Browsing or Searching User Interfaces and Other Aspects

• US 20080034381A1
• Filed: 06/09/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Robert, Julien, Jalon, Julien, Arrouye, Yan, Paterson, Toby
• Granted Patent: US 8,104,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/329
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156

Abstract

This description relates to systems, methods and software architectures for providing previews of files, such as previews of content of the files without launching the applications which created those files. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a first call, through a first API to obtain a preview of content of a file, the first call being made by a first application program and being received by a preview generator daemon, and generating a request to obtain a first plug-in from a set of plug-ins, the first plug-in being configured to process a file type of the file to produce content in a format which can be displayed by the first application program. Other methods, systems, computer readable media and software architectures are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium storing executable program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a first call, through a first application programming interface (API), to obtain a preview of content of a file, the first call being made by a first application program and being received by a preview generator daemon;

generating a request to obtain a first plug-in from a set of plug-ins, the first plug-in being configured to process a file type of the file to produce content in a format which can be displayed by the first application program.

2. The medium as in claim 1 wherein the first application program displays an initial preview of the file in a first view which is one of a list view or icon view or cover flow view and wherein the initial preview is not configured to be interactive in response to user inputs and wherein the content produced through the first plug-in is configured to interactively display content of the file in response to user inputs.

3. The medium as in claim 2 wherein the first application program displays other initial previews of other files in the first view with the initial preview.

4. The medium as in claim 3 wherein the set of plug-ins is extensible.

5. The medium as in claim 3 wherein the method further comprises:

generating a second call to a file system program to obtain an identifier of the file type of the file and receiving the identifier of the file type in response to the second call, and wherein the identifier of the file type is used to select the first plug-in from the set of plug-ins.

6. The medium as in claim 5 wherein the request is a third call through a second API to the set of plug-ins.

7. The medium as in claim 5 wherein the content produced through the first plug-in is displayable by the first application program without further conversion of data.

8. The medium as in claim 5 wherein the content produced through the first plug-in is in a standard format which can be further processed through the first application to generate displayed content.

9. The medium as in claim 8 wherein the displayed content of the file generated through the first plug-in is interactive in response to user inputs to one of zoom or resize or scroll or playback or page though the content of the file.

10. The medium as in claim 9 wherein the displayed content is interactive within the first view.

11. The medium as in claim 10 wherein the first application program is one of a file management software program or a search software program or a video conferencing software program or an email software program or a calendar software program.

12. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving a first call, through a first application programming interface (API), to obtain a preview of content of a file, the first call being made by a first application program and being received by a preview generator daemon;

generating a request to obtain a first plug-in from a set of plug-ins, the first plug-in being configured to process a file type of the file to produce content in a format which can be displayed by the first application program.

13. The method as in claim 12 wherein the first application program displays an initial preview of the file in a first view which is one of a list view or icon view or cover flow view and wherein the initial preview is not configured to be interactive in response to user inputs and wherein the content produced through the first plug-in is configured to interactively display content of the file in response to user inputs.

14. The method as in claim 13 wherein the first application program displays other initial previews of other files in the first view with the initial preview.

15. The method as in claim 14 wherein the set of plug-ins is extensible.

16. The method as in claim 14 wherein the method further comprises:

generating a second call to a file system program to obtain an identifier of the file type of the file and receiving the identifier of the file type in response to the second call, and wherein the identifier of the file type is used to select the first plug-in from the set of plug-ins.

17. The method as in claim 16 wherein the request is a third call through a second API to the set of plug-ins.

18. The method as in claim 16 wherein the content produced through the first plug-in is displayable by the first application program without further conversion of data.

19. The method as in claim 16 wherein the content produced through the first plug-in is in a standard format which can be further processed through the first application to generate displayed content.

20. The method as in claim 19 wherein the displayed content of the file generated through the first plug-in is interactive in response to user inputs to one of zoom or resize or scroll or playback or page though the content of the file.

21. The method as in claim 20 wherein the displayed content is interactive within the first view.

22. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving a first call, through a first application programming interface (API), to obtain a preview of content of a file, the first call being made by a first application program and being received by a preview generator daemon;

means for generating a request to obtain a first plug-in from a set of plug-ins, the first plug-in being configured to process a file type of the file to produce content in a format which can be displayed by the first application program.

23. A software architecture for providing previews of content of a variety of different file types, the architecture comprising:

a first application programming interface (API) which provides an interface between a preview generator system and a first set of applications comprising at least one user level application;

a preview generator configured to receive calls through the first API to generate a preview of content of a file and configured to communicate with a first software routine which is configured to process content of a file type of the file, wherein the preview generator system comprises the preview generator;

a set of software routines configured to receive requests from the preview generator to generate previews of content, the set of routines including the first routine, wherein the first software routine is configured to process the file type of the file to produce content in a format which can be displayed by a first application in the first set of applications.

24. The software architecture as in claim 23 wherein the first application in the first set of applications displays an initial preview of the file in a first view which is one of a list view or an icon view or a cover flow view and wherein the initial preview is not configured to be interactive, within the first view, in response to user inputs and wherein the content produced through the first routine is configured to interactively display content of the file in response to user inputs.

25. The software architecture as in claim 24 wherein the first application displays other initial previews of other files in the first view with the initial preview.

26. The software architecture as in claim 25 wherein the preview generator comprises a preview generator daemon which matches the first software routine to the file type and wherein the preview generator calls a file system program to obtain an identifier of the file type which is used to match the first software routine to the file type.

27. The software architecture as in claim 25 wherein the content produced through the first software routine is displayable by the first application without further conversion of data.

28. The software architecture as in claim 25 wherein the content produced through the first software routine is in a standard format which can be further processed through the first application to generate displayed content.

29. The software architecture as in claim 28 wherein the displayed content of the file generated through the first software routine is interactive in response to user inputs to one of zoom or resize or scroll or playback or page though the content of the file.

30. The software architecture as in claim 29 wherein the displayed content is interactive within the first view.