Highlighting items for search results
First Claim
1. A method for highlighting items corresponding to search results, comprising:
- displaying a plurality of items in a user interface display;
while maintaining display of the plurality of items;
receiving a first user input representing at least a portion of a search term;
in response to receiving the first user input, highlighting at least a subset of the plurality of items, the subset of the plurality of items including;
a first item that represents at least a one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input;
a second item that represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input; and
a third item that represents at least one item having metadata that represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input;
while the first item, the second item and the third item are highlighted, receiving a second user input representing an additional portion of the search term; and
in response to receiving the second user input, incrementally changing the displaying and highlighting of the plurality of items in response to the second user input, including;
maintaining the highlighting of the first item, wherein the first item represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second user input representing the additional portion of the search term;
maintaining the highlighting of the second item, wherein the second item represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second user input representing the additional portion of the search term; and
ceasing to highlight the third item, wherein the third item does not represent any items having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second input representing the additional portion of the search term.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a search capability to allow a user to easily locate a preference control, file, folder, control, or other system resource or data item associated with a search result. In one embodiment, a user enters a search term (or a portion thereof) in a search field associated with one or more resource types that may be searched. The user may be presented with a pop-up menu containing a list of likely matches. The user selects the desired preference control from the pop-up menu, and the corresponding preference pane, or other container, containing the selected data item, control, or other resource is displayed. In one aspect, as the user enters the search term (or portion thereof), certain icons are highlighted. Specifically, those icons that represent containers containing matching data items (such as preference panes having controls that match the search term) are highlighted. Different types of highlighting can be used depending on the degree of certainty as to which container is likely to contain the correct match.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for highlighting items corresponding to search results, comprising:
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displaying a plurality of items in a user interface display; while maintaining display of the plurality of items; receiving a first user input representing at least a portion of a search term; in response to receiving the first user input, highlighting at least a subset of the plurality of items, the subset of the plurality of items including; a first item that represents at least a one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input; a second item that represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input; and a third item that represents at least one item having metadata that represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input; while the first item, the second item and the third item are highlighted, receiving a second user input representing an additional portion of the search term; and in response to receiving the second user input, incrementally changing the displaying and highlighting of the plurality of items in response to the second user input, including; maintaining the highlighting of the first item, wherein the first item represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second user input representing the additional portion of the search term; maintaining the highlighting of the second item, wherein the second item represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second user input representing the additional portion of the search term; and ceasing to highlight the third item, wherein the third item does not represent any items having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second input representing the additional portion of the search term. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a device, cause the device to:
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display a plurality of items in a user interface display; while maintaining display of the plurality of items; receive a first user input representing at least a portion of a search term; in response to receiving the first user input, highlight at least a subset of the plurality of items, the subset of the plurality of items including; a first item that represents at least a one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input; a second item that represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input; and a third item that represents at least one item having metadata that, represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input; while the first item, the second item and the third item are highlighted, receive a second user input representing an additional portion of the search term; and in response to receiving the second user input, incrementally change the display and highlighting of the plurality of items in response to the second user input, including; maintaining the highlighting of the first item, wherein the first item represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second user input representing the additional portion of the search term; maintaining the highlighting of the second item, wherein the second item represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second user input representing the additional portion of the search term; and ceasing to highlight the third item, wherein the third item does not represent any items having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second input representing the additional portion of the search term. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20)
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19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of 16, further including instructions that, when executed on the device, cause the device to:
activate, in response to the user selecting one of the highlighted items, an operating system preference corresponding to the selected item.
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21. A system comprising:
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at least one processor; and a computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one process to perform operations comprising; displaying a plurality of items in a user interface display; while maintaining display of the plurality of items; receiving a first user input representing at least a portion of a search term; in response to receiving the first user input, highlighting at least a subset of the plurality of items, the subset of the plurality of items including; a first item that represents at least a one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input; a second item that represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input; and a third item that represents at least one item having metadata that represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input; while the first item, the second item and the third item are highlighted, receiving a second user input representing an additional portion of the search term; and in response to receiving the second user input, incrementally changing the displaying and highlighting of the plurality of items in response to the second user input, including; maintaining the highlighting of the first item, wherein the first item represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second user input representing the additional portion of the search term; maintaining the highlighting of the second item, wherein the second item represents at least one item having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second user input representing the additional portion of the search term; and ceasing to highlight the third item, wherein the third item does not represent any items having metadata that at least partially matches the first user input and the second input representing the additional portion of the search term.
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Specification