Abstract: A method and system are provided for displaying icons in accordance with user preferences. The method includes providing a user with a size selection mechanism for selecting an icon size from a range of sizes. The method additionally includes searching a set of stored resources related to the underlying file and generating the icon in the selected size based upon the stored resources. The method may additionally include selecting a type overlay and scaling the type overlay independently from the icon.

Abstract: A system and method for filtering and organizing items in a computer system based on common elements is provided. A graphical user interface includes a plurality of display objects, each display object representing one or more items and a metadata property control corresponding to a metadata property. Selection of the metadata property control causes a list of filter terms to be presented on the display and also may cause a list of check box controls to be presented on the display, each check box control being adjacent to a respective one of the filter terms. The list of filter terms may be presented in a drop down menu. Selection of a check box control causes each item that satisfies the corresponding filter term to be presented on the display. The filters may be dynamically generated based on the properties of the separate items.

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 method and system are provided for displaying icons in accordance with user preferences. The method includes providing a user with a size selection mechanism for selecting an icon size from a range of sizes. The method additionally includes searching a set of stored resources related to the underlying file and generating the icon in the selected size based upon the stored resources. The method may additionally include selecting an icon type including one of an image icon, a detail icon and a generic icon based on at least one of the user's size selection and the represented file. Furthermore, the icon display system of the invention positions labels and overlays in the vicinity of the icon based upon the selected size of the icon.

Abstract: An address bar user interface control includes a plurality of interactive segments, each segment including one or more filters or selection criteria for selecting content from physical and/or virtual locations. A segment may include two or more filters or selection criteria which are logically combined such as by a logical “OR” operation. A user may select a child control associated with an interactive segment, i.e., a parent segment, to provide a list of selectable child filters or selection criteria. In response to selection of a child filter or selection criteria, an interactive segment representing the child filter or selection criteria is added to the address bar succeeding the parent segment and the interactive segments subsequent to the parent segment are removed.

Abstract: An address bar user interface control includes a plurality of interactive segments, each segment including one or more filters or selection criteria for selecting content from physical and/or virtual locations. A segment may include two or more filters or selection criteria which are logically combined such as by a logical “OR” operation. A user may select a child control associated with an interactive segment, i.e., a parent segment, to provide a list of selectable child filters or selection criteria. In response to selection of a child filter or selection criteria, an interactive segment representing the child filter or selection criteria is added to the address bar succeeding the parent segment and the interactive segments subsequent to the parent segment are removed.

Abstract: A file system shell is provided. One aspect of the shell provides virtual folders which expose regular files and folders to users in different views based on their metadata instead of the actual physical underlying file system structure on the disk. Users are able to work with the virtual folders through direct manipulation (e.g., clicking and dragging, copying, pasting, etc.). Filters are provided for narrowing down sets of items. Quick links are provided which can be clicked on to generate useful views of the sets of items. Libraries are provided which consist of large groups of usable types of items that can be associated together, along with functions and tools related to the items. A virtual address bar is provided which comprises a plurality of segments, each segment corresponding to a filter for selecting content. A shell browser is provided with which users can readily identify an item based on the metadata associated with that item.

Abstract: A previewing system that permits selection from a plurality of interactive previewers for use in a system shell browser is disclosed. The previews may be extensible, such that different application developers may write custom previews for different file types, and the shell browser may follow established criteria to select an appropriate preview. The user may enter criteria to control which previewers are used for different situations, such as when certain file types are selected for previewing. Size of an available display area for the preview may be a criterion, such that resizing the preview area may cause a different preview to be displayed. The preview may be executed as a separate process from the browser so that crashes and hangs in the previewer process do not fatally affect the browser process. Previews may be incorporated within common file dialogs offered by an underlying operating system, such that different applications may share the common previewer.

Abstract: The features described herein are directed to a method and system for use in a computing environment for representing files stored in stacks by using a stack icon. The stack icon may include multiple thumbnail images as top elements, and may use common characteristics among the files to define the appearance of the stack. The system may also use metadata or file characteristics (e.g., time of last edit, size, etc.) to identify one file for top representation in the stack icon. The system may additionally include an empty stack icon, a generic stack icon, property based icons, and custom thumbnail icons.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and system for use in a computing environment for representing files stored in stacks. The method includes providing a set of stack icons, each icon in the set having a stack height representing a range of stack sizes. The method additionally includes determining a stack size for a selected stack and selecting and displaying an appropriate stack icon from the set of stack icons based on the determined stack size. The selected stack may be stored within one of multiple libraries. Accordingly a distinct set of icons relevant to each library may be stored for each library. The icons may visibly convey information pertaining to the relevant library. Accordingly, the method may include representing a selected stack by determining an appropriate library and an appropriate stack height and displaying a corresponding icon. The system may additionally include an empty stack icon, a generic stack icon, property based icons, and custom thumbnail icons.

Abstract: Certain aspects of a generic user interface command architecture allow an application to host commands for presentation on a computing device. The commands can be written by the same designer or author as the application, or alternatively by other parties (e.g., by a third-party developer). Other aspects of the generic UI command architecture describe an application programming interface (API) that can be used to allow the application to host the commands. Other aspects of the generic UI command architecture describe an activation mechanism by which registered commands can be activated by an application.

Abstract: A system and method for filtering and organizing items in a computer system based on common elements is provided. A graphical user interface includes a plurality of display objects, each display object representing one or more items and a metadata property control corresponding to a metadata property. Selection of the metadata property control causes a list of filter terms to be presented on the display and also may cause a list of check box controls to be presented on the display, each check box control being adjacent to a respective one of the filter terms. The list of filter terms may be presented in a drop down menu. Selection of a check box control causes each item that satisfies the corresponding filter term to be presented on the display. The filters may be dynamically generated based on the properties of the separate items.

Abstract: Methods and systems are illustrated for defining and presenting a location that is virtual and composed of items from different file system locations to a user interface. Items that have been published over a network can be easily accessed and efficiently browsed when there is a large number of data items shared. The data items shared can be from multiple locations and/or multiple clients that have been published over a network, which can be retrieved, defined and presented directly in a user interface.

Abstract: The presentation of headers for groups of locations in a library comprising a collection of locations is disclosed. One disclosed embodiment comprises receiving a request to organize a library into groups according to a selected property, and organizing the locations into groups such that locations within a selected group have a common value of the selected property. If the common value of the selected property for the selected group corresponds to an object distinct from the locations in the group, then a first type of group header configured to accept a first set of user inputs associated with the header is displayed. Otherwise, a second type of group header configured to accept a second, different set of user inputs is displayed.

Abstract: Certain aspects of a generic user interface command architecture allow an application to host commands for presentation on a computing device. The commands can be written by the same designer or author as the application, or alternatively by other parties (e.g., by a third-party developer). Other aspects of the generic UI command architecture describe an application programming interface (API) that can be used to allow the application to host the commands. Other aspects of the generic UI command architecture describe an activation mechanism by which registered commands can be activated by an application.

Abstract: Methods, and computer-readable media for presenting search results in a folder hierarchy are provided. Embodiments of the present invention include providing a navigation portion in which data sources to be searched are selected, and an input portion into which search criteria may be submitted. Items within the selected data sources that match the search criteria are identified and presented as a folder hierarchy. The folder hierarchy may only include items that satisfy the search criteria, but otherwise is consistent with the native folder hierarchy in which the items normally reside. In one embodiment, the initial presentation of the search results includes only top-level folders that contain, at some level, items that satisfy the search criteria. The items can be located by drilling down from the top-level folders.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system, and media for presenting on a computing device a view that contains representations of items such as files. The view can include multiple groups of representations, which each correspond to items (such as files, users, network elements, etc.). The representations are grouped together based on at least one property of the items. A group delimiter separates each of the multiple groups. At least one of two manipulation options is provided by way of the respective group delimiters. A first manipulation option enables removing a desired group from the view. A second manipulation option enables showing only a selected group in the view.

Abstract: A system and method for filtering and organizing items in a computer system based on common elements is provided. A graphical user interface includes a plurality of display objects, each display object representing one or more items and a metadata property control corresponding to a metadata property. Selection of the metadata property control causes a list of filter terms to be presented on the display and also may cause a list of check box controls to be presented on the display, each check box control being adjacent to a respective one of the filter terms. The list of filter terms may be presented in a drop down menu. Selection of a check box control causes each item that satisfies the corresponding filter term to be presented on the display. The filters may be dynamically generated based on the properties of the separate items.

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.