INTELLIGENTLY REPRESENTING FILES IN A VIEW

• US 20090177962A1
• Filed: 01/04/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Debry, Fabrice A., Dawson, David, Gilmore, Michael J., Christensen, Jason A., Gusmorino, Paul A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,010,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/243
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/156 Query results presentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data

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.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for intelligently presenting a view of a set of file representations that corresponds to a set of files, in which the set of files includes different file types, the method capable of being performed by a computing device that has access to one or more memory components storing the set of files, and the method comprising:

providing a plurality of layout patterns that can be used to present the set of file representations in the view,

(1) wherein each layout pattern is defined by an arrangement of a set of placeholders,

(2) wherein each placeholder of the set of placeholders is capable of presenting a property of a file type;

(3) wherein each placeholder is to be populated based on the file type;

(4) wherein the arrangement is based on the file type, such that at least some arrangements associated with some file types are different than other arrangements associated with other file types;

determining the respective file types of the set of files; and

for each file,

(1) determining a layout pattern based on a type of the each file; and

(2) populating each placeholder in the determined layout pattern with content based on the type of the each file, thereby producing a set of populated layout patterns; and

presenting the set of file representations consistent with the populated layout patterns.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of placeholders initially do not contain any information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the property of a file type includes at least one selection from the following:

a date associated with the file;

an image, such as a thumbnail presentation;

a size of the file;

an icon indicating the file type;

one or more tags associated with the file, wherein the tags may include audio tagging information or picture tagging information;

a file preview that indicates a visual representation of content of the file;

a name of the file;

a type of the file;

a custom label associated with the file;

rating information that indicates a user rating associated with the file; and

email information, including one or more of a sender, a subject, a date, a priority indication, and a status indication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the layout pattern is further based on a size of a bounded area that contains the set of file representations such that the arrangement of the set of placeholders varies with the size.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein populating each placeholder is further based on a size of a bounded area that contains the set of file representations such that the content of the set of placeholders varies with the size.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the file representations includes outputting a presentation to a display device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein presenting the file representations includes presenting the file representations in a noncolumnar format.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein presenting the file representations includes grouping representations of like file types together, thereby providing a plurality of groupings of representations, wherein each grouping may contain one or more representations, and wherein each representation in each of the plurality of groupings of representations is a common size.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said layout pattern defines aspects about how properties to be filled into said placeholders will appear, wherein said properties includes one or more of:

text color,

alignment (left, center, right), and

whether or not labels are to be shown.

10. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of intelligently presenting in a window of a graphical user interface a set of representations of files in which some files are different types than other files, and wherein the files are stored on one or more memory components, the method comprising:

receiving a request to present a view, wherein the view includes the set of representations of the files that are of disparate file types; and

for each file in the set of files,

(1) determining a layout pattern based on a type of file that the file is, thereby determining a set of layout patterns;

(2) based on the type of the file, retrieving from the one or more memory components a set of properties associated with the file; and

presenting the set of representations consistent with the layout patterns, wherein each layout pattern respectively includes a presentation of the set of properties.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein the disparate file types are determined based on differing file extensions.

12. The media of claim 10, wherein the layout pattern initially does not include data placeholders.

13. The media of claim 10, wherein presetting the set of representations includes presenting the set in a bounded portion of a graphical user interface (GUI).

14. The media of claim 13, further comprising resizing at least a subset of the representations in response to a varying of a dimension of the bounded portion of the GUI.

15. The media of claim 13, further comprising dynamically rearranging at least some of some layout patterns in the set of layout patterns in response to a varying of a dimension of the bounded portion of the GUI.

16. A computing device having a video-presentation component and being capable of being communicatively coupled to one or more memory components and that is programmed to perform a method comprising:

determining a set of files stored in the one or more memory components for which information about the files is to be rendered in a window of a graphical user interface in which not all of the files are a same type;

conditioning a format of each representation based on a type of the each file, thereby providing a set of representation formats that define a layout for presenting properties of files;

selecting a set of file properties to be presented for each representation based on the type of each file, thereby providing sets of selected file properties for each file; and

presenting through the video-presentation component the set of representations in a noncolumnar format that is consistent with the representation formats and that respectively includes the selected file properties.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein conditioning the format includes selecting a layout pattern to present the properties.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the layout pattern is generating in real time.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the set of file properties change with a resizing of the window.

20. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the presenting includes presenting the set of representations on a display device.