MXPA04005719A - Extensible creation and editing of integrated collections. - Google Patents

Abstract

A tool for creating integrated collections. The tool may include a "basket" control that includes interfaces for receiving and displaying the data objects that are selected by a user to be included in a collection, and a collection creation component then provides a collection with one or more data items corresponding to the objects submitted to the basket control. The basket control may be employed by itself to make collections, or it may be hosted by another software object, such as a "listmaker" control that conveniently contains both the basket control and one or more user interfaces that a user can employ to provide data objects to the basket control. The listmaker control may thus include a viewing graphical user interface for viewing data objects and a navigation toolbar for navigating the viewing graphical user interface. The listmaker control may then be hosted as desired in a variety of software applications.

Description

CREATION AND EXTENSIBLE EDITION OF INTEGRATED COLLECTIONS Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the creation and edition of integrated collections. Several aspects of the present invention are particularly applicable to providing a tool for creating or editing a collection of data objects, so that objects can be manipulated as an integrated unit. Background of the Invention As in our culture, computers are increasingly found everywhere, people from all stages of life have become accustomed to using computers for a variety of tasks. For example, a high school student could use a personal computer to copy a group of music files to a digital music player, while a grandparent can use a personal computer to send photographic images to a grandchild or granddaughter. A business executive could then use a corporate computer connected via the network to a central server to send and receive business application files, such as the Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel files, by means of a mail message service. electronic, like Microsoft Outlook.

Although the uses of computers every day grow in diversity and sophistication, the tools provided by computers to manipulate data also need to be increasingly diverse and sophisticated. In particular, although many users would like to be able to perform the same operation on multiple data files, most computers do not provide a convenient technique to create a data file connection to be manipulated simultaneously. For example, some operating systems will allow a user to select multiple files for simultaneous manipulation (for example, by pressing the "control" key consecutively while selecting each file with a pointing device). However, once the files have been selected, no action can be taken with respect to the unselected data files, without destroying the grouping of the selected files. Also, all files must be selected generally from a single location, such as from the same folder and can not be selected from separate locations. Additionally, many specialized software applications may allow a user to group files in a collection for specific purposes. For example, a program application can play music data files while allowing a user to group the music files into a playlist. However, these applications generally limit manipulations of the group of files by the user, for the functions related to the application of the program. In addition, the grouping characteristic provided by said specialized program application, generally can not be used outside the application of the program. Summary of the Invention Therefore, it would be useful to have an architecture to create and edit integrated collections of data objects, so that the data objects can be manipulated as an integrated unit. In addition, it would be useful to have such a collection-creation architecture that is extensible for all applications and multiple platforms of the program. Advantageously, several examples of the present invention provide a tool for creating integrated collections. With some implementations of the present invention, the tool may include a "bucket" control that receives the objects that are to be included in a collection. The basket control may include, for example, interfaces for receiving and displaying the data objects that are selected by a user to be included in a collection. Thus, a user can build a collection of data objects, simply by providing the data objects to the basket control. A component of the creation of the collection then provides a collection with one or more data items corresponding to the objects presented to the basket control. With different aspects of the present invention, a collection can be collected with any desired data objects, including separate data (such as text) data files, questions or exclusions to identify the data files based on the designated criteria, both virtual folders as physical, containing one or more data objects, and even other collections of data objects. The basket control can be used by itself to make more collections, or it can be housed by another object of the program. For example, various implementations of the present invention may additionally include a "list maker" control that conveniently contains both the basket control and one or more user interfaces that a user may employ to provide data objects to the control of basket. For example, the control of the list designer may include a graphical user view interface (such as a file browser) to view the data objects and a navigation toolbar to navigate the graphic user interface of the edit. The list manager control can then be housed as desired by the program developers, in a variety of program applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows an example of a computing environment in which various embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. Figure 2 shows an example of a basket control according to different embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3 shows a toolbar that includes navigation controls for navigating the basket control according to different embodiments of the present invention. Figure 4 shows a dialog box for creating a new collection of data objects according to various embodiments of the present invention. Figure 5 shows an example of a list maker control according to various embodiments of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Invention General Review. Several implementations of the present invention provide a tool for creating or editing comprehensive collections of data objects. The collections may include many different types of data objects, such as separate portions of text, data files, questions or exclusions to identify data files based on designated criteria, folders, both virtual and physical, containing one or more objects of data. data, and even other collections of data objects. Once a collection has been created, all data objects in the collection can be manipulated simultaneously as an integrated unit. Advantageously, various implementations of a tool in accordance with the present invention can be extended by the program developers in a variety of platform applications. For example, one or more implementations of the tool may be incorporated by a program developer into a program application, in order to allow a user of the application to make collections for the application of the program. The tool can provide a "basket" control.

Using this type of control, a user can create collections of data objects simply by presenting the desired objects to the control. For example, the basket control can be employed with an operating system that uses a graphical user interface to receive the data objects. With this adaptation, a user can present data objects to the bin control by simply moving an icon representing the desired data object within the user interface (eg, a window) provided by the bin control. With several examples of the present invention, the basket control may also include a component of creation of the collection, which creates an integrated collection of data items corresponding to the objects provided to the basket control. For example, the collection creation tool can create a collection of full copies of the data objects. Alternatively, the collection creation tool can create a collection of pointers pointing to the selected data objects. With some implementations of the present invention, the canister control can be initialized by itself. For example, the basket control can be provided as a separate tool in a desktop of an operating system or hosted by another object of the program. Alternatively, with various implementations of the present invention, the basket control can be used in conjunction with one or more other objects of the program to improve the utility of the basket tool. For example, the basket tool can be housed by a "list maker" control and conveniently contains both basket control and one or more user interfaces and can be used by the user to provide the data objects to the control of the user. layette. More particularly, a list maker control may include a user's graphical viewing interface (such as a file browser) to review the data objects in a navigation toolbar to navigate the user's graphical viewing interface. This adaptation allows a user to select the desired data objects with the user's graphical viewing interface, and then add the selected data objects to a collection, presenting the selected data objects to the stack control. Like basket control, the list designer's control incorporates a basket control that can be provided by itself, or housed as desired, in a variety of program applications. Operating Environment Different modalities of the present invention can be implemented in a wide variety of computing devices. More particularly, a tool for creating integrated collections can be implemented, according to several examples of the present invention, using computer executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computing apparatuses. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Generally, the functionality of the modules of the program can be combined or distributed as desired in different modalities. Because the present invention can be implemented using the program, it could be useful for the best understanding of the present invention to briefly explain the components and operation of a typical generalized, programmable computer, in which the different embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1 illustrates an example of a computing apparatus 101 that provides a suitable operating environment, in which various embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. This operating environment is only an example of an adequate operating environment, however, it is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the present invention. Other systems well known computing, environments and / or which may be suitable for use with the present invention include configurations, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, handheld devices or manual, microprocessor systems, microprocessor-based , electronic components programmable by the consumer, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like. The computing apparatus 101 generally includes at least some form of computer readable medium. A computer-readable medium can be any available means that can be accessed by the computing apparatus 101. By way of example, and not limitation, the computer-readable medium can comprise a computer storage medium and a media. Communication. The computer storage medium includes a removable and nonremovable, volatile and nonvolatile media, implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Means computer storage include, but are not limited to, technologies RAM, ROM, EERPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other appliances magnetic storage, perforated media, holographic storage, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed through the operating environment 101. the media generally incorporate computer-readable data structures, instruction modules program or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave, or other transport mechanism, includes any means of information delivery. The term "modulated data signal" means a signal having one or more of its characteristics set or changed in a way that encodes the information of the signal. By way of example and not limitation, the communication means includes wired means, such as a wired network or a direct connection of cables, or wireless means such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless means. Combinations of any of the aforementioned means must also be included within the scope of computer readable media.

Referring to Fig. 1, and in its most basic configuration the computing apparatus 101, it generally includes a processing unit 103 and a system memory 105. Depending on the exact configuration and the type of computing apparatus 101, the memory of the system 105 may be a volatile memory 107 (such as RAM), a non-volatile memory 109 (such as a ROM memory, flash memory, etc.), or some combination of the two types of memory. Additionally, the computing apparatus 101 may also have mass memory devices, such as removable memory devices 111, a non-removable memory device 113, or some combination of the two types of storage devices. Mass storage devices can be any device that can retrieve stored information, such as magnetic or optical disks or tapes, perforated media, or holographic storage. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, system memory 105 and mass storage devices 111 and 113 are examples of computer storage media. The computing apparatus 101 will also generally have one or more input devices 115, such as a keyboard, microphone, scanner or pointing device, to receive user input. The computing apparatus 101 will also generally have one or more output devices 117 to produce data for a user, such as a screen, a speaker, a printer or a touch feedback device. Other components of the computing apparatus 101 may include communication connections 119 to other apparatuses, computers, networks, servers, etc., using either wired or wireless means. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, communication connections 119 are examples of communication media. All these devices and their connections are well known in the art and therefore, will not be explained extensively in this description. The basket control Figure 2 illustrates an example of a basket control 201 according to various embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in this figure, the basket control 201 includes a screen display area of the basket 203. The screen display area of the basket 203 can be a graphic user interface and with windows, such as those that provide in the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. The screen display area of the rack 203 can include any desired navigation controls to navigate through the screen display area of the rack 203. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the screen display area of the basket 203 may include a conventional vertical scroll bar 205, to scroll vertically through the screen display area of the rack 203. Of course, several implementations of the screen display area of the rack 203, must include alternative or additionally a horizontal scroll bar to scroll horizontally through the screen display area of the rack 203. As shown also in this figure, the screen display area of the rack 203, displays the representation of one or more objects of 207 data to be included in an integrated collection. With the illustrated example, the data objects 107 are data files, but various implementations of the present invention can be displayed, for the representation of any data objects that are to be included in an integrated collection, including for example, a question of exclusion to identify data files based on designated criteria, and a virtual or physical folder, which must contain by itself one or more data objects 207. In the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 2, the area of On-screen display of the 203 canister, as well as a basket interface for receiving the data objects 203, as a display interface for displaying the data objects included in the collection on the screen. However, as alternative embodiments of the present invention, the deployment interface may be separated from the layette interface or omitted altogether. Also, although the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 2 displays all the data objects included in the collection (using scrolling or other navigation techniques, as necessary) still other embodiments of the present invention, can illustrate only one portion of the data objects included in the collection, such as the data objects of specific type, or only data objects that were presented to the control of the basket 201. With the example of the screen display area of the basket 203 shown in figure 2, each of the data objects 207 is represented by an abstract image corresponding to the type of data objects 207 coupled with a "thumbnail" pointing image (eg, a small image of the object data of the data 207) and an alphanumeric indication of the size of the data object 207. However, it should be noted that other embodiments of the present The invention may include, additionally or alternatively, more or less information representing the data object 207. Also, various modes of the checkout control 201 may allow a user or a hosting application of the program, select other information type is used For representing the data objects 207. For example, some embodiments of the present invention may allow a user or hosting application of the program to select whether the display area on the screen of the rack 203 will select the thumbnail image, a "frame", a "cone", the alphanumeric name of the data object 207, or the alphanumeric name of the data object 207 coupled with various details that relate to the data object 207, such as its size, date of creation, date of last modification. Some embodiments of the check box 201 may additionally include one or more status indicators, which may be used to display information regarding the integrated collection that is to be created from the data objects 207 shown in the on-screen display area. of the rack 203. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the status bar 209 shows an amount of storage space that would be occupied by the data objects 207 currently represented in the screen display area of the rack 203 or in with an amount of storage space associated with an integrated collection (such as, for example, the amount of free storage space available on a compact disc in which the collection can be saved). More particularly, the status bar 209 provides an alphanumeric indication of the amount of storage space that would be occupied by the data objects 207 in relation to the total amount of distributed storage space for a collection integrated in a storage apparatus. The status bar 209 also simultaneously provides a representation of bar graphs of the amount of storage space that would be occupied by the data objects 207 in relation to the total amount of distributed storage space for an integrated collection. However, it should be appreciated that still other embodiments of the present invention may display additional or alternative information on the status bar 209, such as information related to the aggregate or accumulations of properties, such as starting accounts, total size , total duration, etc. For example, with some embodiments of the present invention, if the tray control 201 is used to form integrated collections of music files, then the status bar 209 may have a list of some song titles corresponding to the data objects 207 in the tray control 201, and the time total (for example, in the format of hours: minutes: seconds) required to listen to the data objects 207. Still further, various embodiments of the present invention may include multiple status bars 209 to display on the screen any desired information related to the data objects 207 represented in the screen display area of the rack 203. In addition, some embodiments of the present invention, one or more of the status indicators may be selected to be displayed on the screen by the user of the basket control 201 , or, for example, a program developer provides basket control 201 for a user, or is hidden to the user or the developer of the program.

As indicated above, the tray control 201 provides an interface that allows a user to select one or more data objects 207 to be included in an integrated collection. For example, with various implementations of the present invention, a user can include any data objects 207 in an integrated collection, simply by presenting the desired data objects 207 to the bin control 201. Therefore, if the bin control 201 is implemented by an operating system employing graphical interfaces of the user, such as the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, a user can add a data object 207 to an integrated collection, simply by moving a graphic representation of the desired data object 207 within the area of display on the screen of the carousel 203. More particularly, if the cache control 201 is implemented using the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, then the cache control 201 can be formed from the "Explorer View" program component (or a similar component type finder used as an interface, both to display on screen as to manipulate data objects). The hat control 201 may then include additional functionality to, for example, create copies of the data objects 207 presented for inclusion in the collection, slices or bookmarks for the presented data objects 207 to be included in the collection. . This adaptation will allow users to present the data objects 207 to the basket control 201, by "dragging" the graphical representation of the user interface of the data objects 207 (e.g., an icon) into the display area on the screen of the basket 203 of the basket control 201 as it is conveniently known for other windows of the Microsoft Windows XP Explorer. Of course, any desired technique can be used to present a data object 207 to the canister interface portion of the stack control 201, such as by providing a command in a command menu associated with the data object 207, or by using a "paste" edition command to present a previously copied file that can be used alternatively or additionally. It should also be noted that, with different examples of the present invention, the basket control 201 may be used alternatively or additionally to edit an existing integrated data collection. For example, a user may employ a command associated with the built-in collection to initialize a basket control 201 that contains the data objects 207 corresponding to that integrated collection. The user may then add one or more desired data objects 207 to the integrated collection, presenting the desired data objects 207 to the stack control 201, or rearrange the order of the data objects 207, if allowed, by the integrated collection.

With various embodiments of the present invention, a user can employ the bin control 201 to exclude the desired data objects 207 from an integrated collection, by removing the desired data objects 207 from the bin control 201. For example, if the control of basket 201 is implemented by an operating system employing graphical interfaces of the user, such as the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, a user can prevent a data object 207 from being included in an integrated collection simply by moving or deleting a graphic representation of the object of Desired data from the screen display area of the rack 203. In addition, with several examples of the present invention, if the box controller 201 contains data objects 207 and are included in an existing integrated collection, a user may erase one or more of the desired data objects 207 of the existing collection by deleting or erasing the representation of ac gives the desired data object 207 of the basket control 201. Of course, any desired technique can be employed to remove a data object 207 from the stack control 201, such as providing a command in a command menu associated with the data object 207, alternatively or additionally. For some embodiments of the present invention, the data items in an integrated collection can be ordered according to a previously determined criterion, such as, for example, alphabetical order of the names of the corresponding data objects 207, the chronological order in the which the corresponding data objects 207 were presented to the basket control 201. However, still in other embodiments of the present invention, the basket control 201 can be used to control the ordering of the data items in an integrated collection. More particularly, with several examples of the present invention, a user can accommodate the order of items of an integrated data collection that allows ordering, ordering the representation of data objects 207 corresponding to the collection in the basket control 201. In addition still other examples of the present invention can allow a user of the basket control 201 or, for example, an application of the software hosting it, to select whether the order of representation of the data objects 207 determines the ordering of the data items. in the corresponding integrated data collection, or if the previously determined criterion determines the ordering of the data items in the corresponding integrated data collection. If an implementation of the present invention allows the ordering of the data objects 207 as desired, it may include one or more functions that assist in the ordering of the data objects 207. For example, the basket control 201 may provide the number of the current order after the representation of each data object 207 in the screen display area of the rack 203.

Also, some types of collections of data objects may allow a user to create "active" integrated collections. Therefore, several examples of the present invention may allow a user to include data items corresponding to active data objects 207, such as questions and exclusions (sometimes collectively referred to as "virtual folders"), which select or exclude one or more data objects 207 of a group of data objects 207 based on the designated criteria. For example, a virtual question folder for music data files may include all music data files within a data structure that the user played the previous day (for example, "the music I listened to yesterday") . Of course, still other embodiments of the present invention, may prohibit the use of active data objects 207, and create collections integrated with corresponding data items, only to data objects 207 (static). Alternatively, with various embodiments of the present invention, the check box 201 may operate the question or exclusion at the time the dynamic data object 207 is presented, and by adding question or exclusion results to the collection as data objects 207 simple. It should be noted that some types of collections of data objects may alternatively or additionally allow a user to nest one or more of the data objects 207 within another data object 207, such as to form a multi-level hierarchy of the data objects. 207. Therefore, various embodiments of the present invention may allow a user to present the hierarchical data objects 207 to a collection. For example, a data object 207 presented to the bin control 201 may be a "hold" data object 207 that may contain one or more other data objects 207, such as a folder or other collection. With these examples of the present invention, a user can nest one or more data objects 207, such as data files, folders or other collections within the containment folder in the stack control 201. Alternatively, if a data object 207 already contains one or more other data objects 207, then a user can remove the one or more data objects 207 from the containment data object 207. Accordingly, if the bin control 201 includes a folder containing one or more data files or other folders, then a user can delete these data files or other folders from the containment folder. The data objects 207 deleted from the containment data object 207 can be completely removed from the bin control 201 or can simply be moved to another location within the bin control 201. Of course, some types of collections may not allow nesting 207. Therefore, various embodiments of the present invention may represent the data objects 207 presented to the basket control 201 as "simple" and without a hierarchy. Furthermore, even if the collection allows the nested data objects 207, there may be some circumstances in which the specific nesting of the data objects 207 is not allowed. For example, if a data object 207 is a virtual folder corresponding to a question (for example, an instruction to select files based on the designated criteria), then a user may be prohibited from nesting a data object 207 within that virtual folder that does not meet the designated criteria. With these examples (or where the embodiments of the present invention do not allow the nesting of the data objects 207), the basket control 201 may generate an error message if a user attempts to perform a prohibited nesting of the data objects 207 Additionally, some embodiments of the present invention may allow a user to present duplicate copies of a data object 207 to the basket control 201, while other embodiments of the present invention may prohibit the inclusion of duplicate copies of a data object 207 in the tray control 201. With the embodiments of the present invention prohibiting the inclusion of duplicate copies of the data objects 207, the Canister control 201 can create an error message when the user attempts to present a data object 207 to the tray control 201, when the tray control 201 already includes a duplicate copy of that data object 207. In addition, some embodiments of the present invention can provide a menu command to eliminate duplicate copies of the data objects 207 of a collection. Still further, some embodiments of the present invention may allow a basket control user 201, or for example, a developer of a program that provides the basket control 201 for a user, to select whether the basket control 201 will display on the screen. the data objects 207, as they were nested or displayed on the screen, the data objects 207 in the simple adaptation, without any hierarchy. Some embodiments of the present invention may also allow a user or program developer to select whether the basket control 201 will accept or prohibit active data objects 207, such as virtual folders, while still other embodiments of the present invention allow a user or developer of a program selects whether the tray control 201 will accept duplicate copies of a data object 207. Some embodiments of the present invention may allow a user to select from a combination of functional options for the tray control 201. For example, one embodiment of the present invention, can display on the screen, by default (default) the hierarchy of nested data objects 207 in an integrated collection, to convert all active data objects 207 into static data objects 207 before to form the integrated collection. The application of the program that houses the tray control 201 may have the ability to change this default setting, however, have the tray control 201 that prohibits the nested data objects 207 and / or maintain the data objects. 207 assets. Several examples of basket control 201 may alternatively or additionally include one or more navigation controls, such as the navigation buttons contained in one or more toolbars. The navigation buttons can, for example, allow a user to see the nested data objects 207 within other data objects (eg, data files stored within the folders) which can be moved up, down, to the left or right of the display area of the tray screen 203, or until the data objects 207 of the tray control 201 are deleted. Because the data objects 207 were presented to the tray control 201 to form an integrated collection, in FIG. the basket control 201 was also included a component to finalize an integrated collection with the data objects 207 presented to the basket control 201. For example, in addition to a status indicator and one or more navigation controls, the basket control 201 it may additionally include a command button to form an integrated collection corresponding to the data objects 207 presented to the basket control 201 ( and represented in this manner in the display area of the basket screen 203). When a user is satisfied that the bin control 201 contains all the data objects 207 that the user wishes to be included in an integrated collection, the user can cause an integrated collection to be created that includes those data objects 207, by triggering the command button. However, it should be observed, that other command controls may be employed, alternatively or additionally, to form an integrated collection of the data objects 207 presented to the basket control 201. Figure 3 illustrates an example of the basket tool bar 301 which may be included in a basket control 201 according to various embodiments of the present invention. As can be seen in this figure, the basket toolbar 301 includes both navigation controls and a creation control of a collection. More particularly, the bucket toolbar 301 contains a command button 303 of "more commands", and an "up" command button 307. The "more commands" command button 303 allows a user to see the additional command provided by the basket toolbar 301, while the "up" command button 307 then navigates to a level in the hierarchy of the data objects 207 displayed in the screen display area of the 203 layette. However, it should be noted that the "up" button 307 may be hidden, inactive or omitted, if the box control 201 has been configured to hold the data objects 207 or if the collection prohibits nesting. This button 307 may also be hidden, inactive, or omitted, if the display area of the rack 203 is already displaying the top level of its rack control 201, or if the rack control 201 is empty. of basket tools 301 also includes, a "move up" command button 309, and a "move down" command button 311, which moves the selected data 207 up or down in the ordering of the objects of data 207 in the basket control 201, respectively. These command buttons 309 and 311 may be hidden, inactive or omitted, if the box control 201 has been configured to not allow the ordering of its contained data objects 207. Also, these command buttons may be hidden, inactive or be omitted, if data objects 207 have not been selected. Also, if the upper data object 207 displayed on the screen display area of the screen 203 has been selected, then the "upward" button 309 has been selected. it can be hidden, inactive or be omitted. In a similar way, if the last data object 207 displayed in the screen display area of the rack 203 is selected, then the "downward movement" button 311 may be hidden, inactive or omitted. Still further, the basket toolbar 301 includes an "erase" command button 313. Which clears the selected data object 207 from the bin control 201. In addition to these navigation controls, the layette toolbar 301 may also include a button to "save the collection" 305, to create a collection corresponding to the data objects 207 contained in the tray control 201. In various embodiments of the present invention, an interface may be presented to the user of the user, when the user activates this button, to help the user determine several properties of the collection that is being created. For example, some embodiments of the present invention may present the user with the Save Collection dialog box 401 shown in Figure 4. As shown in this figure, the save 401 collection dialog includes name control 403, within which a user can enter the desired name for the collection that is being created. If the save 401 collection dialog box is provided to save an edition of a previously existing collection, then the name of that previously existing collection can be displayed on the 403 name control. If the save 401 collection dialog box is being used to create a new collection, then the control of the name 401 can be blank. Alternatively, the control of the name 403 may initially display a default name (default), such as "collection [n]", where n is the number. The Save Collection 401 dialog box also includes a "save" button 405, to actually create a collection having a name provided in the name control 403, and include data equipment corresponding to the data objects 207 contained therein. basket control 201, and a "cancel" button 407, to cancel the process of creating the integrated collection. The save 401 collection dialog can also include an "advanced button" 409, which can provide additional controls to determine properties or other values related to the integrated collection that is being created. It should be noted that in different embodiments of the present invention, different aspects of the user interface can be configured by an application of the program that houses the tray control 201. For example, with the save library dialog box that is illustrated in the Figure 4, title 411 of the Save Collection 401 dialog box may be designated by the application of the program that houses the tray control 201. Therefore, if the application of the main program refers to the reproduction of music files, you can read title 411 of the save 401 collection dialog box "saved playlist". On the other hand, the application of the main program refers to the display of the image file, then the title 411 of the save 401 collection dialog can say "show the saved slide", as shown in this figure. In a similar way, if desired, the text found above the 401 dialog box and other text within the text box can be configured with the program application. In addition, the file format of the collection that is being created can be determined with the application of the program that houses the basket control 201. Therefore, an application of the main program that refers to the reproduction of music files, can Save the built-in collection with a .wpl file format (Windows Play List). If the main application does not designate a specific file format for the collection that is being created, then, it can be assigned a default file format (default), such as a file format for a static list collection type. In addition, the command button "save collection" 305 itself can be modified, hidden, omitted or made inactive, by the application of the program. For example, the "save collection" command button 305 can be configured to display the desired text on the screen. In this way, a main program application that refers to music playback, you can modify the "save collection" command button 305 to include the text "save playlist", while a main program application referred to When displaying images on the screen, you can modify the "save collection" command button 305 to include the text "show the saved slides". Still further, the program application housing the bin control 201 may omit entirely the "save collection" command button 305. For example, as will be explained in more detail, the main program application may provide its own control commands to create an integrated collection corresponding to the data objects 207 contained in the basket control 201. As noted above, for various embodiments of the present invention, the basket control 201 may be implemented using conventional program techniques or components. , such as the "see browser" program component provided in the Microsoft Windows XP Explorer program application. Conveniently, the basket control 201 may include some or all of the features of the View Explorer program component. For example, with some implementations in the present invention, a user can "double-click" on a containment data object 207 (e.g., select the containment data object 207 and activate a command key, such as a key on the pointing device, twice) to navigate within the containment data object 207. Alternatively or additionally, a user can double-click on a data object 207 between the file to launch the program application that handles that type file default (default) for the purpose of manipulating the file data object 207. In addition, a user can "right click" on the data object 207 (e.g., select the data object 207 and activate a different command key) to see a menu of commands to take some action with respect to the selected data object 207. The menu may include conventional commands, such as "open", "print", "send to", "cut", "copy", "delete", "rename", and "[view] properties". However, it should be noted that in addition, or instead of the "delete" command, the menu provided for the data objects 207 may include a command to remove or remove the selected data object 207 from the control of the basket 201, as shown in FIG. will explain in more detail later. Still further, many embodiments of the present invention may allow a user to change the representation view of the data objects 207 in the on-screen display area of the rack 203. For example, a user may change the displayed view from of the icons for each of the data objects 207 for an alphanumeric listing of each of the data objects 207. In some embodiments of the present invention, when it is initialized for the first time the stack control 201 will not contain data objects 207 some. In other embodiments of the present invention, the basket control 201 may contain data objects 207 associated with the basket control 201 when they were first inserted. For example, as indicated above, if the tray control 201 is associated with an existing integrated collection, then the tray control 201 may initially include the data object 207 associated with the data set in the integrated collection. Also, if the tray control 201 is launched from a program application in which the data objects 207 have been previously selected, then the tray control 201 may initially include those selected data objects 207. The Control of the List Maker Although the cage control 201 itself provides a large amount of functionality, various embodiments of the present invention may increase the utility of control basket 201, coupling it with other applications or functionalities of the program. For example, as indicated above, some implementations of the present invention may incorporate the basket control 201 within a list-making control 501, as illustrated in FIG. 5. As can be seen in this figure, the control of the list processor 501 contains the basket control 201 which includes a screen display area of the rack 203, the vertical scroll bar 205, and the status bar 209 and a basket navigation toolbar 211, as described above, which include navigation controls for navigating in the basket control 201. The control of the list designer 501 also includes a navigation tool 503 for navigating to the desired data objects 207. Although the navigation tool 503 can be implemented using any desired type of navigation tool 503, several examples of the present invention can implement the navigation tool 503 using a program application with graphical interfaces of the user, such as a search engine application. For example, in the embodiments of the present invention illustrated in Figure 5, the navigation tool 503 is implemented using the "Explorer View" component of the program's Explorer application provided by the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. As can be seen in this figure, the navigation tool 503 employs several graphical interfaces of the user, including a 505 navigation screen display area, a list maker navigation toolbar, and a command line toolbar. the basket 509. The navigation tool 503 provides these graphic interfaces of the user to assist the user in navigating and identifying the desired data objects 207, which are then graphically represented in the display area of the navigation screen 505. For example, the navigation tool 503 may include one or more navigation controls for navigating through a file structure, such as a list of available locations to be navigated and a control for selecting the type of data objects 207 (e.g. of photography) that are going to be displayed on screen in the display area of the ship's screen 505. The basket command toolbar 509 may then include one or more command controls to present to the basket controller 201 the data objects 207 identified by the navigation tool 503. In the illustrated example, the bar of 509 layup command tools includes a "add to list" command. In this way, after the user has selected one or more data objects 207 represented in the display area of navigation screen 505 (using, for example, a pointing device, such as a mouse or contact pad) the user you can activate the "add to list" command in order to submit the selected data objects 207 to the tray control 201. Of course, in addition to (or instead of) the commands provided in the toolbar of the command 509, several embodiments of the present invention may allow a user to employ other techniques to present one or more data objects 207 identified by the navigation tool 503 to the basket control 201. For example, as indicated above, in some embodiments of the present invention a user can "drag and drop" the representation of a data object 207 displayed on the screen in the display area on the screen. navigation 505, to the screen display area of basket 203, in order to present this data object 207 to basket control 201. With some embodiments of the present invention, the representation of data objects 207 that already have been presented to the basket control 201 may be shaded or otherwise distinguished in the display area of navigation screen 505. In the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in figure 5, the application of the program (software) that houses the list edit control 501, also provides a collection creation toolbar 511, to create a collection corresponding to the data objects 207 presented to the tray control 201. The collection creation toolbar 511 may include one or more command controls to create an integrated collection from the data objects 207 contained in the basket control 201. In the example As illustrated, a list-maker control 501 is hosted by an application of the "wizard" program to burn the data objects 207 to an optical storage disk, such as a DVD or CD. Accordingly, the 511 collection creation toolbar includes the "next" and "cancel" commands to create an integrated collection (or cancel the process of creating an integrated collection) proceeding through the wizard component. However other embodiments of the present invention may provide command controls, such as command buttons to expressly create an integrated collection from the data objects 207 contained in the basket 201, or the control of the list designer 501. Also, it should be noted that, although the illustrated embodiment of the present invention includes a collection creation toolbar 511 with command controls to create an integrated collection, other embodiments of the present invention may additionally or alternatively contain the toolbar of creation of the collection 511 in the basket control 201, as explained above, or in the checklist controller 201. As indicated above, the navigation tool 503 can be implemented using conventional program application and functionality components, such as the "View Explorer" component provided in, for example, the Microsoft Windows XP operating system in your Explorer Program application. Accordingly, the navigation tool 503 may include some and all of the features of the View Browser editing program component. For example, with some implementations of the present invention, a user can double-click on a containment data object 207 to navigate within the data object 207, and alternatively or additionally, double-click on a data object of the invention. file 207 to launch the program application that handles that type of default file (default), in order to manipulate the data objects of file 207. In addition, a user can click on the right side on the representation of an object data 207 in the display area of navigation screen 505 to see a command menu to take some action with respect to the selected data object. The menu can include conventional commands, such as "open", "print", "send to", "cut", "copy", "delete", "new name", and "properties of [view]". However, it should be noted that the menu provided for the data objects 207 may additionally include a command to present the selected data object 207 to the tray control 201. Still further, many embodiments of the present invention may allow a user to change the view of the representation of the data objects 207 in the screen display area of the rack 203. For example, a user can change the displayed view of an icon for each data object 207, to an alphanumeric list of each object of data 207. Also, various embodiments of the present invention may allow a user to employ more sophisticated navigation tools, such as the view pane 513 illustrated in figure 5. The view pane 513 may be similar or identical to the view pane conventionally provided by the Vista Explorer program component of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. Also, with some embodiments of the present invention, the representations of the data objects 207 in the display area of the navigation screen 505 can be shaded, shown in a certain color or otherwise distinguished, if those data objects 207 They were already presented by the basket control. This easily identifies the data objects 207 that have already been presented to the basket control 201 on the navigation screen 5050. Furthermore, with different embodiments of the present invention, different characteristics, properties and control settings can be configured by the user. of the 501 list developer, or by the application of the program that houses the control of the 501 list developer (for example, by the program developer, for the application of the main program). For example, the control of the list processor 501 may be configured to open a default input location (default). Therefore, if the main application is an application of the program related to the reproduction of music files, the application may designate that the display area of the navigation screen 505 initially displays the representation of the data objects 207 located on the screen. a portion of the data structure related to music files, such as the "My Music" folder provided by the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. Similarly, if the main application is an application of the program related to the on-screen display of photographic images, the application may designate that the display area of navigation screen 505 initially displays the representation of the data objects 207 located on the screen. a portion of a data structure related to the image files, such as the "My Photos" folder provided by the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. If you have not designated a specific opening location for the control of the making of lists 501 in the application of the program, then the control of the list designer 501 can be opened in the last location accessed by the main application of the program , or to a default location (such as in the "My Documents" folder, provided by the Microsoft Windows XP operating system). The application of the program that houses the control of the list designer 501, can also specify the types of files that will be represented in the display area of navigation screen 505 (and thus, be available to be presented to the basket control 201 ). For example, if the main application is a program application related to the playback of music files, the application may designate that the display area of navigation screen 505 initially displays only the representation of the data objects 207 that have the music file types (for example, mp3 or wma files). Similarly, if the main application is an application of the program related to the on-screen display of photographic images, the application may designate that the display area of navigation screen 505 initially displays only the representation of the data objects 207 with a type of image file, such as the .tif and .jpg file types. In addition, with some embodiments of the present invention, an application of the program that hosts the control of the list designer 501 may specify the view provided by the display area on the 505 navigation screen. The main software application may also specify if the view pane will be displayed initially on the screen or it will be hidden. Accordingly, the control of the list designer 501 provides program applications with a powerful tool to assist the user in creating integrated collections. Moreover, although the control of the list processor 501 can incorporate all the functionality of the basket control 201, it advantageously allows a main application to provide users with additional functionality to create integrated collections. In addition, this additional functionality can be configured by the program application to better match the functionality and purpose of the main application of the program itself.

Interfaces for the basket control and the list-making control According to several examples of the present invention, the basket control 201, the list-making control 501 or both, can be implemented as program objects that can be conveniently housing a part of the program, simply by having access to an interface for the purpose of the program. This type of interface, which we sometimes refer to as an "application programming interface", allows an application of the program to house the control of the list designer 501 (or of the basket control 201), without having to incorporate all the program instructions required to implement the list-making control 501 or the tray control 201. In this way, a main application can employ an application programming interface that creates a collection. This application programming interface may, for example, include the functionality to manage a collection or ordered list, such as functionality to insert a game (eg, a data item 207) into the list, remove a game from the list , and get a game on the list. You can also include the functionality to manage a container of links (for example, bookmarks or "shortcuts" to the data objects 207 in the list). Several examples of the present invention may also provide an application programming interface that includes program instructions for creating specialized types of collections, such as a folder in the playlist. This application programming interface, which we refer to hereinafter as a "playlist" application programming interface, can employ the application programming interface of the ordered basic collection described above, but provide additional functionality to a collection. For example, a specialized collection application programming interface can provide a basic collection ordered with a "copy mode", which determines how the data objects 207 will be copied into the collection. If the value of the property is "simple", then the contents of the nested data objects 207 will be flattened when they are added to the collection. However, if the value of the property is "not simple" the data objects 207 will retain their nested hierarchy when they are added to the collection. The value of the property "copy mode" can, therefore, be specified by the main application to correspond to the use of the collection. In this way, a generic collection and a collection containing music files may have the property of "copy mode" adjusted to be "simple", while a collection of photographic images may have the "copy mode" adjusted so that "it is not simple".

The playlist application programming interface can also provide a collection with a "theme of the web" property. This property determines, for example, background images that are displayed on screens by the controller of the list designer 501 when the collection is accessed. In this way, a generic collection can have a generic property value "web theme" of the "list", while a collection of music files can have a "web theme" property of the "playlist" (the which may, for example, instruct the controller of the list designer 501 to display musical notes or instruments as background images). In a similar way, although a collection of music files may have a "web theme" property value of "photo_album" (which may, for example, instruct the 501 list designer to display a camera or a photo album as background images). The playlist application programming interface, can also provide a collection with a property of "type of received folders", which determines the way in which the images representing the data objects 207 of the folder are displayed. The playlist application programming interface can also provide a collection with a property of "default columns (defaul)", which defines the information displayed on the screen for a data object 207.

For example, if the value "default columns (defaul)" can be set in "name; order; artist; album; duration" for a collection of music files. When the information for a data object 207 of the collection is displayed on the screen then, it will include the name of the song associated with the data object 207, the order of the data object 207 in the collection, the name of the artist associated with the data object 207 in the collection, the name of the music album associated with the data object 207 in the collection, and the duration of the music associated with the data object 207 in the collection. On the other hand, the value of "default columns (defaul)" can be set to "name; order" for a generic collection, so that only the name of each data object 207 and its order in the collection are displayed in screen. Still further, the application programming interface of the playlist can also provide a collection with an "order" property, which determines whether the order and the data objects 207 will be updated in that collection, when it is added or removed a new data object 207 of the collection. Several examples of the present invention may also provide an application programming interface of the layette control that creates the layette control. This application programming interface will create a basket control object, which can be, for example, a simple component of the program's browser. The layup control application programming interface can then provide different properties, methods and notifications associated with the layette control. For example, the layup control application programming interface may include the "root folder" property, which can be read or written before it is displayed on the screen with everything in it. This property identifies the collection for which the basket control is created. If the value of this property is "null", the basket control can create a temporary collection. The layup control application programming interface may also include the properties related to the way in which the data objects 207 of a collection are displayed and the information related to the data objects 207 for the layup control. For example, the layup control application programming interface may include a "signal" property, which may be read and written before the layup control is deployed. This property defines several signals associated with the basket control. The value of this property can include, for example, "hidden navigation", which hides the navigation buttons and commands, even if the collection supports it, "wide distribution" which causes the toolbar (or toolbars) ) are left aligned, hide the header, and provide additional space in the status bar for additional controls: This property can also have the value of "hide order" which hides the buttons or sort commands, even if the collection supports the ordination. The layup control application programming interface can also include the properties "visible columns" and "see signals", both of which can be read or written. The "visible columns" property defines which columns are displayed for the representation of a data object 207 in the display area of the 203 layette, while the "see signals" property defines which signals are displayed for the representation of a data object 207 in the display area of the lay-up screen 203. The lay-up control application programming interface may also include a "view mode" property which can be read or written. The property of "view mode" determines the mode (for example, icons, details, "thumbnail" signs, etc. in which the representation of the data objects 207 of the collection will be displayed on the screen. In addition, the layup control application programming interface may have a "header", whose property may be read or written and which designates a header that is to be displayed on the screen in the layette control. In addition, the basket control application programming interface can include a "watermark text" property, which can be read or written before the basket control is displayed, and which determines the text to be used. laid out when the display area of the layette 203 is empty. The layette control application programming interface may also include one or more properties related to the operation of the status bar. For example, the basket control application programming interface can include a property "state properties" which can be read or written before the basket control is deployed and which defines the properties of the collection that goes to to be displayed on the screen (or whose aggregates are going to be displayed on the screen) by the status bar. The layup control application programming interface can also include a "status text" property which can be read and written, and which replaces the on-screen display of the properties in the status bar with a row of text. If the value of this property is set to "null" then the property reappears in the status bar. In addition, the layup control application programming interface may include one or more methods associated with the status bar. For example, the layup control application programming interface may include the "Set-up Status Calibration" method (SetStatusGauge) (int isp, object maximum and row format), which activates a manometer display, (for example, a three-dimensional pie chart), for the associated property in a given index, the main application can use this method to activate the deployment of one of the properties of the status bar. three-dimensional pie chart that displays a pie slice proportional to the current value added of the property, relative to the maximum value specified by the main application, and the main application can specify a line (for example, as a line of text) ) which can use the basket control to format a textual description of the property, with symbols that are replaced by the total current property, at the maximum value. For example, the status bar can display the text "45MB used from 600MB available". The layup control application programming interface may also include one or more notifications, to notify other components of program events. For example, the schedule control application programming interface may include the notification of "changed folder contents" which sends an event message when the content of the collection is modified. Additionally, various embodiments of the present invention may provide an application programming interface of the list designer to create a control of the list designer. The control of the list processor can be implemented from, for example, a simple component of the program finder, and the basket control created by the application programming interface of the basket control. In this way, the application programming interface of the list designer control can include several properties related to the search engine component, or the basket control. For example, the application programming interface of the list designer control can include a "folder view" property, which can be a read-only value that identifies the search engine component used by the list designer's control. In a similar fashion, the application programming interface of the list designer control may include a "basket" property, which may be a read-only value that identifies the basket control used by the list-making control. In addition, the application programming interface of the list designer control can include a "basket width" property, which can be a readable and writeable value and specifies the width of the basket control within the control of list maker It should be noted that, although examples of different programming application interfaces have been described above, any of these application programming interfaces may employ additional or alternative properties, methods and notifications, depending on the desired functionality and operating system environment in which will be used the application programming interfaces. Conclusion The present invention has been described with respect to specific examples that include the presently preferred embodiments for carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the systems and techniques described above, which are found within of the spirit and scope of the present invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims (46)

1. CLAIMS 1. A tool to create an integrated collection, which includes: a basket interface that receives data objects to be manipulated simultaneously; a component of creation of the collection that, for each data object presented to the basket interface, adds at least one data item corresponding to the data object presented to a collection of data item. A tool as described in claim 1, characterized in that the basket control includes an on-screen display interface that displays on the screen representations of the data objects received by the basket interface. The tool as described in claim 2, characterized in that the display interface displays on the screen representations of all the data objects corresponding to a data item in the collection. The tool as described in claim 2, characterized in that the basket interface and the screen display interface share a single graphical interface of the user. The tool as described in claim 2, characterized in that: the on-screen display interface allows a user to specify an order of data objects received by the layette interface; and the creation component of the collection adds data items to the collection according to the order of the data objects specified by the user. The tool as described in claim 2, which further comprises one or more navigation controls for navigating between the data objects represented by the screen display interface. The tool as described in claim 1, characterized in that the collection includes pointers pointing to the data objects received by the layette interface. The tool as described in claim 1, characterized in that the collection creation component creates a new collection at the time of initialization. The tool as described in claim 1, characterized in that: the layette interface allows the data objects to be removed from the layette interface; and for each data object removed from the basket interface, the collection creation component removes each data item corresponding to the data object removed from the collection. The tool as described in claim 1, which also includes a name control that facilitates the naming of the collection. The tool as described in claim 1, which further comprises a notification component that notifies other applications of the program when the collection of data items changes. 12. The tool as described in claim 1, further comprising a status screen for displaying on the screen the information related to the data objects presented to the basket inferif. The tool as described in claim 12, characterized in that the status screen displays on the screen a storage quantity that would be occupied by the data objects presented to the layette interface. The tool as described in claim 12, characterized in that the status screen displays on the screen a storage quantity associated with the collection. The tool as described in claim 12, characterized in that the status screen displays on the screen a relation between a storage quantity that would be occupied by the data objects presented to the layette interface and an associated storage quantity. with the collection. 16. The tool as described in claim 1, further comprising: a list maker control that provides data objects which can be presented to the can interface. 17. The tool as described in claim 16, characterized in that the control of the list processor includes a second screen interface to display on the screen a representation of the data objects that can be presented to the basket interface. The tool as described in claim 17, characterized in that the control of the list designer includes one or more second navigation controls for navigating between one or more data objects for representation by the second screen. The tool as described in claim 16, characterized in that the control of the list designer includes a presentation of data objects which, when activated, presents to the basket interface the selected data objects represented in the second one. screen. 20. The tool as described in claim 16, characterized in that the list designer control includes a menu component that provides a menu of commands associated with the selected data objects, so that the menu includes at least one command to present the selected data objects to the layette interface. 21. A method for providing an integrated list of data items corresponding to the data objects, which comprises: receiving one or more data objects; and adding to a list of data items at least one data item corresponding to the received data object, for each received data object. 22. The method as described in the claim 21, which further comprises displaying a representation of the received data objects on the screen. 23. The method as described in the claim 22, which also comprises displaying on the screen each data object corresponding to a data item in the list. The method as described in claim 22, which further comprises providing navigation controls for navigating between the representations of received data objects displayed on the screen. 25. The method as described in claim 21, which further comprises receiving instructions for sorting the data items in the list. 26. The method as described in claim 21, which further comprises the creation of the list. 27. The method as described in claim 21, further comprising: receiving instructions to remove one or more data objects; and for each data object removed, delete each data item corresponding to the data object removed from the list. 28. The method as described in claim 21, which further comprises: receiving a name for the list; and name the list with the name received. 29. The method as described in claim 21, which further comprises notifying a change in the list to other applications of the program. 30. The method as described in claim 21, which further comprises displaying on the screen information related to a state of the list. 31. The method as described in claim 30, characterized in that the information displayed on the screen is a storage quantity occupied by the received data objects. 32. The method as described in claim 30, characterized in that the information displayed on the screen is a storage quantity associated with the list. The method as described in claim 30, characterized in that the information displayed on the screen is a storage quantity that would be occupied by the received data objects in relation to a storage quantity associated with the list. 34. The method as described in claim 21, which further comprises: receiving the data objects through a layette interface; and display on the screen a representation of the desired data objects that can be received through the layette interface. 35. The method as described in claim 34, further comprising providing one or more navigational controls for navigating between the on-screen display representation of the data objects that can be received through the canister interface. 36. The method as described in claim 34, which further comprises providing a display control which, when activated, presents the selected data objects between the on-screen display representation of data objects that can be received at through the basket interface. 37. The method as described in claim 34, which further comprises providing a command menu for the selected data objects between the on-screen display representation of the data objects that can be received through the data interface. layette, so that the command menu includes a command to present the selected data object to the layette interface. 38. A method for providing an interface to a list of data items, which comprises: receiving a list parameter that identifies a list of data items; and in response, causing a control that receives the data objects to be created and, for each received data object, adding to the identified list at least one data item corresponding to the received data object. 39. The method as described in the claim 38, characterized in that the control provides display representations on the graphical interface of the user of the data objects corresponding to the data items of the lists. 40. The method as described in the claim 39, which further comprises: receiving one or more signal parameters to determine the content of the user's graphical interface for control; and in response, causing the control to include the content of the user's graphical interface corresponding to the received signal parameters. 41. The method as described in the claim 40, which further comprises: causing the control to display on the screen the user's graphical interface without navigation controls to navigate between the displayed representations on the screen of the data objects corresponding to the data items of the list. 42. The method as described in claim 40, which further comprises: causing the control to display on the screen the user's graphical interface without ordering controls to order the displayed representations on the screen of the data objects corresponding to the data items in the list. 43. The method as described in claim 38, which further comprises: receiving property parameters; and in response, cause the control to display on the screen the properties corresponding to the parameters of the received properties. 44. The method as described in claim 43, characterized in that the properties include properties of the received data objects. 45. The method as described in claim 43, characterized in that the properties include properties of the list. 46. The method as described in claim 38, further comprising: receiving instructions to activate the state functionality; and in response, cause the control to activate the state functionality. The method as described in claim 38, characterized in that the parameter of the list has a null value, and in response, cause the control to create a new data departure list. 48. The method as described in claim 38, which further comprises notifying other applications of the software when the list changes.