Method, apparatus, and program for creating bookmark symlinks

• US 20020147742A1
• Filed: 04/05/2001
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schroeder, Paul B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,406,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/501.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management

Abstract

A bookmark editor in an Internet web browser application allows a user to create symbolic links between bookmarks and bookmark folders. The bookmark editor may also detect when a bookmark already exists for a document and prompt the user to create a link rather than a new bookmark for the same document. The user may then keep a folder, subfolder, or bookmark and link to it via a symbolic link. When a bookmark is added to a folder or subfolder, the user does not need to duplicate that bookmark for a linked folder or subfolder.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for creating bookmarks, comprising:

receiving a request to create a new bookmark for a document;

determining whether a reference bookmark already exists for the document;

if a reference bookmark already exists, creating a bookmark link; and

linking the bookmark link to the reference bookmark.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a name for the bookmark link.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a description for the bookmark link.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of linking the bookmark link to the reference bookmark comprises storing a pointer to the reference bookmark in the bookmark link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each bookmark includes a uniform resource locator for the document.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of determining whether a reference bookmark already exists for the document comprises comparing the uniform resource locator of the bookmark to the uniform resource locator of each existing bookmark.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if a reference bookmark already exists, prompting a user whether to create the bookmark link.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of creating the bookmark link comprises creating the bookmark link in response to a user requests to create the bookmark link.

9. A method in a data processing system for creating bookmarks, comprising:

receiving a request to create a bookmark link for a document;

identifying a reference bookmark;

creating the bookmark link; and

linking the bookmark link to the reference bookmark.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of identifying a reference bookmark comprises:

presenting at least one existing bookmark;

receiving a selection of a reference bookmark from the at least one existing bookmark;

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of presenting at least one existing bookmark comprises presenting the at least one existing bookmark in a tree structure.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of receiving a selection of a reference bookmark comprises receiving the selection of the reference bookmark in the tree structure.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a symbolic representation of the bookmark link in the tree structure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein modifications to the reference bookmark are displayed in relation to the symbolic representation of the bookmark link in the tree structure.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein each bookmark includes a uniform resource locator for the document.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of identifying a reference bookmark comprises:

determining whether a bookmark already exists for the document.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of determining whether a bookmark already exists for the document comprises comparing the uniform resource locator of the bookmark to the uniform resource locator of each existing bookmark.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

if a reference bookmark already exists, prompting a user whether to create the bookmark link.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of creating the bookmark link comprises creating the bookmark link in response to the user requests to create the bookmark link.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of linking the bookmark link to the reference bookmark comprises storing a pointer to the reference bookmark in the bookmark link.

21. A method in a data processing system for creating a plurality of bookmark folders from a single reference bookmark folder, comprising:

receiving a request to create a bookmark folder link;

identifying a reference bookmark folder;

creating the bookmark folder link; and

linking the bookmark folder link to the reference bookmark folder.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of identifying a reference bookmark folder comprises:

presenting at least one existing bookmark folder;

receiving a selection of a reference bookmark folder from the at least one existing bookmark folder;

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of presenting at least one existing bookmark folder comprises presenting the at least one existing bookmark folder in a tree structure.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of receiving a selection of a reference bookmark folder comprises receiving the selection of the reference bookmark folder in the tree structure.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

displaying a symbolic representation of the bookmark folder link in the tree structure.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein bookmarks added to the reference bookmark folder are displayed in relation to the symbolic representation of the bookmark folder link in the tree structure.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a name for the bookmark folder link.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a description for the bookmark folder link.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of linking the bookmark folder link to the reference bookmark folder comprises storing a pointer to the reference bookmark folder in the bookmark folder link.

30. An apparatus for creating bookmarks, comprising:

at least one existing bookmark; and

a bookmark editor that receives a request to create a new bookmark for a document, determines whether a reference bookmark already exists for the document within the at least one existing bookmark, creates a bookmark link if a reference bookmark already exists, and links the bookmark link to the reference bookmark.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the bookmark editor links the bookmark link to the reference bookmark by storing a pointer to the reference bookmark in the bookmark link.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein each bookmark includes a uniform resource locator for the document.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the bookmark editor determines whether a reference bookmark already exists for the document by comparing the uniform resource locator of the bookmark to the uniform resource locator of each existing bookmark.

34. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the bookmark editor prompts a user whether to create the bookmark link if a reference bookmark already exists.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the bookmark editor creates the bookmark link in response to a user requests to create the bookmark link.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the bookmark editor identifies the reference bookmark by presenting the at least one existing bookmark and receiving a selection of the reference bookmark from the at least one existing bookmark.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the bookmark editor presents the at least one existing bookmark in a tree structure.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the bookmark editor receives the selection of the reference bookmark in the tree structure.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the bookmark editor displays a symbolic representation of the bookmark link in the tree structure.

36. An apparatus for creating a plurality of bookmarks form a single reference bookmark, comprising:

at least one existing bookmark; and

a bookmark editor that receives a request to create a bookmark link, identifies a reference bookmark within the at least one existing bookmark, creates the bookmark link, and links the bookmark link to the reference bookmark.

41. An apparatus for creating a plurality of bookmark folders from a single reference bookmark folder, comprising:

at least one existing bookmark folder; and

a bookmark editor that receives a request to create a bookmark folder link, identifies a reference bookmark folder within the at least one existing bookmark folder, creates the bookmark folder link, and links the bookmark folder link to the reference bookmark folder.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the bookmark editor identifies the reference bookmark folder by presenting the at least one existing bookmark folder and receiving a selection of the reference bookmark folder from the at least one existing bookmark folder.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the bookmark editor presents the at least one existing bookmark folder in a tree structure.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the bookmark editor receives the selection of the reference bookmark folder in the tree structure.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the bookmark editor displays a symbolic representation of the bookmark folder link in the tree structure.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein bookmarks added to the reference bookmark folder are displayed in relation to the symbolic representation of the bookmark folder link in the tree structure.

47. A computer program product, in a computer readable medium, for creating bookmarks, comprising:

instructions for receiving a request to create a new bookmark for a document;

instructions for determining whether a reference bookmark already exists for the document;

instructions for creating a bookmark link if a reference bookmark already exists; and

instructions for linking the bookmark link to the reference bookmark.

48. A computer program product, in a computer readable medium, for creating bookmarks, comprising:

instructions for receiving a request to create a bookmark link for a document;

instructions for identifying a reference bookmark;

instructions for creating the bookmark link; and

instructions for linking the bookmark link to the reference bookmark.

49. A computer program product, in a computer readable medium, for creating a plurality of bookmark folders from a single reference bookmark folder, comprising:

instructions for receiving a request to create a bookmark folder link;

instructions for identifying a reference bookmark folder;

instructions for creating the bookmark folder link; and

instructions for linking the bookmark folder link to the reference bookmark folder.