NAVIGATION OF HIERARCHICAL DATA SETS

• US 20130124528A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Gourdol, Arno, Heninger, Wade
• Granted Patent: US 8,996,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/11 File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots file system backup G06F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/156 Query results presentation

Abstract

Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a hierarchical data set may be displayed in a database view in a content window of a program or graphical user interface. A filter panel may display one or more categories of information about the hierarchical data set including one or more filterable items that may be selected by a user. In response to a user selection, filtered contents of the hierarchical data set may be displayed in the database view according to the selection to allow a user to navigate the hierarchical dataset via the database view. In one or more embodiments, the hierarchical data set may comprise a file system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

accessing a database, wherein the database is based at least in part on a hierarchical data set comprising data items organized according to a file system hierarchy;

analyzing the hierarchical data set to determine one or more filterable items based on intrinsic and extrinsic metadata of one or more data items of the hierarchical data set;

displaying the one or more data items in a database view;

displaying the one or more filterable items organized under one or more categories in a display area adjacent to the displayed database view, wherein the one or more categories are dynamically generated based at least in part on the intrinsic and extrinsic metadata such that, if none of the one or more data items falls under a given category, the given category is not displayed;

filtering the database view in response to a selection of a filterable item, wherein the filtering comprises removing at least one of the one or more data items from the database view; and

in response to removing the at least one of the one or more data items from the database view, removing one or more corresponding filterable items from the display area adjacent to the displayed database view.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether there is a change in the hierarchical data set;

updating the database to reflect the change in the hierarchical data set; and

displaying an updated database view of the hierarchical data set based at least in part on the change.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said displaying the one or more data items in the database view comprises displaying content of one or more directories and content of one or more subdirectories simultaneously in the database view.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data items comprise one or more of an image file, an audio file, an audio-video file, or combinations thereof

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein data items not meeting the selection of one or more filterable items are not displayed in the database view.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, in response to removing the at least one of the one or more data items from the database view, removing one or more corresponding categories from the display area adjacent to the displayed database view.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising filtering the database view one or more additional times in response to one or more additional selections of one or more additional filterable items, wherein a further filtered portion of the hierarchical data set is displayed in the database view according to the one or more additional selections.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising unfiltering the database view of the hierarchical data set in response to a deselection of one or more of the filterable items, wherein a less filtered portion of the hierarchical data set is displayed in the database view to reflect the deselection.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising periodically synchronizing the database with the hierarchical data set to reflect a current state of the hierarchical data set in the database view of the hierarchical data set without requiring an import.

4. (canceled)

11. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations including:

accessing a database, wherein the database based at least in part on a hierarchical data set;

analyzing the hierarchical data set to identify one or more filterable items based on intrinsic and extrinsic metadata of one or more data items of the hierarchical data set;

displaying the one or more data items in a database view;

displaying the one or more filterable items organized under one or more categories, wherein the one or more categories are dynamically determined based at least in part on the intrinsic and extrinsic metadata such that, if none of the identified one or more filterable items belongs in a given category, the given category is not displayed;

filtering the database view in response to a selection of a filterable item, wherein filtering the database view comprises removing at least one data item from the database view; and

removing a filterable item from the display area adjacent to the displayed database view that corresponds to the at least one of the one or more data items removed from the database view.

12. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable to:

determine whether there is a change in the hierarchical data set;

update the database to reflect the change in the hierarchical data set; and

display an updated database view of the hierarchical data set based at least in part on the change.

13. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise displaying content of one or more directories and content of one or more subdirectories simultaneously in the database view.

14. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11, the operations further comprising removing a category from the display area adjacent to the displayed database view that corresponds to the at least one of the one or more data items removed from the database view.

15. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11, wherein the one or more data items comprise one or more of an image file, an audio file, an audio-video file, or combinations thereof

16. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise removing data items not meeting the selection of one or more filterable items from the database view.

18. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

executing said filtering one or more additional times in response to one or more additional selections of one or more additional filterable items, wherein a further filtered portion of the hierarchical data set is displayed in the database view according to the one or more additional selections.

19. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

unfiltering the database view in response to a deselection of one or more of the filterable items, wherein a less filtered portion of the hierarchical data set is displayed in the database view to reflect the deselection.

20. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise periodically synchronizing the database with the hierarchical data set to reflect a current state of the hierarchical data set in the database view without requiring an import.

17. (canceled)

21. An apparatus, comprising:

means for accessing a database, wherein the database is based at least in part on a hierarchical data set;

means for analyzing the hierarchical data set to determine one or more filterable items based on intrinsic and extrinsic metadata of one or more data items of the hierarchical data set;

means for displaying the one or more data items in a database view;

means for displaying the one or more filterable items organized under one or more categories in a display area adjacent to the displayed database view of the hierarchical data set, wherein the one or more categories are determined based at least in part on the intrinsic and extrinsic metadata such that, if none of the one or more data items fall under a given category, the given category is not displayed;

means for filtering the database view in response to a selection of a filterable item, wherein filtering the database view comprises removing at least one of the one or more data items from the database view; and

removing one or more filterable items from the display area adjacent to the displayed database view corresponding to the at least one of the one or more data items removed from the database view.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:

means for determining whether there is a change in the hierarchical data set;

means for updating the database to reflect the change in the hierarchical data set;

and means for displaying an updated database view of the hierarchical data set based at least in part on the change.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein said means for displaying the one or more data items in the database view comprises means for displaying content of one or more directories and content of one or more subdirectories simultaneously in the database view.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, further comprising means for removing one or more corresponding categories from the display area adjacent to the displayed database view corresponding to the at least one of the one or more data items removed from the database view.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the one or more data items comprise one or more of an image file, an audio file, an audio-video file, or combinations thereof.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein data items not meeting the selection of one or more filterable items are not displayed in the database view.

28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:

means for directing said means for filtering to operate one or more additional times in response to one or more additional selections of one or more additional filterable items, wherein a further filtered portion of the hierarchical data set is displayed in the database view according to the one or more additional selections.

29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:

means for unfiltering the database view of the hierarchical data set in response to a deselection of one or more of the filterable items, wherein a less filtered portion of the hierarchical data set is displayed in the database view to reflect the deselection.

30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:

means for periodically synchronizing the database with the hierarchical data set to reflect a current state of the hierarchical data set in the database view of the hierarchical data set without requiring an import.

27. (canceled)