Unified navigation shell user interface

Abstract

A user interface for navigating among screens on a personal computer. The screens, which include layers of a shell user interface and various locations within applications, are presented as pages. In addition, commands and help information of an application are presented as a web of command pages. To this end, a unit of measure, called a “place” is defined. In general, an application is a place, and separate documents within an application may also define a place. Separate command windows and dialog boxes within an application or a document typically do not define a place. Backwards navigation takes the user to the previous place, and forward navigation (if possible) takes the user to the next place. Because the underlying data for a page may change between an initial visit to a page and navigation back to the page, data objects and page code are maintained separately, and are combined only when a request for a page is made.

1 - 44 . (canceled)  
   
   
       45 . In a computer system having a graphical user interface and a user interface selection device, a method of providing the user interface for selection therefrom, comprising: 
 maintaining command information about commands that are available for an application, the command information including textual information about each of the commands;    providing an option for requesting some of the commands in accordance with the command information;    in response to a signal indicative of a selection of the option, rendering a command page that displays at least some of the commands; and    for each of the commands displayed on the command page, displaying the textual description along with the command.    
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 45 , further comprising: 
 maintaining user prior history information about the commands; and    displaying the commands on the command page in accordance with the prior history information.    
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein displaying the commands on the command page in accordance with the prior history information comprises bubbling selected commands to selected locations on the command page.  
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein displaying at least some of the commands comprises displaying a link to a subset of the commands.  
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 45 , further comprising: 
 maintaining information about scopes available within the particular context;    providing a scope selector with a plurality of scope selections; and    in response to a signal indicating selection of one of the selections, providing the commands on the command page in accordance with the information about scopes.    
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the at least some commands are displayed in accordance with a context in which the option is selected.  
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the commands that are displayed are restricted by a filter.  
   
   
       52 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the filter comprises a textual search.  
   
   
       53 . A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in  claim 45 .  
   
   
       54 . In a computer system having a graphical user interface and a user interface selection device, a method of providing the user interface for selection therefrom, comprising: 
 maintaining command information about commands that are available for an application, the command information including grouping information about the commands;    providing an option for requesting some of the commands in accordance with the command information;    in response to a signal indicative of a selection of the option, rendering a command page that displays at least some of the commands and a link to a group of the commands.    
   
   
       55 . The method of  claim 54 , further comprising: 
 maintaining user prior history information about the commands; and    displaying the commands on the command page in accordance with the prior history information.    
   
   
       56 . The method of  claim 55 , wherein displaying the commands on the command page in accordance with the prior history information comprises bubbling selected commands to selected locations on the command page.  
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 54 , wherein displaying at least some of the commands further comprises displaying textual information about the at least some commands.  
   
   
       58 . The method of  claim 54 , further comprising: 
 maintaining information about scopes available within the particular context;    providing a scope selector with a plurality of scope selections; and    in response to a signal indicating selection of one of the selections, providing the commands on the command page in accordance with the information about scopes.    
   
   
       59 . The method of  claim 54 , wherein the at least some commands are displayed in accordance with a context in which the option is selected.  
   
   
       60 . The method of  claim 54 , wherein the commands that are displayed are restricted by a filter.  
   
   
       61 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the filter comprises a textual search.  
   
   
       62 . A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in  claim 54 .  
   
   
       63 . A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure, the data structure comprising: 
 a first data field comprising command information about a command; and    a second data field associated with the command information comprising information corresponding to a description of the command, the description capable of being sensed by a user.    
   
   
       64 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 63 , wherein the command information comprises a short name for the command.  
   
   
       65 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 64 , further comprising a third data field associated with the command information comprising information corresponding to terms that are descriptive of the command and are capable of being found by a search.  
   
   
       66 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 63 , wherein the description of the command comprises a textual description of the functions of the command.  
   
   
       67 . A computer readable medium having stored thereon a data structure, the data structure comprising: 
 a first data field comprising command information about a command; and    a second data field associated with the command information comprising information corresponding to terms that are descriptive of the command and are capable of being found by a search.    
   
   
       68 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 67 , wherein the command information comprises a short name for the command.  
   
   
       69 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 67 , further comprising a third data field associated with the command information comprising information corresponding to a description of the command, the description capable of being sensed by a user.  
   
   
       70 - 71 . (canceled)