Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Aidan N Low

Paul Alexander Gusmorino, Iii

David George De Vorchik

Scott S Hysom

Tyler Kien Beam

Charles Cummins

Patrice Lynn Miner

Chris J Guzak

Timothy P McKee

Jason Fergus Moore

Judson Craig Hally

Colin Ray Anthony

Richard Malcolm Banks

Relja Ivanovic

Giampiero M Sierra

Kenneth Martin Tubbs

Marieke Iwema Watson

Lyon K F Wong

Paul Cutsinger

Ahsan Syed Kabir

Benjamin Betz

Jonathan Paul Rosenberg

Jeffrey C Belt

Sasanka Chalivendra

Lyon King-Fook Wong

Rhae-Christie Shaw

Donna B Andrews

Jon Rosenberg

Mike Sheldon

Gerald Paul Joyce

Alex D Wade

Vasantha Badari Kostojohn

A system, apparatus, method, and computer-readable media are provided for generating a document preview. According to one method, a preview handler is provided that exposes interfaces that may be called by a host application to generate a document preview without launching the application program that created the document. The interfaces exposed by the preview handler provide a common framework that may be utilized by both operating system and application program hosts to provide document previews.

Providing a document preview

A file system shell is provided. One aspect of the shell provides virtual folders which expose regular files and folders to users in different views based on their metadata instead of the actual physical underlying file system structure on the disk. Users are able to work with the virtual folders through direct manipulation (e.g., clicking and dragging, copying, pasting, etc.). Filters are provided for narrowing down sets of items. Quick links are provided which can be clicked on to generate useful views of the sets of items. Libraries are provided which consist of large groups of usable types of items that can be associated together, along with functions and tools related to the items. A virtual address bar is provided which comprises a plurality of segments, each segment corresponding to a filter for selecting content. A shell browser is provided with which users can readily identify an item based on the metadata associated with that item. An object previewer in a shell browser is provided which is configured to display a plurality of items representing multiple item types.

User interface for a file system shell

A previewing system that permits selection from a plurality of interactive previewers for use in a system shell browser is disclosed. The previews may be extensible, such that different application developers may write custom previews for different file types, and the shell browser may follow established criteria to select an appropriate preview. The user may enter criteria to control which previewers are used for different situations, such as when certain file types are selected for previewing. Size of an available display area for the preview may be a criterion, such that resizing the preview area may cause a different preview to be displayed. The preview may be executed as a separate process from the browser so that crashes and hangs in the previewer process do not fatally affect the browser process. Previews may be incorporated within common file dialogs offered by an underlying operating system, such that different applications may share the common previewer.

System and method for shell browser

A method for removing some or all metadata from files during copying or moving. Metadata management software may register with an operating system and be called to remove metadata crossing a trust boundary, such as going from a local hard drive to a file share.

Metadata management

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Redmond, WA, United States of America

Aidan N Low