Mirrored file manager

• US 9,043,711 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yen-Fu, Lin, Ta-Wei, Su, Chih-Wen, Su, Shan, Wong, Meng Li
• Primary Examiner(s): PHILLIPS, III, ALBERT M
• Application Number:
  US11/669,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,037 Days
• Field of Search: 715/747
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management

Abstract

A file managing software program for managing a list of elements in a specific sequence in a first file of a computer program, including the steps of copying the first file to form a second file having an identical list of elements as the first file. The user is then permitted to rearrange the sequence of the elements of the second file independently of the sequence of the first file. A display of both the first and the second file list elements is provided to the user. Further embodiments allow the user to categorize, prioritize, and order according to users specified rules of how the second file element list is organized and displayed to provide a more convenient and flexible presentation of the file contents.

Claims

1. A method for managing a list of input data elements, the input data elements ordered in a first sequence in a first file, the method comprising the steps of:

determining, by a computer, that a configuration file, required to have current settings describing how to order the input data elements in the list, does not exist and in response, copying, by the computer, the first file to form a second file having the input data elements ordered in the first sequence;

after said coping the first file to form the second file, receiving, by the computer from a user, input specifying first settings of how to reorder the input data elements in the second file;

in response to said receiving input specifying the first settings, generating, by the computer, the configuration file as a new file that coexists with the second file, said generating comprising setting the current settings in the configuration file to the first settings;

after said generating the configuration file, loading, by the computer, the first settings from the configuration file and displaying, by the computer, the first settings that have been loaded;

after said generating the configuration file, reordering, by the computer, the input data elements in the second file in accordance with the current settings in the configuration file;

receiving, by the computer, display instruction to simultaneously display (i) the input data elements in the first file ordered in the first sequence and (ii) the input data elements in the second file ordered in accordance with the current settings in the configuration file; and

in response to said receiving the display instruction, simultaneously displaying, by the computer in accordance with the display instruction, the input data elements in the first file and the input data elements in the second file.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the computer, a window comprising a first menu of commands for selection by the user to enable the user to select the first settings of how to reorder the input data elements in the second file, and in response, receiving, by the computer, the first settings selected by the user from the first menu,

wherein the input received from the user is the first settings selected by the user from the first menu.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first menu in the window displays categories into which the input data elements in the second file may be distributed by the user, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the computer from the user, an indication of how to distribute the input data elements in the second file into the displayed categories, and in response, distributing, by the computer, the input data elements in the second file into the displayed categories in accordance with the indication,

wherein the first settings selected by the user from the first menu specify how to sequentially order the categories.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the input data elements are URL addresses, and wherein the distributing comprises distributing the URL addresses into the displayed categories.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first settings specify how to reorder the input data elements in the second file in accordance with both a recency of the input data elements in the second file and a frequency of previous access of the input data elements in the second file,

wherein the reordering the input data elements in the second file comprises reordering the input data elements in the second file in accordance with both the recency and the frequency, and

wherein the displaying the input data elements in the second file comprises displaying the reordered input data element in the second file such that each input data element in the second file is displayed along with the displayed input data element'"'"'s recency and frequency.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer from the user, input specifying a change of the first settings to second settings of how to reorder the input data elements in the second file;

modifying, by the computer, the configuration file, the modifying comprising changing the current settings in the configuration file from the first settings to the second settings; and

loading, by the computer, the second settings from the configuration file and displaying the second settings that have been loaded.

7. A computer program product for managing a list of input data elements, the input data elements ordered in a first sequence in a first file, the computer program product comprising:

one or more non-transitory computer readable storage devices and program code stored in the one or more computer readable storage devices, the program code comprising;

program instructions to determine that a configuration file, required to have current settings describing how to order the input data elements in the list, does not exist and in response, to copy the first file to form a second file having the input data elements ordered in the first sequence;

program instructions to receive, from a user after the first file has been copied to form the second file, input specifying first settings of how to reorder the input data elements in the second file;

program instructions to generate, in response to having received the input specifying the first settings, the configuration file as a new file that coexists with the second file, said program instructions to generate comprising program instructions to set the current settings in the configuration file to the first settings;

program instructions to, after the configuration file has been generated, load the first settings from the configuration file and display the first settings that have been loaded;

program instructions to, after the configuration file has been generated, reorder the input data elements in the second file in accordance with the current settings in the configuration file;

program instructions to receive a display instruction to simultaneously display (i) the input data elements in the first file ordered in the first sequence and (ii) the input data elements in the second file ordered in accordance with the current settings in the configuration file, and in response, to simultaneously display, in accordance with the display instruction, the input data elements in the first file and the input data elements in the second file.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, the program code further comprising:

program instructions to display a window comprising a first menu of commands for selection by the user to enable the user to select the first settings of how to reorder the input data elements in the second file, and in response, to receive the first settings selected by the user from the first menu,

wherein the input received from the user is the first settings selected by the user from the first menu.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first menu in the window displays categories into which the input data elements in the second file may be distributed by the user, wherein the program code further comprises:

program instructions to receive, from the user, an indication of how to distribute the input data elements in the second file into the displayed categories, and in response, to distribute, by the computer, the input data elements in the second file into the displayed categories in accordance with the indication,

wherein the first settings selected by the user from the first menu specify how to sequentially order the categories.

10. The computer program product of claim 7,

wherein the first settings specify how to reorder the input data elements in the second file in accordance with both a recency of the input data elements in the second file and a frequency of previous access of the input data elements in the second file,

wherein the program instructions to reorder the input data elements in the second file comprise program instructions to reorder the input data elements in the second file in accordance with both the recency and the frequency, and

wherein the program instructions to display the input data elements in the second file comprise program instructions to display the reordered input data element in the second file such that each input data element in the second file is displayed along with the displayed input data element'"'"'s recency and frequency.

11. A computer system for managing a list of input data elements, the input data elements ordered in a first sequence in a first file, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories, one or more computer readable storage devices, and program code stored in the one or more computer readable storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more computer readable memories, the program code comprising;

program instructions to determine that a configuration file, required to have current settings describing how to order the input data elements in the list, does not exist and in response, to copy the first file to form a second file having the input data elements ordered in the first sequence;

program instructions to receive, from a user after the first file has been copied to form the second file, input specifying first settings of how to reorder the input data elements in the second file;

program instructions to generate, in response to having received the input specifying the first settings, the configuration file as a new file that coexists with the second file, said program instructions to generate comprising program instructions to set the current settings in the configuration file to the first settings;

program instructions to, after the configuration file has been generated, load the first settings from the configuration file and display the first settings that have been loaded;

program instructions to, after the configuration file has been generated, reorder the input data elements in the second file in accordance with the current settings in the configuration file;

program instructions to receive a display instruction to simultaneously display (i) the input data elements in the first file ordered in the first sequence and (ii) the input data elements in the second file ordered in accordance with the current settings in the configuration file, and in response, to simultaneously display, in accordance with the display instruction, the input data elements in the first file and the input data elements in the second file.

12. The computer system of claim 11, the program code further comprising:

program instructions to display a window comprising a first menu of commands for selection by the user to enable the user to select the first settings of how to reorder the input data elements in the second file, and in response, to receive the first settings selected by the user from the first menu,

wherein the input received from the user is the first settings selected by the user from the first menu.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the first menu in the window displays categories into which the input data elements in the second file may be distributed by the user, wherein the program code further comprises:

program instructions to receive, from the user, an indication of how to distribute the input data elements in the second file into the displayed categories, and in response, to distribute, by the computer, the input data elements in the second file into the displayed categories in accordance with the indication, wherein the first settings selected by the user from the first menu specify how to sequentially order the categories.

14. The computer system of claim 11,

wherein the first settings specify how to reorder the input data elements in the second file in accordance with both a recency of the input data elements in the second file and a frequency of previous access of the input data elements in the second file,

wherein the program instructions to reorder the input data elements in the second file comprise program instructions to reorder the input data elements in the second file in accordance with both the recency and the frequency, and

wherein the program instructions to display the input data elements in the second file comprise program instructions to display the reordered input data element in the second file such that each input data element in the second file is displayed along with the displayed input data element'"'"'s recency and frequency.