Claims
- 1. In a computer system with a display and a memory for storing items, a method for presenting collections of the items, comprising:
creating a library to contain items with one or more specified metadata properties; automatically grouping items with the one or more specified metadata properties into the library; and providing one or more tools for manipulating items in the library.
- 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a shell browser method for enabling a user to modify metadata within a shell browser, the shell browser method comprising:
displaying a plurality of items; receiving a first input from the user representing a selection of at least one displayed item; displaying metadata associated with the at least one selected item; and providing a control for user modification of the displayed metadata.
- 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a shell browser, the shell browser comprising:
a window which displays a group of items, wherein the window also displays metadata values associated which one or more of the displayed intems; and an edit control which permits user modification of at least a portion of the metadata values displayed in the window.
- 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a previewer method for enabling the use of third party previewers in a shell browser which supports multiple item types, the previewer method comprising:
providing a shell browser having a default previewer for the multiple item types; and providing an extensibility mechanism which enables a third party to develop an alternative previewer for at least one of the multiple item types.
- 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a shell browser configured to display a plurality of items representing multiple item types, the shell browser comprising:
a default previewer which provides a standard level of functionality for multiple item types; and an extensibility mechanism which enables functionality beyond the standard level provided by the default previewer for one or more of the multiple item types.
- 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising a virtual address bar method for providing a virtual path to items stored in a computer file system using a virtual address bar, the virtual address bar method comprising:
displaying a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references items on the computer file system according to a corresponding filter for selecting items; and adding one or more additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the items referenced by the preceding interactive segments; wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.
- 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a virtual address bar user interface control for selecting items accessible to a computer system for display, the virtual address bar comprising:
a plurality of interactive segments, wherein each interactive segment corresponds to a filter for selecting items for display.
- 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising a method of filtering items, the method of filtering items comprising:
providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items; filtering the items represented by the display objects based on a filter term; and modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that remain after the filtering of the items.
- 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising a method for displaying items, the method for displaying items comprising:
defining a scope of the physical memory locations from which items are to be drawn, the scope comprising a present computer memory and at least one other physical location; receiving a query, and in response to the query, drawing items from the physical locations as defined in the scope; and presenting the items drawn from the query in a view on the display.
- 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising a method for representing the items to a user, the method for representing the items to the user comprising:
providing a database that allows both non-file items and file items to be searched by a query; receiving a query, and in response to the query drawing both non-file items and file items that match the query; and presenting both the non-file items and file items that match the query on the display.
- 11. A system for exposing items that are stored in a memory to a user, comprising:
a folder processor that obtains queries from a user; a relational database for storing information about items; and wherein:
the folder processor obtains a query from a user and passes the query to the relational database; the relational database provides results back to the folder processor; and based on the results from the relational database, the folder processor provides the results to the user as virtual folders.
- 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a shell browser method for enabling a user to modify metadata within a shell browser, the shell browser method comprising:
displaying a plurality of items; receiving a first input from the user representing a selection of at least one displayed item; displaying metadata associated with he at least one selected item; and providing a control for user modification of the displayed metadata.
- 13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a shell browser, the shell browser comprising:
a window which displays a group of items, wherein the window also displays metadata values associated with one or more of the displayed items; and an edit control which permits user modification of at least a portion of the metadata values displayed in the window.
- 14. The system of claim 11, further comprising a previewer for enabling the use of third party previewers in a shell browser which supports multiple item types, the previewer comprising:
a shell browser having a default previewer for the multiple item types; and an extensibility mechanism which enables a third party to develop an alternative previewer for at least one of the multiple item types.
- 15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a shell browser configured to display a plurality of items representing multiple item types, the shell browser comprising:
a default previewer which provides a standard level of functionality for multiple item types; and an extensibility mechanism which enables functionality beyond the standard level provided by the default previewer for one or more of the multiple item types.
- 16. The system of claim 11, further comprising a virtual address bar for providing a virtual path to items stored in a computer file system, the virtual address bar comprising:
a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references items on the computer file system according to a corresponding filter for selecting items; and one or more additional interactive segments of the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the items referenced by the preceding interactive segments; wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.
- 17. The system of claim 11, further comprising a virtual address bar user interface control for selecting items accessible to a computer system for display, the virtual address bar comprising:
a plurality of interactive segments, wherein each interactive segment corresponds to a filter for selecting items for display.
- 18. The system of claim 11, further comprising a method of filtering items, the method of filtering items comprising:
providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items; filtering the items represented by the display objects based on a filter term; and modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that remain after the filtering of the items.
- 19. The system of claim 11, further comprising a method for presenting collections of the items, the method of presenting collections of the items comprising:
creating a library to contain items with one or more specified metadata properties; automatically grouping items with the one or more specified metadata properties into the library; and providing one or more tools for manipulating items in the library.
- 20. The system of claim 11, further comprising a method for displaying items, the method for displaying items comprising:
defining a scope of the physical memory locations from which items are to be drawn, the scope comprising a present computer memory and at least one other physical location; receiving a query, and in response to the query, drawing items from the physical locations as defined in the scope; and presenting the items drawn from the query in a view on the display.
- 21. In a computer system having a display and a memory for storing items, the items having associated metadata properties, a method of exposing the items to a user, the method comprising:
selecting a first metadata property; searching for items that have the selected first metadata property; and providing a first virtual folder display object that represents the collection of items that have the first metadata property.
- 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising a shell browser method for enabling a user to modify metadata within a shell browser, the shell browser method comprising:
displaying a plurality of items; receiving a first input from the user representing a selection of at least one displayed item; displaying metadata associated with the at least one selected item; and providing a control for user modification of the displayed metadata.
- 23. The method of claim 21, further comprising providing a shell browser, the shell browser comprising:
a window which displays a group of items, wherein the window also displays metadata values associated with one or more of the displayed items; and an edit control which permits user modification of at least a portion of the metadata values displayed in the window.
- 24. The method of claim 21, further comprising a previewer method for enabling the use of third party previewers in a shell browser which supports multiple item types, the previewer method comprising:
providing a shell browser having a default previewer for the multiple item types; and providing an extensibility mechanism which enables a third party to develop an alternative previewer for at least one of the multiple item types.
- 25. The method of claim 21, further comprising providing a shell browser configured to display a plurality of items representing multiple item types, the shell browser comprising:
a default previewer which provides a standard level of functionality for multiple item types; and an extensibility mechanism which enables functionality beyond the standard level provided by the default previewer for one or more of the multiple item types.
- 26. The method of claim 21, further comprising a virtual address bar method for providing a virtual path to items stored in a computer file system using a virtual address bar, the virtual address bar method comprising:
displaying a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references items on the computer file system according to a corresponding filter for selecting items; and adding one or more additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the items referenced by the preceding interactive segments; wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.
- 27. The method of claim 21, further comprising providing a virtual address bar user interface control for selecting items accessible to a computer system for display, the virtual address bar comprising:
a plurality of interactive segments, wherein each interactive segment corresponds to a filter for selecting items for display.
- 28. The method of claim 21, further comprising a method of filtering items, the method of filtering items comprising:
providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items; filtering the items represented by the display objects based on a filter term; and modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that remain after the filtering of the items.
- 29. The method of claim 21, further comprising a method for presenting collections of the items, the method of presenting collections of the items comprising:
creating a library to contain items with one or more specified metadata properties; automatically grouping items with the one or more specified metadata properties into the library; and providing one or more tools for manipulating items in the library.
- 30. The method of claim 21, further comprising a method for displaying items, the method for displaying items comprising:
defining a scope of the physical memory locations from which items are to be drawn, the scope comprising a present computer memory and at least one other physical location; receiving a query, and in response to the query, drawing items from the physical locations as defined in the scope; and presenting the items drawn from the query in a view on the display.
- 31. In a computer system having a display and a memory for storing items, a method for manipulating the items, comprising:
representing groups of items as virtual folders; and providing at least a first defined action that can be performed for direct manipulation of a virtual folder, wherein when the first defined action is performed, the virtual folder is manipulated as directed by the performed action.
- 32. The method of claim 31, further comprising a shell browser method for enabling a user to modify metadata within a shell browser, the shell browser method comprising:
displaying a plurality of items; receiving a first input from the user representing a selection of at least one displayed item; displaying metadata associated with the at least one selected item; and providing a control for user modification of the displayed metadata.
- 33. The method of claim 31, further comprising providing a shell browser, the shell browser comprising:
a window which displays a group of items, wherein the window also displays metadata values associated with one or more of the displayed items; and an edit control which permits user modification of at least a portion of the metadata values displayed in the window.
- 34. The method of claim 31, further comprising a previewer method for enabling the use of third party previewers in a shell browser which supports multiple item types, the previewer method comprising:
providing a shell browser having a default previewer for the multiple item types; and providing an extensibility mechanism which enables a third party to develop an alternative previewer for at least one of the multiple item types.
- 35. The method of claim 31, further comprising providing a shell browser configured to display a plurality of items representing multiple item types, the shell browser comprising:
a default previewer which provides a standard level of functionality for multiple item types; and an extensibility mechanism which enables functionality beyond the standard level provided by the default previewer for one or more of the multiple item types.
- 36. The method of claim 31, further comprising a virtual address bar method for providing a virtual path to items stored in a computer file system using a virtual address bar, the virtual address bar method comprising:
displaying a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references items on the computer file system according to a corresponding filter for selecting items; and adding one or more additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the items referenced by the preceding interactive segments; wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.
- 37. The method of claim 31, further comprising providing a virtual address bar user interface control for selecting items accessible to a computer system for display, the virtual address bar comprising:
a plurality of interactive segments, wherein each interactive segment corresponds to a filter for selecting items for display.
- 38. The method of claim 31, further comprising a method of filtering items, the method of filtering items comprising:
providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items; filtering the items represented by the display objects based on a filter term; and modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that remain after the filtering of the items.
- 39. The method of claim 31, further comprising a method for presenting collections of the items, the method of presenting collections of the items comprising:
creating a library to contain items with one or more specified metadata properties; automatically grouping items with the one or more specified metadata properties into the library; and providing one or more tools for manipulating items in the library.
- 40. The method of claim 31, further comprising a method for displaying items, the method for displaying items comprising:
defining a scope of the physical memory locations from which items are to be drawn, the scope comprising a present computer memory and at least one other physical location; receiving a query, and in response to the query, drawing items from the physical locations as defined in the scope; and presenting the items drawn from the query in a view on the display.
- 41. In a computer system having a display and a memory for storing items with metadata properties, a method of filtering items, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items; filtering the items represented by the display objects based on a filter term; and modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that remain after the filtering of the items.
- 42. The method of claim 41, further comprising a shell browser method for enabling a user to modify metadata within a shell browser, the shell browser method comprising:
displaying a plurality of items; receiving a first input from the user representing a selection of at least one displayed item; displaying metadata associated with the at least one selected item; and providing a control for user modification of the displayed metadata.
- 43. The method of claim 41, further comprising providing a shell browser, the shell browser comprising:
a window which displays a group of items, wherein the window also displays metadata values associated with one or more of the displayed items; and an edit control which permits user modification of at least a portion of the metadata values displayed in the window.
- 44. The method of claim 41, further comprising a previewer method for enabling the use of third party previewers in a shell browser which supports multiple item types, the previewer method comprising:
providing a shell browser having a default previewer for the multiple item types; and providing an extensibility mechanism which enables a third party to develop an alternative previewer for at least one of the multiple item types.
- 45. The method of claim 41, further comprising providing a shell browser configured to display a plurality of items representing multiple item types, the shell browser comprising:
a default previewer which provides a standard level of functionality for multiple item types; and an extensibility mechanism which enables functionality beyond the standard level provided by the default previewer for one or more of the multiple item types.
- 46. The method of claim 41, further comprising a virtual address bar method for providing a virtual path to items stored in a computer file system using a virtual address bar, the virtual address bar method comprising:
displaying a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references items on the computer file system according to a corresponding filter for selecting items; and adding one or more additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the items referenced by the preceding interactive segments; wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.
- 47. The method of claim 41, further comprising providing a virtual address bar user interface control for selecting items accessible to a computer system for display, the virtual address bar comprising:
a plurality of interactive segments, wherein each interactive segment corresponds to a filter for selecting items for display.
- 48. The method of claim 41, further comprising a method of filtering items, the method of filtering items comprising:
providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items; filtering the items represented by the display objects based on a filter term; and modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that remain after the filtering of the items.
- 49. The method of claim 41, further comprising a method for presenting collections of the items, the method of presenting collections of the items comprising:
creating a library to contain items with one or more specified metadata properties; automatically grouping items with the one or more specified metadata properties into the library; and providing one or more tools for manipulating items in the library.
- 50. The method of claim 41, further comprising a method for displaying items, the method for displaying items comprising:
defining a scope of the physical memory locations from which items are to be drawn, the scope comprising a present computer memory and at least one other physical location; receiving a query, and in response to the query, drawing items from the physical locations as defined in the scope; and presenting the items drawn from the query in a view on the display.
- 51. In a computer system having a display and a memory for storing items, a method of viewing selected items, the method comprising:
storing a link to a desired collection of items that the user has navigated to; presenting the link on the display such that by clicking on the link a user can return to the view of the desired collection of items.
- 52. The method of claim 51, further comprising a shell browser method for enabling a user to modify metadata within a shell browser, the shell browser method comprising:
displaying a plurality of items; receiving a first input from the user representing a selection of at least one displayed item; displaying metadata associated with the at least one selected item; and providing a control for user modification of the displayed metadata.
- 53. The method of claim 51, further comprising providing a shell browser, the shell browser comprising:
a window which displays a group of items, wherein the window also displays metadata values associated with one or more of the displayed items; and an edit control which permits user modification of at least a portion of the metadata values displayed in the window.
- 54. The method of claim 51, further comprising a previewer method for enabling the use of third party previewers in a shell browser which supports multiple item types, the previewer method comprising:
providing a shell browser having a default previewer for the multiple item types; and providing an extensibility mechanism which enables a third party to develop an alternative previewer for at least one of the multiple item types.
- 55. The method of claim 51, further comprising providing a shell browser configured to display a plurality of items representing multiple item types, the shell browser comprising:
a default previewer which provides a standard level of functionality for multiple item types; and an extensibility mechanism which enables functionality beyond the standard level provided by the default previewer for one or more of the multiple item types.
- 56. The method of claim 51, further comprising a virtual address bar method for providing a virtual path to items stored in a computer file system using a virtual address bar, the virtual address bar method comprising:
displaying a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references items on the computer file system according to a corresponding filter for selecting items; and adding one or more additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the items referenced by the preceding interactive segments; wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.
- 57. The method of claim 51, further comprising providing a virtual address bar user interface control for selecting items accessible to a computer system for display, the virtual address bar comprising:
a plurality of interactive segments, wherein each interactive segment corresponds to a filter for selecting items for display.
- 58. The method of claim 51, further comprising a method of filtering items, the method of filtering items comprising:
providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items; filtering the items represented by the display objects based on a filter term; and modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that remain after the filtering of the items.
- 59. The method of claim 51, further comprising a method for presenting collections of the items, the method of presenting collections of the items comprising:
creating a library to contain items with one or more specified metadata properties; automatically grouping items with the one or more specified metadata properties into the library; and providing one or more tools for manipulating items in the library.
- 60. The method of claim 51, further comprising a method for displaying items, the method for displaying items comprising:
defining a scope of the physical memory locations from which items are to be drawn, the scope comprising a present computer memory and at least one other physical location; receiving a query, and in response to the query, drawing items from the physical locations as defined in the scope; and presenting the items drawn from the query in a view on the display.
- 61. In a computer system with a display and a memory for storing items, a method for representing the items to a user, comprising:
providing a database that allows both non-file items and file items to be searched by a query; receiving a query, and in response to the query drawing both non-file items and file items that match the query; and presenting both the non-file items and file items that match the query on the display.
- 62. The method of claim 61, further comprising a shell browser method for enabling a user to modify metadata within a shell browser, the shell browser method comprising:
displaying a plurality of items; receiving a first input from the user representing a selection of at least one displayed item; displaying metadata associated with the at least one selected item; and providing a control for user modification of the displayed metadata.
- 63. The method of claim 61, further comprising providing a shell browser, the shell browser comprising:
a window which displays a group of items, wherein the window also displays metadata values associated with one or more of the displayed items; and an edit control which permits user modification of at least a portion of the metadata values displayed in the window.
- 64. The method of claim 61, further comprising a previewer method for enabling the use of third party previewers in a shell browser which supports multiple item types, the previewer method comprising:
providing a shell browser having a default previewer for the multiple item types; and providing an extensibility mechanism which enables a third party to develop an alternative previewer for at least one of the multiple item types.
- 65. The method of claim 61, further comprising providing a shell browser configured to display a plurality of items representing multiple item types, the shell browser comprising:
a default previewer which provides a standard level of functionality for multiple item types; and an extensibility mechanism which enables functionality beyond the standard level provided by the default previewer for one or more of the multiple item types.
- 66. The method of claim 61, further comprising a virtual address bar method for providing a virtual path to items stored in a computer file system using a virtual address bar, the virtual address bar method comprising:
displaying a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references items on the computer file system according to a corresponding filter for selecting items; and adding one or more additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the items referenced by the preceding interactive segments; wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.
- 67. The method of claim 61, further comprising providing a virtual address bar user interface control for selecting items accessible to a computer system for display, the virtual address bar comprising:
a plurality of interactive segments, wherein each interactive segment corresponds to a filter for selecting items for display.
- 68. The method of claim 61, further comprising a method of filtering items, the method of filtering items comprising:
providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items; filtering the items represented by the display objects based on a filter term; and modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that remain after the filtering of the items.
- 69. The method of claim 61, further comprising a method for presenting collections of the items, the method of presenting collections of the items comprising:
creating a library to contain items with one or more specified metadata properties; automatically grouping items with the one or more specified metadata properties into the library; and providing one or more tools for manipulating items in the library.
- 70. The method of claim 61, further comprising a method for displaying items, the method for displaying items comprising:
defining a scope of the physical memory locations from which items are to be drawn, the scope comprising a present computer memory and at least one other physical location; receiving a query, and in response to the query, drawing items from the physical locations as defined in the scope; and presenting the items drawn from the query in a view on the display.
- 71. A method for providing a virtual path to items stored in a computer file system using a virtual address bar, the method comprising:
displaying a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references items on the computer file system according to a corresponding filter for selecting items; and adding one or more additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the items referenced by the preceding interactive segments; wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.
- 72. The method of claim 71, wherein a filter is provided on the display that can be selected by a user to filter items based on the metadata property specified by the filter.
- 73. The method of claim 71, wherein a quick link is provided on the display that can be selected by a user to view a specified collection of items.
- 74. The method of claim 71, wherein a library is provided that includes a collection of items and a set of tools for manipulating the items of the library.
- 75. The method of claim 71, wherein the items in a virtual folder may be physically stored in memories at different physical locations.
- 76. The method of claim 75, wherein the different physical locations comprise a present computer and at least one of a different computer, a location on a network, and an external storage device.
- 77. The method of claim 71, wherein the items comprise both file items and non-file items.
- 78. The method of claim 77, wherein the non-file items comprise at least one of contacts or e-mails.
- 79. The method of claim 71, further comprising a shell browser method for enabling a user to modify metadata within a shell browser, the shell browser method comprising:
displaying a plurality of items; receiving a first input from the user representing a selection of at least one displayed item; displaying metadata associated with the at least one selected item; and providing a control for user modification of the displayed metadata.
- 80. The method of claim 71, further comprising a previewer method for enabling the use of third party previewers in a shell browser which supports multiple item types, the previewer method comprising:
providing a shell browser having a default previewer for the multiple item types; and providing an extensibility mechanism which enables a third party to develop an alternative previewer for at least one of the multiple item types.
- 81. A computer-implemented method for enabling a user to modify metadata within a shell browser, the method comprising:
displaying a plurality of items; receiving a first input from the user representing a selection of at least one displayed item; displaying metadata associated with the at least one selected item; and providing a control for user modification of the displayed metadata.
- 82. The method of claim 81, wherein a filter is provided on the display that can be selected by a user to filter items based on the metadata property specified by the filter.
- 83. The method of claim 81, wherein a quick link is provided on the display that can be selected by a user to view a specified collection of items.
- 84. The method of claim 81, wherein a library is provided that includes a collection of items and a set of tools for manipulating the items of the library.
- 85. The method of claim 81, wherein the items in a virtual folder may be physically stored in memories at different physical locations.
- 86. The method of claim 85, wherein the different physical locations comprise a present computer and at least one of a different computer, a location on a network, and an external storage device.
- 87. The method of claim 81, wherein the items comprise both file items and non-file items.
- 88. The method of claim 87, wherein the non-file items comprise at least one of contacts or e-mails.
- 89. The method of claim 81, further comprising a virtual address bar method for providing a virtual path to items stored in a computer file system using a virtual address bar, the virtual address bar method comprising:
displaying a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references items on the computer file system according to a corresponding filter for selecting items; and adding one or more additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the items referenced by the preceding interactive segments; wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.
- 90. The method of claim 81, further comprising providing a virtual address bar user interface control for selecting items accessible to a computer system for display, the virtual address bar comprising:
a plurality of interactive segments, wherein each interactive segment corresponds to a filter for selecting items for display.
- 91. A computer-implemented method for enabling the use of third party previewers in a shell browser which supports multiple item types, the method comprising:
providing a shell browser having a default previewer for the multiple item types; and providing an extensibility mechanism which enables a third party to develop an alternative previewer for at least one of the multiple item types.
- 92. The method of claim 91, wherein a filter is provided on the display that can be selected by a user to filter items based on the metadata property specified by the filter.
- 93. The method of claim 91, wherein a quick link is provided on the display that can be selected by a user to view a specified collection of items.
- 94. The method of claim 91, wherein a library is provided that includes a collection of items and a set of tools for manipulating the items of the library.
- 95. The method of claim 91, wherein the items in a virtual folder may be physically stored in memories at different physical locations.
- 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the different physical locations comprise a present computer and at least one of a different computer, a location on a network, and an external storage device.
- 97. The method of claim 91, wherein the items comprise both file items and non-file items.
- 98. The method of claim 97, wherein the non-file items comprise at least one of contacts or e-mails.
- 99. The method of claim 91, further comprising a virtual address bar method for providing a virtual path to items stored in a computer file system using a virtual address bar, the virtual address bar method comprising:
displaying a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references items on the computer file system according to a corresponding filter for selecting items; and adding one or more additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the items referenced by the preceding interactive segments; wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.
- 100. The method of claim 91, further comprising providing a virtual address bar user interface control for selecting items accessible to a computer system for display, the virtual address bar comprising:
a plurality of interactive segments, wherein each interactive segment corresponds to a filter for selecting items for display.
- 101. In a computer system with a display and a memory for storing items, the items being of a plurality of different types, a method for presenting libraries of the items, comprising:
providing libraries for containing items of similar types; and providing a similar set of UI features for each of the libraries.
- 102. The method of claim 101, wherein the different types comprise at least two of documents, images and music.
- 103. The method of claim 101, wherein the similar set of UI features includes a feature for editing.
- 104. The method of claim 101, wherein the similar set of UI features includes a feature for creating new categories.
- 105. The method of claim 101, wherein the similar set of UI features includes a feature for editing the metadata of items.
- 106. The method of claim 101, wherein the similar set of UI features includes a feature for altering the pivots.
- 107. The method of claim 101, wherein in addition to containing items of similar types, the libraries may also contain items of different type.
- 108. The method of claim 101, further comprising a shell browser method for enabling a user to modify metadata within a shell browser, the shell browser method comprising:
displaying a plurality of items; receiving a first input from the user representing a selection of at least one displayed item; displaying metadata associated with the at least one selected item; and providing a control for user modification of the displayed metadata.
- 109. The method of claim 101, further comprising providing a shell browser, the shell browser comprising:
a window which displays a group of items, wherein the window also displays metadata values associated with one or more of the displayed items; and an edit control which permits user modification of at least a portion of the metadata values displayed in the window.
- 110. The method of claim 101, further comprising a previewer method for enabling the use of third party previewers in a shell browser which supports multiple item types, the previewer method comprising:
providing a shell browser having a default previewer for the multiple item types; and providing an extensibility mechanism which enables a third party to develop an alternative previewer for at least one of the multiple item types.
- 111. The method of claim 101, further comprising providing a shell browser configured to display a plurality of items representing multiple item types, the shell browser comprising:
a default previewer which provides a standard level of functionality for multiple item types; and an extensibility mechanism which enables functionality beyond the standard level provided by the default previewer for one or more of the multiple item types.
- 112. The method of claim 101, further comprising a virtual address bar method for providing a virtual path to items stored in a computer file system using a virtual address bar, the virtual address bar method comprising:
displaying a virtual address bar operable to include a first interactive segment, wherein the first interactive segment references items on the computer file system according to a corresponding filter for selecting items; and adding one or more additional interactive segment to the virtual address bar, wherein each additional interactive segment further restricts the items referenced by the preceding interactive segments; wherein the first interactive segment and the one or more additional interactive segments comprise a virtual path.
- 113. The method of claim 101, further comprising providing a virtual address bar user interface control for selecting items accessible to a computer system for display, the virtual address bar comprising:
a plurality of interactive segments, wherein each interactive segment corresponds to a filter for selecting items for display.
- 114. The method of claim 101, further comprising a method of filtering items, the method of filtering items comprising:
providing a plurality of display objects on the display that each represent one or more items; filtering the items represented by the display objects based on a filter term; and modifying the display objects that are provided on the display so as to represent the items that remain after the filtering of the items.
- 115. The method of claim 101, further comprising a method for displaying items, the method for displaying items comprising:
defining a scope of the physical memory locations from which items are to be drawn, the scope comprising a present computer memory and at least one other physical location; receiving a query, and in response to the query, drawing items from the physical locations as defined in the scope; and presenting the items drawn from the query in a view on the display.
- 116. The method of claim 101, further comprising a method for representing the items to a user, the method for representing the items to the user comprising:
providing a database that allows both non-file items and file items to be searched by a query; receiving a query, and in response to the query drawing both non-file items and file items that match the query; and presenting both the non-file items and file items that match the query on the display.
- 117. A computer-implemented method for enabling the use of third party previewers in a shell browser which supports multiple item types, the method comprising:
providing a shell browser having a default previewer for the multiple item types; and providing an extensibility mechanism which enables a third party to develop an alternative previewer for at least one of the multiple item types.
- 118. The method of claim 101, wherein a filter is provided on the display that can be selected by a user to filter items based on the metadata property specified by the filter.
- 119. The method of claim 101, wherein a quick link is provided on the display that can be selected by a user to view a specified collection of items.
- 120. The method of claim 101, wherein a library is provided that includes a collection of items and a set of tools for manipulating the items of the library.
- 121. The method of claim 101, wherein the items in a virtual folder may be physically stored in memories at different physical locations.
- 122. The method of claim 121, wherein the different physical locations comprise a present computer and at least one of a different computer, a location on a network, and an external storage device.
- 123. The method of claim 101, wherein the items comprise both file items and non-file items.
- 124. The method of claim 123, wherein the non-file items comprise at least one of contacts or e-mails.
CROSS-REFERENCE(S) TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is related to U.S. applications attorney docket Nos. MSFT-1-20362, MSFT-1-20460, MSFT-1-20699, MSFT-1-20700, and MSFT-1-20790, and U.S. application Ser. Nos. 10/395,533 and 10/395,560, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.