Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are directed to the stacking of visual items, and their subsequent expansion, or unstacking Upon selection of a stack, that stack expands into the individual visual items making up that stack. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to expanding a stack in different ways depending upon the circumstances. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a hot area associated with, and potentially disposed around, a stack. Selection by the user of the hot area results in selection of the associated stack. The stack may itself be considered a single item that is itself selectable. After the stack is expanded, then the individual visual items making up the original stack are each individually selectable. However, when stacked, the individual items may not be selectable except as a complete stack.

Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are directed to the stacking of visual items, and their subsequent expansion, or unstacking Upon selection of a stack, that stack expands into the individual visual items making up that stack. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to expanding a stack in different ways depending upon the circumstances. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a hot area associated with, and potentially disposed around, a stack. Selection by the user of the hot area results in selection of the associated stack. The stack may itself be considered a single item that is itself selectable. After the stack is expanded, then the individual visual items making up the original stack are each individually selectable. However, when stacked, the individual items may not be selectable except as a complete stack.

Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are directed to the stacking of visual items, and their subsequent expansion, or unstacking. Upon selection of a stack, that stack expands into the individual visual items making up that stack. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to expanding a stack in different ways depending upon the circumstances. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a hot area associated with, and potentially disposed around, a stack. Selection by the user of the hot area results in selection of the associated stack. The stack may itself be considered a single item that is itself selectable. After the stack is expanded, then the individual visual items making up the original stack are each individually selectable. However, when stacked, the individual items may not be selectable except as a complete stack.

Abstract: A method and medium are provided for presenting virtualized visible content within a viewport in a user interface. An anchor is received that represents a point on a line of virtualized visible content and a target value is received that represents a location in a viewport of a user interface. The anchor and target values can be received from user input devices or by analyzing the position of a scroll thumb relative to a scroll trough in the user interface. A first line of virtualized visible content that corresponds to the anchor value is realized by loading the line into memory from another source. The line is then positioned in the viewport based on the target value. Additional lines surrounding the first line are realized until the viewport is full. Lines that are not visible in the viewport can be unrealized, thus conserving computing resources.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system, and media for intelligently presenting representations of files. The method can include determining a set of files for which information about them is to be rendered in a window of a graphical user interface even when not all of the files are the same type, conditioning a format of each representation based on a type of each file, selecting for each representation a set of file properties to be presented (the selection being based on the type of each file), and presenting the set of representations consistent with the formats and with appropriate file properties.

Abstract: A system for controlling the delivery of notifications. The system brokers and serializes the delivery of notifications from multiple sources. In addition, a shared notion of user context is provided, for determining the appropriate handling for each of the notifications. In one embodiment, a user context consists of a condition that may be true or false, and an instruction that is to be followed if the condition is true. For example, if a user is listening to music, the instruction may be to show the notification on the screen but not play any sound for the notification. A user's contexts are declared by the operating system and arbitrary programs. The user's contexts may be presented to the user for modification in accordance with the user's preferences. The user may also define rules, which dictate how notifications that contain specified elements should be handled, and may provide exceptions to the instructions of the user's contexts.

Abstract: A system for controlling the delivery of notifications. The system brokers and serializes the delivery of notifications from multiple sources. In addition, a shared notion of user context is provided for determining the appropriate handling for each of the notifications. In one embodiment, a user context consists of a condition that may be true or false, and an instruction that is to be followed if the condition is true. For example, if a user is listening to music, the instruction may be to show the notification on the screen but not play any sound for the notification. A user's contexts are declared by the operating system and arbitrary programs. The user's contexts may be presented to the user for modification in accordance with the user's preferences. The user may also define rules which dictate how notifications that contain specified elements should be handled, and may provide exceptions to the instructions of the user's contexts.

Abstract: A method and medium are provided for presenting virtualized visible content within a viewport in a user interface. An anchor is received that represents a point on a line of virtualized visible content and a target value is received that represents a location in a viewport of a user interface. The anchor and target values can be received from user input devices or by analyzing the position of a scroll thumb relative to a scroll trough in the user interface. A first line of virtualized visible content that corresponds to the anchor value is realized by loading the line into memory from another source. The line is then positioned in the viewport based on the target value. Additional lines surrounding the first line are realized until the viewport is full. Lines that are not visible in the viewport can be unrealized, thus conserving computing resources.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and system for use in a computing environment to present and provide access to information that a user cares about. A scheme is provided for presenting frequently used controls and information in tiles within a sidebar. Tiles are hosted individually or in groups, within a sidebar, for interaction by a user. Tiles can be added or removed from the sidebar automatically or by user request. The present invention is further directed to a method for providing a scaleable and useable preview of tiles within a sidebar. Further still, the present invention is directed to maintaining an overflow area of icons for tiles that would not fit within the sidebar. The sidebar has content that dynamically adjusts in response to the addition, expansion, squishing or removal of tiles. Even Further, a user can customize the sidebar of the present invention.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system, and media for intelligently presenting representations of files. The method can include determining a set of files for which information about them is to be rendered in a window of a graphical user interface even when not all of the files are the same type, conditioning a format of each representation based on a type of each file, selecting for each representation a set of file properties to be presented (the selection being based on the type of each file), and presenting the set of representations consistent with the formats and with appropriate file properties.

Abstract: A system and method utilizing test notifications. An application is able to construct a test notification that is sent to a user context system and which receives back an indication whether the notification would draw or not draw on the screen at the present time, in accordance with the user's current context. In another embodiment, the calling application receives back richer indications, such as details as to whether the notification would have been deferred or routed, the sound level at which it would have played, etc. In a polling implementation, an application may periodically re-send test notifications to re-poll the system to determine if changes have occurred. In a subscription implementation, an application may subscribe to the system to receive updates that are provided when there are changes.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and system for use in a computing environment to present and provide access to information that a user cares about. A scheme is provided for presenting frequently used controls and information in tiles within a sidebar. Tiles are hosted individually or in groups, within a sidebar, for interaction by a user. Tiles can be added or removed from the sidebar automatically or by user request. The present invention is further directed to a method for providing a scaleable and useable preview of tiles within a sidebar. Further still, the present invention is directed to maintaining an overflow area of icons for tiles that would not fit within the sidebar. The sidebar has content that dynamically adjusts in response to the addition, expansion, squishing or removal of tiles. Even Further, a user can customize the sidebar of the present invention.

Abstract: A system and related techniques to collect and manage a set of incoming message notification objects, such as instant message notifications, email notifications, download notifications, transaction notifications and others and present those objects to the user with an icon, tile or other representation on a dynamically scaled timeline. According to embodiments, the dynamically scaled timeline may present the most recently received object farthest to the right on a notifications bar or facility and slide objects to the left to represent passage of time as those objects age. Instead of presenting those objects on a linear scale, according to the invention, the time intervals in which objects may be presented may be scaled to cause the oldest message objects to be presented on a relatively compressed dimension. The most recently received messages may be presented on wider intervals, to permit the user to perceive differences in arrival of items more clearly.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and system for use in a computing environment to present and provide access to information that a user cares about. A scheme is provided for presenting frequently used controls and information in tiles within a sidebar. Tiles are hosted individually or in groups, within a sidebar, for interaction by a user. Tiles can be added or removed from the sidebar automatically or by user request. The present invention is further directed to a method for providing a scaleable and useable preview of tiles within a sidebar. Further still, the present invention is directed to maintaining an overflow area of icons for tiles that would not fit within the sidebar. The sidebar has content that dynamically adjusts in response to the addition, expansion, squishing or removal of tiles. Even Further, a user can customize the sidebar of the present invention.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for storing and retrieving thumbnail images in a per-user/per-system thumbnail cache. One or more data files may be used to store thumbnail images of varying sizes. An index is updated with the location or locations of thumbnails for a particular file, the URL and modification time of which may be used as a key to finding the thumbnails within the index. Direct memory mapping of thumbnail images are provided. Concurrency techniques are utilized to maintain cooperative access to the cache among multiple processes. Cache contents which are orphaned or unused are reclaimed for use by newer or more frequently used thumbnail images.

Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are directed to the stacking of visual items, and their subsequent expansion, or unstacking. Upon selection of a stack, that stack expands into the individual visual items making up that stack. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to expanding a stack in different ways depending upon the circumstances. Further aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a hot area associated with, and potentially disposed around, a stack. Selection by the user of the hot area results in selection of the associated stack. The stack may itself be considered a single item that is itself selectable. After the stack is expanded, then the individual visual items making up the original stack are each individually selectable. However, when stacked, the individual items may not be selectable except as a complete stack.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for convenient display of a user interface providing dynamic information. The user interface may contain a designated area that provides the dynamic information and a predetermined location. When a cursor hovers over the predetermined location, the user interface may be displayed in front of any overlapping element on the display. The user interface may be displayed behind the overlapping elements on the display when the cursor is moved away from the user interface or predetermined location.

Abstract: A system and related techniques to collect and manage a set of incoming message notification objects, such as instant message notifications, email notifications, download notifications, transaction notifications and others and present those objects to the user an icon, tile or other representation on a dynamically scaled timeline. According to embodiments, the dynamically scaled timeline may present the most recently received object farthest to the right on a notifications bar or facility, and slide objects to the left to represent that passage of time as those objects age. Instead of presenting those objects on a linear scale, according to the invention the time intervals in which the objects may be presented may be scaled to cause the oldest message objects to be presented on a relatively compressed dimension. The most recently received messages in contrast may be presented on wider intervals, to permit the user to perceive the differences in arrival of those items more clearly.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and system for allowing a user to control the user interface environment and specifically a sidebar within the user interface environment. The method controls tiles within a sidebar to respond to a manipulation request by a system user or by an application to manipulate a selected tile. The method includes determining a current status of the selected tile and selecting an appropriate rule for manipulating the tile based on the status of the tile and an identity of the manipulation requestor. One rule set is provided for the application and another rule set is provided for the user. The method further includes manipulating the selected tile in accordance with the appropriate rule. The user rules allow insertion of the tile in most, if not all cases, whereas the application rules may prohibit insertion of the selected tile.

Abstract: A system and method for resizing tiles on a computer display is provided. The tiles are automatically sized until a user takes control after which the user may manually size the tiles. Size limits may be set for the tiles. If an attempt is made to automatically resize a tile above a specified limit, then a notification may be sent to the user requesting approval for the new tile size. If the user does not approve the new size, then the tile will be placed in a manual sizing mode in which further automatic resizing is limited. If the user approves the new size, then further automatic resizing may occur without requesting further approval. The tiles are prevented from being automatically resized too frequently, which could be distracting or annoying to a user.