Hierarchical folders display

• US 5,065,347 A
• Filed: 08/11/1988
• Issued: 11/12/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Breisacher, Lee F., Byrne, Kenneth C., Pajak, Henry G., Marder, Daniel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): CLARK, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US07/231,020
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 364/518, 364/521, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 340/706-710
• US Class Current: 715/835
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

Method and apparatus of accessing and displaying hierarachical files on an electronic workstation screen that includes: (1) an Open Next-To operation that opens a separate window for a file to prevent the window from which the file was originally opened from being obscured, (2) a combination of both Open Next-To and Open-Within operations for opening different combinations, (3) "Chording" for displaying general options and depth display options to give the user a choice of a window OPEN method and hierarchical display depth as well as a choice of selecting "display all levels" format, (4) a FIND capability that enables finding of strings in a folder display, including forward and backward search and automatic text type conversion based on selection, (5) Iconic Pretty-Printing, that is, the icon optionally combined with text is offset as a function of its depth in a hierarchy including, (6) Folding of the display when the indentation reaches a desired column width, (7) a visual method of indicating the extent of the contents of a folder or directory, including visual highlighting indicating the files that will be affected by any operation, e.g. copy, move, or delete, and (8) the visualization of nested hierarchical relationships for movement of icons and folders.

Claims

1. The method of displaying hierarchical files in an electronic workstation having a screen display including icons and related text for identifying main files and associated subfiles stored in memory and a window segmenting a portion of the screen comprising the steps of:

displaying icons and related text of main files within the window beginning at a first margin in relation to a first edge of the window,

displaying icons and a related text of a first sublevel of subfiles within the window beginning at a second margin in relation to said edge of the window, the second margin being indented from the first margin, displaying icons and related text of a second sublevel of subfiles within the window beginning at a third margin in relation to said edge of the window, the third margin being indented from the second margin, the window comprising a second edge spaced apart from the first edge and the icons and text of a third sublevel of indented subfiles extending beyond the second edge, including the step of folding the display to another portion of the window to display the icons and text of the third sublevel of subfiles beginning at said first margin, the icons and text of the third sublevel of subfiles being disposed below the icons and text of the second sublevel of subfiles, and displaying a fold indicator with the third sublevel of subfiles to manifest the folding of said third sublevel of subfiles to another portion of the window.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the fold indicator is an icon disposed at said first margin adjacent the third sublevel of subfiles.