Method, system, and computer program product for enabling file system tagging by applications

• US 8,694,497 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bacher, Utz, Lueck, Einar, Spatzier, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARPER, ELIYAH STONE
• Application Number:
  US12/258,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20100114977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,989 Days
• Field of Search: 707/999.104, 707/784, 707/637, 707/736, 707/999.101, 707/999.102
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/164 File meta data generation

Abstract

A method for enabling file system tagging by an application includes creating tag associations for the file system by associating a tag with a file object. The association includes allocating a file association structure (FAS) in the storage device, which FAS has attributes including a pointer to a file handle of the file object and a list of names of tags associated with the file object. Associating the tag with a file object also includes allocating a tag structure for each tag in the file system. The tag structure includes a tag name and file associations for the tag. In response to a request for a read directory operation, the method includes retrieving the tag associations to identify the file object, dynamically assembling a directory entry structure that includes a hierarchical view of tags identified from the tag associations and corresponding file object, and returning the directory entry structure to the application.

Claims

1. A method of enabling file system tagging by an application, comprising:

creating tag associations for the file system in a storage device, comprising;

associating at least one tag with a file object of the file system in the storage device, comprising;

allocating a file association structure in the storage device, the file association structure having attributes including a pointer to a file handle of the file object and a list of names of tags associated with the file object; and

for each tag in the file system, allocating a tag structure, the tag structure comprising;

a name of the tag;

a list of file associations for the tag, the list specifying a linked list of file association objects defined by the file association structure;

a tag sphere indicator, wherein the tag sphere indicator is used to control a visibility of files associated with the tag in the file system by an end user; and

a list of tags contained within a tag sphere of the tag structure; and

in response to receiving a system call from the application, the system call including a request for a read directory operation on the file system, performing;

retrieving the tag associations from the storage device to identify the file object;

dynamically assembling a directory entry structure that includes a hierarchical view of tags, the directory entry structure comprising a plurality of root directories and at least one subdirectory, the plurality of root directories corresponding to the tags with a tag sphere indicator enabled, and one or more subdirectories corresponding to the tags associated with the file object, the directory entry structure assembled based on the tag associations and corresponding file object; and

returning the directory entry structure to the application,

wherein the file object and a second file object share at least one common tag, the file object and the second file object are in distinct tag spheres, and selecting the common tag within the tag sphere of corresponding file causes the second file object to be hidden.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating directory, the directory created by:

specifying one or more tags; and

adding file objects to the one or more tags via the file association structure and the tag structure.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

separating file objects assigned a single tag into different tag spheres without removing the single tag responsive to enabling a tag sphere indicator in the tag sphere indicator field of the tag structure for a selected tag.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

storing, in the tag structure of a given tag, a list of all tag structures representing tags that belong to the same tag sphere as the given tag.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

associating tags that do not belong to a tag sphere to a root tag sphere, the root tag sphere representing a list of all tag structures for tags that do not belong to a tag sphere.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising excluding a designated file object from being tagged by storing a name or path expression of the designated file object in an exclusion pattern list, the exclusion pattern list retrieved and searched before assembling the directory entry structure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a single instance of the file object is stored in the storage device and mapped to each of the corresponding tags by the tag associations and the pointer to the file object via the corresponding file association structure.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the file object is at least one of a:

text document;

image file;

digital audio file; and

multi-media file.

9. A system for enabling file system tagging by an application, comprising:

a virtual file system associated with an operating system, the operating system executing on a processor device; and

processing logic executing on the virtual file system via the processor device, the processing logic implementing a method, comprising;

creating tag associations for the file system in a storage device, comprising;

associating at least one tag with a file object of the file system in the storage device, comprising;

allocating a file association structure in the storage device, the file association structure having attributes including a pointer to a file handle of the file object and a list of names of tags associated with the file object; and

for each tag in the file system, allocating a tag structure, the tag structure comprising;

 

a name of the tag;

 

a list of file associations for the tag, the list specifying a linked list of file association objects defined by the file association structure;

 

a tag sphere indicator, wherein the tag sphere indicator is used to control a visibility of files associated with the tag in the file system by an end user; and

 

a list of tags contained within a tag sphere of the tag structure; and

in response to receiving a system call from the application, the system call including a request for a read directory operation on the file system, performing;

retrieving the tag associations from the storage device to identify the file object;

dynamically assembling a directory entry structure that includes a hierarchical view of tags, the directory entry structure comprising a plurality of root directories and at least one subdirectory, the plurality of root directories corresponding to the tags with a tag sphere indicator enabled, and one or more subdirectories corresponding to the tags associated with the file object, identified from the directory entry structure assembled based on the tag associations and corresponding file object; and

returning the directory entry structure to the application

wherein the file object and a second file object share at least one common tag, the file object and the second file object are in distinct tag spheres, and selecting the common tag within the tag sphere of corresponding file causes the second file object to be hidden.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing logic further implements:

creating directory, the directory created by;

specifying one or more tags; and

adding file objects to the one or more tags via the file association structure and the tag structure.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

separating file objects assigned a single tag into different tag spheres without removing the single tag responsive to enabling a tag sphere indicator in the tag sphere indicator field of the tag structure for a selected tag.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing logic further implements:

storing, in the tag structure of a given tag, a list of all tag structures representing tags that belong to the same tag sphere as the given tag.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing logic further implements:

associating tags that do not belong to a tag sphere to a root tag sphere, the root tag sphere representing a list of all tag structures for tags that do not belong to a tag sphere.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the processing logic further implements:

excluding a designated file object from being tagged by storing a name or path expression of the designated file object in an exclusion pattern list, the exclusion pattern list retrieved and searched before assembling the directory entry structure.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein a single instance of the file object is stored in the storage device and mapped to each of the corresponding tags by the tag associations and the pointer to the file object via the corresponding file association structure.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the file object is at least one of a:

text document;

image file;

digital audio file; and

multi-media file.

17. A computer program product for enabling file system tagging by an application, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with program code for causing a computer to implement a method, the method comprising:

creating tag associations for the file system in a storage device, comprising;

associating at least one tag with a file object of the file system in the storage device, comprising;

allocating a file association structure in the storage device, the file association structure having attributes including a pointer to a file handle of the file object and a list of names of tags associated with the file object; and

for each tag in the file system, allocating a tag structure, the tag structure comprising;

a name of the tag;

a list of file associations for the tag, the list specifying a linked list of file association objects defined by the file association structure;

a tag sphere indicator, wherein the tag sphere indicator is used to control a visibility of files associated with the tag in the file system by an end user; and

a list of tags contained within a tag sphere of the tag structure; and

in response to receiving a system call from the application, the system call including a request for a read directory operation on the file system, performing;

retrieving the tag associations from the storage device to identify the file object;

dynamically assembling a directory entry structure that includes a hierarchical view of tags, the directory entry structure comprising a plurality of root directories and at least one subdirectory, the plurality of root directories corresponding to the tags with a tag sphere indicator enabled, and one or more subdirectories corresponding to the tags associated with the file object, identified from the directory entry structure assembled based on the tag associations and corresponding file object; and

returning the directory entry structure to the application;

wherein the file object and a second file object share at least one common tag, the file object and the second file object are in distinct tag spheres, and selecting the common tag within the tag sphere of corresponding file causes the second file object to be hidden.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the program code further comprises instructions for performing:

creating directory, the directory created by;

specifying one or more tags; and

adding file objects to the one or more tags via the file association structure and the tag structure.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, the method further comprising:

separating file objects assigned a single tag into different tag spheres without removing the single tag responsive to enabling a tag sphere indicator in the tag sphere indicator field of the tag structure for a selected tag.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the program code further includes instructions for performing:

storing, in the tag structure of a given tag, a list of all tag structures representing tags that belong to the same tag sphere as the given tag.