RU2351981C2 - Expandable creation and editing of combined sets - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: information technologies.

SUBSTANCE: this tool includes facility for control of data container, which comprises interfaces for reception and display of data objects selected by user for inclusion into set. Component of set creation provides the set with one or several data elements that correspond to objects sent to facility for control of data container. Facility for data container control may be used for creation of sets or it may be hosted by software object, such as facility for control of "list maker" comprising facility for control of data container, one or several user interfaces, which user may used for transfer of data objects in facility for control of data container. Facility for control of list maker includes graphic user interface of visualisation and navigation instrumental panel for navigation in graphic user interface of visualisation. Facility for control of list maker may be hosted in multiple software applications.

EFFECT: possibility to manipulate data objects as a unit.

47 cl, 5 dwg

Description

Field of Invention

This invention relates to the creation and editing of combined sets. Various aspects of the present invention, in particular, are applicable to provide a tool for creating or editing data objects, so that these objects can be manipulated as an integral whole.

State of the art

As computers became more and more common in our culture, people of all walks of life grew accustomed to using computers for many tasks. For example, a high school student can use a personal computer to copy a group of music files to a digital music player, while grandfather can use a personal computer to send photographic image files to a granddaughter or grandson. A business representative can use a shared computer networked with a central server to send and receive business application files, such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel files, through an email service similar to Microsoft Outlook.

While the use of computers has grown in variety and improvement, the tools provided by computers for data manipulation also need more variety and improvement. 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 way to create a collection (set) of data files to be manipulated simultaneously.

Some operating systems, for example, allow the user to select multiple files for simultaneous manipulation (for example, by simultaneously pressing the control key when selecting each file with a pointing device). Once the files have been selected, however, no action can be taken on the unselected data file without breaking the grouping of the selected files. Also, all these files should usually be selected from a single location, such as within the same folder, and cannot be selected from separate locations.

In addition, various specialized software applications can allow the user to group files into collections (sets) for specific purposes. For example, a software application for reproducing music data files may allow a user to group music files into a list of files for playback. These applications, however, typically limit user manipulation to a group of files by functions related to a software application. In addition, the grouping property provided by such a specialized software application cannot usually be used outside the software application.

Summary of the invention

Therefore, it would be useful to have an architecture for creating and editing integrated collections (integrated sets) of data objects, so that data objects can be manipulated as a whole. In addition, it would be useful to have such a collection (set) architecture that is extensible for many applications and software platforms.

Various examples of the invention advantageously provide a tool for creating integral collections (combined sets). In some implementations of the invention, this tool may include a “basket” control with which to receive objects to be included in the set. Basket management may, for example, include interfaces for receiving and displaying data objects that are selected by the user to be included in the set. The user can thus build a collection (set) of data objects simply by providing data objects for basket management. The collection creation component then provides the collection with one or more data elements corresponding to objects transferred to the basket control. In various aspects of the invention, a collection can be compiled with any desired data objects, including discrete data (such as text), data files, queries or exceptions to identify data files based on assigned criteria, both virtual and physical folders containing one or more data objects, and even other sets of data objects.

The basket (data container) management tool can be used by itself to create collections (sets), or it can be hosted by another software object. For example, various implementations of the invention may further include a “list creator” management tool that conveniently contains both the basket control and one or more user interfaces that the user can use to provide data objects for the basket control. For example, the “list creator” management tool may include a visualizing graphical user interface (such as a file viewer) for visualizing data objects and a navigation toolbar for navigating (moving) in the visualizing graphical user interface. The list creator management tool can then be hosted as desired by software developers in a variety of software applications.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows an example of a computing environment in which various embodiments of the invention may be implemented.

Figure 2 shows an example of basket control according to various embodiments of the invention.

Figure 3 shows a dashboard including navigation controls for navigating a basket in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

4 shows a dialog box for creating a new set of data objects according to various embodiments of the invention.

5 shows an example of a list creator control in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Overview

Various embodiments of the invention provide a tool for creating or editing integrated collections (combined sets) of data objects. These collections (sets) can include many different types of data objects, such as discrete parts of text, data files, queries or exceptions to identify data files, based on assigned criteria, both virtual and physical folders containing one or more objects data, and even other collections (sets) of data objects. Once the set has been created, all data objects in the set can be manipulated simultaneously as a whole.

The various implementations of the tool according to the invention can advantageously be expanded by software developers to a variety of applications and software platforms. For example, one or more implementations of a tool may be included by a software developer in a software application in order to allow the application user to create collections (sets) for the software application.

A tool can provide a “basket” control. Using this type of control, the user can create sets of data objects simply by transferring the desired objects to the control tool. For example, a basket control may be used by an operating system that uses a graphical user interface to receive data objects. With this organization diagram, the user can transfer the data objects to the basket control simply by moving the icon representing the desired data object to the user interface (for example, a window) provided by the basket control. In various embodiments of the invention, the basket control may also include a collection (set) creation component that creates an integrated set of data elements corresponding to the objects provided for the basket control. For example, a collection (set) creation tool can create a set of copies of entire data objects. Alternatively, the collection tool may create a collection of pointers pointing to selected data objects.

In some embodiments of the invention, the basket control may be initialized on its own. For example, the basket control may be provided as a standalone tool on the desktop of the operating system or hosted by another software object. Alternatively, in various implementations of the invention, the basket control may be used in combination with one or more other software objects to improve the usefulness of the basket tool. For example, a basket tool may be hosted by a “list creator” management tool that conveniently contains a basket manager and one or more user interfaces that the user can use to provide data objects to the basket manager.

More specifically, the list creator management tool may include a visualizing graphical user interface (such as a file viewer) for visualizing data objects and a navigation toolbar for navigation in the visualizing graphical user interface. This organization chart allows the user to select the desired data objects in the visualizing graphical user interface, and then add the selected data objects to the collection (set) by transferring the selected data objects to the basket control. Like the basket manager, the list creator management tool including the basket manager can be provided by itself or hosted, as desired in a variety of software applications.

Work environment

Various embodiments of the invention can be implemented in a wide variety of computing devices. More specifically, a tool for creating integrated collections (integrated sets) according to various embodiments of the invention can be implemented using computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computing devices. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular types of abstract data. Typically, the functionality of the software modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various ways.

Since the invention can be implemented using software, for a better understanding of the invention it may be useful to briefly discuss the components and operation of a typical generalized programmable computer on which various embodiments of the invention will be used. 1 illustrates an example of a computing device 101 that provides a suitable working environment in which various embodiments of the invention may be implemented. This working environment, however, is only one example of a suitable working environment and is not intended to offer any limitation on the scope of use or the functionality of the invention. Other well-known computing systems, environments, and / or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, handheld or portable devices, multiprocessor systems based on a microprocessor system programmable consumer electronic circuits, network PCs, minicomputers, universal computers, distributed computer environments, which include any of the above systems eat or devices, etc.

Computing device 101 typically includes at least some form of computer-readable media (medium). Computer-readable media can be any medium that can be accessed by computing device 101. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media can include a computer storage medium and a data medium. The computer environment for storing information includes volatile and non-volatile, removable or non-removable media implemented by any method or technology for storing information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. A computer environment for storing information includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD), or other optical memory, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk memory or other magnetic memory devices, perforated media, holographic memory or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and which may be accessible to the working environment 101.

A data transmission medium typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier signal or other transmission mechanism, and includes any information distribution medium. The term "modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a way as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, a communication medium includes a wired medium, such as a wired network or direct wired connection, and a wireless medium, such as acoustic, radio frequency, infrared, and other wireless medium. Combinations of any of the above media should also be included within the scope of the term “computer readable media”.

With reference to FIG. 1, in its most basic configuration, computing device 101 typically includes a processor 103 and system memory 105. Depending on the particular configuration and type of computing device 101, system memory 105 may include volatile memory 107 (such as RAM ), non-volatile memory 109 (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or some combination of these two types of memory. In addition, the device 101 may also have mass storage devices, such as a removable memory device 111, a non-removable memory device 113, or some combination of two types of memory devices. Mass storage devices can be any device that can retrieve stored information, such as a magnetic or optical disk or tape, perforated media, or holographic memory. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, system memory 105 and mass storage devices 111 and 113 are examples of a computer environment for storing information.

Device 101 will typically also have one or more input devices 115, such as a keyboard, microphone, scanner, or pointing device, for receiving input from a user. Device 101 will typically also have one or more output devices 117 for outputting data to a user, such as a display, speaker, printer, or tactile feedback device. Other components of device 101 may include connecting communications 119 to other devices, computers, networks, servers, etc. using either a wired or wireless environment. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, communications connections 119 are examples of a data transmission medium. All of these devices and connections are well known in the art and therefore will not be discussed in detail here.

Basket management

2 illustrates one example of a basket control 201 according to various embodiments of the invention. As shown, the basket control 201 includes a basket display area 203. The basket display area 203 may be a windowed graphical user interface, such as those provided in the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. The basket display area 203 may include any desired navigation controls for navigating the basket display area 203. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the basket display area 203 may include a standard vertical scroll bar 205 for vertically scrolling through the basket display area 203. Of course, various implementations of the basket display area 203 may alternatively or additionally include a horizontal scroll bar for horizontally scrolling the basket display area 203.

As also shown in this drawing, the basket display area 203 shows a representation of one or more data objects 207 to be included in the combined set. In the example shown, the data objects 207 are data files, but various implementations of the invention may show a representation of any data object to be included in a combined set, including, for example, a query or an exception to identify data files based on assigned criteria, and a virtual or physical folder, which itself may contain one or more data objects 207.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2, the basket display area 203 serves as a basket interface for receiving data objects 207 and a display interface for displaying data objects included in the set. In alternative embodiments, however, the display interface may be separate from the basket interface or omitted altogether. Also, although the embodiment of FIG. 2 shows all of the data objects included in the set (using scrolling or other navigation methods, as necessary), yet other embodiments of the invention can only illustrate a portion of the data objects included in the set such as data objects of a specific type or only data objects that were subordinate to the basket manager 201.

In the example of the basket display area 203 shown in FIG. 2, each data object 207 is represented by an abstract image corresponding to the type of data object 207 associated with a thumbnail image (i.e., a small data image in the data object 207) and an alphanumeric indicating the size of the data object 207. It should be noted, however, that other embodiments of the invention may additionally or alternatively include more or less information representing data objects 207. Also, various embodiments of the basket control 201 may allow a user or hosting software application to select which type of information is used to represent data objects 207. For example, some embodiments of the invention may allow a user or hosting software application to choose whether the basket display area 203 will show a thumbnail image, a “puzzle”, “pictograms”, the alphanumeric name of the data object 207, or the alphanumeric name of the object 207 data associated with various details related to the data object 207, such as its size, creation date, last modification date, etc.

Some variants of the basket control 201 may further include one or more status indicators that can be used to display information regarding the integrated set to be created from the data objects 207 presented in the basket display area 203. For example, in the shown embodiment, the current state line 209 shows the size of the memory area that would be occupied by the data objects 207 currently represented in the basket display area 203, relative to the size of the memory area associated with the combined set (such as, for example, the size of the free area memory available on the CD-ROM on which the kit can be saved). More specifically, the current state line 209 provides an alphanumeric indication of the amount of the memory area that would be occupied by the data objects 207, relative to the total amount of the memory area allocated for the combined set in the storage device. Line 209 of the current state also simultaneously provides a histogram representation of the size of the memory area that would be occupied by the data objects 207, relative to the total value of the memory area allocated for the combined set. It should be appreciated, however, that other embodiments of the invention may also show additional or alternative information in line 209 of the current state, such as information related to aggregation or accumulation of properties such as element counts, total size, total duration, etc. .

For example, in some embodiments of the invention, if the basket control 201 is used to form combined sets of music files, then the current state line 209 may list the song names corresponding to the data objects 207 in the basket control 201 and the total time (for example, in the format hours: minutes: seconds) required to listen to data objects 207. Still further, various embodiments of the invention may include multiple lines 209 of the current state to display any desired information related to the data objects 207 presented in the basket display area 203. In addition, in some embodiments of the invention, one or more status indicators may be selected to show the basket control 201 by the user or, for example, by a software developer providing the basket control 201 to the user, or hidden by the user or the software developer.

As noted above, the basket control 201 provides an interface that allows the user to select one or more data objects 207 to be included in the combined set. For example, in various implementations of the invention, a user can include any data object 207 in a combined set simply by transferring the desired data object 207 to the basket manager 201. Thus, if the basket control 201 is implemented by an operating system that uses graphical user interfaces, such as the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, then the user can add the data object 207 to the combined set simply by moving the graphical representation of the desired data object 207 to the basket display area 203 .

More specifically, if the basket control 201 is implemented using the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, then the basket control 201 can be formed from the Explorer view software component (or a similar browser type component used as an interface for both display and to manipulate data objects). The basket control 201 may then include an additional functional unit, for example, to create copies of the transferred data objects 207 to be included in the set, or shortcut keys or pointers to the transferred data objects 207 to be included in the set. This organization diagram will allow users to transfer the data object 207 to the basket control 201 by dragging and dropping the presentation of the graphical user interface of the data object 207 (for example, icons) into the basket display area 203 of the basket control 201, as is usual for other Microsoft Windows XP Explorer windows. Of course, any desired method for transmitting the data object 207 of the basket interface part of the basket control 201, such as providing a command in the command menu associated with the data object 207 or using the “paste” edit command to transfer the previously copied file, can alternatively or additionally be used.

It should also be noted that in various embodiments of the invention, the basket control 201 can alternatively or additionally be used to edit an existing combined set. For example, a user may use the command associated with the integrated set to initialize the basket control 201 containing the data objects 207 corresponding to this combined set. The user can then add one or more desired data objects 207 to the combined set by transmitting the desired data objects 207 to the basket control 201 or change the order of the data objects 207, if allowed by the combined set.

In various embodiments of the invention, the user can use the basket control 201 to exclude the desired data objects 207 from the combined set by retrieving the desired data 207 from the basket control 201. For example, if the basket manager 201 is implemented by an operating system that uses graphical user interfaces, such as the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, then the user can prevent the inclusion of the data object 207 in the combined set simply by moving or deleting the graphical representation of the desired data object 207 from the area 203 display basket. In addition, in various examples of the invention, if the basket control 201 contains data objects 207 that are already included in an existing merged set, then the user can remove one or more desired data objects 207 from the existing set by removing or removing the representation of each desired data object 207 from the basket control 201. Of course, any desired method of deleting the data object 207 from the basket control 201, such as providing a command in the command menu associated with the data object 207, can be alternatively or additionally used.

For some embodiments of the invention, the data elements in the combined set may be ordered according to predetermined criteria, such as, for example, the alphabetical order of the names of the respective data objects 207 or the chronological order in which the corresponding data objects 207 were transferred to the basket control 201. In other embodiments of the invention, however, basket control 201 may be used to control the ordering of data items in a combined set. More specifically, in various examples of the invention, a user can set the order of elements in a combined data set that allows ordering to be established by ordering the presentation of the data objects 207 corresponding to the set in the basket control 201. Other examples of the invention may allow the user of the basket control 201, or, for example, the hosting software application, to choose whether the order of presentation of the data objects 207 determines the ordering of the data elements in the corresponding combined set, or whether the specified criterion determines the ordering of the data elements in the corresponding combined set. If the implementation of the invention truly takes into account the ordering of the data objects 207 as desired, then it may include one or more functions to assist in the ordering of the data objects 207. For example, the basket manager 201 may provide a current sequence number following the presentation of each data object 207 in the basket display area 203.

Also, some types of dataset datasets can allow the user to create “active” merged datasets. Thus, various examples of the invention may allow a user to include data items that correspond to active data objects 207, such as queries or exceptions (sometimes collectively referred to as “virtual folders”), that select or exclude one or more data objects 207 from a group of data objects 207 based on the assigned criteria. For example, a virtual request folder for music data files may include all music data files within the data structure that the user played the previous day (that is, “Music I listened to yesterday”). Of course, other embodiments of the invention may also prohibit the use of active data objects 207, and create combined sets with data elements that correspond only to “static” data objects 207. Alternatively, in various embodiments of the invention, the basket control 201 may trigger a query or an exception while the dynamic data object 207 is being transmitted, and add the query or exception results to the set as unstructured data objects 207.

It should be noted that some types of data object sets may alternatively or additionally allow the user to embed one or more data objects 207 within another data object 207, so as to form a multi-level hierarchy of data objects 207. Thus, various embodiments of the invention may allow a user to transmit hierarchical objects 207 of set data. For example, the data object 207 transferred to the basket manager 201 may be a “containing” data object 207, which may contain one or more data objects 207, such as a folder or other set. In these examples of the invention, the user can embed one or more data objects 207, such as data files, folders, or other sets, in a containing folder in the basket manager 201. Alternatively, if the data object 207 already contains one or more data objects 207, then the user can delete one or more data objects 207 from the containing data object 207. Accordingly, if the basket control 201 includes a folder that contains one or more data files or other folders, then the user can delete these data files or other folders from the containing folder. Data objects 207 deleted from the containing data object 207 can be completely removed from the basket control 201, or can simply be moved to another position within the basket control 201.

Of course, some types of sets may not allow the embedding of data objects 207. Thus, various embodiments of the invention may represent data objects 207 transferred to the basket control 201 as “unstructured” and without hierarchy. In addition, even if the set allows nested data objects 207, there may be some circumstances where the specific nesting of data objects 207 is not allowed. For example, if the data object 207 is a virtual folder matching the query (i.e., the command to select files based on the assigned criterion), then the user may be prohibited from embedding the data object 207 in this virtual folder that does not satisfy the assigned criterion. In these examples (or when embodiments of the invention do not allow the embedding of data objects 207), the basket control 201 may generate an error message if a user attempts to perform a prohibited embedding of data objects 207.

In addition, some embodiments of the invention may allow the user to transfer backups of the data object 207 to the basket control 201, while other embodiments of the invention may prohibit the inclusion of backups of the data object 207 in the basket control 201. In those embodiments in which it is forbidden to include backups of data objects 207, the basket manager 201 may generate an error message when a user tries to transfer the data object 207 to the basket manager 201 when the basket manager 201 already includes a backup of this object 207 data. Further, some embodiments of the invention may provide a menu command for deleting backups of data objects 207 from a set.

In addition, some embodiments of the invention may allow the user of the basket control 201, or, for example, the software developer providing the basket control 201 for the user, to select whether the basket control 201 will show data objects 207 as nested or show data objects 207 in flat layout without hierarchy. Some embodiments of the invention may also allow a user or software developer to choose whether basket control 201 will allow or deny active data objects 207, such as virtual folders, while other embodiments of the invention allow a user or software developer to choose whether or not 201 basket control allow backups of the data object 207. Some embodiments of the invention may allow the user to choose from a combination of functional options for basket control 201. For example, an embodiment of the invention may, by default, show a hierarchy of nested data objects 207 in a merged set, but convert all active data objects 207 into static data objects 207 before forming a merged set. The software application hosting the basket control 201 may be able to change this default setting, however, the basket control 201 is prohibited from having nested data objects 207 and / or is prohibited from supporting active data objects 207.

Various examples of basket control 201 may alternatively or additionally include one or more navigation controls, such as navigation buttons, contained in one or more dashboards. The navigation buttons may, for example, allow a user to view data objects 207 nested in other data objects (e.g., data files stored in folders), move up, down, left or right in the basket display area 203, or even delete data objects 207 from basket control means 201.

Since the data objects 207 are subordinate to the basket control 201 for forming a set, the basket control 201 may also include a component for completing the creation of a combined set of data objects 207 transferred to the basket control 201. For example, in addition to the status indicator and one or more navigation controls, the basket control 201 may further include a command button for generating a combined set corresponding to data objects 207 transmitted to the basket control 201 (and therefore presented in the basket display area 203) . When the user is satisfied that the basket control 201 contains all the data objects 207 that the user wishes to include in the combined set, the user can cause the formation of a combined set including data objects 207 to be created by activating a command button. However, it should be noted that other command controls can alternatively or additionally be used to form a combined set of data objects 207 transferred to the basket control 201.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a basket toolbar 301 that may be included in a basket control 201 according to various embodiments of the invention. As can be seen in this drawing, the basket toolbar 301 includes both navigation controls and a set creation management tool. More specifically, the basket toolbar 301 comprises an “other commands” command button 303 and an “up” command button 307. The “other commands” command button 303 allows the user to view an additional command provided by the basket toolbar 301, while the “up” command button 307 moves one level up in the hierarchy of data objects 207 shown in the basket display area 203. It should be noted, however, that the upward command button 307 may be hidden, omitted, or inactive if the basket control 201 has been configured to support unstructured data objects 207 or if the set prohibits nesting. This button 307 may also be hidden, omitted, or inactive if the basket display area 203 already shows the top level of their basket control 201 or if the basket control 201 is empty.

The basket toolbar 301 also includes a “move up” command button 309 and a “move down” command button 311 that move the selected data objects 207 up or down in ordering the data objects 207 in the basket control 201, respectively. These command buttons 309 and 311 may be hidden, omitted, or inactive if the basket control 201 has been configured to prevent ordering of the data objects 207 contained therein. Also, these command buttons may be hidden, omitted, or inactive if no data objects 207 have been selected. Also, if the upper data object 207 shown in the basket display area 203 has been selected, then the “move up” button 309 may be hidden, omitted, or inactive. Similarly, if the last data object 207 shown in the basket display area 203 is selected, the “move down” button 311 may be hidden, omitted, or inactive. Still further, the basket toolbar 301 includes a delete command button 313 that deletes selected data objects 207 from the basket manager 201.

In addition to these navigation controls, the basket toolbar 301 may also include a “save set” command button 305 to create a set corresponding to data objects 207 contained in the basket control 201. In various embodiments of the invention, a user interface may be presented to the user when the user activates this button to assist the user in defining various properties of the set being created. For example, some embodiments of the invention may present to the user the dialing save dialog box 401 shown in FIG. As can be seen in this drawing, the dialog box 401 save the set includes a means 403 name management, in which the user can enter the desired name of the created set. If a save dialog box 401 is provided for saving editing of a pre-existing set, the name of this pre-existing set can be displayed in the name manager 403. If the save set dialog box 401 is used to create a new set, then the name manager 403 may be empty. Alternatively, the name manager 403 may initially display a default name, such as “Set [n]”, where n is a number.

The save set dialog box 401 also includes a “save” button 405 for actually creating a set having a name provided in the name management means 403 and including data items corresponding to data objects 207 contained in the basket management means 201, and button 407 "cancel", to cancel the process of creating a combined set. Dialog box 401 save the set may also include an "advanced button" 409, which can provide additional controls for setting properties or other values associated with the created combined set.

It should be noted that in various embodiments of the invention, various aspects of the user interface can be configured by a software application hosting the basket control 201. For example, in the dialing save dialog box 401 shown in FIG. 4, the name 411 of the dialing save dialog box 401 may be indicated by a software application hosting the basket control 201. Thus, if the hosting software application relates to playing music files, the name 411 of the save set dialog box 401 may be “Save List of Files for Playback”. On the other hand, if the software application refers to the display of image files, then the name 411 of the save set dialog box 401 may be “Save Slide Show” as shown in this drawing. Similarly, the text above the text box in the save dialog box 401 and other text inside the text box can be configured as desired by the software application. In addition, the file format of the generated set can be determined by the software application hosting the basket control 201. Thus, a hosting software application that relates to playing music files can save the combined set in a .wpl file format (Windows Play List - a list of Windows files to play). If the hosting application does not indicate a specific file format for the set being created, then it can be assigned a default file format, such as the file format for a set like a static list.

In addition, the “save set” command button 305 itself may be modified, hidden, omitted, or depicted by an inactive software application. For example, the save dial command button 305 may be configured to display the desired text. Thus, the hosting software application that relates to playing music can modify the “save set” command button 305 to include the text “Save the list of files for playback”, while the hosting software application that relates to displaying images can modify the command a “save set” button 305 to enable the text “Save Slide Show”. In addition, the software application hosting the basket control 201 can generally omit the save set command button 305. For example, as will be discussed in more detail below, the hosting software application can provide its own command controls to create a combined set corresponding to the data objects 207 contained in the basket control 201.

As noted previously, for various embodiments of the invention, the basket control 201 can be implemented using standard software methods or components, such as the Explorer View software component provided in the Microsoft Windows XP Explorer software application. Conveniently, the basket control 201 may include some or all of the properties of a software component of the Explorer view. For example, in some implementations of the invention, the user may be able to double-click on the data-containing object 207 (ie, select the data-containing object 207 and activate a command key, such as a key on the pointing device, twice) to navigate within the containing object data 207. Alternatively or additionally, the user may be able to double-click on the file data object 207 to launch a software application that manages this file type by default , In order to manipulate the object data file 207.

In addition, the user may be able to “right-click” on the data object 207 (ie, select the data object 207 and activate another command button) to view a menu of commands to take some action on the selected data object 207. This menu can include standard commands such as “open”, “print”, “send”, “cut”, “copy”, “delete”, “rename” and “[view] properties”. It should be noted, however, that in addition to or instead of the “delete” command, the menu provided for the data objects 207 may include a command to delete or extract the selected data object 207 from the basket control 201, as described in detail above. In addition, many embodiments of the invention may allow the user to change the presentation of the data objects 207 in the basket display area 203. For example, the user may be able to change the displayed view from the icons for each data object 207 to an alphanumeric list of each data object 207.

In some embodiments, the basket control 201 will not contain any data objects 207 upon initial initialization. In other embodiments, the basket control 201 may comprise data objects 207 associated with the basket control 201 when it is initially initialized. For example, as noted above, if the basket manager 201 is associated with an existing combined set, then the basket manager 201 may initially include data objects 207 associated with data elements in the combined set. Also, if the basket manager 201 is launched from a software application in which data objects 207 have been previously selected, then the basket manager 201 may initially include these selected data objects 207.

Managing List Creator

Although the basket manager 201 itself provides a large amount of functionality, various embodiments of the invention can increase the usefulness of the basket manager 201 by associating it with other applications or software functionality. For example, as noted previously, some implementations of the invention may include a basket control 201 in a list creator control 501, as shown in FIG.

As can be seen in this drawing, the list creator management means 501 comprises a basket control 201, including a basket display area 203, a vertical scroll bar 205, a current status bar 209, and a basket navigation toolbar 211 that includes navigation controls for navigating the tool 201 basket control, as described above. The list creator management tool 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, various examples of the invention can implement the navigation tool 503 using a software application with graphical user interfaces, such as a browser application.

For example, in the embodiments of the invention shown in FIG. 5, the navigation tool 503 is implemented using the Explorer View component from the Explorer software application provided with the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. As can be seen in this drawing, the navigation tool 503 uses several graphical user interfaces, including a navigation display area 505, a list creator navigation toolbar 507, and a basket command toolbar 509. The navigation tool 503 provides these graphical user interfaces to assist the user in navigating and identifying the desired data objects 207, which are then graphically represented in the display navigation area 505. For example, a navigation tool 503 (navigation tool) may include one or more navigation controls for navigating a file structure, such as a list of available locations to navigate, and a control for selecting the type of data objects 207 (e.g., photo files) to be displayed in the navigation display area 505.

The basket command toolbar 509 may then include one or more command controls for subordinating the data objects 207 identified by the navigation tool 503 to the basket control 201. In the example shown, the basket command toolbar 509 includes an Add To List command. Thus, after the user has selected one or more data objects 207 represented in the navigation display area 505 (using, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse or touch pad), the user can activate the “Add to list” command in order to to transfer the selected data objects 207 to the basket manager 201.

Of course, in addition to the commands (or instead of the commands) provided in the basket command toolbar 509, various embodiments of the invention may allow the user to use other methods to transfer one or more data objects 207 identified by the navigation tool 503 to the basket control 201. For example, as noted previously, in some embodiments of the invention, the user can drag and drop a view of the data object 207 shown in the navigation display area 505 into the basket display area 203 in order to transfer this data object 207 to the basket control 201. In some embodiments of the invention, the presentation of data objects 207 that have already been subordinated to the basket control 201 can be highlighted or otherwise marked in the display navigation area 505.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 5, the software application hosting the list view management tool 501 also provides a set creation toolbar 511 for creating a set corresponding to data objects 207 subordinate to the basket control 201. The set creation toolbar 511 may include one or more command tools for creating an integrated set of data objects 207 contained in the basket control 201. In the example shown, the list creator control means 501 is hosted by a wizard software application for writing data objects 207 to an optical storage disk such as a DVD or CD. Accordingly, the set creation toolbar 511 includes Next and Cancel commands for creating a combined set (or canceling the process of creating a combined set) by passing through the components of the wizard. Other embodiments of the invention, however, may provide command controls, such as command buttons, to specifically create an integrated set of data objects 207 contained in the basket control 201 or in the list creator control 501. It should also be noted that although the illustrated embodiment includes a set toolbar 511 with command controls for creating a combined set, other embodiments of the invention may further or alternatively include a set toolbar 511 in the basket control 201, as explained previously, or in the list creator management tool 201.

As noted above, the navigation tool 503 can be implemented using standard components and functional blocks of a software application, such as the Explorer View component, provided, for example, in the Explorer software application of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. Accordingly, the navigation tool 503 may include some or all of the properties of a software component of the Explorer view. For example, in some implementations of the invention, a user may be able to double-click on a data-containing object 207 to navigate within a data-containing object 207 and alternatively or additionally double-click on a file data object 207 to launch a software application that manages this default file type , in order to manipulate this file data object 207.

In addition, the user may be able to right-click on the presentation of the data object 207 in the display navigation area 505 to view a menu of commands for taking some action on the selected data object 207. This menu can include standard commands such as “open”, “print”, “send”, “cut”, “copy”, “delete”, “rename” and “[view] properties”. It should be noted, however, that the menu provided for the data objects 207 may further include a command for transmitting the selected data object 207 to the basket control 201.

In addition, many embodiments of the invention may allow the user to change the presentation of the data objects 207 in the basket display area 203. For example, the user may be able to change the displayed view from the icon for each data object 207 to an alphanumeric listing of each data object 207. Also, various embodiments of the invention may allow the user to use more advanced navigation tools, such as the view panel 513 shown in FIG. This view pane 513 may be similar or identical to the view pane, standardly provided by a software component of the Explorer view of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. Also, in some embodiments, the representations of the data objects 207 in the navigation display area 505 may be highlighted, shown in a given color, or otherwise marked if these data objects 207 are already represented by the basket control. This easily identifies the data objects 207 in the navigation display 505 that have been transferred to the basket control 201.

In addition, in various embodiments of the invention, the various features, properties, and settings of the list creator management tool 501 can be configured by a user or software application hosted by the list creator management tool 501 (i.e., a software developer for the hosting software application). For example, the list creator management tool 501 may be configured to open a default starting location. Thus, if the hosting application is a software application related to playing music files, the application may indicate that the navigation display area 505 initially shows a representation of the data objects 207 located in a part of the data structure related to the music files, such as the “My music ”, provided by the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. Similarly, if the hosting application is a software application for displaying photographic images, the application may indicate that the navigation navigation area 505 initially shows a representation of the data objects 207 located in a part of the data structure related to the image files, such as the “ My Pictures ”, provided by the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. If the software application has not designated a specific opening location for the list creator management tool 501, then the list creator management tool 501 may open the last location available to the hosting software application or the default location (such as the My Documents folder provided by the Microsoft Windows operating system XP).

The software application hosting the list creator management tool 501 can also determine the types of files that can be represented in the display navigation area 505 (and thus are available for transfer to the basket control 201). For example, if the hosting application is a software application related to playing music files, then the application may indicate that the navigation display area 505 initially shows a representation of only data objects 207 having the type of music data (e.g., .mp3 or .wma files). Similarly, if the hosting application is a software application for displaying photographic images, the application may indicate that the display navigation area 505 initially shows only a representation of data objects 207 with image file types such as .tif and .jpg file types.

Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention, the software application hosting the list creator management means 501 may determine the view provided by the display navigation area 505. The hosting software application can also determine whether the view pane is initially shown or hidden.

Accordingly, the list creator management means 501 provides the software applications with a powerful tool to assist the user in creating integrated sets. In addition, although the list creator management tool 501 can contain all the functionality of the basket control 201, it favorably allows the hosting software application to provide users with additional functionality for creating bundled sets. In addition, these additional functionality can be configured by the software application to better match the functionality and purpose of the hosting software application itself.

Interfaces for basket controls and list creator management

According to various examples of the invention, the basket manager 201, the list creator manager 501, or both, can be implemented as software objects that can be conveniently hosted by the software application simply by accessing the interface for the software object. This type of interface, sometimes called the "application programming interface", allows the software application to both host the list creator management tool 501 (or the basket manager 201) and define specific settings for the list creator management tool 501 (or the basket manager 201), without the need to include all the software commands required to implement the list creator management tool 501 or the basket manager 201.

The hosting application can thus use the application programming interface that creates the suite. This application programming interface may, for example, include functionality to manage an ordered set or list, such as the ability to insert an item (e.g., data object 207) into a list, remove an item from the list, and obtain a list item. It may also include the functionality to manage a container of links (for example, pointers or “keyboard shortcuts” to data objects 207 in the list).

Various examples of the invention may also provide an application programming interface that includes software commands for creating specialized types of sets, such as a file list folder for playback. This application programming interface, hereinafter referred to as the “file list for playback” application programming interface, can use the application programming interface of the basic ordered set described above, but provide additional functionality for the set. For example, a specialized set application programming interface may provide a basic ordered set with a “copy mode” property that determines how data objects 207 will be copied to the set. If the value of this property is “unstructured,” then the contents of the nested data objects 207 will be decomposed into components when added to the set. If, however, the value of this property is “structured,” then the data objects 207 will retain their nested hierarchy when added to the set. The value of the “copy mode” property can thus be determined by the hosting application to match the usage of the set. Thus, a group set and a set containing music files can have a “copy mode” property set to “unstructured”, while a set for photographic images can have a copy mode set to “structured”.

The playlist application programming interface may also provide a set of World Wide Web Theme property. This property determines, for example, background images that are displayed by the list creator manager 501 when accessing the set. Thus, a group set can have a value of the “World Wide Web Theme” property equal to a “list of files to play” (which can, for example, instruct the list creator control 501 to show musical notes or instruments as background images). Similarly, a set of music files may have a “World Wide Web Theme” property value equal to a “photo album” (which may, for example, instruct the list creator control 501 to show the camera or photo album as background images). The application list programming interface of the file list for playback may also provide a set with the property "perceived folder type", which determines how images representing objects 207 of the folder data are shown.

The application interface of the list of files for playback can also provide a set of property "default columns", which determines the information shown for the object 207 data. For example, the value of the “default column” can be set to “Name; Order; Artist; Album; Duration "for a set of music files. When the information for the data object 207 in the set is then shown, it will include the name of the song associated with the data object 207, the order of the data object 207 in the set, the name of the artist associated with the data object 207, the name of the music album associated with the data object 207 , and the duration of the music associated with the data object 207. On the other hand, the value of the “default column” can be set to “Name; Order ”for a group set, so only the name of each data object 207 and their order in the set (collection) are shown. In addition, the application list programming interface of the file list for playback can provide the set with an “order” property, which determines whether this set will update its order of data objects 207 when a new data object 207 is added or removed from the set.

Various examples of the invention may also provide an application programming interface for a basket control that creates a basket control. This application programming interface will create a basket control object, which can be, for example, a simple browser software component. The basket control application programming interface can then take into account various properties, methods, and notifications associated with the basket control. For example, the basket control application programming interface may include a “root folder” property that can be read and written before the basket control is displayed. This property identifies the set for which the basket control is created. If the value of this property is “empty,” then the basket manager can create a temporary set.

The basket control application programming interface may also include properties related to how the data objects 207 in the set and information associated with the data objects 207 are shown by the basket control. For example, the basket control application programming interface may include a checkbox property that can be read and written before the basket control is displayed. This property defines the various flags associated with the basket management. The value of this property may include, for example, “hide navigation”, which hides navigation buttons and commands, even if the set supports them, “wide layout”, which causes the toolbar (or toolbars) to be aligned to the left, hides the title and provides extra space on the current status bar for additional controls. This property may also have the value “hide order”, which hides the buttons and ordering commands, even if the set supports ordering.

The basket control application programming interface can also include the Visible Columns and View Flags properties, both of which can be read and written. The Visible Columns property determines which columns are displayed to represent the data object 207 in the basket display area 203, while the Flags View property determines which flags are displayed to represent the data object 207 in the basket display area 203. The basket control application programming interface may also include a “View Mode” property, which can be read and written. The “View mode” property determines the mode (for example, pictograms, details, thumbnails of the image, etc.) for which the representation of the 207 data objects in the set will be displayed. In addition, the basket control application programming interface may have a “header”, a property that can be read and written, and which defines the header to be displayed in the basket manager. In addition, the basket control application programming interface may include a watermark text property that can be read and written before the basket control is displayed, which determines the text to be displayed when the basket display area 203 is empty.

The basket control application programming interface (means) may also include one or more properties related to the operation of the current state line. For example, an application programming interface (basket management tool) may include a “state property” property that can be read and written before the basket control is displayed and that defines the properties of the set to be displayed (or whose aggregation should be shown) by the current status bar. The basket control application programming interface may also include a “status text” property, which can be either read or written, and which replaces the display of properties in the current status bar with a text string. If the value of this property is set to "empty", then the properties reappear in the current status bar.

In addition, the basket control application programming interface may include one or more methods associated with the current status bar. For example, the basket control application programming interface may include the “set the meter state (integer isp, object maximum, row format)” method, which activates the display of the measuring tool (meter) (for example, a three-dimensional pie chart) for the associated property at a given index. A hosting application can use this method to activate the meter display for one of the properties of the current state. For example, a meter display may be a three-dimensional pie chart that displays a pie cut-out proportional to the current aggregated value of a property relative to the maximum value determined by the hosting application. In addition, the hosting application can define a string (for example, a text string) that the basket manager can use to format the text description of the property, with labels that are replaced by the current general and maximum property values. For example, the current status bar may display the text “used 45 MB of the available 600 MB”.

The basket control application programming interface (means) may also include one or more notifications to notify other software components of events. For example, the trash management application programming interface may include a “Folder contents changed” notification that sends an event message when the contents of the set are modified.

In addition, various embodiments of the invention may provide a list creator application programming interface for creating a list creator control. The list creator management tool can be implemented, for example, from a simple browser software component and the basket control tool created by the basket management application programming interface (tool). Thus, the application programming interface of the list creator management tool may include various properties related to the browser component or the basket control. For example, the list creator management application programming interface may include a Folder View property, which may be a read-only value that identifies the browser component used by the list creator management tool. Likewise, the list box creator management application programming interface may include a Basket property, which may be a read-only value that identifies the basket manager used by the list creator management tool. Further, the list creator control application programming interface (means) may include a “basket width” property, which may be a readable and writable value that defines the width of the basket control within the list creator control.

It should be noted that although examples of various application programming interfaces have been described above, each of these application programming interfaces can use additional or alternative properties, methods, and notifications, depending on the desired functionality and environment of the operating system in which these application programming interfaces will be used.

Conclusion

Although the invention has been described with respect to specific examples, including the currently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and variations of the above systems and methods that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the appended the claims.

Claims (47)

1. A tool for creating an integrated set containing:
a container interface component configured to simultaneously manipulate received data objects as a whole; and
a collection component, which for each data object passed to the container interface component adds at least one data element corresponding to the transferred data object to the data element set, wherein the container interface component includes a writable property that sets the properties of the data element set wherein the recordable property is recorded before the container control is displayed. 2. The tool of claim 1, wherein the container control means includes a display interface that displays representations of data objects received by the container interface. 3. The tool of claim 2, wherein the display interface displays representations of all data objects corresponding to the data element in the set. 4. The tool according to claim 2, in which the container interface and the display interface share a single graphical user interface. 5. The tool according to claim 2, in which
the display interface allows the user to set the order for data objects received by the container interface; and
the set creation component adds data elements to the set according to the order of the data objects specified by the user. 6. The tool of claim 2, further comprising one or more navigation controls for navigating among the data objects represented by the display interface. 7. The tool according to claim 1, in which the set includes pointers pointing to data objects received by the container interface. 8. The tool of claim 1, wherein the set creation component creates a new set after initialization. 9. The tool according to claim 1, in which
the container interface allows you to delete data objects from the container interface; and
for each data object removed from the container interface, the set creation component removes each data element corresponding to the deleted data object from the set. 10. The tool of claim 1, further comprising a name management tool that facilitates naming the set. 11. The tool of claim 1, further comprising a notification component that notifies other software applications when the set of data items changes. 12. The tool according to claim 1, further comprising displaying a state for displaying information associated with data objects transmitted to the container interface. 13. The tool according to item 12, in which the status display shows the amount of memory that can be occupied by data objects transferred to the container interface. 14. The tool of claim 12, wherein the status display shows the amount of memory associated with the set. 15. The tool according to item 12, in which the status display shows the relationship between the amount of memory that can be occupied by data objects transmitted to the container interface, and the amount of memory associated with the set. 16. The tool according to claim 1, additionally containing:
a list creator control that provides data objects that can be passed to the container interface. 17. The tool of claim 16, wherein the list creator management tool includes a second display interface for displaying a representation of data objects that can be transferred to the container interface. 18. The tool of claim 17, wherein the list creator management tool includes one or more navigation controls for navigating among one or more data objects for presentation by a second display. 19. The tool according to clause 16, in which the control tool for the creator of the list includes a means of controlling the transfer of data objects, which, when activated, transfers the selected data objects presented in the second display to the container interface. 20. The tool according to clause 16, in which the control tool for the creator of the list 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 for transmitting the selected data objects to the interface container. 21. A method for providing an integrated list of data elements corresponding to data objects, comprising the steps of:
receiving one or more data objects via a container interface, wherein said one or more data objects are simultaneously manipulated as a unit;
displaying a representation of data objects that can be received via the container interface, and
for each received data object, adding at least one data element corresponding to the received data object to the list of data elements. 22. The method according to item 21, further comprising displaying a representation of the received data objects. 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising displaying each data object corresponding to the data item in the list. 24. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing navigation controls for navigating among the displayed representation of the received data objects. 25. The method according to item 21, further comprising receiving commands for organizing data items in a list. 26. The method according to item 21, further providing for the creation of a list. 27. The method according to item 21, further comprising:
receiving commands for retrieving one or more data objects; and
for each retrieved data object, deletion of each data element corresponding to the retrieved data object from the list. 28. The method according to item 21, further comprising:
receiving a name for the list; and
the name of the list by the accepted name. 29. The method according to item 21, further providing for the notification of other software applications about the change in the list. 30. The method according to item 21, further comprising displaying information related to the status of the list. 31. The method of claim 30, wherein the displayed information is the amount of memory occupied by the received data objects. 32. The method of claim 30, wherein the displayed information is the amount of memory associated with the list. 33. The method according to clause 30, in which the displayed information is the amount of memory that can be occupied by the received data objects, relative to the amount of memory associated with the list. 34. The method according to item 21, further providing for one or more navigation controls for navigating among the displayed representation of data objects that can be received via the container interface. 35. The method according to item 21, further comprising providing a transmission control means that, upon activation, transfers selected data objects among a displayed representation of data objects that can be received via the container interface. 36. The method according to item 21, further providing a menu of commands for the selected data objects among the displayed representation of the data objects that can be received via the container interface so that the command menu includes a command to transfer the selected data objects to the container interface. 37. A method of providing an interface for a list of data items, comprising:
receiving a list parameter identifying a list of data items; and
in response, the creation of a control that accepts data objects and for each received data object adds at least one data element to the identified list that corresponds to the received data object, while said control is configured to simultaneously manipulate the data elements as a whole. 38. The method according to clause 37, in which the control tool provides a graphical user interface that displays the representations of data objects corresponding to data elements in the list. 39. The method according to § 38, further comprising:
receiving one or more flag options to determine the contents of the graphical user interface for said control; and
in response, forcing the control to include content in a graphical user interface corresponding to the accepted flag parameters. 40. The method according to § 39, further comprising:
forcing controls to display a graphical user interface without navigation controls for navigating among the displayed representations of data objects corresponding to data items in a list. 41. The method according to § 39, further comprising:
forcing the controls to display a graphical user interface without ordering controls to order the displayed representations of the data objects corresponding to the data items in the list. 42. The method according to clause 37, further comprising:
receiving property parameters; and
in response, forcing the control to display properties corresponding to the accepted property parameters. 43. The method according to § 42, in which the properties include properties of the received data objects. 44. The method of claim 42, wherein the properties include list properties. 45. The method according to clause 37, further comprising:
receiving commands to activate state functionality; and
in response, forcing the control to activate state functionality. 46. The method according to clause 37, in which the list parameter has the value "empty", and
in response, forcing the control to create a new list of data items. 47. The method according to clause 37, further providing for the notification of another software application when the list changes.

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