Managing links in a collection of documents

• US 7,194,469 B1
• Filed: 09/24/2002
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Kelley, Yohko A., Dowd, Stephen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US10/254,729
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/10, 715511-513, 715/501.1, 709217-218
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implement techniques for managing links in a collection of documents. A plurality of links are identified in a collection of one or more documents. A visual representation of the identified links is displayed to a user. Each link has an associated source and destination. The source represents a location in the collection of documents from which the link points. The destination represents a location to which the link points. The visual representation includes information describing the sources and destinations for each of the identified links. Two or more of the links are simultaneously selectable for modification in response to user input in the visual representation.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

identifying a plurality of links in a collection of one or more documents, each link having an associated source and destination, the source representing a location in the collection of documents from which the link points and the destination representing a location to which the link points; and

displaying a visual representation of the identified links, the visual representation including information describing the sources and destinations for each of the identified links, two or more of the links being selectable as a group for simultaneous modification in response to user input in the visual representation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of links include all of the links in the collection of documents.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

for each identified link the visual representation includes information identifying the document in which the associated source is located.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

for each identified link the visual representation includes information identifying the location of the associated source within the document in which it is located.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

for each link the visual representation includes information identifying the associated destination.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

for each link the visual representation includes information identifying a link type.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

each link has a type selected from the group consisting of page link, html link, and text.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

for each link the visual representation includes information identifying a link condition for the associated source.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the information identifying a link condition includes information describing an object that is selectable to trigger a link, information describing a sequence of actions that is performable to trigger a link, or a time delay the passage of which will trigger a link.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

for each link, the visual representation includes information identifying a location for the associated destination.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

for each link, the visual representation includes information identifying a location of the associated destination in a document of the collection of documents.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein;

the destination represents a location external to the collection of documents.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the external location is an external file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the external file is an image file, a multimedia file or a web page.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

for each destination, the visual representation includes information identifying a number of links pointing to the destination.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input selecting one or more links in the visual representation and specifying a modification to the selected links; and

modifying the visual representation and the selected links according to the specified modification.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the user input specifying a modification specifies a new destination for the two or more selected links.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the user input selecting one or more links selects an arbitrary subset of the identified links including a plurality of the selected links.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the user input selecting one or more links selects a subset of the identified links, the selected subset including a plurality of the identified links, but less than all of the identified links.

20. A computer-implemented method for managing links in a collection of documents, the method comprising:

displaying a visual representation of links in a collection of documents, each link having an associated source representing a location in the collection of documents from which the link points and an associated destination representing a location to which the link points, the visual representation including information describing the sources and destinations for each of the links;

receiving user input selecting a plurality of links in the visual representation and specifying a modification to be applied simultaneously to the selected links; and

modifying the visual representation and the selected links according to the specified modification.

21. A computer program product on a computer readable medium, the program comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

identify a plurality of links in a collection of one or more documents, each link having an associated source and destination, the source representing a location in the collection of documents from which the link points and the destination representing a location to which the link points; and

display a visual representation of the identified links, the visual representation including information describing the sources and destinations for each of the identified links, two or more of the links being selectable as a group for simultaneous modification in response to user input in the visual representation.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein:

the plurality of links include all of the links in the collection of documents.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein:

for each identified link the visual representation includes information identifying the document in which the associated source is located.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein:

for each identified link the visual representation includes information identifying the location of the associated source within the document in which it is located.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein:

for each link the visual representation includes information identifying the associated destination.

26. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein:

for each link the visual representation includes information identifying a type of link.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein:

each link has a type selected from the group consisting of page link html link, and text.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein:

for each link the visual representation includes information identifying a link condition for the associated source.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein:

the information identifying a link condition includes information describing an object that is selectable to trigger a link, information describing a sequence of actions that is performable to trigger a link, or a time delay the passage of which will trigger a link.

30. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein:

for each link, the visual representation includes information identifying a location for the associated destination.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein:

for each link, the visual representation includes information identifying a location of the associated destination in a document of the collection of documents.

32. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein:

the destination represents a location external to the collection of documents.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein:

the external location is an external file.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein:

the external file is an image file, a multimedia file, or a web page.

35. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein:

for each destination, the visual representation includes information identifying a number of links pointing to the destination.

36. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising instructions operable to cause the programmable processor to:

receive user input selecting one or more links in the visual representation and specifying a modification to the selected links; and

modify the visual representation and the selected links according to the specified modification.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein:

the user input specifying a modification specifies a new destination for two or more selected links.

38. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein:

the user input selecting one or more links selects an arbitrary subset of the identified links including a plurality of the selected links.

39. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein:

the user input selecting one or more links selects a subset of the identified links, the selected subset including a plurality of the identified links, but less than all of the identified links.

40. A computer program product on a computer-readable medium for managing links in a collection of documents, the program comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

display a visual representation of links in a collection of documents, each link having an associated source representing a location in the collection of documents from which the link points and an associated destination representing a location to which the link points, the visual representation including information describing the sources and destinations for each of the links;

receive user input selecting a plurality of links in the visual representation and specifying a modification to be applied simultaneously to the selected links; and

modify the visual representation and the selected links according to the specified modification.