Typed relationships between items

• US 7,761,473 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2007
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Nettleton, David John, Friedman, Greg S, Michaels, Joshua M, Negrin, Richard Louis, Mehrotra, Shishir Samir, Ellis, Nigel R
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DEBBIE M
• Application Number:
  US11/750,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 707100-102, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 707/796
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134

Abstract

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to creating, maintaining, and using relationships between items. In aspects, items such as files, folders, and other objects may be stored in a data store. A user may desire to form a relationship between two items that provides additional semantic information regarding the relationship. To do so, an instance of an item reference is created and populated with data that associates the item reference with a source item and optionally a target item. The item reference is part of a type hierarchy and inherits properties from ancestor types. These types are included in a payload of the item reference and may be exposed to programs that seek to obtain information about the relationship indicated by the item reference. An item reference may be added without changing other data about the referenced items.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium that includes a computer readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which when executed perform actions, comprising:

instantiating an item reference, the item reference including a first field, a second field, and a third field, the first field capable of storing an identifier of a first file of a file system, the second field capable of storing an identifier of a second file of the file system, the third field capable of storing one or more properties associated with a type of the item reference, the item reference indicating a relationship between the first file and the second file;

placing the identifier of the first file in the first field; and

performing a computerized query that utilizes the relationship to identify the second file, the query having criteria that applies to the second file;

wherein the item reference is of a type that inherits properties from ancestors of the item reference.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the file system is hierarchical.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein instantiating the item reference and placing the identifier of the first file in the item reference does not change any data included in the first or second files and does not change any information the file system maintains about the first and second files.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein at least one of the files comprises a data file.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein at least one of the files comprises a folder that is capable of containing files and other folders.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising placing the identifier of the second file in the second field.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising deleting the item reference in response to the first file being deleted.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising constraining what types of the first file and the second file may be related via the item reference.

9. A method implemented at least in part by a computer, the method comprising:

instantiating an item reference, the item reference including a first field, a second field, and a third field, the first field capable of storing an identifier of a first item stored in a data store, the second field capable of storing an identifier of a second item stored in the data store, the third field capable of storing data including properties associated with a type of the item reference, items in the data store being of a plurality of types, each item being of at least one type, the item reference indicating a relationship between the first item and the second item;

placing the identifier of the first item in the first field of the item reference; and

performing a computerized query that utilizes the relationship to identify the second file, the query having criteria that applies to the second file;

the item reference being of a type that inherits properties from ancestors of the item reference.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first item comprises a first folder that is capable of including files and other folders and the second item comprises a file in a second folder.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first item comprises a contact that includes contact information regarding an entity and wherein the second item comprises an image.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing the item reference in a data store.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the data store comprises a relational database.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the data store comprises an object-oriented database.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the data store comprises a file of a file system.

16. In a computing environment, an apparatus, comprising:

a reference instantiator operable to use at least one processor to instantiate an item reference, the item reference including a first field, a second field, and a third field, the first field capable of storing an identifier of a first item stored in a data store, the second field capable of storing an identifier of a second item stored in the data store, the third field capable of storing data including properties associated with a type of the item reference, items in the data store being of a plurality of types, each item being of at least one type, the item reference indicating a relationship between the first item and the second item; and

a reference maintainer operable to delete item references;

the item reference being of a type that inherits properties from ancestors of the item reference; and

wherein the reference maintainer operates to delete an item reference when a source item associated with the item reference is deleted.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a constraints enforcer operable to indicate whether the item reference is allowed to associate a first item with a second item.