguishable, these two “Jim” nodes can coexist in the property hierarchy 200. Of course, the different parent node names need not be placed in the immediate parent node of the node (s) being considered (eg, differently named parent nodes are at the grandparent node level and higher Can be placed at the node level and / or at different node levels in the hierarchy).

  However, the hierarchical structure 8750 illustrated in FIG. 87B will typically not be allowed in at least some exemplary systems and methods according to the present invention. More specifically, as shown in the figure, the hierarchical structure 8750 of FIG. 87B is similar to the hierarchical structure 8700 of FIG. 87A, except for some nodes at the lowest level. In FIG. 87B, the “Family” node includes two child nodes at the same hierarchical level with the same name (ie, two “Jim” nodes). Since the flat path string to each of these “Jim” nodes is the same (ie, People> Family> Jim), the operating system and / or application program side distinguishes one node from the other. And therefore will always remain ambiguous when the flat path string “People> Family> Jim” is used. If the user attempts to set two identical property paths as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 87B, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention displays an error message and displays a dialog box. , Prompt for a new name, and / or indicate in some way to the user that this name or value is not allowed in the location hierarchy.

  Property values can be assigned and / or associated with individual files in any way and / or at any time without departing from the invention. For example, if a new file is downloaded and / or saved to the user's computer system or network, the user can be given an opportunity to assign property values to the file. FIG. 88 illustrates an example user interface 8800 that can be used when a user saves a file to his / her computer system or network and, if necessary, can be used to assign one or more properties to the file. Yes. As shown, the user interface 8800 includes a navigation panel 8802 that displays at least some of the properties or other information associated with and / or can be assigned to the file (eg, When information related to the new file is entered into the input panel 8804, in the "edit profile" procedure, and / or at any other time). In particular, the properties in the navigation panel 8802 are arranged in a hierarchy. The various properties can be “drag and drop” the property name from the navigation panel 8802 in the desired manner, eg, enter or write the node name to the appropriate location in the input panel 8804 (eg, in the “keyword” input box). Can be assigned and / or associated with a file, such as by dropping it to an appropriate location within the input panel 8804. As another example, if necessary, drag an icon or other representation of the file (eg, from the file list) onto the desired value or node name in the navigation panel 8802 and place the icon or other representation in its place. (If necessary, the hierarchy in the navigation panel 8802 drags an icon or other file representation onto the parent property value and keeps it on that property value.) Do not drop), and the parent property value (if possible) expands to at least the next level in the hierarchy (for example, in the same way that some folders “auto-expand” within currently available systems and programs) )). As shown in FIG. 88, in addition to assigning property values to files through a navigation panel 8802, users of a hierarchical property system according to at least some embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below. , Navigate or search the hierarchy, manage and / or edit the hierarchy, and / or perform other actions.

  In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention, when a file or other item is assigned to a property value that is a child of another property value (eg, the value “Playoffs” in FIG. 88), the file or other item is also Automatically inherits any parent property value associated with the assigned property value (eg, “Sports Pics> Basketball” in this specific example). Further, if necessary, a parent property value can be assigned to a file or item even if the property value has one or more child property values below it (eg, the “Basketball” property Can be assigned to). In such a case, in at least some exemplary systems and methods according to the invention, the parent property is assigned to the file, but any of its child property values (ie, “Practice” or “Playoffs” in this example) Not automatically assigned to a file or item (although its parent property is assigned). Of course, if desired, the system and method can also be set to automatically assign or associate child properties to files in such situations without departing from the invention.

  As will be described in more detail below, according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, a list file, search, or other query that includes a parent property value as a search element or parameter may include a specified parent property value and its child properties. Returns all items with both tags in one of the values. In this way, using the storage system and method according to some embodiments of the present invention, a user can easily attach relatively few very specific descriptive properties to tags as tags ( By ordering properties under parent nodes that become increasingly wide in the hierarchy (for example, at a lower level in the hierarchy), these tagged items will appear immediately even in response to a relatively broad search query. Can be made. If necessary, according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, when a search result, list file result, or file preview result is displayed in response to a search query, a principal value assigned to the file (eg, by a user) (Assigned actual value) is highlighted and / or made known or available to the user in some way.

  Hierarchy properties that are available (e.g., already defined by a user, system, or others) and / or stored can be used whenever desired and / or desired without departing from the invention. Can be displayed by a system and method according to some embodiments of the present invention. For example, as shown in FIG. 88, properties can be displayed at the time of execution of a “Save” or “Save As” operation (eg, in navigation panel 8802). These can also be displayed in the same hierarchical tree layout as illustrated in the navigation panel 8802 of FIG. 88, for example, when performing a “search”, “list”, or “viewing” operation on the file. Further, if necessary, hierarchical properties according to some embodiments of the present invention can be displayed anywhere and / or wherever conventional properties are displayed by application programs and / or operating systems ( For example, as the property shown in the “list view” display, as the property shown in the “item details” display, as the property shown in the file “preview” display, etc.). Further, if required, hierarchical properties according to some embodiments can be displayed in controls used to navigate properties, such as tree controls that support properties, if desired.

  FIG. 88 shows an example of the display of hierarchical properties in the tree control screen (eg, navigation panel 8802). On the other hand, FIG. 89 shows an example of the display of property information in the item or file “preview” screen 8900. As shown in FIG. 89, this exemplary item or file “preview” screen 8900 is a thumbnail or icon display 8902 of the item (eg, in this example, a reduced version of the image contained in the file). As well as specific system and / or other fact information related to the file, such as file name, save date, file size, and user input “caption” information. In addition, this item or file “preview” screen 8900 is entered by the user, including assigned keywords (displayed in a flat path string format), image subject ID, user input evaluation information, etc. Some “property” information is displayed. Of course, any number of properties can be listed on such a screen without departing from the invention (along with the ability to display information about hidden properties as appropriate).

  Property information can be entered and / or associated with individual files in any way desired, without departing from the invention. In addition to including property information with the file when the file is first saved on a computer system or network, it is edited when the file is opened in response to an “edit profile” or “edit properties” command When, at other times, such as when edited or used, properties can be added to, deleted from, and / or modified from properties associated with individual files. Properties include keystrokes (from any level in the hierarchy, using "autocomplete" for matching strings as appropriate), drag and drop operations, "right click" operations, pen "press and hold" operations, etc. Can be input. Tools that can be used to set, edit, and / or delete properties associated with a particular file can also be accessed and used in the preview screen 8900 without departing from the invention.

  Further, the actual contents of the hierarchically arranged properties can be obtained at any time and / or in any desired manner, such as in conventional application programs and operating systems, without departing from the present invention. Can be modified by the user by adding to the structure, deleting from it, and / or editing in some other way. For example, a new property can be added under an existing property and / or an existing property can be “right-clicked” on a mouse button (such as an appropriate user interface, eg, “insert new property”, “ through a delete excerpting property "," change node level or position ", a cut, copy, paste, or other appropriate action menu can be displayed). As another example, if necessary, the location of an existing property in the hierarchical structure can be changed, eg, moved via a “drag and drop” operation, as illustrated in FIG. be able to. More specifically, FIG. 90 illustrates a navigation panel 8802 that displays a list of hierarchical properties of application programs for rearranging and editing digital photos, for example. The left side of FIG. 90 shows that the user moves an icon for the keyword “Ocean” from below the “Camping” parent node to a hierarchical level immediately below the “Keyword” node by a drag and drop operation (illustrated by an arrow 9002). Is shown. After a location is reached at the desired location via a drag operation (eg, holding down the left mouse button) (eg, just above the “Keyword” node in this example), the “Ocean” node You can change the position in the hierarchy by dropping (for example, by releasing the left mouse button). This action changes the position of the node “Ocean” as shown on the right side of FIG. If necessary, the previous child nodes “Pacific” and “Atlantic” can be further moved through a drag and drop operation to accompany the “Ocean” node. Alternatively, if necessary, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention operates such that changing the position of a node automatically changes the position of the child node (if any). Can do. If necessary, according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, the user can press the “Control” button (or perform some other predetermined action) while dragging the property value in this way, Another copy of the value (and its child property values as appropriate) can be displayed under different property values (eg, using a paste command). Of course, other methods and protocols for cutting, copying, and / or repositioning a node and / or its respective child nodes can be used without departing from the present invention (e.g., folding children A node reposition can be used to change the position of all of its nodes and their children in one action, but its children are fully expanded and the repositioning of the displayed node is without its children, Can only be used to change the position of the parent node). Other predefined methods and means for moving nodes can be used in the system and method without departing from the invention.

  In at least some cases, depending on the specific characteristics of the system and method according to the present invention, when performing a repositioning action, for example if the same property name appears multiple times in a new path or position for the property being moved, An error can occur. In systems and methods according to some embodiments of the present invention, in a desired manner, for example, not completing a desired move, having an interface that allows a user to change the name in a path, correct the problem Therefore, such a situation can be handled by displaying a dialog box for notifying the user of a problem with various options. In other embodiments, if necessary, systems and methods can be developed that allow a single name to be used multiple times in a path (eg, Location> New York> New York), and such errors can be Unless it tries to create multiple nodes with a flat path string name, it will not appear.

  Users utilizing hierarchical property characteristics according to some embodiments of the present invention construct a relatively large hierarchical structure for properties, and the available space within the navigation panel 8802 when the entire hierarchical structure is fully expanded. And / or can extend beyond the height of the display screen. Such a situation allows the child node to be folded under the parent node in a desired manner without departing from the present invention, for example providing a scroll bar in the navigation panel (and, for example, conventionally available systems and methods The hierarchical folder structure can be fully expanded or folded based on user input in a manner similar to that in which a hierarchical folder structure is expanded and folded. When opened, a navigation panel 8802 of the type illustrated in FIGS. 88 and 90, for example, is always at the top of the hierarchical location, the most frequently used location in the hierarchical structure, and the most recent in the hierarchical structure. At the desired location in the hierarchy, such as the location used in the hierarchy, the location in the hierarchy containing the open document (if any), the fully expanded state, the fully folded state, the most recently used state, and It can be opened in the desired expanded / contracted state. Also, the navigation panel 8802 can be displayed at a desired location on the display screen, such as the left side or the right side, based on user settings, default values, and the like.

  If necessary, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention can include a basic hierarchical structure at the time of shipment, which is a more complete and richer hierarchy, eg, its own application. And can be used by the user as a starting point to build a hierarchy that is more tailored and customized accordingly. For example, examples of such predetermined basic hierarchies for storing digital images, audio, video, or other user data are Keywords, Events, Places, People (eg, potentially, Author, Photographer, (Including child nodes such as Subject People), basic nodes such as Dates, My Pictures, My Music, My Documents, and My Videos. Desired information can be included in this base hierarchy without departing from the invention.

  FIG. 91 illustrates an exemplary display screen 9100 when displayed, for example, as a response to “List Files”, search, query, navigate, or other appropriate command. In particular, the left side of this exemplary display screen 9100 includes a navigation panel 9102 for hierarchical properties below which at least some of the user's files are stored (eg, digital photos of this example). Related to storage / editing system). In at least some embodiments of the systems and methods according to this invention, the display screen 9100 with the navigation panel 9102 may be the primary entry and interaction point for the user's hierarchical properties. From such a screen 9100, the user can view files, display search queries, and / or various hierarchical categories that have already been created along with other stored data associated with those files. Files can be filtered based on. As shown in FIG. 91, when a node “Keyword” in a hierarchy is highlighted (eg, by a left mouse button click action), a keyword is assigned or associated with the associated user file. The complete list is pulled up. In this exemplary system and method, this action pulls up a list of digital photo files that include thumbnail icons or images 9104 that illustrate individual files in display portion 9106 of screen 9100. The individual files in this example are grouped based on the individual child levels of the hierarchy immediately below the highlighted search criteria (ie, “Sports Pics”, “ “Summer” and “Camping” groups, but other levels of the hierarchy (ie, “Flowers” and “Ocean”) are not displayed due to the size of the display portion 9106). Of course, many ways of displaying search or list view results are possible without departing from the invention.

  Any desired format or format can be used to store or represent hierarchical properties with individual files without departing from the invention. For example, if a child property value is assigned to a file, the path to that property value through the hierarchy can be stored as part of the actual file and / or associated with it (eg, included in that file). And / or as associated metadata). For example, the hierarchical structure representation or data structure includes at least (parent property value) [delimiter] (child property 1) [delimiter] (child property 2). . . Can be included. Returning to the more specific example shown in FIG. 91, the file stored with the associated individual properties “Football” and “Games Attended” is, for example, “Keyword” in at least some cases. / Sports Pics / Football; ”and“ Keyword / Sports Pics / Games Attended ”format can have metadata associated with the file displayed with information about the file (eg, as shown in FIG. 89) like). In these examples, the parent property value is “Keyword”, the first child property value in each instance is “Sports Pics”, and the second property value is “Football” and “ "Games Attended" and the delimiter is a slash "/" (the delimiter may be a special character used to delimit property names, and this delimiter is used to avoid confusion in the system , Cannot be included in the property name). Of course, any number of child property levels can be included in a flat path data string without departing from the invention.

  Properties listed in a navigation panel, eg, panel 9102, can exhibit behavior that is similar, at least in part, to the behavior of conventional folders in various known operating systems and application programs. For example, how to expand and / or collapse hierarchical properties in navigation panel 9102 is similar to how to expand and / or collapse folders with similar folder navigation panels or controls. In a more specific example, to view and display child property values below the parent property, the user can click on a “widget” provided to the left of the property (eg, FIG. 91). Note for widgets that contain a “+” sign in the “Summer” keyword (the “+” sign in the widget indicates that there is one or more additional hider properties, The "-" symbol indicates that a particular property has already been expanded in this exemplary system)). In at least some embodiments, if a property or node has no children, the left widget can be omitted or include additional indicators (eg, “+” or “−” symbols, etc.) Or can include other indicators, or the lack of child nodes can be indicated in other desired ways. As shown in FIG. 91, the indent method can also be used to show the hierarchical structure clearly. In particular, because individual files have multiple properties associated with them, the same file or item may appear in multiple groups within display panel 9106 (eg, Pictures 13 and 44 are shown in FIG. 91). Note that it appears in the "Sports Pic" and "Summer" groups).

  Systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the present invention may also support other methods in which a user changes, modifies, and / or uses a hierarchical property structure. In one embodiment, in a situation where a property value in the navigation panel 9102 is selected by a right click action when no item in the display panel 9106 is selected, the user then right clicks with the new hierarchy property as a child. You can be given the option to add under the selected node in (for example, via the interface) (for example, a new node with an editable text box will appear at the location of the new property value in the hierarchy) , So that the user can key in (or enter in some other way) a new property value). A “delete” function or option can be given, for example, via a right mouse button click, which allows the user to delete a desired portion of the hierarchy, such as an individual node, one node, and all of its child nodes can do. “Upgrade” and “Downgrade” functions can be provided, for example, allowing the user to select a property value and raise or lower it one level in the hierarchy (along with all its child values, as appropriate) (For example, in an upgrade, the selected node moves to a level that appears as a peer of the previous direct parent node). In yet another embodiment, a “rename” function can be provided, for example via a right mouse button click, which allows the user to give any property value or node a different name (see above). As such, restrictions are imposed if the same name is used twice in the path and / or if two identical flat path names are displayed). When a file is selected in the display panel 9106, for example via a right mouse button click, potential functions that can be implemented by some embodiments of the present invention are the “remove property” function and the “add property” function. Includes functionality to remove and / or add one or more properties from the metadata or other data stored with and / or associated with the file Can be used for Of course, other functions and / or other methods of performing the functions described above may be provided without departing from the invention. If necessary, all files or items tagged with a given property and / or path that are modified through the various functions described above will indicate that the user has made changes to the path and / or property. It can have corresponding property data and / or path information updated to reflect.

  Additional features according to at least some embodiments of the present invention include, for example, existing files containing hierarchical property data support hierarchical property data, but not necessarily the same usage corresponding to newly received file (s). The present invention relates to sharing hierarchical properties when sent to other users having systems or networks that do not have a hierarchical property structure. A system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention is directed to a file (or other item) as a hierarchical property value in a manner similar to how a file (or other item) with a flat property value is shared. It can be configured to be shared. According to at least some embodiments of the system and method according to the present invention, the default behavior when a file or other item enters the system with a hierarchy property value is: (a) the hierarchy of the new file has the hierarchy keyword Typically displayed by the system or network, for example in all areas where the newly received file is displayed in the same way as originally created on the target system or network, (b) new A new file item is associated with a hierarchy that is already on the system or network if the same hierarchy as that required for the file already exists on the new receiving system or network; (c) the path required for the new file Only a part of the receiving system or network The rest of the hierarchy that accepts the new file, if it exists on the network, is created on the receiving system or network, (d) any paths required for the new file are The behavior is that new hierarchies that accept new files when not present on the network are added to the receiving system or network.

  The following provides a more detailed example of property hierarchy sharing in the situation where a file is received and stored on a new user's system or network. In this example, the receiving user has an existing property hierarchy that includes the path / property value “Family / Brothers / Toby”. The new file is received by the receiving user (e.g., email attachment) and stored in the receiving system, the new file includes metadata from the file sender's hierarchy. Both the file sender and the file receiver operate a program, system, and / or method with a hierarchical data structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. The following table describes how the receiving user's system can handle the receipt of new files according to a variety of different scenarios.

  Various property values associated with the file can be displayed in a suitable manner at a suitable time without departing from the present invention. For example, as described above in conjunction with FIG. 89, the property information can be displayed in a “preview” panel associated with the file. Further, for example, if necessary, properties associated with a given file can be included with a “property” page or with a “display properties” command associated with the file. Existing properties can also be displayed, for example, when performing save, save as, edit profile, open file, or other similar operations. If desired, the stored properties associated with the file can also be displayed, for example, in a toolbar while opening and / or opening the file, and the user can, for example, view the properties in the file. You can have an interface that can be used for editing during active operation, after saving and before opening. Many other options are available for displaying stored property data associated with a given file without departing from the invention. Of course, any number of properties can be associated with a given file without departing from the invention.

  Also, the properties associated with the file can be displayed as much as desired in various locations without departing from the present invention. For example, if necessary, the entire hierarchy path is displayed for each property (or at least some properties) with one or more of the properties associated with the file (eg, as shown in FIG. 89). Such as the “preview” or “property” panel). As another example, if necessary, only the assigned property value itself can be displayed in various places (and the rest of the hierarchy can be “hovered” to the cursor, for example via the navigation panel). When in action, etc., it can also be displayed via the file information stacking and grouping functions described in more detail below). As a more specific example, if an individual file (such as a digital image) is assigned the hierarchical keyword “Sports Pics> Baseball> Practices> Cardio Drills”, this long flat path string is Can be represented in at least some places by simply giving the lowest child node, i.e., "Cardio Drills". However, this truncated property listing format has the risk of causing name collisions and / or somewhat obscure to the user (eg, the node “Cardio Drills” is located in multiple places in the hierarchy). If present). In such situations, if necessary, additional hierarchy information can be displayed along with the lowest level keywords to distinguish collision information. For example, as described above in conjunction with FIG. 87A, each hierarchical node in the systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the present invention has a different, unique path. This information can be used to resolve the conflicts described above. In particular, for example when there is a collision of the kind described above (two hierarchical property values are defined as being visually represented in the same way), in a system and method according to at least some embodiments of the invention Traverse the conflicting path until a different parent property value is found and its value is displayed (as appropriate, with the lowest level node information that is in conflict). For example, if a hierarchy includes both “Sports Pics> Baseball> Practices> Cardio Drills” and “Sports Pics> Basketball> Practices> Cardio Drills” and / or individual files are tagged with them, for example, The display property information in the “preview” or “property” display is represented, for example, as “Cardio Drills... Baseball” and / or “Cardio Drills .. Basekball” and / or in any other suitable manner, Thereby, the correct hierarchy can be distinguished and shown.

  Another example of practical use of hierarchical property information is the fact that many companies have at least some hierarchical structure (eg, departments, divisions, locations, etc.). Operating systems, methods, and / or application programs that are more targeted to be covered by some embodiments of the present invention are developed for such companies that take advantage of the hierarchical nature of the individual company's structure. be able to. For example, a predetermined hierarchy for computer systems, networks, and / or application programs used by company employees that includes a defined hierarchy for data properties stored for the company can be implemented. By using such systems and methods, it is possible to achieve a hierarchical structure that is at least somewhat comprehensive and practical within the enterprise systems and networks in which data is organized and stored.

  Some aspects of the invention further relate to computer readable media on which hierarchical property data is stored and computer readable media on which computer executable instructions are stored, thereby including various systems and methods as described above. Hierarchical property data can be entered and / or used in various operating systems, application program environments, and / or various other systems and methods. The computer readable medium may comprise computer executable instructions stored in various specific embodiments of the computer readable medium described above.

  Page space control: Examples of systems, methods, and computer readable media according to some aspects of the invention: Multiple property selection: As noted above, additional aspects of the invention are generally stored on a computer system or network. Related information, and appropriately using the hierarchical property structure described above.

  In the case of the Windows® computer operating system, Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington has introduced a real-world analogy, or folder, with respect to storing, organizing, and retrieving electronic information from a computer system or network. This folder system was strictly an end-user concept introduced to give the real world atmosphere to electronic data and information stored on and available through the computer. Computer users typically consider the computer's hard drive as a large filing cabinet in which files are organized. However, for the computer system itself, electronic files are encoded using magnetics and are simply a series of bits (or in some other way) stored in a hard drive, and “folders” are It is just one way for a computer system to reference those files.

  Microsoft Corporation's NT File System ("NTFS") introduced features that support hard links. Because of this feature, users can place electronic files in multiple folders. Of course, physically, this feature does not require you to duplicate the bits representing those electronic files on your computer's hard drive (or other storage system) many times, for example, each where the file is located You only need to duplicate the folder once. Rather, the same file is referenced backwards in different folders. However, when initially released, this feature was not exposed to end users, because putting a single file into multiple folders did not match the user's real physical world concept. Yes (that is, the same physical sheet cannot be placed in two separate physical folders at the same time).

  In at least some operating systems that can implement at least some aspects of the present invention, a new end-user concept of “lists” is being introduced. Physically as an analogy, a “list” can be thought of as a container that references a collection of items (eg, electronic files). In order to better understand the “list”, the “folder” will be described in more detail. A “folder” is considered a “set” or group of items that are considered to be related to each other in some way (eg, being in the same “folder” means that the items in the set are “related” Would be one way to think). Each item or file in the collection or folder can include a property called “PARENTFOLDER” (eg, in the form of a path such as “c: \ users \ usera \ documents \”). In particular, this path is also an end user metaphor and does not necessarily reflect the physical structure of the computer. In fact, the concept of a drive itself is also considered a metaphor because a single physical hard drive can be partitioned into multiple “drives”, such as c drives and d drives.

  Another way in which a user can define a “set” is by a “list”. A “list” can be thought of as relating to a “folder” because each can be thought of as defining a set of items. However, unlike "folders", "lists" according to at least some embodiments of the present invention do not define this relationship using the "PARENTFOLDER" property as described above. Rather, in a “list”, the same item (eg, an electronic file) may exist in multiple locations (eg, in multiple independent “lists”). Like a “folder”, a “list” is an end-user concept. Putting an electronic file or other item into multiple “lists” does not duplicate the actual physical bits that represent the underlying data; rather, the underlying electronic file or item is in its “list”. (Or “linked” in some way). To tie this description back to real-world examples, we have “Shopping List” and “Urgent 'To Do' List” to track what items need to be purchased and what needs to be done. it can. Both of these “lists” may include items such as “birthday present for life”. The user understands that buying a gift is both something that must be done while shopping and something that must be done quite urgently. However, the user also understands that this does not mean that two gifts need to be purchased because this item is entered into two of the user's lists. Rather, a single act of purchasing a gift allows the user to delete each item from each list.

  An operating system in which at least some aspects of the invention may be implemented may further include an “automatic list”. The “automatic list” defines a set of items like “list” and “folder”. These collections of items can be stored on the computer system or automatically generated based on common property values associated with items available through the computer system. For example, if necessary, the user can have an automatic list based on the property value rating = 5 star. By using this “automatic list” function, the user can easily identify and confirm information related to all 5 stars rated files regardless of the specific folder or “list” in which the file may appear. be able to. As long as the file or item is associated with a five star rating, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention will be Files or items will be automatically included as elements of this dynamically and automatically generated set. Other examples of an “automatic list” may include, for example, recently created files, recently edited files, commonly used files, Author ID, creation date, edit date, file type, application name, etc. it can.

  One aspect related to the contents of the “auto list” relates to the scope of the list (ie, the collection of files and / or locations searched to generate the “auto list”). Various restrictions on the scope of the “automatic list” can be set, for example, depending on the environment in which the computer is located, user settings, how the computer or network is used, and so on. For example, the scope of an “automatic list” may be limited to a specific machine, a file of a specific user on the machine, or a network of machines, and / or in any other desired manner without departing from the scope of the present invention. it can. As a more specific example, the scope of the “5 star” automatic list is specified to traverse, such as a file or folder on a given physical computer and / or a file or folder created by a specified user Can be limited to a set of files or folders. However, if necessary, the user can identify the computer and / or the network that includes the computer, such as to identify all “5 star” files stored on either the user's desktop or laptop computer. An automatic list scope (or other search scope) can be set to search across.

  As users store more and more files on their PCs (for example, document, music, video, and image files), and as computer systems connected to the network become more and more used, users refined The ability to select a search scope (e.g., for automatic lists or other searches) will be important (e.g., identifying and displaying excessive irrelevant data (data from other users or locations)) To avoid long search times). As a more specific example, a graphics designer may “automatically” limit the search and returned content to hard drive parts (eg, directories, etc.) that contain only Photoshop (or a photo of a particular user, as appropriate). You may want to set the scope of the “list” search. This user does not necessarily want to search everything on the PC and / or everything on the network to which the PC can be connected. Such a user may not want to display files of other users who can also satisfy the search parameter conditions set for the “automatic list”.

  Thus, in systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, a user can select and define a “sub-item domain” as part of a search scope. A “sub-item domain” is a set of folders that define a narrowed scope for a computer system that performs a cross-search. This sub-item domain can include folders and / or collections of sub-folders where users store their data, items marked by specific properties, and the like.

  92A and 92B illustrate some examples of aspects of sub-item domain scope configuration. For example, FIG. 92A illustrates an individual computer or network 9200 that is shared by multiple users (eg, Users A, B, and C), where each node in the diagram is by various users and FIG. 4 illustrates a folder or other file “container” collection created for various users. As described above, in search activities, including activities related to the generation of "automatic lists", the user should only search for some of these available "folders" or other elements You can set up the system. For example, by setting a “sub-item domain scope” for a particular search or automatic list, a user can limit his search to only a few folders of files. FIG. 92A shows a “sub-item domain” that is represented by a triangle 9202, includes the folder “User B”, and is set to search only the folder below it. Of course, the “sub-item domain” can be set to encompass a portion of the network 9200 without departing from the invention. In addition, if necessary, the scope may be different for a variety of different automatic lists generated by a given computer system without departing from the invention. By using a sub-item domain scope as shown in FIG. 92A, the search is further refined to target only some specified source data (eg, User B data in this example). As a result, the results of an “automatic list” or other search activity can be quite relevant. Also, the execution speed can be increased because the set of items to be inspected is small. Of course, the user interface can be prepared so that sub-item domains can be easily adjusted and changed for search activities, including automatic list searches.

  The contents of this configurable “sub-item domain” need not be limited to a single folder, or even a single common branch of the folder layer. Rather, if necessary, according to at least some embodiments of the system and method according to the present invention, a user may consider files located in multiple folders, and optionally in multiple branches of network or computer memory. The search scope (such as “automatic list” generation search scope) can be set as follows. FIG. 92B shows the exemplary individual computer or network 9200 of FIG. 92A, but in this example, the search “sub-item domain” is 2 as represented by sub-item domain triangles 9204 and 9206. It is set up to retrieve data contained only in folders available from one independent user (photo data from Users B and C in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 92B). Again, using this sub-item domain scope, the results of the “auto list” or other search activity are narrowed down so that the search is only for the desired user's data in this example. Can be quite relevant, and the speed of execution is increased because the set of items to be examined is small.

  Additional aspects of the invention further extend from the aspects described above. In at least some exemplary systems and methods according to this invention, multiple folders and / or properties may be selected by a user as a scope for searching and / or displaying information stored on a computer. it can. Such a system and method may use a navigation panel that displays properties and / or folders in a hierarchical format, for example, as described above with respect to FIGS.

  In a conventional or currently available “folder tree” that displays folders of items stored on a computer, the user cannot select multiple folders at once. If the user wants to display the contents of multiple folders, he has to open multiple windows (eg, one for each folder he wants to see) and / or to open and inspect the desired folders sequentially. Don't be. Therefore, the user cannot display all information from multiple folders in the common screen, so it is difficult to accurately overlook the entire available information stored on the computer system or network. is there.

  The problem is exacerbated when "lists" and "automatic lists" are available. As described above, lists and automatic lists can include a collection of property values that help define or classify files and / or other items stored on a computer system or network. In many cases, the user will also be presented with information presented through a list or automatic list procedure based on the requirement that the displayed information must include multiple properties associated with it (ie search I want to further refine the related files that are identified as being in the reference. For example, a user may want to view all stored images from a specific travel scene, including a specific person (eg, spouse). If multiple property selection techniques are not available, the user is very difficult to find a subset of files that meet these two independent property criteria.

  Some aspects of the present invention may include, for example, listing multiple property hierarchies provided in a navigation panel or otherwise made available to a user from a list of properties as part of a search criteria. Relates to a system and method that enables performing a search, interpreting the search results, and / or displaying the search results when is selected. Such systems and methods can be used, for example, when navigating, searching, displaying, and / or interacting with various lists, automatic lists, and / or folders.

  One feature related to this aspect of the invention relates to a method in which information or files are determined to satisfy search conditions, including multiple properties and / or other search parameters. More specifically, in some cases, the user prefers to see the union of all information that satisfies the conditions of any function of the multiple property search query (satisfy property A “OR” property B In other cases, the user prefers to see the intersection of only the information that satisfies the conditions of both functions of the multiple property search query (ie, satisfy property A “AND” property B) Display information). As some more specific examples, if the user requests retrieval of information identifying all files including “Maui pictures” taken with a family member contained therein, the user may search for a system and method. We expect that an image including the family AND “taken with Maui” will be taken out. In such a query, the user typically wants to see all Maui images (including all images that do not include a family) and all family images (including images that are not Maui). Not. On the other hand, if the user requests retrieval of information identifying a file rated as either 3 stars or 4 stars, the search system and method are expected to retrieve a file that is one of those ratings. (Because at least most files are not rated by the user as 3 stars and 4 stars at the same time).

  Accordingly, at least some aspects of the present invention allow a user to “union” based on selected information or multiple search parameters, eg, from a property and / or folder navigation panel, eg, arranged in a hierarchy. Or, it relates to an algorithm that automatically determines whether it is likely that it wants to receive “product set” information. In general, as will be described in more detail below, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention allows a plurality of retrieved properties, lists, folders, items, and / or other parameters to be the same in a hierarchy. Information about files based on the union (logical OR operation) of multiple parameters selected when belonging to “property” (eg, when executing “search”, “list files”, or other navigation tasks) )return. On the other hand, the systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the present invention are such that searched properties, lists, folders, items, and / or other parameters belong to different properties or span different properties. Returns information about the file (eg, when performing “search”, “list files”, or other navigation tasks) based on the product set (logical AND operation) of the selected parameters. A more detailed example of the operation of this algorithm is described below with respect to FIGS. Of course, if necessary, you can override the automatically selected AND or OR operation for a given search query and customize the results for that particular query to target options and / or opportunities (eg, (Via interface screen, right mouse button click, etc.).

  Page Space Control: System, Method, and Computer-Readable Medium Example According to Some Aspects of the Invention: Multiple Property Selection: Multiple Selection within a Single Multi-Valued Property: FIG. FIG. 9B illustrates an exemplary display screen 9300 that includes a navigation panel 9302 that may include a hierarchical list of various nodes within the panel 9302 of an example embodiment. Information stored under and / or associated with a node may be associated with that node as appropriate (e.g., automatically, by user input, by other input, by other files Including information that identifies individual electronic files or items of information (such as e-mail files, music files, digital photo files, electronic documents, audio, and / or video files, etc.) be able to. Information identifying at least some of the files corresponding to the one or more criteria specified for the search query or list file activity is displayed on this exemplary display screen 9300 in display panel 9304. Using the navigation panel 9302, the user can select one or more of the hierarchical nodes that represent the assigned properties associated with the file, and the display panel 9304 displays user-specified property criteria. Contains information that identifies a file or other collection of information to fill.

  As shown in FIG. 93, in this example, the user has instructed the system to retrieve information identifying the file containing the images showing Person_A and Person_D (shown by the highlighted display in the figure). As is). As a more general explanation, in this example, the user has selected multiple values within a single multi-value property from the hierarchy (i.e. selection of a hierarchy icon representing Person_A and a single property (" ("People") to select an icon representing Person_D). The “People” property is called a “multivalued” property because a file based on the “People” property can have multiple individual property entries (eg, a given image has multiple ) And thus have multiple “People” child properties associated with it). In response to this query, search, or “list files” command, the system and method according to this embodiment of the present invention retrieves an image containing either Person_A or Person_D (to retrieve, the system automatically or A person will eventually associate the “Person_A” or “Person_D” property or keyword with various image files (eg, as metadata, as described above), thereby including the person (s) in the image. Need to be instructed). In particular, for this exemplary search query, the system and method according to this embodiment of the present invention provides union information, ie, an image that includes both Person_A and Person_D (ie, images ABD1, ABD2, Information identifying the file containing Person_A OR Person_D (represented by the letters “A” and “D” in the name contained in the icon of FIG. 93), respectively, including ACD1, AD1, and ABD3) Take out automatically. In essence, the system and method according to this embodiment of the invention has performed a logical OR operation based on input parameters specified by the user in the navigation panel 9302.

  Thus, from this example, a first rule for a selection algorithm according to at least some exemplary systems and methods according to the present invention can be derived. With this rule, information returned by a user selecting multiple sets within a single multi-value property set is automatically returned in a “merged” or logical “OR” query language scheme. Of course, if necessary, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention allows the user to override this rule and / or this automatic selection action (thus performing an “AND” operation). ).

  In particular, in the illustrated display panel 9304, two selected data sets can be shown or used as a whole and held apart from each other (ie, one for the Person_A image in this example). One sub-panel 9306 and one sub-panel 9308 for the Person_D image). In particular, a single list item can appear in each subpanel 9306 and 9308 (or among others) if appropriate (ie, in this example, images ABD1, ABD2, ACD1, AD1). , And an icon representing ABD3 appears in the respective sub-panels 9306 and 9308). Of course, other displays of retrieved information including, for example, displaying a list of compiled files or items without indication of source properties and / or without giving an iterative representation of the same file or item Many methods (eg, within display panel 9304) can be used without departing from the invention. As another example, if desired, display portion 9304 may further provide the result of a logical AND operation (in this example, Person_A and Person_D) to make the method more accessible to the user when a logical AND operation is desired. It is also possible to include a display sub-panel including an image including both of them.

  Page Space Control: System, Method, and Computer-Readable Medium Example According to Some Aspects of the Invention: Multiple Property Selection: Multiple Selection within Single Value Property: As described above, in the example of FIG. The “People” property is a multi-valued property (ie, an item of information (eg, a file) under that property can have multiple of the underlying child properties associated with it). However, some properties can be thought of as “single-valued properties”, which means that each item of information (eg, a file) stored under that property is a child of this property. Means that it contains only a single instance of Examples of single value properties can include, but are not limited to, size, rating, and the like. FIG. 94 illustrates an exemplary display screen 9400 in which a user has selected multiple properties (eg, for a list file, search query, or other action) from a navigation panel 9402 that includes a hierarchical array of properties (or folders, etc.). The selected property is under the single value property “Rating” (ie, the user typically attaches only one rating to the file). In particular, in this example, the user has requested retrieval of all images with a 3 or 4 star rating, as is apparent from the highlight display in the navigation panel 9402.

  In response to this query, search, or “list files” command, the system and method according to this embodiment of the present invention retrieves an image rated 3 stars OR 4 starts (to retrieve, the system automatically or A person must have assigned evaluation properties to various files at some point (eg, as metadata as described above). In particular, in this exemplary search, the system and method according to this embodiment of the present invention retrieves union information, that is, information identifying a file that has been evaluated as 3 stars OR 4 stars. In essence, the system and method according to this embodiment of the invention has performed a logical OR operation based on input parameters specified by the user in the navigation panel 9402. In fact, in this example, the “Rating” property is a single-valued property, so it makes no sense to perform a logical “AND” operation, but it does not have an empty set in each case. (I.e., each file contains a unique rating, so no files are identified when performing a search that includes a 3 star AND 4 star rating).

  Thus, from this example, other rules of the selection algorithm according to at least some exemplary systems and methods according to the present invention can be derived. With this rule, the information returned by the user selecting multiple sets within a single-value property set is automatically returned in a “merge” or logical “OR” query language scheme. Of course, if necessary, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention allows a user to override this rule and / or this auto-select action.

  In particular, in the illustrated display panel 9404, two selected data sets can be shown or utilized as a whole and held apart from each other (ie, in this example, a three star rating). One sub-panel 9406 for the image and one sub-panel 9408 for the four star rating image). In particular, in this case, no single list item appears in both (or others) of sub-panels 9406 and 9408, because each file contains a single rating value, as defined in this example. is there. Of course, there are many other ways to display the retrieved information (eg, within the display panel 9404) including, for example, displaying a list of compiled files or items without indication of source properties. It can be used without departing from the invention.

  Page Space Control: System, Method, and Computer-Readable Medium Example According to Some Aspects of the Invention Example: Multiple Property Selection: Additional Logical “OR” Example: As noted above, the above rule is a folder structure And / or can be applied to items in a hierarchical property structure. 95 and 96 illustrate some additional examples where user selection is applied to hierarchical properties in the navigation panel.

  As shown in display screen 9500 of FIG. 95, the user selects two independent entries in the hierarchical property table present in navigation panel 9502: Cars> Import> German property and Cars> American property. is doing. Since the selected property is still placed under the common multi-valued parent property (“Cars” in this example), the above rule is applied and the display panel 9504 displays this query, search, or Displays the union of the two selected properties in response to the list files operation. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 95, display panel 9504 displays information identifying all stored files corresponding to a logical OR operation, ie, any search criteria, ie, made in Germany. Stored digital image corresponding to an imported vehicle OR includes information that satisfies a stored digital image corresponding to a US vehicle. Logical AND operations are not very meaningful or less likely in such a particular fact situation, because a typical car is not considered “imports” AND “American” (but AND operations are less likely) For example, if multiple cars are included in a given image and a property is associated with the file for both cars in the image, a hit can be returned).

  In particular, in this example, the two selected items (ie, properties) in the hierarchical structure were not placed in the same hierarchical level. However, a logical OR operation has been performed in this case, which means that, as described above, according to the rules of the algorithm, the OR operation is performed when the selected property is placed under a common parent property. (But this common parent property does not have to be the immediate parent of both or any of the selected nodes).

  In particular, in the illustrated display panel 9504, two selected data sets are shown or available as a whole and are kept apart from each other (ie, in this example in the image of a German car). One sub-panel 9506 and one sub-panel 9508 for US car images). Again, in this case, no single list item appears in both sub-panels 9506 and 9508 (or else), but since a single image contains multiple cars, sub-panel 9506 and Images that overlap within 9508 are possible. Of course, there are many other ways to display the retrieved information (eg, display panel), including displaying a list of compiled files or items, eg no source property indication, no duplicate photo list, etc. (Within 9504) can be used without departing from the invention. Further, if necessary, the result of the logical AND operation can be appropriately displayed on the display panel 9504 together with the result of the logical OR operation.

  FIG. 96 shows another exemplary display screen 9600 where multiple hierarchical property nodes in the navigation panel 9602 are selected by the user. In this example, the node and one of the corresponding grandchild nodes are selected by the user (ie, the Cars node and Cars> Import> UK node are selected). In this case, the logical AND operation makes little or no sense, but if the user intends to list files that correspond only to UK import vehicles, the user simply selects the UK node. This is because a list display can be created (multiple selections were not necessary). Thus, the above selection rule still applies, i.e., the selected property is placed in a common parent property ("Cars" in this example), so the system can either use this query, search, or list. In response to the files operation, the union of the two selected properties is automatically retrieved and the display panel 9604 automatically displays it. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 96, display panel 9604 displays information identifying all stored files corresponding to a logical OR operation, ie, any search criteria, ie, all Stored digital image corresponding to a car OR contains information that fills a stored digital image corresponding to a UK car.

  As with the various display panels described above, the display panel 9604 makes the two selected data sets available as a whole and is held apart from each other (ie, all automobiles in this embodiment). One sub-panel 9606 for the image of the vehicle and one sub-panel 9608 for the image of the UK car). In this exemplary system and method, all UK car images in subpanel 9608 are also included in the more comprehensive Cars subpanel 9606, which means that all UK car images fit within the Cars parent node. (For example, if a child property is assigned to a file, as described above with respect to hierarchical properties, the file will also automatically add everything to the assigned child property. Assigned parent property). Of course, there are many other ways to display the retrieved information (for example, the display panel), including displaying a list of compiled files or items, for example, without indication of source properties, no overlapping photos being displayed, etc. 9604) can be used without departing from the invention.

  Page Space Control: System, Method, and Computer-Readable Medium Example According to Some Aspects of the Invention: Multiple Property Selection: Logic “AND” Example: The above example for FIGS. For multiple user selections within a given hierarchical grouping such as properties. Other rules of an exemplary algorithm for determining data to be displayed in response to multiple user selections in a hierarchical folder or property structure are illustrated with respect to FIGS.

  In general, this “rule” of an algorithm displays a “cross set” of search results (or a logical AND operation is performed and the results are displayed) when multiple user selections are made across different parent property sets. Request that. In the example illustrated in FIG. 97, the display screen 9700 shows a navigation panel 9702 on which multilevel hierarchy properties are displayed. The user has selected two properties that span two of the highest level parent property set: Locations> Toronto and People> Person_D. In this type of situation, the user typically expects that a logical AND operation will be performed and that the displayed result will only contain images taken in Toronto that also include Person_D (eg, typically In a type of search query, the user does not want to see all Toronto images or all images that contain Person_D). Therefore, as shown in the display panel 9704 of this embodiment, the resulting displayed result includes only images during a trip to Toronto including Person_D therein. Since the intersection of both selected sets is displayed, there is no reason to display the results from each user selected set separately as shown above in FIGS. Each item in the panel 9704 is present in the Locations> Toronto list display and the People> Person_D list display), and these individual selected sets can be further displayed if desired (e.g., user To address the possibility of wanting to see both separate sets).

  Of course, for example, any method for displaying the search result on the display panel 9704 can be used without departing from the present invention. In addition, the automatic AND operation generated by the system and method according to this embodiment of the invention can be overridden by the user, if desired.

  Application of the logical AND operation is not limited to the combined use with the multi-value hierarchical property. For example, one or both of the user selections in FIG. 97 constitute a single value property (such as one of the star “Rating” properties shown in the navigation panel 9702) and the other selections have different parent property sets ( If placed within a “People” or “Locations” property set (such as “People” or “Locations” property set), the “Star Set” of the selected Star Rating property and the selected People or Locations property would be displayed (ie Since the selection spans different property sets, the logical AND operation is executed as it is and the result is displayed).

  The rules of the algorithm applying the logical AND operation are also applied when selections are made across different hierarchical properties, and even when those selections are located at different depths in the hierarchical structure. FIG. 98 shows an embodiment. As shown in the display screen 9800 of FIG. 98, the user has selected the properties Keyword> Cars> Import and Date> 2004 in the navigation panel 9802. Since the top level parent properties are different, a logical AND operation is performed and the display panel 9804 displays the intersection of the two properties (ie, a file with both selected properties, ie, year Display the image of “Import cars” from “2004”). This AND operation is performed even in the fact that one of the selected nodes has a different number of parent nodes compared to the other selected nodes (thus the overall Exist on different levels).

  This same algorithm rule is applied, and similar intersection results are obtained regardless of whether one or both of the user-selected properties are single-valued or multi-valued properties.

  In addition, the rules of the algorithm that applies the logical AND operation further, if selections are made across different hierarchical properties, and further that at least one of those selections selects a low-level item in the hierarchical structure. Even if not included, it applies. FIG. 99 shows an embodiment. As shown in the display screen 9900 of FIG. 99, the user of this example has selected the property Rating> 4_Star and People in the navigation panel 9902 (no specific person under the People node is selected). ) Since the top level parent properties are different, a logical AND operation is performed and the intersection of these two properties is displayed on the display panel 9904 (ie included in being rated as 4 stars). Display information related to files with “People” properties (eg, people)).

  Page space control: Examples of systems, methods, and computer readable media according to some aspects of the invention: Multiple property selection: Use of multiple selection in a hierarchy with folders, lists, or other structures: As described above , Some aspects of the use of multiple user selection within a hierarchy can also be applied to hierarchies that include traditional folders (eg, performing an OR / AND function may cause one or both of the user selection elements to be folders Even if it contains a structure, it can be determined using the rules above). Conceptually, according to at least some exemplary aspects of the present invention, a “folder” can be treated as a single value property. More specifically, because individual files are only placed in a single conventional folder as described above, folders can be treated as single-value properties according to these aspects of the invention. Optionally, if necessary, multi-user selection can include a mix of folder element and property element selections within the hierarchical structure. Various examples are given below.

  FIG. 100 shows a display screen 90000 including a navigation panel 10002 in which both hierarchical properties and folder structures exist. In the example shown in FIG. 100, the user has selected two individual folders, the My Pictures> Trips folder and the My Pictures> Old folder. Since the two selections are placed under the same top level parent element in the hierarchy (ie, the “My Pictures” element in this example), the logical OR operation is performed through the application of the rules of the various algorithms described above. As applied and shown on display panel 10004, the displayed result displays the union of the two selected sets. The contents of the set for which it is selected can be displayed in the display panel 10004 in any way, but in this example shown, the displayed files are outlined above, for example in FIGS. As described, it is identified in another, different subpanel.

  As described above, user files exist in a single location within a conventional folder hierarchy (ie, a single file or other item cannot exist in two separate, separate folders at the same time). . Therefore, since the logical AND operation returns an empty set as a result, the logical OR operation is most meaningful in the situation illustrated in FIG.

  FIG. 101 shows that the OR / AND logic selection rule and algorithm is that the user's selection includes at least one set of folders, and the selection is independent of the hierarchy, different parts (ie, different final top-level parent nodes). The display screen 10100 of one Example applied in the situation over a part) is shown. As shown in the hierarchical navigation panel 10102 in FIG. 101, the user has selected an evaluation node (4_Star in this example) and a folder node (My Pictures> Old folder node in this example). Applying the various rules and algorithms described above, the selection has a different top level parent node in the hierarchy, so a logical AND operation is applied, and information about the intersection of these two hierarchy elements is displayed in the display panel. 10104. More specifically, in this example, all stored “old” images with a “4-star” rating are displayed on display panel 10104. Of course, any method for displaying the results of a query, search, or list files can be used without departing from the invention. Also, if necessary, the display panel 10104 can be designed to further show the results from the logical OR operation, and / or the user can somehow indicate that the logical OR operation is desired. Can be notified.

  In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention, the same OR / AND logic selection function can be applied to list elements in a hierarchical structure. “Lists” (lists) are conceptually thought of as simply constructing a set of items, such as files. FIG. 102 shows an exemplary display screen 10200 in which various list elements are included in the hierarchical structure shown in the navigation panel 10202. A plurality of elements under the “All Lists” node, namely the “Top Issues” node and the “Project Y” node, are selected by the user. In the display panel 10204, the generated display is a list satisfying one of these search criteria, that is, a list element designated to correspond to the list element OR “Project Y” designated as “Top Issues”. Give information about the item. In particular, some of the list items can be included under the grouping for both modes (eg, items 2 and 4). The contents of the set for which it has been selected can be displayed in the display panel 10204 in any way, but in the example shown, the displayed list elements are outlined above, for example in FIGS. Are identified in different, different sub-panels. Also, if necessary, the display panel 10204 can be designed to further show the results from the logical AND operation, and can address the possibility that this AND result is desired by the user. is there. Further, as described above, if necessary, the automatic OR operation selection can be overridden on the user side.

  The OR / AND logic selection selection algorithm and rules described above are further applied in situations where the user selects more than two hierarchical elements (eg, three or more folders, list elements, properties, etc.). Can do. In general, in such situations, logical OR operations (ie, union operations) are performed on selections made under the same hierarchical parent element set, and logical AND operations (ie, intersection operations) are different hierarchical parents. Performed on selections made across element sets. Optionally, operations within a given hierarchical parent element set (ie, an OR operation), if any, can be performed first. FIG. 103 shows an example of this type of operation.

  In particular, as shown in display screen 10300 of FIG. 103, the user selects three elements from navigation panel 10302: Dates> 2004 property, Keyword> Cars> Import property, and Keyword> Cars> American property. is doing. In response, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention first performs an OR operation on the selected Keyword property to store stored keyword properties that meet any of these criteria. Identify all saved files including. A determination is then made (by applying a logical AND operation) from the identified files that meet any of the Keyword criteria, which files also meet the date criteria. Next, the results displayed in display panel 10340 show an imported car image and an American Car image from “2004”. The contents of these selected sets can be displayed in the display panel 10304 in any way, but in this example shown, the information displayed for the file is shown above in FIGS. As outlined, it is displayed in another, different sub-panel intended for different “OR” selections.

  Multiple users because it provides predictable logical results when users use hierarchical properties, folders, lists, or other structures to store, search, and retrieve information from a computer system or network The above rules and the application of these rules are used in determining whether it is beneficial to perform a logical OR or logical AND operation on the selection. Of course, if necessary, provide an interface that allows the user to override these automatic retrieval rules at any time, as described above, for example, if these rules produce undesirable results in individual cases. be able to. When new information is introduced into a computer system or network, the above rules will continue to be updated regardless of whether the new information can be incorporated into an existing hierarchy or whether a new / additional hierarchy is required. It can also be applied to added information. After being placed in the hierarchy in some way, whether various selections are placed in the given property or other hierarchy element level and / or they are different top level parent properties or other hierarchies By determining whether the element level is crossed, the above OR / AND logic operation selection procedure can be executed.

  Page Space Control: System, Method, and Computer-readable Medium Example According to Some Aspects of the Invention: Multiple Property Selection: Computer-readable Medium: Additional aspects of the invention further include the systems and methods described above, Computer-executable instructions stored therein for performing various multiple properties or other value selection methods and / or for use in various systems including multiple properties or other value selection methods Also relates to a computer readable medium including: The computer readable medium may comprise computer executable instructions stored in various specific embodiments of the computer readable medium described above.

  Page Space Control: Examples of systems, methods, and computer readable media according to some aspects of the present invention: Grouping and stacking in display panels: Today, Windows® based computer operating systems (eg, Redmond, WA) (Commercially available from Microsoft Corporation), it is possible to organize a collection of files into multiple groups (eg, from a search query or a list files command). For example, using file “type” groupings, put all PowerPoint® presentations (presentation software available from Microsoft Corporation) in the search domain into one group and / or all digital Images can be placed in other groups. However, it may be difficult for the user to handle large item sets efficiently and effectively because the correct grouping must be identified to ultimately identify the files that are further considered. For example, if a user has a folder with 100,000 files inside, grouping those files will make it somewhat easier to sort, but it is still the user to find a specific desired file (E.g., where keyword search or other search techniques are not particularly effective at narrowing grouped files).

  In an application program and / or operating system according to at least some embodiments of the invention, a user utilizes “stacking” as a new / additional means for visually organizing files into multiple collections. Can do. For example, when stacking by “file type” in the system and method, the user can see all of the files stacked in individual collections, eg, collections for PowerPoint presentation files, collections for spreadsheets, collections for digital images, etc. Can see. Each of these sets can be represented, for example, in a computer generated display by a stack icon that conceptually operates as a virtual container for the set of items. Stacking is a very useful tool to help users narrow down on the set of items they are aware of, but stacking clearly lists the various available stack options, This is because it is easy for the user to understand.

  When applied to a more specific real-world embodiment, stacking is conceptually considered to go to a rental car store and ask what color car is in the store. The car rental shop responds that it can prepare blue and red cars today. Conceptually, this is what happens when the user stacks a file with properties, that is, the user gets a stack for each unique value of that property.

  This stacking function (along with other display functions) can be applied, for example, to a user interface as described above with respect to FIGS. 91 and 93-103. In such a user interface, systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the invention can display information including Lists, Auto Lists, Folders, and properties, including, for example, user-defined properties. Each Auto List can be designed in various ways, for example, as a means for the user to display information identifying the file with specific properties. In a more specific embodiment, the music Auto List can be stacked by, for example, an artist, and search by this artist property identifies the user with all artists in the music collection, for example, Bjork, Madonna, etc. You can see the stack. However, there is one problem with simply showing this shortcut to the Auto list, even if music from many different artists is stored in the computer system and can be used in the view, it is still desired to It may be difficult for the user to identify the artist and / or the desired individual album, CD, or song (s).

  One aspect of the system and method according to some embodiments of the present invention relates to exposing available Auto Lists stacking structures as subnodes in a navigation panel and / or a display panel associated therewith. As a more specific example, for the situation of “Artists” Auto List described above, using the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, the user can navigate within the navigation panel and / or display panel. Expand "Artists" (or other) nodes in to control and / or display all unique Artists (or other nodes) stored on a computer, network, or system be able to.

  Another aspect of the invention is a method in which information relating to groups of information and staff is processed and / or manipulated, for example, in a navigation panel and / or a display portion of a user interface presenting such information. About. More specifically, aspects of the present invention handle “grouped” and “stacked” information in the same way, so that grouped Auto Lists can represent a hierarchy in the navigation panel. it can. That is, if the user has a view of music files grouped by “Artist” in the display panel, the system and method according to some embodiments of the present invention can be used to Subnodes can be created. In at least some cases, subnodes can actually make up other stacks, so when a user clicks on one of these subnodes, the set of items in the view is filtered Only those results are narrowed down. This allows the user to take advantage of a quick index of the items present in the view, and can actually narrow down to a collection of files instead of organizing visually or in mind.

  Yet another exemplary aspect according to the present invention relates to the ability of users of systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the present invention to stack within a parent folder and flatten the folder hierarchy. For example, if a user stacks by file type into a hard drive directory or other collection of data (eg, “D: \ Data” grouping), the system and method according to at least some embodiments according to the present invention includes all Search subfolders, take those items and put them on the stack. As a result, the user can navigate to an arbitrary folder and display the contents organized by a desired property value instead of the folder hierarchy.

  In general, aspects of the present invention are useful because, in systems and methods according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, grouping and stacking can be used to create a dynamic organizational structure within a navigation panel; It is also possible to select a group in the navigation panel or display panel and narrow the items in the view to display only the set. Yet a further general aspect of the invention relates to treating grouping and stacking as subnodes to the Auto List and being able to select groups within the navigation panel and / or display panel, through which further display You can narrow the view to be displayed. More specific examples of these aspects of the invention are described below.

  As mentioned above, “grouping” and “stacking” are two different ways to visualize a collection of items. FIG. 104 illustrates a display screen 10400 that includes a navigation panel 10402 and a display panel 10404 (which displays information related to various stored files or items based on input received in the navigation panel 10402. Show). In particular, in FIG. 104, the navigation panel 10402 indicates that the property or keyword “Carnivora” has been selected, and the corresponding display panel 10404 displays a stack for individual child nodes in the hierarchy directly below the Carnivora parent node. Show. More specifically, as shown in the example of FIG. 104, display panel 10404 includes a stack of images for a dog (Candiae) and a stack of images for a cat (Felidae). In particular, in the navigation panel 10402, the child nodes under the Candiae and Felidae nodes are completely (minimum) despite the fact that these collections are shown as being stacked in the display panel 10404. Is displayed).

  In at least some cases, the stack may not constitute the most preferred way of displaying information in the display panel 10404. For example, as shown in FIG. 104, stacking may not be desirable in at least some cases because the user cannot easily see information about the contents in the stack (eg, As shown in FIG. 104, you cannot see thumbnail icons or a lot of other displayed information about the contents of the stack). If the information is not displayed in an “unstacked” manner, the user “drills down” to the deepest level in the hierarchy, and at least in some cases, eventually results in an image (or a specific file). Related more specific information) shall be displayed. This requirement is especially true if the hierarchy is divided into many levels, if many files are included in the hierarchy, and / or where in the hierarchy the desired files are located. If not, it is inconvenient.

  FIG. 105 shows another exemplary display screen 10500 that uses grouping as opposed to stacking the display panel 10504. In particular, the same node remains highlighted in navigation panel 10502 (ie, the “Carnivora” node in this particular example), but display panel 10504 is selected as another subpanel 10506 and 10508. A search result grouped under each child node under the parent node is shown. Further, in sub-panels 10506 and 10508, the underlying file information in this exemplary display screen 10500 is unensured so that the user can quickly and easily see information related to the underlying content in the hierarchy. Shown in stacking scheme.

  In particular, in the example shown in FIG. 105, information relating to all items contained under a particular node (eg, Candiae node) is independent of the level within the hierarchy in which the information is located, Whether a particular image is stored with an associated “Candiae” property, “Cams” property, “Lupus” property, or “Latrans” property as shown in each subpanel (eg, subpanel 10506) No matter how). With this function, user access and recognition of desired information can be performed quickly and easily. In particular, this same display panel 10504 can be displayed as a result of other search or list files commands, for example, when the user highlights both Candiae and Felidae nodes in the navigation panel 10502.

  The user can also navigate quickly through the hierarchical structure of the navigation panel 10502 to see different groupings of information. An example of a possible change can be seen by comparing FIG. 105 with FIG. In particular, in FIG. 105, as described above, the Carnivora property is displayed by the user within the navigation panel 10502 that provides a display of information stored with that property, grouped based on the child node of the selected property. Selected (ie, grouped based on Candiae and Felidae child nodes in this example). In the display screen 10600 of FIG. 106, the user has changed the highlighted selection in the navigation panel 10602 to a more specific Panthera property (a grandchild node under the Carnivora property). As shown in FIG. 106, this change causes display panel 10604 to show a grouping for children under the Panthera property node, that is, a group of images labeled with the Leo and Tigris properties (respectively subpanels). 10606 and 10608). As is apparent from FIGS. 105 and 106, by using the navigation panels 10502 and 10602 and the display panels 10504 and 10604 with the hierarchical properties used for these panels, the user is stored in a meaningful manner. Data can be stored, searched, navigated, and useful thumbnails or other “preview” information of the data available throughout the hierarchy can be obtained. In particular, the content in the navigation panel and the user input provide the driving force for the content provided in the display panel, but the user input can also be used through the display panel if desired.

  Each comparison of display screens 10600 and 10700 of FIGS. 106 and 107 illustrates additional features that may be present according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. When various different automatic lists are changed in the navigation panel 10702 (eg, Keyword> Mammalia> Carnivora> Felidae> Panthera in FIG. 106 to Date Taken in FIG. 107), the hierarchical structure in the navigation panel 10702 is not folded, rather , When the user exits it (e.g., in the example shown, the Mammalia property and its child's full hierarchy remains public). In general, according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, navigation panel 10702 is not modified to reflect or reflect content displayed on display panel 10704 (eg, in sub-panels 10706 and 10708), but rather The navigation panel 10702 serves as a driving force for the content shown on the display panel 10704.

  The “unfolded” function of the navigation panel 10702 may be useful for a variety of reasons. For example, in general, the user expects this hierarchy to remain exposed in this way, eg, from traditional electronic file and / or folder system interaction. In other embodiments, in this way, the ability to keep the hierarchy open, expanded and usable (e.g., until closed by the user) It is relatively convenient if, for example, it is decided to return to the hierarchy for the purpose of additional search, navigation or preview. Further, if the navigation panel 10702 is left unchanged when the user navigates and potentially changes it manually, past locations visited by the user are readily available, So if you need it, you can go back to where you were.

  If desired, a combination of grouping and stacking can be used in the display panel according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. One example of such a combined use of grouping and stacking can be found, for example, on the display panel 10804 of the user interface display screen 10800 shown in FIG. More specifically, FIG. 108 shows a display screen with a navigation panel 10802 that includes information related to a collection of stored digital music, where at least some of the information related to stored music includes hierarchical properties. 10800 is shown. In this exemplary display 10800, the user has highlighted an automatic list with the title “SuperMusicView” where the included music data is stored with properties that include various different genres of music ( For example, one child node for “Classical” music, one child node for “Jazz”, one child node for “Pop”, and one child node for “Rap”). Of course, any number of genres can be included in the hierarchical structure without departing from the invention.

  By selecting the parent “SuperMusicView” node, the system and method according to this embodiment of the present invention displays on the display panel 10804 information related to music stored on the system grouped by various genres ( For example, sub-panels 10806, 10808, and 10810 for genres “Classical,“ Jazz ”, and“ Pop ”, respectively). Within each individual genre grouping, in this example, information is stacked for a period of, for example, 10 years when an album or music selection was released. If necessary, the user can further “drill down” into the hierarchical structure, for example, within the display panel 10804 or navigation panel 10802 to see more detailed information related to the information stored in the stack. (E.g., album titles in individual CDs, in this example shown, information stacked in a performance group or artist with a stack containing the individual albums, etc.). Further, narrowing down to individual CD or album titles is used, if necessary, in at least some embodiments of the systems and methods of the present invention and relates to the titles of individual songs or tracks contained on the album or CD. Information can be displayed. Of course, any number of stacks, groupings, and / or desired types of information can be included in the hierarchical property structure without departing from the invention.

  In particular, in the exemplary navigation panel 10802 and display panel 10804 shown in FIG. 108, at least a portion of the Auto List hierarchy is navigated regardless of whether grouping or stacking is displayed in the display panel 10804. Displayed in panel 10802. In fact, in this exemplary structure, display panel 10804 includes both grouped information and stacked information. In general, grouped information exists as a “transparent container”, which means that the content in the grouping is easily available to the user and visible to the user in the view. On the other hand, the information contained in a “stack” can be considered to be in an “opaque container”, which means that at least some of the individual content can be hidden from the user for stacking display. (However, hidden content can be displayed or made available by highlighting or “drilling down” into individual stacks via navigation panel 10802 and / or display panel 10804, if desired. be able to).

  As with windows, display panels, sub-panels, etc. included in the systems and methods according to some embodiments of the present invention, if a large amount of available information does not fit in the available display area, the user can enter undisplayed information. To access, using a desired method, eg, using a scroll bar as shown on display panel 10804, a “next page” / “previous page” button or icon, and / or any other desired method Can do.

  Hierarchical properties and other elements, groups of information and / or stack navigation panels, and displays according to some embodiments of the present invention can be used in conjunction with conventional folder structures without departing from the present invention. In general, stacking folders (eg in the display panel) are not useful to the user, but it is possible that individual folders in a hierarchical structure can have very different, independent objects, and within folders This is because a user who organizes information often does not store many files at a given level in the folder hierarchy. Thus, according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, stacking within a folder flattens the folder hierarchy, and based on its properties, the items contained within the folder are reorganized into a collection. FIG. 109 shows a display screen 10900 including a navigation panel 10902 with the folder hierarchy contained therein. When the “Vacation” folder is selected by the user on the navigation panel 10902, the display screen 10904 displays the basic folder structure (that is, in this embodiment, “Luna Eclipse” and “Luna Eclipse” in the “Vacation” folder). ("Aurora" folder), the individual files contained in those folders are displayed (thus making the folder structure "flat" and making the underlying information easier to see and use for the user). This can be accomplished, for example, by creating an “Auto List” element or node that is scoped so that the selected folder and all its subfolders are visible.

  Of course, other methods of displaying information from the folders in the display panel 10900 are possible without departing from the invention. For example, if necessary, instead of flattening the hierarchical structure shown in FIG. 109, the folder structure within the display panel 10904 may be displayed in the display panel 10904, particularly in situations where the highlighted folder itself includes multiple hierarchical levels. Can be maintained. For example, if a folder is selected in the navigation panel 10902, if necessary, information is displayed in the display panel 10904 by deleting individual items from the subfolder and displaying the items in the stack named after the subfolder. Can be displayed. Of course, other display techniques are possible without departing from the invention.

  Also, after being highlighted or selected in the navigation panel, various operations can be performed on the data and / or information related thereto is displayed on the display panel. FIG. 110 illustrates an exemplary display screen 11000 that can be used and / or displayed in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. In this embodiment, the user interface display screen 11000 includes a navigation panel 11002 on which a hierarchical folder structure is displayed, and a display panel 11004. In this embodiment, since the hierarchy of the folder structure is deep, when a folder is highlighted in the navigation panel 11002 (for example, “Vacations” folder in this embodiment), the information in the display panel 11004 includes the underlying subfolder structure. (Ie, folders under the “Vacations” folder) and placed in individual stacks. If the user then reorganizes the information (eg, by clicking on the “Location” icon or other property icon in the navigation panel 11002, right-clicking or selecting a property from a drop-down menu, etc.) The data will be able to be reorganized and stacked in place as shown in FIG. Since such revised stacking of data in FIG. 110 (stacked by “Vacations” and “Location”) does not correspond to the contents of the “Vacations” folder in the method provided in that folder, the highlighting is , Not displayed on the navigation panel 11002 of FIG. In fact, this action is similar to flattening all the information contained in the selected folder (ie, the “Vacations” folder in this example), and then the child contained under the selected property. Similar to reorganizing this information into stacks based on properties.

  Of course, for example, many grouping and / or stacking options that are performed in response to user commands within the types of navigation panels described above, and other system actions that are performed in response to user commands deviate from the present invention. Can be implemented in the system and method without. The following includes at least some additional examples of options that can be included in at least some examples of the invention.

  As an example, when grouping or stacking with properties that are multi-valued, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention provides a group or stack for each top-level value under the property. In addition, child property values cannot be exposed to the display panel (although underlying information in lower-level child property values can be displayed, if necessary, and / or Or can be made available for display). In such a system, if necessary, the user navigates to various hierarchical level groups, for example by using a hierarchical navigation panel, drilling down into a stack provided in the display panel, etc. Can be made public.

  If necessary, according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, there is no need to provide a way to display all keywords (grouped or stacked) as a flat list, as highlighted in the navigation panel. Information controls what is displayed in the display panel. If necessary, the system and method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention allows a user to, for example, a menu item (eg, button, right click) that allows the user to perform “expand all stacks”, “expand this stack”, etc. Menus, toolbar menus, etc.) can be "unstacked" at any level.

  Other actions may also be performed while information grouping and / or stacking is taking place, for example, operations related to hierarchical properties contained in groups and / or stacks. One embodiment relates to drag and / or drop operations. In at least some embodiments of the present invention, when dragging an item from one group to the other, the item has the newly applied group and / or stack property value (s) on that item. Can be modified to apply (i.e. include "destination" group and / or stack property value (s) from drag and / or drop operations, and, if necessary, and desired) If desired, it can be modified to delete the property value (s) of the original source group and / or stack, another exemplary operation is related to a “paste” operation. New group and / or status When placed in Tsu the click, it is possible to apply the destination properties and their (s) the parent property value, to the newly placed item.

  Further, many different types of displays or display content can be provided in response to navigating into groups and / or stacks. However, as described above, according to at least some embodiments of the present invention, all items with a group title property value are tagged with the child property value / parent property value (if any) of this group. All items can be shown on the initial display. If necessary, certain indicators can be provided in the navigation panel and / or display panel to indicate that items in the hierarchy can be further expanded to display child property values (eg, as illustrated herein). In some of the examples shown in FIG. 4, a “+” sign is used with an icon or widget). This same convention can be used in the filtering menu without departing from the invention. FIG. 111 is pulled up an exemplary menu 11102 that allows the user to further filter the information contained in the display panel 11104 of the display screen 11100 (eg, via a right click action or other suitable In this way, an exemplary display screen 11100 is shown. More specifically, in this embodiment, information existing on the display panel 11104 can be changed by clicking a desired menu item used for filtering. In this example, the caret structure “>” on the far right of each menu item is used to indicate that lower hierarchy levels can be used for filtering if necessary.

  Additional aspects of the present invention further provide properties, folders, lists, etc. for performing various grouping and / or stacking methods and / or in a grouping and / or stacking manner, including the systems and methods described above. It also relates to a computer readable medium including computer executable instructions stored therein for use in various systems for displaying information. The computer readable medium may comprise computer executable instructions stored in various specific embodiments of the computer readable medium described above.

^** Multiple roots in page space controls: Since known navigation systems incorporate only a single root node, the navigation tree limits the organization of the user's folders and other structures to a single representation. Such restrictions can be a substantial obstacle to efficiently displaying and navigating folders with comparable relevance. In one embodiment, the space available to the user on each of the user's storage device drives may be limited, thus forcing photos to be stored on two separate drives. In the known single root solution, the user is forced to access both storage areas by expanding the navigation tree to two significantly different storage points. Such a navigation method prevents both sets of photographs from being viewed simultaneously. Thus, according to some aspects of the present invention, multiple routes, such as the navigation panel described above, can be set in the page space control on the application or user side.

  FIG. 112 shows a partial screenshot 11200 of a shell browser window that implements a multi-root navigation pane according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The shell browser window 11201 is composed of a menu bar 11205 pointed to the top of the window, a shell browser pane 11210 on the right side, and a multi-root navigation pane 11215 placed along the left side of the shell browser window 11201. The implementation of the multi-route navigation pane within the shell browser window 11201 greatly increases the degree of freedom for the user to navigate, as described herein. A user browses files and / or data by accessing individual folders or pages via page views in shell browser pane 11210 or directly to the desired node representing the document or file corresponding to the page view. It is possible to navigate using the navigation pane 11215 by jumping. As used herein, a page refers to a collection of related documents, a page view refers to a graphical representation of data items within a particular page, and a page node is identified Refers to the icon or graphic representation of the page. Each page can include and / or represent a static list, an automatic list, a physical folder, a virtual folder, and related files, data, or some other structure or data collection of pages, and a shell browser pane 11210 Each page displayed within may have a corresponding node displayed in the navigation pane 11215, as further described below. The ability to display both the shell browser pane 11210 and the navigation pane 11215 simultaneously makes many of the customization options associated with the multi-route navigation pane 11215 easier to use. For example, a folder or list can be dragged from the shell browser pane 11210 to the navigation pane 11215 to define additional routes within the navigation pane 11215. The root node in the navigation pane generally relates to a page node that lacks a parent page node. According to one aspect of the invention, each root node in a navigation page can have a parent node, but the navigation pane does not display the parent of the node identified as the root node. Therefore, the user cannot navigate through the root node itself even though the parent of the root node exists.

  FIG. 113 is a diagram illustrating a multi-route navigation pane according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The multi-route navigation pane 11215 can include multiple root nodes 11311, 11312, and 11313. The root node can generally be used as a starting point when navigating data stored on a device such as a hard disk. The navigation pane 11215 displays the data organization in a graphic by combining the root nodes 11311, 11312, and 11313 with the expanded descendant nodes. In a one-level representation, root nodes 11311, 11312, and 11313 are aligned along a single vertical axis within the navigation pane 11215, which allows the status to be communicated as the root node. Therefore, the child pages 11321, 11322, and 11323 of the root nodes 11311, 11312, and 11313 are respectively arranged under the respective root nodes, and are arranged to the right of the vertical axis of the root nodes 11311, 11312, and 11313. The second vertical axis can be aligned. A first page or node is said to be a descendant of the second page or node if the first page directly depends on the second page. Due to the relative positioning of the root nodes 11311, 11312, and 11313 and the descendant page nodes 11321, 11322, and 11323, their hierarchical relationships are drawn graphically. Other levels of the storage hierarchy (eg, descendants of the root node's descendants) can be represented on the navigation pane 11215 according to the above-described scheme using the position of the parent page node with respect to orientation. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple ancestor / descendant orientation schemes can be used to represent the hierarchical relationship between a root node and its descendants, as is known in the art. I will.

  Each root node 11311, 11312, and 11313 and descendant page nodes 11321, 11322, 11323 can further include an expansion control widget 11320, an identifying icon 11326, and identification text 11325. In general, the identification text 11325 conveys the general category or description of the page or file stored therein. For example, the root node 11311 can be labeled “Lyon's Doc Folder” to identify the contents of the page as a document belonging to the user Lyon. The identifying icon 11326 can be placed adjacent to the identifying text 11325 so that the user can graphically distinguish one or more root nodes 11311, 11312, and 11313 or page nodes 11321, 11322, and 11323. . For example, the user can create a unique icon to mark that he owns a particular page, or to indicate the type of file stored in the represented location. Similarly, a user can use different icons to represent different types of pages (ie, folders, lists, auto lists). In order to access the page node and display its contents, the user can double-click the identification text 11325 or switch the expansion control widget 11320 associated with that particular node. By using either of these methods, the user can expand the parent page node and put its descendant nodes into a display state. If there is no expansion control widget 11320, it may mean that the page node has no descendants and therefore cannot be expanded. If there is an expansion control widget 11320, the control widget 11320 is the current state of the corresponding page node (ie, expanded or collapsed). For example, the expansion control widget 11320 can include a transparent arrow 11350 starting from the identification text 11325 when the page node is folded (ie, the descendant nodes are hidden). Conversely, when a page node is in the expanded state, the expansion control widget 11320 can include a dark arrow 11351 that is directed to the displayed descendant of the page node. Deployment control widget 11320 may be implemented in various ways and using various symbols, colors, and / or animations, such as “+” and “−”, as is known in the art. Can do.

  FIG. 114A illustrates a method for customizing a navigation pane according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. Users can add new root nodes, delete existing root nodes, modify the order of page nodes as they appear in the pane, and create shortcuts to pages or root nodes The navigation pane 11215 can be customized in a manner. In this embodiment, using the method of customizing the navigation pane, the user can add a node representing the specified page to the pane 11215 as the root node. The addition of a new root node makes it easier to navigate to frequently used pages by avoiding unrelated parent pages. To add a new root node, the user can first identify the desired page 11457 using shell browsing methods commonly known in the art. For example, the user can specify the desired page 11457 using the shell browser pane 11210 of FIG. After identifying the desired page 11457, the user can then select and drag the page 11457 from the shell browser pane 11210 (FIG. 112) to the navigation pane 11215 as shown.

  After receiving a user request to create a new root node, the navigation pane 11215 identifies the page type, gets the physical location of the page, determines the descendants of the page, and determines the physical location of the page A root node can be created that contains a pointer to and an expandable / collapseable list of descendants. In contrast to simple pointers or shortcuts, the root node can not only display the corresponding page by the user selecting the node, but also show or hide the related list of descendants (i.e. expand or It is a dynamic tool that can also be folded. For example, if the user wants to make the folder “Lorie's Documents” as the root node in the navigation pane 11215, the navigation pane 11215 identifies that it is a folder page type. Thereafter, in the navigation pane 11215, a node structure is created with the name “Louie's Documents” that points to the physical or virtual location of “Louie's Documents” in the pane 11215. If the root node represents a static or dynamic list, the root node may store information identifying the placement of the referenced list definition. Additional page / root nodes can be added to the navigation pane 11215 as well. In one embodiment of the present invention, the list of root nodes is stored in a registry that can contain data and settings corresponding to system options, hardware, etc. Storage in a medium such as a registry can persist a custom list of root nodes in the navigation pane from browsing session to browsing session. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the list of nodes can be stored on a variety of other media using a number of other methods.

  The user can delete the existing root node 11312 from the navigation pane 11215 by using the delete option provided in the context menu. In one embodiment of the invention, the user can access the context menu of a particular node 11312 by selecting and / or right-clicking (ie, using the mouse) the root node 11312. When the user selects a delete option from the context menu, the navigation pane 11215 deletes the associated root node 11312 and its associated list of descendants 11412.

  Referring to FIG. 114B, the user further adjusts the order of the root nodes 11311, 11312, and 11313 by selecting and dragging the root nodes 11311, 11312, and 11313 to a preferred location in the navigation pane 11215. be able to. Users can similarly change the ordering of sibling nodes with a common parent. The location of the destination can be identified by the position indicator 11470, which allows for accurate relocation of the root node. For example, the user drags the Work page 11490 to the location identified by the position indicator 11470 to reorganize the Lyon's Doc Folder 11312. Alternatively, the user can drag an existing page on the navigation pane 11215 to the desktop. To do so, the user can create a desktop shortcut on the selected page without deleting the page node from the navigation pane 11215. In such a case, the navigation pane 11215 can make a copy of the node pointer and place the copy on the desktop. In yet another form (not shown), the user can fix the parent and child nodes to appear on the same hierarchical level. For example, the user can pin the “Lyon ’s Doc Folder” 11312 and the child folder “Work” 11490 with a pin. By pinning parent and child folders, “Lyon's Doc Folder” 11312 and “Work” 11490 appear at the same hierarchical level in the navigation pane, and there is no need to actually modify the underlying structure . Such a function allows the user to temporarily modify the hierarchical view of the navigation pane without making permanent changes.

  The user further uses the configuration dialog similar to that illustrated in FIG. 115 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention to add, delete, rename, and / or reorder root nodes. You can also. The configuration dialog 11500 can include a displayed pages pane 11505, an available pages pane 11510, an add button 11515, a remove button 11520, reorder buttons 11525 and 11526, a reset button 11530, a rename button 11535, and a set as homepage option 11540. In the configuration dialog 11500, the user can display a list of available pages in one pane 11510 while modifying the contents of the navigation pane in the displayed pages pane 11505. The available pages pane 11510 displays a list of selectable pages corresponding to the selected location. The user can change the selected location by using the drop down menu 11550. After the user is presented with a list of available pages, the user can select an available page and select the add option 11515 to create a new root node corresponding to the selected page. . In the Displayed pages pane 11505, its contents can be automatically updated to reflect the addition of a new root node. That is, when the change is deleted, the configuration dialog 11500 can update the panes 11505 and 11510 to reflect the latest information.

  If the user wants to delete the current root node, the user can select the root node in the displayed pages pane 11505 and select the remove option 11520. After deleting the root node, the navigation pane releases the association between the node and the corresponding page, and deletes the node from the pane. Other options allow the user to rename the current root node or set the root node as the home page. The user can change the order of the root nodes in the displayed pages pane 11505 by selecting the node and adjusting the relative position using the arrow buttons 11525 and 11526. A reset option 11530 is provided to reset changes made to the navigation pane in case the user makes an error in adding, deleting, reordering, or renaming one or more root nodes. By selecting the reset button 11530, the changes made by the user since the window 11500 was last opened can be undone, or the changes made by the user can be undone to return to the default state. be able to.

  FIG. 116A illustrates a page property dialog for customizing a page node according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The user can configure the aforementioned properties of the specified page node through the property dialog 11600. The property dialog 11600 may include an expansion control selection tool 11603, an icon selection tool 11505, and an identification text change tool 11610, a size selection bar 11615, and a hide option 11620. Using the deployment control selection tool 11603 and the icon selection tool 11605, the user is free to display a deployment control icon (eg, “+” and “−” in previous operating systems) and a representative icon next to the identification text. Can be changed. Deployment control selection tool 11603 and icon selection tool 11605 can be implemented through drop-down lists or through a shell browser utility that allows a user to search and select from a database of images and icons. With respect to the unfold control selection tool 11603, the user is asked to select two images representing each of the collapsed and unfolded states. Alternatively, selection tools 11603 and 11605 can include a predefined menu of available icons or images. After the user selects an icon, the user can be given the option to preview the change prior to applying it to the page node.

  In addition, the user can change the content and appearance of the page node and the identifying text of the underlying page. This can be done using text editing in the navigation pane or alternatively using the properties dialog 11600. The properties dialog 11600 can include options for adjusting font, font size, style (italic, bold, lowercase, etc.) and color. For example, the user can increase the font size and change the font color of a page with a particular meaning or importance as well as its representative node. With such a function, the user can let other users identify that the page has high importance or relevance.

  Other options in the page property configuration dialog 11600 allow the user to hide page nodes in the navigation pane and hide the page node when displaying the navigation pane. In one embodiment of the present invention, when a page node is hidden, its descendant nodes can be promoted to the root node status in the navigation pane. Therefore, the non-display option allows the user to create multiple root nodes at the same time. A navigation pane including hidden page nodes is illustrated in FIG. 116B. Group 11610 includes descendant page nodes of the hidden auto list root node, but also shows Folders page node 11615 that is not related to the hidden node. Hiding a particular root node may also be convenient when the user comprehensively manipulates pages that are dependent on the hidden root node. By hiding the nodes, the user need not continuously expand and collapse the root node to interact with the child nodes.

^** Multivalued properties: Further further with respect to FIGS. 51-66, additional aspects of the present invention may provide systems and methods that allow users to modify properties (or metadata). it can. In one aspect, a shell browser is provided that includes a display of file properties that can include multi-valued properties. The user can edit the multi-valued property, and the system can assist the user in editing the multi-valued property with the ability to make sophisticated judgments. The system can tokenize multi-value property values and can provide permanent prompt text within the multi-value property field as a means to prompt the user for field options.

  The system can display the aggregated property values and incorporate visual differences to associate the aggregated values with the file to which it is applied. Aggregated value editing is possible, and when editing aggregated multi-valued properties, the system uses advanced judgment capabilities to use entries and property values already in use by the user. It can assist in selecting (or avoiding) entries based on various factors such as context. When aggregating multi-valued properties for multiple selected files, the system may also take steps to help preserve the order in which specific values appear in the various files. Values that had a tendency to appear relatively frequently at the beginning of the multivalued property of the file have a tendency to appear towards the beginning of the corresponding aggregated multivalued property.

  117A-B show an exemplary flow diagram of a preview process that can be used with the features described above and described herein. As an initial step in this process, step 11701 may install one or more previewers on the system. A previewer may be software shipped as part of the underlying operating system software. The previewer can also be additional software that is loaded onto the computer system after shipment. For example, the underlying operating system can expose a set of application program interfaces (APIs) so that previewers can be developed and / or added in the future.

  In step 11702, a check can be performed to determine whether a new association is created for one or more previewers. The association can be a criterion and / or request that determines the number and type of previewers used. For a given user identity (or if a particular user wants to disable the preview completely) and / or system conditions (eg available resources, memory, currently running applications, generated or generated Number of previews to be done, available power, time of day, status of other applications, etc.) and file type (eg user uses one type of previewer for home video and for compressed music) Can create an association that defines the type of previewer (s) to use for some predefined situations based on The default previewer used can be defined by the user. The user can indicate that only basic / non-interactive previewers are set for some file types, or the system will preview if there are a defined number of failures, crashes and hangs Can be disabled automatically. An application can be associated with one or more previewers so that a preview opened from the application or a preview of a file created by the application can always be previewed using the same previewer. These associations are hierarchical in nature, so multiple previews can be ranked in priority order. Requesting a new association 11702 can be performed at startup, after application installation, after execution of a given application, and / or upon user request.

  When a request to create a new association is received, the association is created at step 11703. Creating an association is done by querying the user for specific criteria to be met when several previewers are used, or by automatically retrieving such criteria information from the application and / or the system itself can do. The actual association may take the form of data stored in the memory of the computer system that, when created, associates the previewer (s) with the criteria identified above.

  In step 11704, a check can be performed to determine if the previewer needs to be opened. There are many events that can trigger opening the previewer. For example, when a user opens a shell browser on the system and begins examining file and / or folder details, the browser launches a previewer and one or more selected files (or nothing is selected). In case you can display a preview of the default file). Alternatively, the previewer can be triggered when requested by another application. The previewer can also be triggered when a common file dialog is created that is shared by multiple applications. The common file dialog preview is described in more detail below.

  If the previewer is opened, the system may receive a selection or multiple selections to be previewed at step 11705. This may involve receiving an identification of the file (or files) to be previewed. Such a selection moves one or more files by moving the mouse pointer to the listed file and pressing the left mouse button or clicking and dragging the selection box around multiple file lists. This can be done by the user, such as by selecting. Alternatively, the selection can be made automatically. For example, some applications can default to a predetermined file and automatically select that file to preview when first opened. A document processing program such as MICROSOFT WORD (trademark) can be set as a previewer having a text editing function by default. The system can automatically select a file to preview as a result of performing a search. The user can enter search criteria, such as keywords, and the system or application can automatically select one of the search results for preview. For example, when the user inputs “peanut” as a keyword to the system search tool, a list of files including “peanut” is displayed as a result, and a preview of the first displayed file can be executed.

  After the file (s) to be previewed are selected, the system selects and generates an appropriate preview at step 11706. Choosing the appropriate preview can be based on one or more associations that have already been created (eg, for the user to preview all files of a particular type or It may also be based on system resources available (or consumed) that have selected a particular previewer to preview). Alternatively, the user may identify the previewer to be used for the current preview, for example by selecting from a displayed list of predetermined previewers that may be suitable for the selection to be previewed. May be required.

  In some situations, it may be desirable to generate an initial basic preview that can be displayed while a richer interactive preview is being initiated. For example, if a rich preview of a text document takes a few seconds to load and generate, the user can be presented with a more basic preview that can be generated soon. A more basic preview may have some or none of the interactive features provided by the rich preview, and at least can initiate a preview of the selection (s) by the user.

  Selecting a preview can include a pre-stored sequence of available previewers. For example, a particular application or view may be a desktop currently used in a full rich previewer, reduced scale previewer, basic thumbnail preview (no interaction required), and MICROSOFT WINDOWS ™ operating system. You can have a hierarchical sequence of available previewers such as basic icons that are similar to icons. When the previewer is opened, the system can launch one previewer, such as a full rich previewer, and step back through the sequence of previewers to find the most suitable one. For example, a full rich preview sets a previewer with paging, scaling, and text editing features that allow users to modify the document from the preview as a default for a particular view, when system resources are insufficient (for example, The system can check the next previewer (e.g., reduced function version) on the list to ensure that the preview is done properly (due to memory limitations, other applications, other previewers, etc.). The next previewer has a little less function, for example, only a document navigating function (for example, reading and enlarging / reducing a paging diagram), but not an editing function. Such a previewer may be preferable when the system resources required for execution are small and resources are not available. If the resources available for that second previewer are still inadequate, the system will continue to the next previewer (eg, with little or no interactivity until a suitable previewer is found given the available resources. (No basic thumbnail view at all) can be checked.

  Once the preview is generated, it can be launched as a separate, separate process from the application requesting the preview. For example, when the previewer is prepared in the system shell browser, the previewer can be executed as a process independent of the shell browser. If the preview is a separate process, you will notice that the shell browser is not in a position to wait for a response from the preview application, thus avoiding crashes or hangs if there is a problem with the previewer. it can. There are various sources of such problems. The selected file contains corrupted data and cannot be handled by the preview application. There is an error or bug in the preview application itself that prevents smooth operation. The application is selected (eg, the file is actually a text file even though it indicates that it is an audio file), or there may be a problem with system resources such as bad memory sectors There is. Prepare the previewer as a different process and have some resistance to crash / hang. If an error, crash, or hang occurs in the previewer, the problem is limited to the preview panel itself and the shell browser continues to function. In some cases, the system can record the number of times a problem, crash, and / or hang has occurred in a particular preview application, and after exceeding a predetermined number of times (eg, 3) the system can record that particular preview application. Measures can be taken to reduce the frequency of use. For example, the system can create an association that lowers the priority of the previewer or calls a different previewer.

  In step 11707, a check can be performed to determine whether the user has interacted with the displayed preview. The interactive operation may take the form of a known computer interactive operation. For example, the interactive operation may be a mouse click in the preview panel. The interaction may be a selection of one or more graphical interface elements in the preview panel, such as a paging button, a cursor arrow. The interactive operation may take the form of a keyboard key, such as a cursor movement key for moving the cursor within a text document preview.

  If an interactive operation is performed, appropriate processing is performed at step 11708. The interaction process may take the form of a response to user input. For example, this process can launch an editing process in response to a user clicking a mouse or other pointer in the preview panel. In the editing process, the user can view and / or edit the previewed file directly from the preview panel without leaving the view with the preview panel.

  In step 11709, a check is performed to determine if the preview panel has been resized. The panel can be resized, for example, by a user entering a command and / or clicking and dragging the border of the preview panel or a resize tool. If the panel has been resized, a new resized panel is displayed at step 11710. If necessary, the resized panel can be configured to automatically maintain the same aspect ratio found in the original panel. Some file types can be configured to always have the same aspect ratio, such as through association (eg, a video can always be 4: 3). If properties or metadata with a preview are displayed, the properties and / or metadata display area can also be resized to correspond to the new preview panel size. For example, the property or metadata display area can be configured to always have the same height or width as the preview panel. Conversely, the previewer can be resized as a response to resizing the property / metadata display area. If necessary, the new size is stored in the system as a new default size associated with a specific file type, current view, application, and / or user, and is used the next time a preview is needed. be able to.

  In step 11711, a check can be performed to see if the new size of the preview panel has passed one or more predetermined thresholds for the preview. As mentioned above, a previewer may have one or more criteria for its use. One such criterion may relate to the amount of display area that can be used by the previewer. For example, different levels of interactivity and / or functionality can be provided for different sized previews. As an example, when using a word processor such as MECROSOFT WORD ™, large previews can be navigated / paging and scaling in the document, font size changed, or text editing using the cursor in the preview, etc. A small preview of a MECROSOFT WORD ™ document provides navigation and scaling functions, but if the display is too small to use the cursor satisfactorily for text editing, Text editing can be omitted. The previewer has one or more size thresholds associated with it, which are created at the time of the association execution, stored in the memory of the computer system, and also used when the threshold conditions are met or passed A previewer can be identified. For example, the previewer requires a minimum width of 256 pixels to implement certain specific functions, but other functions can be included as long as there are 512 pixels.

  If the new size has passed the minimum or maximum threshold, an exchange preview can be selected and generated at step 11712. The generation of the exchange preview may be the same as the generation of the preview in step 11706. Thus, for example, if the preview panel is reduced to a size that exceeds a certain minimum size, an exchange preview with a smaller subset of interactive features that can be used directly at a smaller size can be used. Alternatively, if the preview panel is enlarged beyond a certain maximum size, it can be useful if you have a larger size, such as a previewer with more user interface controls or advanced editing within the preview. An exchange preview with even more features can be used.

  In step 11713, a check is made to determine whether to edit the displayed property or metadata fragment. Such data can be edited, for example, by clicking a mouse or pointer on the displayed metadata fragment and entering a value using a text entry or menu user interface. In step 11714, appropriate steps are performed to edit a particular property. The actual step may depend on the type of data being edited. The data field displays a calendar user interface element that allows the user to display and select a date (and / or time) value for the input. Other types of data can be entered through a text entry box, and other types can be selected from a menu such as a pull-down menu.

  In step 11715, a check is performed to determine if the system is waiting for the rich previewer to load. As described above, a more basic or general preview can be prepared while the rich preview is being initialized on the system. If the system is waiting for a rich previewer, a check is made at step 11716 to determine if the rich previewer is ready for use. If so, at step 11717, the system replaces the existing preview with a rich preview. Step 11717 may further include a query to the user to determine if a rich preview is still desired. This step shows two previewers, but more than two previews can be used. For example, the system may display an icon while waiting for a thumbnail preview, then display a thumbnail while waiting for a rich preview, and so on.

  At step 11718, a check is performed to determine if the preview is closed, and if so, the previewer is closed at step 11719. The process then returns to step 11702 and begins again. Of course, the process shown in FIGS. 117a-b is just one example showing one way to arrange a number of steps, all of which implement the functionality described herein ( Or can be reordered, repeated, deleted, or modified as needed.

  FIG. 118 is an example of another shell browser interface 11800 (or system browser) that incorporates one or more aspects of the present invention. Browser 11800 can be provided as part of the operating system to display the contents of one or more directories, networks, drives, folders, etc., and may not be general purpose or application specific. In browser 11800, a number of items 11801 are listed and file names, file types, and other data are listed for various items. As shown in this example, all of the different types of files (eg, text files, image files, audio files, and / or custom data files for existing applications such as word processing applications) are shells. Can be displayed in a browser. Item 11801 is displayed by date organization (eg, today's file and yesterday's file), but sort or organization can be used (eg, file size, file name, project name, file type, artist , Album, creation date, edit date, etc.). The user can select one of the list displays, such as the list display 11801a (shown visually distinguished in the first pattern and can be red), and the shell browser 11800 is selected An interactive preview panel 11802 corresponding to the item 11801a can be displayed.

  The interactive preview panel 11802 may include one or more of the text that appears in the selected item 11801a if, for example, the item 11801a is text data such as a MICROSOFT WORD ™ file, or a file containing other document processing programs. The page can be displayed. The interactive preview 11802 allows the user to edit and / or manipulate the displayed text directly in the preview panel. For example, the user is allowed to click the mouse pointer in the interactive preview 11802 to display the cursor in the panel, and the user operates the cursor or performs keyboard input to display the cursor. Additions, deletions, and / or modifications in some other way can be made to the text. Other types of controls such as paging controls, font / format controls, scroll controls, file management controls, input / output controls, etc. can also be displayed in the preview panel 11802.

  Different types of data files can have different types of interactive previews. For example, an interactive preview for an audio file may include controls that control playback of an audio preview of an audio file selected on one or more speakers (such as speakers 197) of the computer system. . wav file or. The preview of the mp3 file can include such audio commands. There can be controls to play an audio file, pause playback, or cue. Some previews, such as an image preview, can include scaling / panning controls that allow manipulation of the displayed image. The video preview may comprise controls for playing video on the computer system display and audio on speakers, pausing playback, or cueing.

  The interactive preview 11802 can further be displayed with a plurality of properties 11803 (including metadata) as shown in FIG. 118 such that it has a label 11803a and a corresponding value 11803b. Any type of file property can be displayed along with the label. Exemplary properties can include file size, folder location, file name, project name, editor / creation date, application type, and the like. The various labels and properties 11803 that are displayed can be customized depending on the type of file selected, so that a different set of properties depends on what is appropriate for the type of file selected. Can appear for different types of files. For example, a selected audio file that contains songs can have properties for album name, artist, song name, and release date, but a selected spreadsheet file can have properties for group name, project name, and so on. It is possible to replace with different properties such as project leader and project start date. The determination of which properties to display can be configured automatically, or alternatively, the user can select (and / or deselect) the properties that appear in the properties area for a particular file type. Options can be given. Properties can be prioritized by type (eg, the “album name” property type is more important for music files than image files) to facilitate this display.

  Other variations on the displayed information are possible. For example, some labels (such as file name and file type) can be considered optional or can be omitted from the display together. One example of FIG. 118 could be a file name and file type, which would already be displayed somewhere on the screen and would be redundant if displayed again in the properties area by the previewer. . The space available for such hidden labels can be used to display additional property information. Properties that do not have a value can be omitted by default, or flagged to indicate that they are displayed despite being empty. As another variation, some properties may have different amounts of space to accept longer properties.

  These properties can be edited from the property display area. For example, the user can simply click on or hover over the displayed property value to initiate the process of entering / editing data. The interface for entering / editing data may depend on the particular property or type involved. Some properties, such as date, can have a calendar display and / or pull-down menu from which values can be selected. For example, the user can simply move the mouse pointer over the date field and a calendar display may appear so that the user can select from the calendar to enter the date. A pull-down menu or list of candidates can be displayed for easy entry. For example, clicking on the mouse pointer over the month field can cause the system to display a list of months that the user can select to enter in that field. A simple text box is displayed that allows the user to enter and / or edit property values directly from the preview display using the cursor without having to provide a separate dialog box for the data. it can. The text box may be an expression box that fills the void, and the user can enter using the cursor and keyboard. Other forms of data entry can also be used. To help the user identify editable properties, those properties can be visually distinguished or highlighted in some way in the display. For example, different colors (eg, yellow), fonts (eg, bold, or ALL CAPS font), appearance, and / or symbols may be used to indicate values that are editable by the user and values that are not editable by the user. it can. Highlighting can also be used to distinguish or highlight some fields. For example, an editable field can be displayed in and / or around with a particular color (eg, canary) and is created when a yellow highlight marker is used in a printed document. The effect is similar to the effect.

  Some file types may have more properties than can fit within a given preview display. In some embodiments, there may be options such as an ALL button 11804 that allows the user to view all properties, or at least additional view properties, for a given file.

  As described above in step 11709, the user may be given the option to resize the preview and / or property display used within browser 11800. For example, the resize tool 11805 can be used in the preview panel 11802, and by selecting and moving the tool, the user can view the display area occupied by the previewer and / or property area in the browser 11800. Can be adjusted automatically.

  FIG. 119 shows an exemplary user interface in which the user has resized the interactive preview 11802 to a larger size, resulting in the interactive preview 11901 becoming larger. The new preview 11901 can be configured to have the same aspect ratio as the old preview 11802, or allow the user to modify the aspect ratio as part of the resizing process. With a large preview 11901, the browser 11800 can also increase the space allocated for the display of properties so that the properties and preview match in size. For example, the property area 11902 can be configured to have the same height as the resized preview, and the displayed data can be automatically rearranged to fit the new size. Additional properties can be displayed in this enlarged area.

  As described above, as the size of the preview changes, in some cases, the type of preview provided will also change, and the different preview panel sizes will result in different types of interactive previews. Accordingly, preview 11901 may differ from preview 11802 with respect to the level of interactivity and / or the type of functionality provided. As an example, some graphic editing functions may not make sense if the preview width is less than 256 pixels. The same type of resizing can occur when the user changes the size of the region used to display the properties. For example, the user can change the size by clicking and dragging the mouse pointer on the boundary of the property area 11902 and change the size of the preview area 11901 to match the size of the new property area 11902. It is.

  FIG. 120 shows an embodiment in which the preview size is changed so that a smaller preview 12001 is obtained. In the small preview panel 12001, the function set may be reduced as the size is reduced. The property area 12002 can be further reduced according to the preview panel 12001, and properties or metadata displayed in accordance with reduction of available space can be rearranged and / or deleted. Some previews can show the icon behavior seen in the Microsoft WINDOWS ™ operating system, so right-clicking, left-clicking, dragging, etc. can have the same effect. For example, a first file can be pasted on a second file by dragging and dropping one icon onto the other icon.

  In addition to resizing the preview panel and / or property display area, these elements can be rearranged automatically or upon user request. For example, the user moves the preview 12101 (FIG. 121) to be given a different orientation and appearance (eg, by selecting a user setting, clicking and dragging the preview, or by some other user input). You may want to do that. A different orientation may be preferable when previewing certain types of files. For example, previews of photos or video images taken in “landscape” format may be suitable for orientations that are wider than they are tall (eg, “landscape”), and other types of files (eg, text Documents or “portrait” images) may be suitable for orientations that are longer than they are wide. The selection between these formats can also be made automatically based on, for example, the file type. For example, the system examines the file type, property, and / or metadata as part of the preview selection at step 11706 or the association at step 11703 to determine if the preview orientation is most appropriate for the selection being previewed. Can be determined.

  In order to facilitate the rearrangement and crash / hang resistance described above for the preview panel, the preview panel and property / metadata area can be implemented as separate software modules. Each module can run as a different process on the processing unit (s) 120 of the system. Alternatively, the preview and property / metadata panel need not be implemented as different software or software modules in the system, but instead can be implemented as a common module. The level of integration can be a design choice based on the desired scalability, software memory footprint, and other factors.

  As described above, the preview panel can be incorporated into a common file dialog of a computer system. The common file dialog can be a user interface element and / or program provided by the computer system to be shared by various applications running on the system. For example, the operating system may include an “Open File” or “Save File” common dialog that can be used by applications that wish to create files on the system. By including a previewer within such a common file dialog, several different types of applications can take advantage of having a preview, and the application does not require an application developer to develop a dedicated previewer. It can effectively provide a rich interactive preview of files that are not natively supported. Also, by incorporating a preview into the common file dialog, a consistent interface is obtained across multiple applications, and user settings and associations can be used consistently across various applications. Further, by providing a previewer in the common file dialog, the application can provide a rich interactive preview of various file types-even those file types that are not originally supported by the application. For example, a spreadsheet application may have its own rich interactive previewer installed to handle data-intensive spreadsheet previews. Other document processing applications that do not have the ability to edit the data file of the spreadsheet application, however, can provide such a preview by using a common file dialog. FIG. 122 shows an example of a previewer that is a part of the “Open File” common dialog. These common file dialogs, along with their previews, can be provided so that they can be extended to other applications through several APIs.

  In some cases, the user may want to select multiple files at once, or have multiple files that are actively selected at the same time. In these cases, the previewer operates as described above and can provide a separate preview for each selected file. Alternatively, the system can change its behavior. For example, if in step 11705 the system determines that multiple files have been selected, the step of generating a preview 11706 involves a process of determining which selected files are previewed and which are not previewed. be able to. This determination is based on various criteria (eg, first selection, last selection, newest selection, maximum selection, simplest preview, user previewer settings, etc.), such as the association and user settings described above. be able to.

  The system can also perform the step of generating a simultaneous preview corresponding to multiple selections. As shown in FIG. 123, a stacking display indicating that a plurality of selections are previewed can be given to a plurality of preview panels 12301. The main preview 12301a is displayed on top and can have all of the same rich interactivity described above along with other previews. Additional previews 12301b, 12301c, and 200d for other selections can be displayed in a stacking state behind the main preview 12301a and can have a horizontal offset X and a vertical offset Y. The offset can be constant to show a uniform appearance. Alternatively, the offset for each successive preview can be reduced as more previews are placed in the background. A predetermined maximum number of stacking previews are possible, and beyond this, different appearances can be used. For example, if the predetermined maximum number of previews is set to 6 (which can be set by the system or the user), and if more than 6 files have been selected, the stacked preview is shown in FIG. Can have a different appearance. Thus, the first more than six previews 12401a, 12401b, and 12401c are shown to be stacked with a small offset. These additional previews can be rendered simply as a blank preview that shows the user that there are more selected files that have a predetermined pattern and / or some degree of transparency or opacity and are not previewed. .

  Alternative display of multiple previews can also be used. For example, a preview rotating 3D carousel as shown in FIG. 125 can be used. The six-sided carousel 12501 has six separate previews on different sides 12502a, 12502b, 12502c (shown from the back), 12502d (shown from the back), 12502e (shown from the back), and 12502f. Can be displayed. User interface element 12503 can be provided and can be manually navigated through the carousel, such as rotated or scaled, or the carousel can be rotated automatically (or not at all). Other approaches include displaying multiple previews in a fan-shaped display, displaying multiple previews (resize if necessary) side-by-side, and displaying in a 3D isometric view of the stack (paper bundles) And sequential display with automatic or manual navigation.

  Preview multiple selected files (for example, select by clicking the mouse cursor on multiple files, holding down the SHIFT or CTRL key, or clicking and dragging selection areas around multiple files) Can be different depending on the type of file selected, and different preview sequences can be used for different combinations of selected files. For example, a system (eg, via operating system, hardware, application, etc.) uses a stacked display when multiple image files are selected, and when multiple video files are selected Sequential video preview can be used. The system can also reduce or simplify the preview given when multiple files are selected to save resources.

  The various functions described above can be implemented as a single integrated code fragment or as a collection of subroutines or modules. For example, an iterator module for handling previews of multiple files, a command module related to user interface commands provided in the preview, a preview module for generating a preview itself, and a property / metadata part for preview display There can be a property module.

  As mentioned above, these preview functions can be provided whenever a list of files or other data on the system is displayed to the user. If a particular list display is generated using one or more criteria, such as when the display is the result of a user requested keyword search, the previewer can use this search criteria to assemble a preview. . For example, it is desirable for the application side to notify the previewer of the keyword used for the search, and the previewer uses which preview when multiple previews are used, or the preview in order. You can decide how to line up. This can be an extended function and the previewer has search criteria.

  As described above, multiple selections can be performed and the displayed preview image can change as a result. These multiple selections can also cause changes in the display of properties and / or metadata. For example, FIG. 126 shows an exemplary view in which two files 12601 and 12602 are selected. Differentiate and / or emphasize selected files in a unique way or with a unique appearance, such as providing prominent colors, fonts, shapes, textures, styles, sizes, background colors, patterns, etc. be able to. In the properties and metadata for the selected file, the same properties can be displayed for both files (project name, etc. for each) 12603, 12604, corresponding to allow the user to easily match the properties with the corresponding files. Can have an appearance. For example, properties can be color coded to identify the selected file to which they belong. The patterns shown for file 12601 include colors (eg, red), highlighting (eg, different colors that surround text as if the document had highlight markers), fonts (eg, bold, underline, ALL CAPS, Times New Roman, etc.), size (eg, large text), etc. can highlight and / or distinguish files. Properties of the file 12601 can be displayed. The property 12603 can set the same emphasis and / or distinction used for that file to correlate the properties and respective files.

  Many properties and / or metadata for multiple selected files can be aggregated and displayed together as an edit or total. For example, if one of the displayed properties is the file size (eg, how many kilobytes (kb) or how many megabytes (Mb) are used) and multiple files are selected, the file size property will be selected An aggregated file size value (for example, 4.3 Mb) can be displayed by summing up the file sizes of the selected files. As another example, when one displayed property has a keyword, the keywords for a plurality of selected files can be aggregated and displayed as a single keyword property. Some aggregation results in a larger property display, and the same appearance enhancement / discrimination described above can be used to correlate the aggregated properties with the corresponding files. Apart from that, properties can be further differentiated from the selected file (eg different colors, fonts, highlighting, appearance, size, etc.), thereby aggregating all the files for which the property is selected It can be shown that. FIG. 127 shows an example in which aggregated property values 12701 are displayed with different appearances represented by different shades from patterns on individually selected files 12601, 12602. FIG. This shading can represent, for example, red, but the patterns on files 12601 and 12602 can be green and yellow.

  The emphasis and / or distinction of the aggregated values can be done in such a way as to indicate the origin of the values. For example, FIG. 128 shows an enlarged property / metadata display of the view shown in FIG. Some aggregated properties, such as keywords, result in a list of property values 12801 aggregated from multiple selections. These aggregated properties can be given a prominent appearance that indicates which values were from which files were selected. In the example of FIG. 128, values 12802 and 12803 are shown in the form of shading so that their particular values (eg, keywords) are common to both selected files 12601 and 12602. It shows that. The shading can reflect any of the types described above and / or emphasis (eg, red). The values 12804 and 12805 are shown with a first pattern indicating that it is associated with one selected file 12601 that shares the same pattern (eg, the file and its value are both blue) The value 12806 has a different pattern indicating that it is associated with the other selected file 12602 sharing the same pattern (eg, this file and its value is green). Separation line 12807 can be used to distinguish values that were common to all selected files from those that were not. Of course, different appearances can be given different meanings when more files are selected. The label 12808 can also be visually distinguished and / or highlighted to indicate that it is an aggregated property. For example, label 12808 can also be red.

  Emphasis and / or distinction can further begin with user selection of some of the aggregated values. For example, the user can select one of the values in the aggregated list and show a subsequent display indicating which files share the selected value. This indication can appear in the form of a common appearance, and the selected value and its corresponding file are displayed in a common way. For example, clicking on the value 12806 can cause the system to automatically change the font of that property value to bold font and do the same for the file list 12602 to identify the file for which the property was selected.

  Although the above description deals with properties and metadata displayed in a preview within the shell browser, these functions can also be used in other situations. In situations involving the display of multiple properties and / or metadata, the functionality described herein can be utilized.

Some properties are easy to aggregate because they contain numeric values (eg, file size is simply the sum of individual sizes), but other types of properties can be difficult to aggregate. For example, some properties have text words as values (eg, keywords). In addition, some individual properties and / or metadata can themselves take multiple values and are called multi-valued properties. For example, the “keywords” property of a given file can have 0, 1, 2, 3, or any number of different keywords as values (eg, one file can be “peant”, “Food” and “candy” can be listed as keywords related to the file). These multiple values can be ordered so that the first value that appears in the list in a meaningful way for each file is more important than others (for example, mainly dealing with peanuts and because it is the most important “Peanut” can be listed as the first keyword, and “food” and “candy” can be listed as second and third in order of decreasing importance). If multiple files are selected, each with multiple keywords, the process of aggregating their properties is not as simple as adding numbers. In that case, the system can display a list of values in some form of ranking based on the order in which they appeared for each selected file. Steps can be taken to ensure that the resulting list of aggregated values corresponds to the relative importance of the values as they appear for the various selected files. For example, five newspaper articles can have keywords that identify the cities described in those articles and ranked in the following order.
File 1: Austin, Chicago, Boston, Detroit
File 2: Chicago, Detroit, Boston
File 3: Chicago, Boston
File 4: Detroit, Chicago
File 5: Boston, Austin

  In this example, Chicago uses “first place” twice (for example, in Files 2 and 3, which describes a lot of Chicago), and “second place” twice (for example, in Files 1 and 4, in Chicago, Chicago). Not mentioned but given). The resulting aggregation of these properties eliminates redundancy and allows the properties to be displayed in an order that represents the relative importance (and other values) of the “Chicago” of the file, Anyway, the number of appearances in the file properties “Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Austin” is considered. Thus, in this example, the plurality of selected files as a whole handle mostly Chicago, then Boston, then Detroit, and finally Austin.

  FIGS. 129A-B can display aggregated values for multi-valued properties, whenever such aggregated display is needed and / or whenever multi-valued properties are changed. Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary process for determining an order that can be performed. This process is a modified form of the single transfer voting algorithm. In this process, when a particular value is first listed in the file properties, it is considered a “vote” for the first place. If the value is listed second, it is the second vote, and so on. This process outputs a non-redundant ranking based on both the number of times each particular value appears in the selected file and the relative importance assigned to the value by each of the selected files.

  At step 12901, the global integer constant C can be automatically (eg, the computer system can detect the availability of system resources and adjust the constant to avoid a complete outage) or manually (eg, The user can be given the option to set C as high or low as desired, depending on how much detail they want in the aggregation of multi-valued properties. This constant represents the order or rank in which the process is performed, for example, C can be 10. Increasing the constant C increases the granularity of the ranking, but requires a larger processing capacity and a longer time. This value can be set dynamically according to user settings, system settings, available resources, system load, and the like.

  In step 12902, a loop begins for each value that exists between the selected files. In step 12903, a nested loop is executed for the first C places of the vote. In step 12904, for each place, the system counts the number of votes that the current value has received for that place. As a result of these two loops, for each value, the system determines how many “votes” are received for each of the first C “ranks”. Then, in step 12905, another loop is started that processes each of the C places starting from the leading position (1st place) and continuing to the C place.

  In step 12906, a check is performed to determine whether a single value has received the most votes for the considered position. If a value receives the most votes for this rank, that value is given this rank, and in step 12907, the value is removed from the rest of the calculations in the vote listing process. Therefore, in the above example, Chicago received the most votes for the first place (2 votes).

  In step 12906, if there was no single value that got the most votes for this place, there was a tie for the current place (two or more values had the same number of votes for this place, or all If the value of is either zero for this place), the process moves to step 12908, where a check is made to determine if the current place being checked is the last place to check. Done (C position). If not, the process proceeds to step 12909. In step 12909, the system “glances” one position ahead and identifies the number of votes received for the next position that is currently in the same rank. In step 12910, if one of the tie values gets the most votes for the next place, in step 12911, the value is given the current place and the current place held by the other tie value. The vote for is moved, that is, transferred to the next place. In other words, in the “loser” in step 12911, the vote for the current place is added to the vote total for the next place, and therefore, for all values that were received in the place of consideration but were not given to that place, Votes in the current round are carried forward to the next round and added to the vote when calculating the winner of that round.

  In step 12910, if none of the tie values received the most votes for the next rank, all tie values are ranked in alphabetical order for the current rank in step 12913. Until the next few places), the process returns to step 12905. Similarly, if, in step 12908, the process happens to be looking at the last place (rank C) when a tie occurs, the process moves to step 12913 and ranks the tie values alphabetically. , The process proceeds to Step 12905.

  From step 12905, if the last place (C position) has been processed, the process moves to step 12914 where all remaining votes for the remaining unranked values are treated as C place votes; The remaining values are ranked in the order of whether they have the most votes for the C-th place, and the rankings are divided using alphabetical order.

  The algorithm shown in FIGS. 129A-B can hold a summary table in the form of a table with various numbers of votes and values in memory. This table can be loaded into the running RAM of the system as the process runs, removing parts that are no longer needed from the RAM, and thus the runtime memory required to run the process. This is advantageous in terms of reducing the amount.

  In some cases, various multi-property values can be subjected to a normalization process. The normalization process can remove redundant occurrences of values in the multi-property field of the file. For example, the file can have keywords (Dog, Cat, Dog) and the normalization process can keep the first occurrence of these values and delete subsequent occurrences of the same value (eg, As a result, “Dog, Cat” is obtained). Unnormalized data can be stored in the system's memory, the normalized version overwrites that data, or the normalized data is simply stored separately in memory It is. In some cases, normalization can be performed when the user modifies a multi-value property.

  In some cases, a user may wish to edit a multi-value property through an aggregated display interaction. In that case, the system can revise the multi-valued properties for each file in response to changes made to the aggregated multi-valued property display. For example, simply adding a new property to the end of the aggregated display can add the new property to the multi-valued property for each of the files. A new property is inserted at the beginning of the aggregated multi-value property display, or the same can happen with other insertions. Some changes, such as changing the order of properties in the aggregated property display, cause a corresponding order change for multi-valued properties for each of the files.

  Multi-valued properties can provide a unique approach to editing data. For example, fields for such properties can be displayed in the list, similar to that shown in FIG. Field 13001 is an active text edit box that the user can key in to enter data, and a number of values 13002 can be entered into the field, separated by characters such as semicolons. The value 13002 indicates atomic behavior or token behavior, and the entire value can be selected as a single choice. Thus, in some cases, when the insertion point is placed in field 13001 to edit the data, atomic value 13002 behaves as a single unit rather than multiple characters (eg, “N” “Y "NYC", not "C"), placing the insertion point within an atomic value is forbidden, and attempting to place the insertion point within an atomic value (eg, by clicking the mouse in it) The insertion point is inserted before or after the atomic value. You can also move around from one side of the value to the other by pressing the arrow key once to navigate around the atomic value. Further, if a selection area is possible, it is forbidden to select only a portion of the atomic value in such an area, and even if a predetermined part (eg, half) of the value is selected, the entire value is selected. . When hovering over an atomic value, the value enters a hovering state, indicating that it is an atomic value. For example, the hovering state can include a box or highlight around the entire atomic value, or other visual distinction or highlighting. For atomic values, the values can also be rearranged by a drag and drop operation.

  Token behavior is not limited to simply selecting whole words at once. Words are replaced by alternative user interface elements. For example, the time can be replaced by a graphic image of a clock, and the date can be replaced by a calendar image. Atomic values can indicate icon behavior, and clicking (or right-clicking) on it provides an additional level of interactivity, such as the appearance of command menus, option lists, and other pop-ups. In addition, values can be dragged over other files and / or properties, and those values can be added to other files and / or properties.

  A prompt string 13003 can be placed at the end of the list of fields to remind the user what data the field contains. In some cases, prompt string 13003 is displayed only when field 13001 is in an edit state, such as when keyboard focus is given for data entry, and prompt string 13003 is displayed in a multi-value field. It is not treated as an actual value (eg, it is not stored in memory as a value in the field, but rather is generated as part of the user interface).

  The prompt string 13003 may be visually distinguished and / or highlighted using the types already described (eg, highlighting the area around the character with a particular color). Can show some sort of default behavior. For example, the prompt string 13003 can be automatically displayed whenever the field 13001 is in an edit state and the insertion point is at the end of the value string. The user starts typing to insert a new value at this insertion point (for example, by starting key entry into a text box) and automatically adds the prompt string 13003 when a new character is added. Can be turned off. The prompt string can be automatically redisplayed when the user completes or cancels entering a new value.

  In the edit state, the field further displays a drop-down menu 13004 that displays to the user a list of values that can be added to the multi-value field 13001, from which the user can select an input. . The drop down menu 13004 can comprise an auto-suggest feature that can be implemented according to the process shown in FIG. Initially, the process may begin at step 13101 by collecting all values already used for a given property and / or used by a given user. In step 13102, menu 13004 can omit values that already exist in the multi-value property for the selected file (s), but it is rare that the user wants to add a duplicate. Because there is. In step 13103, the list can be sorted by popularity, alphabetical order, or other desired method. Then, at step 13104, the menu can be displayed with auto-suggest. If some of the values in the list already exist for some, if not all, of the selected files, give them different appearances (for example, highlighting, coloring, Patterns, fonts, etc.) and the facts. Values that are not used in any of the selected files can be given a different appearance and indicate that fact.

  The field can further have an autocomplete function, as shown in FIG. Using the autocomplete feature, when the user begins to enter a new value to add to the multivalue property (such as typing “D” in the example of FIG. 132), the system will complete the input with the expected value. Can be tried automatically. The autocomplete function can be implemented using the process shown in FIG. The expected value may be selected by taking all the values used for the property given in step 13301 and removing the values already applied to the file (s) selected in step 13302. it can. Further, filtering is performed in step 13303 to identify values that start with the characters that the user has already entered, and to select the first (in alphabetical order) value that begins with the characters that the user has already entered. can do. At step 13304, the remaining possible values can be sorted by popularity, alphabetical order, or other desired method, and at step 13304, the remaining list can be displayed. The first entry in the list is selected and highlighted by default, and the remaining characters are automatically entered into the field following the data entered by the user, and can be highlighted if necessary. .

  The auto-suggest and auto-complete functions described above can also include other types of filtering steps. For example, the filter may select the most recent value selected and / or entered by the user, or filter possible values based on the situation that created the list of properties. For example, if the selected file is selected to be displayed as part of the project view (for example, displaying files related to a given project), the system will allow certain possible values within that project. Can be automatically determined to be (or low) likely to be used, and the list can be filtered accordingly.

  When the user enters data into the field, a check can be performed to verify the validity of the input. For example, some fields can be pre-determined to have only a specified range or list of possible values (eg, day of the week), and the user attempts to enter an invalid entry in a multi-property field The system can then simply reject the input and send a message to the user indicating that the entry was invalid.

  Other embodiments and implementations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the specification, including the drawings. For example, the various steps of the described process can be rearranged, modified, and / or deleted as necessary to implement a selected subset of the functions described herein. . In addition, in the above, references to some features found in one or more “aspects” or “embodiments” of the “invention” are conveniently used alone or in combination with other concepts. This is done to illustrate the various concepts that can be used, and it is implied that there is only one inventive concept in the specification, or that all described functions are claimed in any of the claims. Should not be interpreted as Rather, each of the claims exists as a separate and distinct invention and should not be construed as having any more limitations than those referred to.

^** Dynamic scrolling: Use various aspects of the present invention to enhance navigation or other data navigation with traditional folder tree controls (eg, navigation pane, navigation panel, page space controls, etc.) it can. Using the conventional folder tree control 13600 of FIG. 136, the user can display, organize and retrieve data. Typically, vertical scroll bar 13602 and horizontal scroll bar 13604 involve a folder tree control as one mechanism that allows the user to navigate the folder tree structure. As the user navigates vertically through the hierarchy of the folder tree structure, the associated nodes may no longer be fully displayed within the narrow viewable window pane. For example, in FIG. 136, the “Installer” node in response to the user repeatedly pressing the “Down Arrow” key when focus was first placed on the node 13606 labeled “Installer” in FIG. The hidden or hidden nodes 13608 below are respectively highlighted and focused in turn. However, these nodes are not completely visible within a narrow window pane. The user must then scroll the narrow viewable window pane to the right to make node 13608 fully visible.

  In FIG. 137, a folder tree according to various aspects of the present invention is displayed. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that FIG. 137 is merely one example of a folder tree in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. Some aspects of the invention can be implemented with various tree controls or other data navigation. In one embodiment, the folder tree may be a hierarchical tree-shaped collection of user interface controls that expose tree branches within hierarchical levels that are navigated by the user. When the user of the folder tree control clicks on a node exposed by the tree control, the node is expanded in place, and if already expanded, the node is collapsed. Small widgets, such as widgets that display “+” or “−”, can be used to indicate whether a node is collapsed or expanded, as is known in the art. The node expansion indicates that nested nodes exist hierarchically under the currently selected node. The user can expand / collapse a node, for example, by clicking a button, clicking a node, or clicking a displayed widget.

  By using the folder tree control, a user can navigate between hierarchically arranged data as is known in the art. In FIG. 137, the vertical scroll bar 13702 is accompanied by a folder tree control as one mechanism that allows the user to navigate the folder tree structure. For example, in FIG. 137, in response to the user dragging the floating vertical scroll bar control 13708 towards the bottom of the window pane, the folder tree control scrolls up the visible content, thereby A node that is not displayed is displayed from the bottom of the window 13700.

  According to an exemplary aspect of the invention, when a user navigates along one dimension (eg, vertical), the folder tree control automatically scrolls to the other dimension (eg, horizontal). The nodes related to the user can be sure to fall within the visible area of the window 13700. The associated node can be the current node, the node that has input focus, or the node selected in some other way. The related node may be, for example, a node in a tree structure arranged along the horizontal direction at the position of the mouse pointer. If the user scrolls, expands, or collapses any node in the folder tree control so that the associated node is no longer fully and / or partially visible, the folder tree control The folder tree can be automatically scrolled horizontally so that it is visible in 13700.

  Those skilled in the art will perform automatic side scrolling in exemplary embodiments of the invention, but in other embodiments, for example, the user may navigate other types of data that are more suitable in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction. It will be appreciated that when gating, it can dynamically scroll vertically in response to horizontal scrolling by the user. For example, various aspects of the invention can be implemented in a system where a substantial percentage of user input indicative of navigation is in the horizontal direction. In that case, those skilled in the art can implement various aspects of the present invention such as automatic dynamic vertical scrolling.

  For example, in the case of FIG. 137, if the mouse pointer is at a location 13705 immediately to the right of the node 13704 that was associated at that time, the displayed tree is scrolled horizontally because the folder name of the node 13704 is completely displayed. do not have to. However, if the user drags the floating vertical scroll bar control 13708 using the mouse pointer 13705 so that the mouse pointer 13705 is positioned horizontally along the node 13706, the displayed tree view is: As will be described in more detail in, it is possible to automatically scroll horizontally. In this embodiment, the mouse pointer 13705 is at a position close to the node 13706 in the horizontal direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the displayed tree view scrolls to the right so that the tree is moved to the left by a predetermined distance so that the folder name is fully visible or can be displayed. It becomes as complete as possible given the width of region 13700. If the folder name is truncated for some reason, the distance can be set to a predetermined distance so that the entire folder name truncated by dynamic horizontal scrolling is completely displayed.

  Those of ordinary skill in the art, given the teachings disclosed herein, the predetermined distance for automatically scrolling a navigation control (eg, a folder tree control) may vary according to some embodiments of the present invention. You will understand that there is. In one embodiment, the predetermined distance to auto scroll is equal to the distance that the associated node 13706 needs to be aligned with the right side of the predetermined displayable area 13700. In the second embodiment, the related node is wider than the predetermined displayable area 13700, and the predetermined distance for automatic scrolling is a distance that requires the related node 13706 to be aligned with the left side of the predetermined displayable area 13700. Can be equal. In the third embodiment, the predetermined distance for automatic scrolling can be equal to the distance that the associated node 13706 needs to be aligned with the center of the predetermined displayable area 13700. These examples merely illustrate suitable predetermined distances used to approximately align related nodes 13706 within a given displayable area 13700 and limit the scope of the claims. It should not be interpreted narrowly.

  According to various aspects of the invention, the described dynamic side scrolling can be delayed by an appropriate period of time. For example, side scrolling can be set to occur immediately or can occur 100 ms after the user initially places the mouse pointer along the associated node. At least one advantage of implementing a time delay is to create or provide a smooth moving appearance. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the amount of time delay set can be varied as appropriate.

  138A and 138B show screenshots of an exemplary user interface for displaying and organizing data stored in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can use similar navigation control interfaces in documents, messages, video files, and contacts, each of which is particularly adapted to the type of data item being displayed. Is done. Such a content-oriented interface can be attached to an operating system product as a component of the user interface, ie, a shell.

  In FIG. 138A, node 13802 currently has focus in response to user input. By way of example only, such user input can include the user moving the mouse pointer near or above node 13802. When focus is placed on the associated node (node 13802), the tree control determines whether horizontal scrolling is appropriate. In this case, the folder name (ie, descriptor) is fully displayed. Therefore, automatic horizontal scrolling is not executed. However, when the user moves the mouse pointer near or above node 13804, focus is placed on node 13804. FIG. 138B illustrates only such a folder tree control according to various aspects of the present invention. Node 13808, which was then relevant, now has focus in FIG. 138B. Node 13808 is the same data item as node 13804, but node 13808 is focused in FIG. 138B and node 13804 is not focused in FIG. 138A. Further, in FIG. 138B, the folder tree is automatically scrolled horizontally to the right by a predetermined distance, and the entire name of the node 13808 is displayed. In this case, the node name is “Folder Name” and is not truncated. The predetermined distance by which the folder tree control is horizontally scrolled can be determined by calculating the amount of distance that the end of the node name should be approximately aligned with or near the edge of the internal window pane. In the meantime, the already focused node 13806 is no longer highlighted and may not be fully displayed.

  The navigation control view is dynamically scrolled by an appropriate distance after it is determined that scrolling (eg, horizontal scrolling) is desired. One skilled in the art will appreciate that at least one advantage of the present invention is that there is no need to display a horizontal scroll bar, thereby providing additional displayable area on a limited display screen for displaying folder tree data. You will understand that it is provided. Although a side scroll bar is not required, the present invention does not prohibit the inclusion and / or use of a side scroll bar. For example, a horizontal scroll bar may be convenient for the user to visually indicate the current horizontal position of the view displayed with respect to the folder tree.

  In accordance with various aspects of the present invention, FIG. 139 illustrates automatically and dynamically scrolling content in one dimension as a response to user-controlled scrolling or navigation of content in the other dimension. 2 shows a flow diagram illustrating a computer-implemented method to perform. Those skilled in the art can perform the steps illustrated in FIG. 139 in an order other than the order in which they are referenced, and one or more steps illustrated in FIG. 139 are optional. You will understand that you can.

  At step 13902, an initial view of the content is displayed to the user. The content can be displayed in the form of a hierarchical folder tree control with multiple levels of nodes. FIG. 138A is just one example of a first view of a hierarchical folder tree. FIG. 136 is another example of a first view of a hierarchical folder tree.

  At step 13906, the user scrolls the content in the first dimension and / or interacts with the content. These actions are only some examples of user input indicating content navigation. With various user inputs, the relevant content is scrolled by moving its position to a predetermined displayable area. For example, one form of user navigation that results in vertical scrolling of content is when the user drags a floating vertical scroll bar control 13606 up or down the window pane 13600 containing the folder tree control. For some time, various non-scrolling user inputs interact with the relevant content by updating the designation of which content is relevant to the user. One example is when the user presses the “up arrow”, “down arrow”, “page up”, or “page down” button on the input device 115 while the folder tree control window is active. . Further, an example of non-scrolling user input can be shown in FIG. 138A. If a user displayed a view of the content illustrated in FIG. 138A moves the mouse pointer over or near node 13808, node 13808 receives focus. In this embodiment, the user interacts with the content instead of scrolling the content in the first dimension direction. In another embodiment, the user can interact with the content and scroll the content in the first dimension direction simultaneously. In yet another embodiment, with respect to FIG. 136, the user can interact with the folder tree by pressing the expand widget so that the sub-node 13608 of the node 13610 to which the widget corresponds is the displayable area of the folder tree control. Only partially displayed in

  In step 13908, if the relevant content is completely displayed, no automatic scrolling is necessary. If the related content is not completely displayed (or at least partially hidden) within a given viewable area, the related content is scrolled in the second dimension so that the related content is visible Can be raised. Although merely an example, the relevant content of FIG. 138A is node 13802, which is in focus in the example. After the user interacts with the content displayed in FIG. 138A by moving the mouse pointer over or near node 13804 (eg, at step 13906), node 13804 receives focus and becomes relevant content. . Since node 13804 is at least partially hidden (hidden) within a predetermined displayable area, the associated content can be automatically scrolled in the horizontal dimension, as will be described in detail below. In another embodiment, with respect to FIG. 136, if the user selects the expand widget corresponding to node 13610 and causes subnode 13608 to be displayed only partially within the viewable area, the associated content is node 13610 and subnode 13608. Both can be included.

  In step 13910, execution of step 13912 is delayed by a predetermined time. In various embodiments of the present invention, the length of the predetermined delay period may be 0 or other values greater than zero. For example, in FIG. 138A, after a predetermined delay period of 100 ms has elapsed, the folder tree control is dynamically scrolled horizontally by a predetermined distance, resulting in the view illustrated in FIG. 138B. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the amount of time delay set can be varied as appropriate.

  In step 13912, the content is automatically scrolled dynamically in the second dimension direction for a predetermined distance. For example, in the case of the folder tree control of FIG. 137, if it is found that the associated node 13706 is not completely displayed, the folder tree control is scrolled horizontally by a predetermined distance to obtain a node descriptor (eg, folder name). Can be approximately aligned with the right side of a predetermined displayable area. A person skilled in the art will, in various cases, align the relevant nodes approximately to the left side of a given displayable area, or approximate the relevant nodes to or near the center of the given displayable area. It will be understood that it may be desirable to align. In each of these cases, the node is to be interpreted as being approximately aligned with a predetermined side of the displayable area. The predetermined distance in each case can also vary accordingly. For example, with respect to FIG. 136, in response to the user selecting a deployment widget corresponding to node 13610, the relevant content is approximately aligned with the left side of a predetermined displayable region, so that the visibility of subnode 13608 is increased. can do.

  Further, it will be understood that using the modifier “second” should not be interpreted as meaning that the first dimension is required or required. For example, if in step 13906 the user interacts with the content displayed in FIG. 138A by moving the mouse pointer to change the focus from node 13802 to node 13804, in step 13912 the content is Scroll automatically and dynamically in directions. In that case, even if there was no initial scroll in the vertical dimension direction, the “second dimension” would be the horizontal dimension direction.

  Finally, at step 13914, the user is presented with an updated view of the content within the predetermined displayable area. For example, FIG. 138B is a scrolled content view of the folder tree that occurs after step 13914. The updated view increases the visibility for the user of related content (node 13808) within the narrow viewable area of FIG. 138B.

^** Common File Dialog: Various aspects of the present invention can communicate with other programs, systems, modules, etc. via one or more programming interfaces. A programming interface (or more simply, an interface) allows one or more code segments to communicate with or have access to functions implemented by one or more other code segments. Can be considered as any mechanism, process, or protocol to do. Alternatively, the programming interface is one or more mechanisms of the components of the system that can be communicatively coupled to one or more mechanisms, methods, function calls, modules of the other component (s). , Methods, function calls, modules, objects, etc. The term “code segment” in the previous sentence is intended to include one or more instructions or lines of code, regardless of the term applied or whether the code segment is compiled separately, Whether the code segment is on the same or different machine, regardless of whether the code segment is provided as source code, intermediate code, or object code, regardless of whether the code segment is used in the runtime system or process Whether the functionality represented by the code segment is implemented entirely in software, entirely in hardware, or in hardware and software, regardless of whether it is distributed across multiple machines Whether it is implemented by combination , Including for example, code modules, objects, subroutines, functions, and the like. For example, but not limited to, terms such as application programming interface (API), input points, methods, functions, subroutines, remote procedure calls, and component object model (COM) interfaces are encompassed by the definition of a programming interface.

  The programming interface can generally be displayed as shown in FIG. 145A, FIG. 145B, or FIG. 145C. FIG. 145A illustrates an interface between two computers. FIG. 145B illustrates interface Interface 1 as a conduit through which the first and second code segments communicate. FIG. 145C illustrates the interface as including interface objects I1 and I2 (which may or may not be part of the first and second code segments), thereby allowing the system's first And the second code segment can communicate via medium M. In the view of FIG. 145C, interface objects I1 and I2 can be viewed as separate interfaces of the same system, and objects I1 and I2 plus media M can be considered to contain interfaces. FIGS. 145A, 145B, and 145C illustrate a bidirectional flow and an interface on each side of the flow, but in some implementations there is only a one-way information flow and / or There can only be interface objects on the side.

  An aspect of a programming interface is a method in which a first code segment transmits information ("information" is used in the broadest sense and includes data, commands, requests, etc.) to a second code segment; And the manner in which the second code segment receives information, as well as the structure, sequence, syntax, organization, schema, timing, and content of the information. In this regard, the underlying transfer medium itself is important for the operation of the interface, as long as the information is transferred in a manner defined by the interface, whether the medium is wired, wireless, or a combination of both. It is not considered. In some situations, information cannot be passed in one or both directions in the traditional sense, but it is separated from the information flow between code segments (eg, information transfer via other mechanisms) Information placed in a buffer, file, etc.), or it may be non-existent, such as when accessing a function performed by a second code segment simply in one code segment It is. Any or all of these aspects, such as whether the code segment is part of a system in a loosely coupled or tightly coupled configuration, may be important in a given situation, and this description is illustrative Should be considered as non-limiting.

  The concept of a programming interface is known to those skilled in the art. There are many other ways to implement a programming interface. Such other methods appear to be more sophisticated or complex than the simplified views of FIGS. 145B and 145C, but nevertheless perform similar functions and perform the same overall Results are obtained. Some example alternative implementations of the programming interface are described with respect to FIGS. 145D-145M.

  Factorization. Communication from one code segment to the other code segment can be performed indirectly by dividing the communication into a plurality of individual communications. This is illustrated schematically in FIGS. 145D and 145E. As shown in the figure, some interfaces can be described in terms of separable functional groups. Thus, the interface function of FIGS. 145B and 145C is factored and yields the same result, just as it would mathematically be 24, or 2 × 2 × 3 × 2. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 145D, the functionality provided by interface Interface 1 allows multiple interfaces Interface 1A, Interface 1B, Interface 1C to achieve the same results for translating interface communications. Can be subdivided into As illustrated in FIG. 145E, the functions provided by interface I1 can be subdivided into a plurality of interfaces I1a, I1b, I1c, etc., so as to obtain the same result. Similarly, the interface I2 of the second code segment that receives information from the first code segment can be factored into a plurality of interfaces I2a, I2b, I2c, etc. During the factorization, the number of interfaces included with the first code segment need not match the number of interfaces included with the second code segment. In either of the cases of FIGS. 145D and 145E, the spirit regarding the function of interfaces Interface 1 and I1 is the same as in FIGS. 145B and 145C, respectively. Interface factorization is further subject to coupling, exchange, and other mathematical laws, which can be difficult to understand. For example, the order of operations is not important, so that a function executed by an interface is executed by other code or interface fragments well before reaching that interface, or by another component of the system Can be executed. Further, those skilled in the programming arts will appreciate that there are a variety of ways to perform different function calls with the same result.

  redefinition. In some cases, it may be possible to ignore, add, or redefine certain aspects of the programming interface (eg, parameters) while still allowing the intended results. This is illustrated in FIGS. 145F and 145G. For example, the interface Interface 1 in FIG. 145B includes a function call Square (input, precision, output), which includes three parameters (“input”, “precedion”, and “output”), and the 1st Code Segment To 2nd Code Segment. If the middle parameter ("precedion") is not important in a given scenario, it can be ignored or replaced with other parameters, as shown in FIG. 145F. In any case, as long as the output is returned after the input is squared by the second code segment, the function of Square can be realized. While accuracy is certainly a meaningful parameter for some downstream or other part of the computing system, it can be replaced or ignored after it turns out that it is not necessary for the narrow purpose of calculating the square. it can. For example, instead of passing a valid precision value, passing a meaningless value such as a birthday will not adversely affect the result. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 145G, interface I1 is replaced with interface I1 'and redefined to ignore parameters or add parameters to the interface. Interface I2 can be similarly redefined to ignore unwanted parameters or parameters that can be processed elsewhere (as interface I2 '). As is apparent from the above, the programming interface is a parameter that may not be necessary for one purpose, but may be ignored, redefined or deferred for processing elsewhere for other purposes. And the like can be included.

  Inline coding: It is possible to merge some or all of the functions of two separate code modules so that the “interface” between them changes shape. For example, the functions of FIGS. 145B and 145C can be converted to the functions of FIGS. 145H and 145I, respectively. In FIG. 145H, the first and second code segments before FIG. 145B are merged into one module that contains both. In this case, the code segments can still communicate with each other, but the interface can be adapted to a form that is more suitable for a single module. Thus, for example, formal Call and Return statements are no longer needed, but similar processing or response (s) by interface Interface 1 may still be effective. Similarly, in FIG. 145I, a portion (or all) of interface I2 from FIG. 145C can be written inline to interface I1 to form interface I1 ″. As illustrated, interface I2 is I2a. The interface portion I2a is in-line coded with the interface I1 to form the interface I1 ″.

  Separation. Communication from one code segment to the other code segment can be performed indirectly by dividing the communication into a plurality of individual communications. This is illustrated schematically in FIGS. 145J and 145K. As shown in FIG. 145J, one or more pieces of middleware (Division Interface (s) that separate functions and / or interface functions from the original interface) are prepared and a first interface Interface is provided. The communication on 1 is converted so that they conform to different interfaces, in this case interfaces Interface 2A, Interface 2B, and Interface 2C. This can be done, for example, if there is an installed base of applications that are designed to communicate with the operating system via the Interface 1 protocol, after which the operating system uses a different interface, this The interface is changed to use the interfaces Interface 2A, Interface 2B, and Interface 2C. The original interface used by the 2nd Code Segment has been changed to be no longer compatible with the interface used by the 1st Code Segment, so it uses an intermediate stage to make the old and new interfaces compatible . Similarly, as shown in FIG. 145K, the third code segment includes interfaces I2a and I2b redesigned to work with isolation interface DI1, eg, DI2, to receive communications from interface I1. Can be introduced with a separate interface DI2, which provides the same functional result. Similarly, DI1 and DI2 can work together to transfer the functionality of interfaces I1 and I2 of FIG. 145C to a new operating system, while allowing functionally the same or similar results.

  Rewrite. Yet another possible modification is to dynamically rewrite the code that replaces the interface function with something else but with the same overall result. For example, a system that supplies a code segment expressed in an intermediate language (for example, Microsoft IL, Java (registered trademark) ByteCode, etc.) to a Just-in-Time (JIT) compiler or interpreter in the execution environment is conceivable (.Net). Framework, Java® runtime environment, or other similar runtime type environment, etc.). The JIT compiler can dynamically convert communications from 1st Code Segment to 2nd Code Segment, ie write to adapt to different interfaces according to the requirements by 2nd Code Segment (either original or different 2nd Code Segment) it can. This is illustrated in FIGS. 145L and 145M. As shown in FIG. 145L, this approach is similar to the Divance scenario described above. This can be done, for example, if the installed base of the application is designed to communicate with the operating system via the Interface 1 protocol, but the operating system has been modified to use a different interface. is there. The JIT compiler can be used to adapt communications on-the-fly from an installed base application to a new operating system interface. As shown in FIG. 145M, this approach of dynamically rewriting the interface (s) is further adapted to dynamically factor or modify the interface (s) in some other way. Can be applied.

  It is noted that the above-described scenarios that yield the same or similar results as interfaces through other embodiments can also be combined in various ways, in series and / or in parallel, or with other intervention codes. I want. As such, the other embodiments shown above are not mutually exclusive and are mixed, matched, and combined to produce the same or equivalent scenario as the generic scenario shown in FIGS. 145B and 145C be able to. Also, as with most programming syntax, there are other similar ways of implementing the same or similar functions of the interface that may not be described herein, nevertheless, the spirit and scope of the present invention Note that the range is representative.

  A “file dialog” can refer to a dialog formed for the purpose of opening, saving, or processing a file, and / or some other way of processing a file. Although some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to some examples of dialogs for opening and saving files, the present invention is not limited thereto. Other examples of file dialogs include dialogs for inserting file attachments, importing files, and the like. As used herein, the word “file” is given a broad meaning and generally refers to a collection of information accessible by a computer. The file can include text, programming instructions, and / or various other types of data. The file can be identified as a document, photo, or some other type of item where the file contains data, as can be seen by the user. Files can also be fragmented or stored in one or more physical locations on a disk or other storage medium or in some other way.

  The present invention is not limited to files stored in a conventional hierarchical file tree structure. In at least some embodiments, a file may have multiple metadata attributes (also referred to as “properties” separately) as described above. The values for these attributes can be used to group files into collections that are of interest to the user. For example, a file on one computer may have metadata attributes such as file creator, customer with whom the file is related, and file type. User A then creates document processing and slide show presentation files for spreadsheets, customers X, Y, and Z, and stores all of those files in the directory subfolder “C: \ Users \ User_A \”. User B creates a spreadsheet, document processing and jpeg image file for the same customer. User B stores the spreadsheet and the document processing file in “C: \ Users \ User_B \”, but stores the image file in “C: \ Media \ Photos \”. All these files are then accessible based on the list. For example, the “Client X” list groups all spreadsheets, document processing, slideshows and jpeg files for client X, regardless of creator. By specifying the Client X list, the user can check the grouping of these files without navigating through the multiple subdirectories separately. These “author”, “customer”, and “file type” metadata attributes are taken for illustrative purposes. Other examples include properties such as ratings, comments, and projects. A large number of metadata attribute types can be implemented and the invention is not limited by the type of metadata attribute.

  FIG. 146 illustrates an “Open File” dialog 14600 in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. Although the exemplary dialogs in the drawings are shown as independent windows within a graphical user interface (GUI) generated by the OS (such as various versions of the WINDOWS OS), the present invention is not limited to this. It is not limited. For example, a file dialog according to the present invention can be further generated as a pane of an existing window (or a frame within an existing window). An “Open File” dialog 14600 is included in the frame 14601 of the dialog window and has a title 14602. Each of the controls 14603 allows the user to minimize, maximize, or close the dialog 14600. Arrow 14604 is a “back” control that the user can select to return to the already displayed file grouping. Adjacent to the title 14602 are a navigation bar 14605 and a search bar 14606, both described below.

  The “Open File” dialog 14600 is divided into four areas 14607 to 14610. The browser area 14607 includes a place bar partial area 14611 and a page space partial area 14612. The entries in the place bar 14611 correspond to a list of files, directory locations, or other groupings, and represent “locations” where the user can navigate to identify the files. When one of the entries in the place bar 14611 is selected, a corresponding display appears in the page space area 14612. In some cases, the display may be a collection of icons corresponding to files in the selected place (eg, selected list or other grouping). In some cases, similar to the WINDOWS EXPLOLER component of WINDOWS XP OS, one or more folders, directories, or users navigate by selecting a specific placebar entry You can display a collection of file icons along with icons for other places you can. One or more entries in place bar 14611 can be expanded to display a partial list of documents or other subgroupings. For example, the “People” entry in FIG. 146 may be expandable so that a list of files related to different individuals (ie, having appropriate metadata attribute values corresponding to different individuals) can be seen.

  In the example of FIG. 146, the user has selected a placebar entry corresponding to the “Recent Photos” list and is therefore displayed in the page space 14612 along with a collection of thumbnail images corresponding to the files in the list. . The user then selects “Name”, “Size”, “Location”, “Event”, “Date” at the top of the page space 14612 to select the file name, file size, location, event, or file. You can sort these files based on the property value for the creation date. The category from which the files in the page space 14612 are rearranged can be changed based on the selected entry on the place bar 14611. Similarly, the manner in which files are shown in page space 14612 may vary based on the file type. A text file can be represented as a thumbnail image of the first page of a document stored in the file. In some cases, a file may be represented by an icon corresponding to the application program that created the file (or the file is associated in some other way). By using the scroll bar 14613, the user can further view the file.

  After selecting one of the files displayed in the page space 14612, more detailed information about the file is displayed in the info pane area 14608. In the info pane area 14608, a larger preview (or “ghost”) 14614 of the selected file is displayed, along with values 14615 for various metadata attributes. The example of FIG. 146 shows the selection of an image file, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, one or more of the files displayed in the page space 14612 may be a text file. After selecting such a file, the image of the first page of the text file is shown as ghost 14614. Of course, the properties and values shown in infopane area 14608 for the selected file may be different. Using the earlier example of User A and User B, it is possible to display values for the creator and client in the InfoPane area 14608 by selection of a file in the “Client X” list.

  Returning to the navigation bar 14605, the user is given information indicating the “trace” that the user has traced before reaching the current page space display. In the example of FIG. 146, the user first navigated to the “Photos & Videos” list and then navigated to the “Recent Photos” sublist. The user can then use the search bar 14606 to locate the file within the current page space based on the title or keyword value.

  Below the browser area 14607 and the info pane area 14608 is an expandable area 14609. As described in more detail below, the extensibility area of a file dialog can include various user interface (UI) controls that can be specified by the developer of the software program that instantiates the dialog 14600. As used herein, a “UI control” can be selected by a user to interact with an application (or other computer program) that instantiated a dialog (eg, a cursor on the control). Includes various types of graphic elements (by hovering and pressing the mouse button). UI controls include, but are not limited to, push (or “command”) buttons, “radio” buttons, check boxes, text entry (or “edit”) boxes, and the like. The UI controls also include graphic elements that only provide information to the user (ie, do not give the user an opportunity to select something or make input in some other way). Examples of such information-only UI controls include spacers that divide a block of text or other UI controls. FIG. 146 shows only a set of radio button controls and text labels (“Options”) for these radio buttons. Examples of other types of controls are described below. In at least some embodiments, the extensibility region 14609 is optional and the developer can omit it entirely.

  Below the extensibility area 14609 is a command area 14610. Command area 14610 includes a text input control 14616 that allows the user to enter the name of the file that the user wishes to open. Although not shown in the figure, the command area 14610 can further include controls that allow the user to enter (or select from a drop-down list) the type of file that the user wishes to open. . This control is useful, for example, when two files of different types have the same title (eg, “report.DOC” and “report.PDF”). Using the view control 14617, the user can change how the file is displayed in the page space 14612. Instead of a collection of icons, for example, a user may want to display a file identified in a “detail” mode (not shown) that displays a table of file names, types, sizes, and the like. In at least some embodiments, the view mode is based on a default view associated with the list or other location that the user has navigated within the browser area 14607. Developers can set a default view mode for any location, and users are allowed to override that view mode setting. In "Advanced" mode, the displayed columns are further based on where the user navigated, but the developer can specify which columns to show (the user can override it) Can do).

  Control 14618 allows the user to change the appearance of dialog 14600 so that infopane area 14608 is not displayed (see FIG. 147) or if infopane area 14608 is already hidden, An info pane area 14608 is displayed. Using command button 14619, the user can open the file selected in page space 14607 or identified in control 14616. Command button 14620 allows the user to cancel dialog 14600. Developers can also override the default button label and specify other text (eg, change the “Open” button to “Check Out”).

  FIG. 148 illustrates a “Save File” dialog 14800 in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. A “Save File” dialog 14800 is included in the frame 14801 of the dialog window and has a title 14802. Control 14803 and back arrow 14804 operate similarly to controls 14603 and 14604 of the “Open File” dialog 14600 of FIG. The navigation bar 14805 and the search bar 14806 have functions similar to the navigation bar 14605 and the search bar 14606 of the “Open File” dialog 14600. The “Save File” dialog 14800 further includes a browser area 14807 having a place bar 14811 and a page space 14812. Similar to the “Open File” dialog 14600 (FIG. 146), selecting an entry in the place bar 14811 displays information in the page space 14812 about the file associated with the list, directory folder, or other file grouping. And / or icons are displayed that allow navigation to other locations. Files displayed in the page space 14812 can be similarly rearranged using controls (“Name”, “Type”, etc.) at the top of the page space 14812.

  The “Save File” dialog 14800 further includes an info pane area 14808. In at least some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 148, the info pane area of the “Save File” dialog is located below the browser area. The info pane area 14808 includes a ghost 14814 of the file to be saved. Depending on the type of file being saved, the ghost 14814 is a thumbnail image of a document, video, or other item stored in the file, or an icon corresponding to the application associated with the file, Or some other type of graphical representation. File name control 14816 allows the user to enter the name of the file to be saved. This field can contain the file name proposed by the application program that instantiated the “File Save” dialog (eg, the first word of the file to be saved). In some cases, the user can replace an existing file by selecting one file from page space 14812, in which case the filename of the file to be replaced is automatically added to control 14816. You can make it. In other cases, the user may not know where to store the file. Using the place bar 14811 (page space control), the user can navigate to one or more lists or other file groupings to find the appropriate location. When a user navigates through such groupings, he can see information about other files in those groupings in page space 14812, and using that information, the current file It can be determined whether to save to one of the groupings. In some cases, the saved file ghost 14826 is further displayed in the page space 14812 as the user navigates through various possible locations for the file. In this way, the user gets a visual indication of where he will later find the file. The presence of ghost 14826 in page space 14812 is also evidence that the current list or other grouping is a valid storage location.

  In the info pane area 14808, various metadata fields 14815 relating to the file to be stored are displayed. In some cases, the user can select one or more of these fields to add metadata values. For example, the user can select the “keyword” field and add a word that will make the file easier to find in future keyword searches. In other cases, the value for one of the metadata fields can be filled as an initial value by the application instantiation dialog 14800 (at least initially). In yet other cases, the value of the metadata field can be automatically filled as an initial value based on the selected storage location of the file. For example, when the user saves a file in the “project X” list, the metadata field for “project” (not shown in the figure) automatically enters “X” as an initial value. As with the “Open File” dialog 14600, the metadata categories and values shown in the infopane area 14608 for the file may be different.

  Below the infopane area 14808 is an expandable area 14809. Similar to the extensibility area 14609 of the “Open File” dialog 14600, the extensibility area of the “Save File” dialog can include various user interface (UI) controls that can be specified by the software developer. A pair of check boxes is shown in FIG. 148, but other UI controls can be included. The expandable region 14809 is optional in at least some embodiments. In other words, the developer is free to create a “Save File” dialog without an extensibility region.

  Below the extensibility region 14809 is a command region 14810. The command area 14810 includes a command button 14819 for saving the file to the selected location, and a command button 14820 for canceling the “Save File” dialog 14800. The text for these buttons can be changed by the developer (eg, changing “Save” to “Check In”). Further, the command area 14810 includes a control 14821 for hiding the browser area 14807. By selecting this control, the browser area 14807 is no longer displayed as shown in FIG. In this way, a more compact “Save File” dialog can be prepared. Navigation bar 14805 and search bar 14806, and / or control 14803 minimize and maximize arrows may also be removed in the compacted "Save File" dialog. By reselecting the control 14821 (label changed to “Show Browser” in FIG. 149), the browser area 14807 is displayed again. The view selection control 14817 (FIG. 144) can be displayed when the browser area 14807 is displayed, and has a function similar to the view selection control 14617 of the “Open File” dialog 14600 (FIG. 146). As in the case of the “Open File” dialog 14600, the default view mode (eg, icon vs. detail) when the “Save File” browser is displayed is based on a list or other location navigated by the user. . Developers can similarly set the view mode settings and the columns that are displayed when in detailed view mode as well (the user can override them).

  As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 146 and 148, the location of the infopane area 14608 in the “Open File” dialog 14600 is different from the location of the infopane area 14808 in the “Save File” dialog 14800. This position change corresponds to the different purposes of these two types of dialogs. The user typically looks for a specific file in the “Open File” dialog. Graphical display of file contents is often more useful than detailed metadata. Thus, the focus of the infopane area in the “Open File” dialog is typically on the file preview, and the infopane is in a position that can accommodate a larger ghost image. The focus of the info pane area in the “Save File” dialog is placed in the appropriate storage location for the file for editing and future retrieval. Thus, the info pane area of the “Save File” dialog is in a position to encourage metadata entry and / or modification.

  In at least some embodiments, the metadata fields are displayed in the info pane area of both the “Open File” and “Save File” dialogs based on a predetermined order. In particular, system request metadata attributes (eg, file name, file type, storage location) are displayed first. Next displayed are metadata attributes that are required by the application that instantiates the dialog, but are not necessarily required by all applications (eg, compression ratio, file protection). The remaining properties are then displayed. The infopane area (and the entire dialog, if necessary) is automatically resized to display the properties required by all systems and applications. In at least some embodiments, the application program cannot specify what metadata is required, but the application does not prioritize the corresponding fields to be displayed in a default size dialog. You can “upgrade” the metadata type to have it.

  FIGS. 146 and 148 illustrate two of the various types of UI controls that a developer can place in the extensibility area of the “Open File” or “Save File” dialog. Developers can include multiple controls of the same type and / or combine different types of controls. FIG. 148 shows a pair of validation (or “check box”) UI controls. Such UI controls can include text (“Option 1” and “Option 2”), and can include labels applicable to multiple check boxes (“Save Options”). The user can check (or delete) the check with the mouse. The check / uncheck status of the control is then returned to the program. In at least some embodiments implemented in the LTR (left to right) language, the text of the check box control is left justified and wraps in the column where the control is located. The labels in the extensibility area are automatically aligned with the metadata field labels in the infopane area. As shown in FIG. 148, the “Save Options” label in the expandable area 14809 is aligned with “Save In” and “File Type” in the info pane area 14808. As described in more detail below, UI controls within the extensibility region can be further organized into one or more groups and displayed in multiple columns.

  FIG. 146 shows a collection of radio button UI controls. Each radio button control typically displays one or more lines of text for possible input options (eg, “Open Original File”). Next to each optional text is a small circle or other area that the user can select with the mouse. Once selected, this area is filled with black dots or other instructions for selection. Typically, only one of the options can be selected. If the user selects one option and then selects another option of the plurality of options, the black dot for the first selection is deleted. Radio button controls can also include a label ("Options"). In at least some embodiments implemented in the LTR language, the text of the radio button control is left justified and wraps in the column in which the control is located.

  150-154B illustrate various other types of UI controls that a software developer can specify to be included in the extensibility region. FIGS. 150-154B illustrate other types of UI controls within the extensibility area of the “Save File” dialog, but these UI controls may also be used in addition to the “Open File” dialog (or other types of file dialogs). ) Can be included in the extensibility region. FIG. 150 shows a drop-down box control. As can be seen from FIG. 150, the drop-down box allows the user to expand the box to display a list of possible choices. Options selected from the drop-down list are automatically placed in the box. FIG. 151 shows the combo box control. This UI control allows the user to expand the box into a list of possible choices (similar to a drop-down box), but also allows the user to enter text in the box (Figure 151, “type here”).

  FIG. 152 shows push button UI controls 15201 and 15202 and an edit box control 15203. Further, FIG. 152 illustrates UI control grouping. In at least some embodiments, a control group can include one or more controls and labels applicable to the controls within the group. In the example of FIG. 152, four groups are shown. The group 15211 includes one group label and three check box UI controls. Group 15212 does not have a group label, but includes two radio button UI controls. The group 15213 includes a group label, an edit box UI control 15203, and two push button UI controls 15201 and 15202. Group 15214 includes ordinary text, for example, text that is not associated with a label or certain controls. The groups 15211 to 15214 are outlined for illustration in FIG. 152, but such outlines are not necessarily displayed in the actual dialog. Separator 15204 can be specified to be placed between control groups. In at least some embodiments, the separator only spans a single column and is added as the last element of the group. The separator that appears as the first or last column element is hidden. In at least some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 152, the controls in the group are grouped together in the same column of the extensibility region when the dialog is displayed. In some embodiments, as also shown in FIG. 152, the right side of the UI control group label in the “Save File” dialog extensibility region is labeled with the metadata label (“File Type” in the info pane region). ”And“ Keywords ”) are automatically aligned to the right side. Similarly, the left side of the UI control in the “Save File” dialog extensibility area is automatically aligned with the left side of the metadata value field in the info pane area. Ordinary text is automatically left-justified and wraps around the column that contains the text.

  In some embodiments, a drop-down menu UI control can be included in the area of the command, as shown in FIGS. 153A and 153B. When you select a menu, a list of available options is displayed. Selecting some options will display a submenu and / or other dialogs. In some cases, drop-down menus and command buttons can be combined into a “split button” UI control, which can be further placed in the command area. The split button UI allows the user to select an option in the drop-down menu. This split button is then relabeled with the selected option, and the user can press the button to act on the selected option. Other controls can also be added to the command area, as shown in FIGS. 154A (push button UI control “<text>”) and 154B (checkbox UI control). This may be desirable if the developer only needs to include a single dedicated control and avoids consuming the display area of the scalable area. In at least some embodiments, the developer cannot add radio button groups and labels to the command area. Including a control within the command area further allows the developer to highlight the control and / or separate the control from the control within the extensibility area. Therefore, the developer can designate several controls for the extensibility area and one control for the command area. However, in other embodiments, except for the menu UI control, when an extensibility region is displayed (eg, when two or more UI controls are added), the additional control is in the command region. Not put. Menus often include choices that can be applied to multiple dialogs instantiated by an application, and it is sometimes efficient to allow menus to be used in the command area. In some embodiments, the menu is always placed in the command area.

  In at least some embodiments, the arrangement and appearance display of UI controls in the extensible area is automatic. The application that instantiates the dialog simply identifies the OS (via one or more programming interfaces), UI controls, and / or the desired group. The OS then controls its alignment and appearance. Controls that are not explicitly added to a group are treated as their own group. The OS places each group in the extensibility region based on the order in which UI controls or groups are first identified in the programming interface. FIG. 155 shows an automatic layout of the control group in the “Save File” dialog. As shown in FIG. 155, the metadata field label / value pairs in the “Save Dialog” infopane region form two columns. Control groups are then added to the extensibility region and aligned to their columns, thereby minimizing the height of the extensibility region. The spacing between groups is automatic, along with the spacing between individual controls within the group. That is, the application developer does not need to specify the position of each UI control accurately. Similarly, the appearance of text relative to UI controls, group labels, and regular text is automatically controlled by one or more OS theme files.

  FIG. 156 illustrates an automatic layout of UI controls in an “Open File” dialog according to at least some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 146, the info pane area of the “Open File” dialog is arranged differently from the info pane area of the “Save File” dialog. Thus, UI controls and UI control groupings in the “Open File” dialog extensibility area are aligned with the “File Name” label and corresponding text box controls in the command area. If multiple control groupings are specified for the “Open File” dialog extensibility region, the second column is used. In at least some embodiments, similar to the “Save File” dialog, an application that instantiated the “Open File” dialog can simply send UI controls and / or groups via one or more programming interfaces. Let the OS identify. The OS then controls the arrangement and appearance of UI controls. Control groups are added to the “Open File” dialog in the order specified by the developer and automatically laid out so that the height of the extensibility region is minimized. The interval, text font, etc. are controlled by one or more OS theme files.

  In addition to specifying UI controls to include within the extensibility area (and possibly the command area), application developers can customize the file dialog in a variety of other ways. By using an appropriate programming interface (described below), the developer overrides the dialog title (eg, “Open File” title 14604 in FIG. 146, “Save File” title 14804 in FIG. 148) and any other title. Can be displayed. Developers can also make choices that affect where the dialog is navigated to when the dialog is opened. In particular, if a dialog such as that shown in FIG. 146 or FIG. 148 is first opened, the dialog will display a particular list or other file grouping as the recommended location to save the file (or open the file). There are many cases. In some embodiments, the file dialog may initially display (1) a location specified by the instantiating application (eg, the last location visited by the application), and (2) a file opened or saved by that application. One of the last locations (tracked by the OS), (3) the default location specified by the application, or (4) the OS-specified default location (eg, root directory, WINDOWS OS desktop, etc.) Try to navigate to (displayed in priority order).

  The application developer can also specify an initial browser mode. In some embodiments, for example, the “Save File” dialog automatically opens with the browser area hidden, unless the application requests otherwise. In some embodiments, the “Open File” dialog is always displayed with the browser area. The OS that generates a file dialog in response to an application request can further draw the dialog at a predetermined location on the screen with a predetermined size. For example, the OS can automatically place the dialog at the center of the display and limit the dialog and / or various areas of the dialog to a particular size. The application developer can override the default value by specifying the size and / or location of the dialog. This can be done by explicitly supplying values for size and / or location. This can also be done implicitly. For example, the application can specify more controls for the extended region than can fit within a predetermined size.

  As with other windows in the display, the user can also move and / or resize the dialog. Similarly, the user can change the size of the browser area (if shown) and the infopane area. When the InfoPane area is expanded (for example, by selecting an InfoPane area edge with the mouse and pulling that edge on the screen), additional metadata property / value pairs will be displayed . As the infopane area shrinks, fewer property / value pairs are displayed. User changes to the size or position of the dialog or dialog area (and changes to view mode, column display in detailed view mode, etc.) can persist until the user completes or cancels the dialog. In some embodiments, some or all of such user changes can be persisted in later dialogs.

  FIGS. 157 and 158 are block diagrams illustrating the difference between how an application side requests the creation of a file dialog according to some embodiments of the present invention and how the file dialog is required in the prior art. FIG. 157 is a block diagram illustrating an existing method for an application program to request display of file dialogs for various versions of WINDOWS OS. In FIG. 157, the application first creates a data structure (“DialgStr”) corresponding to the dialog to be displayed. This structure contains values for a number of variables and flags that control the behavior of the dialog. In various versions of the WINDOWS OS, this structure is an “OPENFILENAME” structure. In order to instantiate the dialog, the application then calls an OS function with a pointer to the DialStr structure as an argument. In particular, the application calls the “GetOpenFileName” function to instantiate a dialog to open a file, and calls the “GetSaveFileName” function to instantiate a dialog to save the file. In brief, these functions are generally indicated in FIG. 157 as “GetFN (pDialgStr)”. In response to this function call, the OS then creates a window containing a default dialog.

  If the application developer wants to customize the default dialog to include custom UI controls, additional steps are necessary. In particular, the developer must create a custom template for the part (s) of the default dialog that defines the area (s) for holding customized UI controls. Therefore, a pointer to the template is included in the DialStr structure. The OS takes the data from the custom template and uses that data to create a customized control in the child window of the default dialog.

  At first glance, the procedure of FIG. 157 seems simple. However, the custom template must specify all desired custom UI controls and their positions, how to display the controls, and so on. Creating custom templates can be a daunting task for application developers. In addition, the developer must also create a callback function that handles user input received by the custom UI control.

  The procedure of FIG. 157 is also a problem for the OS developer. There are some restrictions on what application developers can put into the customized area of the default dialog. Similarly, there are some restrictions on where application developers can place customized areas within the default dialog. FIG. 157 shows all customized controls within a single contiguous block, but this is not always the case. A custom template can specify a number of custom controls to be placed in multiple child windows of a default dialog, and the customized region (s) can take various shapes. Considering all these factors, it is difficult (if not impossible) for OS developers to know all the ways to customize default dialogs in various applications. This also exacerbates problems when upgrading the OS. For example, a change to the default dialog format that adds new elements to a particular location may be incompatible with applications that instantiate dialogs with customizations in the same location.

  FIG. 158 is a block diagram illustrating the creation of a file dialog according to some embodiments of the invention. The application developer creates an object corresponding to the dialog to be displayed. An object is an instantiation of an object class made available by the OS. Once created, the object automatically includes methods that the application can call to display the dialog, add controls to the dialog, and set the behavior of the dialog in some way. This is schematically illustrated in FIG. 158, where the application is calling various methods of the instantiated dialog object to add some controls to the dialog (eg, “AddControl ()”). Other methods are called to control other aspects of the dialog's appearance and behavior (and / or specified variable values and / or flags are included in these calls). The following describes an example of actions that a developer can perform via calls to these methods.

-Add a drop-down box.
• Enable opening the drop-down menu.
-Add menus.
-Add a command button.
・ Add a combo box.
-Add a radio button.
-Add a check box.
-Add a text entry box.
・ Add a separator.
-Add text.
• Group controls together.
• Set the control label.
-Refer to the control status.
• Set the control state.
-Refer to the text in the text entry box.
・ Set text in the text input box.
• Add controls (eg dialogs that are always displayed).
・ Make the control stand out.
-Delete control items.
Set the file types that the dialog can open or save (In the “Open File” dialog, you can use file types to filter the view for the user, and in the “Save File” dialog, the file type The extension added to the user-specified file name can be determined).
• Set the currently selected file type.
-Browse the currently selected file type.
-Attach an event handler that monitors events from the dialog.
-Set the following flags to control the dialog behavior.
Whether to ask the user for confirmation before overwriting the file ("Save File" dialog),
Whether to require that the file extension for the file name returned by the user match that of the currently selected file type ("Save File" dialog),
Whether to require that the item name returned by the user is a file system item,
○ Whether the user can select multiple files to open,
○ Whether the user needs to specify a file in an existing folder,
○ Whether the file to be opened must already exist,
○ Whether the user asks the user to create an item (eg, folder or list) identified by a user that no longer exists,
○ Behavior after detecting a sharing violation.
Refer to the current settings of various flags.
• Set the folder or other location where the dialog will open.
Reference the user's current selection (s) in the dialog.
-Refers to the current folder indicated by the dialog or where the dialog opens (if the dialog is not currently displayed).
-File name text box Refers to the current text in the UI control.
・ Set the title of the dialog.
Set the text for the “Open” or “Save” button.
-File name text box Set the text of the label next to the UI control.
• Refers to the selection made by the user in the displayed dialog.
・ Add a place to the place bar.
• Set a default extension for the file name entered by the user.
-Close the dialog.
Associate identifiers with dialog states so that state persists (eg last visited folder, location, size).
-Clear the persistent state for the dialog.
Set the name that appears first in the file name field.
Specify the metadata attribute values that are collected in the save dialog.
-Set the property store for the file to be saved.
Specifies whether the application can see the current metadata value in the infopane area, or wait for and receive the last set of values after the dialog is closed.
• Apply a set of properties to one file.
• Prevent the dialog from closing (for example, if the user enters an invalid selection).

  Based on the invoked method (shown as an arrow from the dialog object in FIG. 158), the OS creates the requested dialog. As already described, the arrangement of UI controls is set by the OS. Thus, detailed placement information for the UI control (e.g., specifying pixel x and y offsets from the reference location) need not be provided by the application developer. Since dialog customization is facilitated by invoking methods in the dialog object, and methods for customizing file dialogs with these methods are known to the OS developer, the OS developer can modify the OS to the application. It is in a position where it is easy to know what kind of effect it has. In particular, customized controls are limited to those that can be specified via one of the method calls. Since these UI controls are located in a known area of the dialog, the OS can later be modified to change other parts of the dialog.

  Further, the OS can call various dialog object methods to notify applications of various events. The application can then perform the desired action in response. For example, user selection of a control corresponding to password protection for a specified file allows the application to take appropriate steps to protect that file (directly or to the OS or to other applications). Through the programming interface). In the following, an example of an event that can be notified by an OS via a call to such a method will be described.

• The dialog is about to close.
The user has navigated (or is navigating) to a new folder.
・ The help button was pressed.
・ User view selection was made.
-A file sharing violation occurred.
-The file type selection has been changed.
-The user has instructed to overwrite the file.
A new selection was made in a combo box, radio button collection, or menu.
• The command button has been pressed.
-Check box status has changed.
• The drop-down menu on the button is about to open.

  Although described with respect to particular embodiments for implementing the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are many various modifications and substitutions of the systems and techniques described above. Although only one such variation, some or all of the UI controls in the extensibility area or elsewhere in the dialog can be selected using the keyboard. For example, the user can press a tab key to highlight a particular control and then activate that control by pressing the “Enter” key. As another example, a particular control may have a corresponding key combination (eg, “Alt + S”). In at least some embodiments, an application developer can modify the manner in which a user accesses a dialog via a keyboard. There can also be multiple simultaneous instances of a file dialog for a given application. Some embodiments of the present invention further include a computer readable medium having instructions recorded thereon that, when executed by a processor, perform method steps and / or implement a software architecture. As used in the claims, the term “indicating data” includes data located elsewhere, as well as pointers or other references to the actual data itself.

  While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the locations of the various UI functions shown herein are exemplary and can be varied, and different arrangements of the various UI functions are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Will be understood. Moreover, different aspects of the invention described herein can be formed in various combinations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, various steps of the described process may be rearranged, modified, and / or deleted as necessary to implement a selected subset of the functions described herein. Can do. Also, in the above, references to some features found in one or more “aspects” or “embodiments” of the “invention” are merely various, which can be used alone or in combination with other concepts. This is done to illustrate the concept and is interpreted herein as implying that there is only one inventive concept or that all the functions described are required in any of the claims. should not do. Rather, each of the claims exists as a separate and distinct invention and should not be construed as having any more limitations than those described.

  This application is a continuation-in-part of copending US application 10 / 440,431 filed on May 16, 2003 with the same title.

  This application claims the priority of US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 566,502 entitled “Metadata Editing Control” filed Apr. 29, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference. US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 950,075 entitled “Metadata Editing Control” filed on Sep. 24, 2004.

  This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application 10 / 684,263 entitled "Extensible Creation and Editing of Integrated Collections" filed on October 12, 2003, and claims its priority. Is.

  This application is a co-pending US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 395,533 entitled “System and Method for User Modification of MetaData in a Shell Browser” filed Mar. 24, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference. And US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 395,560 entitled “Extensible Object Previewer in a Shell Browser” filed Mar. 24, 2003.

  This application is a continuation-in-part of US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 440,035 filed on May 16, 2003, which further includes US patent application Ser. No. 10/440, filed Mar. 27, 2003. This is a continuation-in-part of 403,341.

  This application is a continuation-in-part of prior US application Ser. No. 10 / 420,040 filed Apr. 17, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

1 is a block diagram of a general purpose computer system suitable for implementing the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of a virtual folder system according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine used by a user to provide a query to retrieve selected files and folders. FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine used when a virtual folder is created and displayed on a screen according to either a default query or a query from a user. It is a tree diagram of a folder structure by arrangement of physical folders on a hard drive. It is a tree diagram of a virtual folder structure. FIG. 7 is a tree diagram of the virtual folder structure of FIG. 6 where the client stack is further filtered by contract and year. FIG. 8 is a tree diagram of the virtual folder structure of FIG. 7 where the client stack contract is further filtered by year. FIG. 7 is a tree diagram of the virtual folder structure of FIG. 6 where the contract stack is further filtered by client and year, and the client is further filtered by year. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display which shows the stack | stuck of a document library. ABC Corp. of FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display which shows the document in a stack. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display as which the stack function is selected about the document of FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which a “stack by author” parameter is selected for the stacking function of FIG. 12. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display on which the file of FIG. 13 is stacked by creator. FIG. 15 is a diagram exemplifying a screen display in which a stacking function is selected and a “stack by category” option is selected for re-stacking the file in FIG. 14. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display by which the file of FIG. 14 is restacked according to the category. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display as which the quick link for showing a physical folder is selected. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display in which the physical folder where the file of the virtual folder stack of FIG. 17 is stored is shown. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a routine used for a user to directly manipulate a virtual folder. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which a new “West Coast” stack is added to the stack of FIG. 10. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which a direct operation is used to copy a file from the “ABC Corp.” stack to the “West Coast” stack of FIG. 20. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine for the system to dynamically generate new filter conditions. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine for the system to filter items based on selection of filter conditions. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the stack of FIG. 10 is filtered by a condition “AB”. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the stack of FIG. 10 is filtered by a condition “ABC”. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which a filter condition “year 2002” is selected for the stack of FIG. 10. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the stack of FIG. 10 is filtered by “year 2002” and further selection of the filter condition “month”. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display as which the list is displayed when selecting the month of filter processing. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which the stack of FIG. 10 is filtered in January and further filtered by indicating a filter condition “day”. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine for creating a new quick link. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display which produces the new quick link named "January Work" based on the filter process of FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display in which the quick link of "All Authors" is selected. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display as which the list of all the creators of FIG. 32 is displayed. FIG. 34 is a diagram illustrating a screen display in which “Author 1” is selected from the list of FIG. 33 and all documents of Author 1 are displayed. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine for creating a new library. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display on which the collection of various usable libraries is displayed. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a routine for defining a scope of a virtual folder collection. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating various sources that may form a scope for a virtual folder collection. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine for including a non-file item in a virtual folder collection. It is a figure which illustrates the screen display which shows various non-file items contained in a virtual folder. FIG. 2 is a pictorial diagram of an exemplary networked computer environment suitable for implementing the invention. FIG. 2 is a pictorial diagram illustrating an exemplary file viewer with a conventional address bar associated with displaying files in a computer file system, as found in the prior art. FIG. 3 is a pictorial diagram illustrating an exemplary file viewer for displaying files in a computer file system according to virtual addresses in a virtual address bar formed in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram of the example file viewer of FIG. 5 illustrating selecting a segment of a virtual address in a virtual address bar to navigate through the file system. FIG. 45B is a pictorial diagram of the example file viewer of FIG. 45A showing the results of selecting a virtual address segment in the virtual address bar. FIG. 3 is a pictorial diagram showing an explicit file viewer for displaying files in a computer file system in which a segment of a virtual address includes multiple filters. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating selecting a peer filter associated with a segment of a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating selecting a peer filter associated with a segment of a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating selecting a peer filter associated with a segment of a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating selecting a peer filter associated with a segment of a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating adding an additional filter to a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating adding an additional filter to a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating adding an additional filter to a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating adding an additional filter to a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating an exemplary virtual address bar that displays virtual addresses whose virtual addresses exceed the display limit of the virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating an exemplary virtual address bar that displays virtual addresses whose virtual addresses exceed the display limit of the virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating an exemplary virtual address bar displaying virtual addresses that are in an overflow state in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram showing an exemplary virtual address bar with virtual addresses where the filter references both virtual and actual locations in the file system. FIG. 48B is a pictorial diagram illustrating the example virtual address bar of FIG. 48A configured to display a conventional address bar. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an alternate filter selection routine for selecting an alternate filter in a virtual address bar. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary add filter routine for adding a filter to a virtual address in a virtual address bar. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary graphical user interface for a shell browser with edit controls according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary graphical user interface for a shell browser with one or more edit controls according to one embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic of the welcome pane in a shell browser. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a selected pane in a shell browser. FIG. 54 is a schematic diagram of the selected pane of FIG. 53 including a context menu that allows a user to modify metadata within a shell browser according to one embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for allowing a user to modify metadata displayed in a welcome pane within a shell browser according to one embodiment of the invention. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for allowing a user to modify metadata displayed in a selected pane within a shell browser according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a data structure that stores user modifiable metadata associated with items displayed in a shell browser. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a prior art graphical user interface for viewing images stored in a folder within a shell browser environment used to view other non-image files and folders. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary graphical user interface of a shell browser. It is the schematic of the welcome pane in a shell browser. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a selected pane in a shell browser. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a selected pane in a shell browser with extended controls, according to a preferred aspect of the present invention. FIG. 62 is a schematic diagram of a selected pane similar to FIG. 61 but including a context menu that allows a user to select a previewer within a shell browser according to one embodiment of the invention. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for allowing a user to select a previewer within a shell browser according to one embodiment of the invention. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for enabling a system to select a previewer within a shell browser according to one embodiment of the invention. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for enabling third party previewers to be used within a shell browser according to one embodiment of the invention. It is a block diagram of the data structure which stores the information which shows the some previewer in a shell browser. FIG. 6 illustrates a scope input control according to one or more exemplary aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a scope input control according to one or more exemplary aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a scope input control according to one or more exemplary aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a scope input control according to one or more exemplary aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a scope input control according to one or more exemplary aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a method for specifying a scope according to one or more exemplary aspects of the invention. FIG. 6 illustrates an explorer frame with an integrated list pane according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 illustrates a list object context menu according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates an explorer frame with task-based controls according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates an explorer frame with an integrated task base list pane according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary GUI view that includes a preview representation of a file that is about to be created on the system. FIG. 6 is a diagram representing another exemplary GUI view that includes a preview representation of a file that is about to be created on the system. FIG. 6 is a diagram representing two further examples of GUI views that include a preview representation of a file that is about to be created on the system. FIG. 6 is an exemplary Save File dialog that provides a preview representation of a file that is about to be created on the system. FIG. 3 represents an exemplary process for implementing a preview representation of a file that is about to be created on the system. FIG. 3 represents an exemplary process for implementing a preview representation of a file that is about to be created on the system. It is a figure which illustrates the relationship between the views of a browser. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary browser interface layout according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates another exemplary browser interface layout according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary process for browsing a file according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary logical relationship between data structures, applications, and / or subroutines that can be used to implement some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 3 illustrates some examples of allowed and not allowed hierarchical property paths according to at least some examples of the invention. FIG. 3 illustrates some examples of allowed and not allowed hierarchical property paths according to at least some examples of the invention. FIG. 6 illustrates one example of a user interface for saving a new item (eg, file) with associated hierarchical properties according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary “preview panel” that includes information related to stored items (eg, digital image files), according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of an operation for changing a hierarchical alignment of hierarchical properties according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary user interface with a navigation panel, according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several embodiments of different scopes that can be used during navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several embodiments of different scopes that can be used during navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations when selecting multiple properties or other information in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations when selecting multiple properties or other information in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations when selecting multiple properties or other information in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations when selecting multiple properties or other information in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations when selecting multiple properties or other information in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations when selecting multiple properties or other information in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations when selecting multiple properties or other information in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations when selecting multiple properties or other information in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations when selecting multiple properties or other information in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations when selecting multiple properties or other information in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates several examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations when selecting multiple properties or other information in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates some examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations during grouping, stacking, and filtering of some items (eg, electronic files) in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates some examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations during grouping, stacking, and filtering of some items (eg, electronic files) in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates some examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations during grouping, stacking, and filtering of some items (eg, electronic files) in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates some examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations during grouping, stacking, and filtering of some items (eg, electronic files) in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates some examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations during grouping, stacking, and filtering of some items (eg, electronic files) in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates some examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations during grouping, stacking, and filtering of some items (eg, electronic files) in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates some examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations during grouping, stacking, and filtering of some items (eg, electronic files) in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates some examples of user interfaces, displays, and operations during grouping, stacking, and filtering of some items (eg, electronic files) in navigation and display operations according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates a partial screenshot of a shell browser window that implements a multi-route navigation pane according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a multiple route navigation pane according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a method for customizing a navigation pane according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a method for reordering page nodes in a multi-route navigation pane according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a configuration dialog for customizing a navigation pane according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a page node property configuration dialog according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 illustrates a multi-route navigation pane with invisible routes according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an exemplary flow diagram of a process that can use the functionality described herein. 2 is an exemplary flow diagram of a process that can use the functionality described herein. FIG. 2 illustrates an example file browser user interface and various user interface elements. FIG. 119 is a diagram showing a modified version of the interface of FIG. 118 in which the size of the preview area has been changed. FIG. 119 is a diagram showing another modified version of the interface of FIG. 118 in which the size of the preview area has been changed. It is a figure which shows the alternative browser interface from which the direction of a preview element differs. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a common file dialog including a preview interface. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a stacked preview display. FIG. 124 is a diagram illustrating another example of a stacked preview display with more stacked previews than the example shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows one Example of the preview which appears when a some file is selected. FIG. 5 illustrates an example browser where multiple files can be selected and the corresponding properties and files can be visually distinguished. FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary browser with multiple properties selected and an aggregated property field. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of an aggregated property field that can be visually distinguished that correlates properties with one or more selected files. FIG. 4 illustrates an example process that can aggregate values in a plurality of selected multi-value properties. FIG. 4 illustrates an example process that can aggregate values in a plurality of selected multi-value properties. It is a figure which shows one Example of a multi-value property field. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for an auto-select function. It is a figure which shows one Example of the multi-value property field with an autocomplete function. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary process for an autocomplete function. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a child filter selection routine for selecting a child filter in a virtual address bar according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating selecting a child filter associated with a segment of a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating selecting a child filter associated with a segment of a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating selecting a child filter associated with a segment of a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 6 is a pictorial diagram illustrating selecting a child filter associated with a segment of a virtual address in a virtual address bar. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a conventional folder tree control displayed in a window pane. FIG. 6 illustrates a view of a hierarchical tree control structure implemented in accordance with various exemplary aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot of a folder tree control implemented in accordance with various exemplary aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot of a folder tree control implemented in accordance with various exemplary aspects of the present invention. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing content for display to a user navigating within content in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the detailed view with grouping in the conventional operating system. FIG. 7 illustrates a property header that includes a property control in a detail view according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a split button property control for a property header in a detail view according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 8 illustrates an arrange and filter drop-down menu of property controls for a property header in a detail view according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a portion of the filter portion of an arrange and filter drop-down menu according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a property header including property controls in a view other than a detail view according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates an arrange and filter drop-down menu of property controls for property headers in a view other than a detail view according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a property header with a view filtered by one of a plurality of property controls of the property header in a view other than the detail view according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 7 illustrates an arrange and filter drop-down menu of overflow property controls in a view according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a calendar control according to some aspects of the present invention. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 7 illustrates a programming interface in a general purpose computer environment in which one or more embodiments of the invention may be implemented. FIG. 6 is an example of an “Open File” dialog in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an example of an “Open File” dialog in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an example of a “Save File” dialog in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an example of a “Save File” dialog in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an example of an additional user interface (UI) control that can be added to a file dialog in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an example of an additional user interface (UI) control that can be added to a file dialog in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an example of an additional user interface (UI) control that can be added to a file dialog in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an example of an additional user interface (UI) control that can be added to a file dialog in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an example of an additional user interface (UI) control that can be added to a file dialog in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an example of an additional user interface (UI) control that can be added to a file dialog in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an example of an additional user interface (UI) control that can be added to a file dialog in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates automatic alignment of UI controls according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates automatic alignment of UI controls according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an overview of the difference between a method where an application requests generation of a file dialog according to some embodiments of the present invention and a method where a file dialog is required in the prior art. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an overview of the difference between a method where an application requests generation of a file dialog according to some embodiments of the present invention and a method where a file dialog is required in the prior art.

Claims (31)

A computer program for implementing a file system shell browser defined by computer executable instructions stored on one or more computer readable media, the file system shell browser for managing a plurality of data items Can be navigated by the user,
A page space control that is navigable by the user to identify a first set of data items having common metadata;
A virtual address bar that identifies a virtual path of the first set of data items by referencing the first set of data items by the common metadata , the virtual path comprising:
Applying a user selected metadata value and referencing one or more data items of the plurality of data items by a filter that selects one or more data items of the plurality of data items A first interactive segment;
A virtual address bar that includes one or more additional interactive segments that reference the selected one or more data items with additional filters and restrict the selected one or more data items ; ,
A main view pane showing a first display of the first set of data items;
A computer program comprising: a preview pane displaying information corresponding to the first set of data items. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the page space control includes a hierarchical tree of metadata values. The virtual address bar includes a plurality of hierarchical elements, and each element displays a list of hierarchically equivalent metadata values that can be selected by a user when selected by the user. Item 5. The computer program according to Item 1. When the user selects one of the hierarchically equivalent metadata values, the main view pane displays the data item corresponding to the one of the hierarchically equivalent metadata values. 4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the computer program provides a second representation of the second set. The main view pane displays one data item of the first set of data items in an icon format indicating a number of other data items corresponding to one data item. A computer program described in 1. 6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the icon format includes a stack based on the number of other data items whose height corresponds to the one data item. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein one node of the hierarchical tree represents an automatic list, the automatic list being defined by one or more criteria of storage scope and metadata values. . The computer of claim 1, further comprising a list view slider that is selectively changeable by the user to select a presentation style for the first set of data items in the main view pane. ・ Program . 9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the list view slider includes a preset presentation style including an icon presentation style and a list presentation style. The computer list of claim 1, further comprising an automatic list builder, wherein the user defines an automatic list scope that includes one or more explicit inclusions and one or more explicit exclusions. Program . The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising a list builder that exposes functionality that allows a user to build a static list. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the page space control is configured to dynamically scroll horizontally based on a user vertically scrolling the page space control. The file system shell browser performs an activation activity corresponding to the selected item when a user selects any of the items in the first set of data items. A computer program described in 1. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for implementing a user-navigable file system shell browser executable within an operating system of a data processing device, the file system shell browser comprising:
A first pane displaying a hierarchical tree of metadata properties and property values;
Display an ordered list of identified metadata values a virtual path to reflect the selected property value from said first pane, a second pane, said virtual path,
Applying a user-selected metadata value and referencing one or more data items of the plurality of data items by a filter that selects one or more data items of the plurality of data items; Interactive segments,
A second pane comprising one or more additional interactive segments that reference the selected one or more data items by an additional filter and restrict the selected one or more data items When,
And a third pane providing a display of a first set of the plurality of data items corresponding to the virtual path . The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the file system shell browser further comprises a preview pane that displays information corresponding to a user-selected item of the first set of the plurality of data items. . Each metadata value in the second pane corresponds to a list of hierarchically equivalent metadata values that can be selected by the user, and the user selects one of the hierarchically equivalent metadata values. 15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein if one is selected, the third pane provides a display of a second set of the plurality of data items corresponding to the selected virtual path. Medium.   The node of the hierarchical tree represents a virtual folder, the virtual folder is defined by one or more criteria of storage scope and metadata values, and the virtual folder is stored in the scope and the one The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable medium corresponds to all items that match a plurality of criteria. The file system shell browser further comprises a list view slider that can be selectively changed by the user to select a presentation style of the first set of the plurality of data items in the third pane. The computer-readable medium of claim 14.   The file system shell browser further comprises a virtual folder builder, wherein the user defines a virtual folder scope that includes one or more explicit inclusions and one or more explicit exclusions. Item 15. The computer-readable medium according to Item 14.   The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the file system shell browser further comprises a list builder that exposes functionality that allows a user to build a static list.   The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first pane is configured to dynamically scroll horizontally based on a user vertically scrolling the hierarchical tree. When the user selects any of the items in the first set of the plurality of data items, the file system shell browser performs an activation activity corresponding to the selected item. The computer readable medium of claim 14. A computer program for implementing a user interface stored as computer-executable instructions on one or more computer-readable media, the user interface corresponding to a file system shell browser, the user interface comprising:
A main view pane displaying one or more data items of the plurality of data items corresponding to the selected virtual path;
A virtual address bar module that identifies the virtual path of the one or more data items of the plurality of data items displayed in the main view pane, the virtual path comprising:
Applying a user-selected metadata value and referencing one or more data items of the plurality of data items by a filter that selects one or more data items of the plurality of data items; Interactive segments,
A virtual address bar module including one or more additional interactive segments that reference the selected one or more data items by an additional filter and restrict the selected one or more data items When,
Comprises two or more functional modules is displayed corresponding to each other, the functional module,
A page space control module with a hierarchical tree of metadata properties navigable by the user to identify selected metadata values;
A list view slider module comprising a display element that can be selectively changed so that a user can select a presentation style of the one or more data items of the plurality of data items in the main view pane;
An automatic list builder module that exposes functionality for a user to define an automatic list scope that includes one or more explicitly included storage locations and one or more explicitly excluded storage locations;
A computer program selected from a set with a list builder module that exposes a function for the user to build a static list. 24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the virtual path is displayed as an ordered list of metadata values. Each metadata value in the ordered list corresponds to a list of hierarchically equivalent metadata values that can be selected by a user to change the display of elements in the main view pane. The computer program according to claim 24. One of the two or more functional modules is the page space control module,
Another of said two or more functional modules is the Auto List Builder module,
The first node of the hierarchical tree represents an automatic list, the automatic list corresponds to all items stored in the automatic list scope and matches one or more user-specified metadata criteria. 24. The computer program according to claim 23. One of the two or more functional modules is the page space control module, the page space control module is based on a user to vertically scroll through the hierarchical tree, dynamically horizontal scrolling The computer program according to claim 23, configured as follows. 24. The main view pane displays one data item of the plurality of data items in an icon format indicating a number of other data items corresponding to one data item. Computer programs . 29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the icon format includes a stack whose height is based on the number of other data items corresponding to the one data item. One of the two or more functional modules is the list view slider module, the selectively changeable display elements, icons presentation style and a list presentation style, preset presentation style The computer program according to claim 23, comprising: The computer of claim 23, wherein when a user selects an item displayed in the main view pane, the file system shell browser performs an activation activity corresponding to the selected item. ・ Program .

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