System and method for shell browser
First Claim
1. A method for previewing files located in one or more computing devices while browsing a computer system, comprising the steps of:
- receiving an indication of a file selected for previewing from a shell browser, wherein said shell browser allows a user to navigate through one or more namespaces including files and other non-file items;
selecting a first interactive preview panel from a plurality of available preview panels based on one or more criteria;
initially displaying a generic preview of said selected file while said first interactive preview panel is initializing;
replacing said generic preview with said first interactive preview when said first interactive preview panel is ready for display, wherein said first interactive preview image of said selected file comprises extended controls which allow the user to comprehensively browse the previewed selected file without opening the file; and
editing contents of said selected file directly in the preview panel, based on user interaction with said first interactive preview panel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A previewing system that permits selection from a plurality of interactive previewers for use in a system shell browser is disclosed. The previews may be extensible, such that different application developers may write custom previews for different file types, and the shell browser may follow established criteria to select an appropriate preview. The user may enter criteria to control which previewers are used for different situations, such as when certain file types are selected for previewing. Size of an available display area for the preview may be a criterion, such that resizing the preview area may cause a different preview to be displayed. The preview may be executed as a separate process from the browser so that crashes and hangs in the previewer process do not fatally affect the browser process. Previews may be incorporated within common file dialogs offered by an underlying operating system, such that different applications may share the common previewer.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for previewing files located in one or more computing devices while browsing a computer system, comprising the steps of:
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receiving an indication of a file selected for previewing from a shell browser, wherein said shell browser allows a user to navigate through one or more namespaces including files and other non-file items; selecting a first interactive preview panel from a plurality of available preview panels based on one or more criteria; initially displaying a generic preview of said selected file while said first interactive preview panel is initializing; replacing said generic preview with said first interactive preview when said first interactive preview panel is ready for display, wherein said first interactive preview image of said selected file comprises extended controls which allow the user to comprehensively browse the previewed selected file without opening the file; and editing contents of said selected file directly in the preview panel, based on user interaction with said first interactive preview panel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer-storage medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing the following steps:
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receiving an indication of a file selected for previewing from a shell browser wherein said shell browser allows a user to navigate through one or more namespaces including files and other non-file items; selecting a first interactive preview panel from a plurality of available preview panels based on one or more criteria; initially displaying a generic preview of said selected file while said first interactive preview panel is initializing; replacing said generic preview with said first interactive preview when said first interactive preview panel is ready for display, wherein said first interactive preview image of said selected file comprises extended controls which allow the user to comprehensively browse the previewed selected file without opening the file; and editing contents of said selected file directly in the interactive preview panel, based on user interaction with said first interactive preview panel. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computing device having a processor and computer storage media for previewing files while browsing a computer system, the computing device comprising:
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a receiving component for receiving an indication of a file selected for previewing from a shell browser wherein said shell browser allows a user to navigate through one or more namespaces including files and other non-file items; a selection component for selecting a first interactive preview panel from a plurality of available preview panels based on one or more criteria; a display component for initially displaying a generic preview of said selected file while said first interactive preview panel is initializing, and replacing said generic preview with said first interactive preview when said first interactive preview panel is ready for display, wherein said first interactive preview image of said selected file comprises extended controls which allow the user to comprehensively browse the previewed selected file without opening the file; and an editing component for editing contents of said selected file directly in the interactive preview panel, based on user interaction with said first interactive preview panel.
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Specification