Methods, Systems, and Computer-Readable Mediums for Providing Persisting and Continuously Updating Search Folders

Abstract

Providing persisting search folders within a computer that continuously identify data items having metadata matching a query of search criteria. A query of search criteria formulated via a graphical user interface is applied to a search filter to create a search folder. When the search folder is made live, the search filter is used to search one or more data stores for data items having metadata matching the query of search criteria. Upon finding these data items, the search folder is populated with a link to each data item having metadata matching the query of search criteria. The search folder detects when any new data items are added to a data store and when a change occurs to any metadata of data items previously stored in a data store. Upon detection, the search folder store links to matching new or changed data items.

1 .- 31 . (canceled)  
   
   
       32 . A method of providing a virtual folder within at least one computer, the method comprising: 
 continuously identifying data items in a datastore that satisfy a first query;    providing a first virtual folder, the virtual folder comprising a collection of links to the data items that satisfy the first query;    continuously identifying data items in a datastore that satisfy a second query;    providing a second virtual folder comprising a collection of links to the data items that satisfy the second query wherein at least one link in the second virtual folder refers to a data item that is also referred to by a link in the first virtual folder; and    storing a modified version of the data item referred to by a link.    
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 32  further comprising updating the collection of at least one link to include a new data item and its associated link, the new data item being placed in the datastore that satisfies the query of search criteria.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 32  wherein modifying the at least one of the identified data items includes deleting the at least one of the data items from the datastore, and in response to deleting the at least one of the data items, the method further comprising updating at least one of the collection of links that contain the at least one of the data items to remove the link to the deleted at least one of the data items.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 32  further comprising providing a MAPI interface to the virtual folder.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 32  further comprising displaying to the user the collection of at least one links as a list of datastore items.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 32  wherein the data items contain at least one email having a body and subject wherein identifying includes matching the search criteria with a specific word in the body or the subject of the email.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 32  further comprising deleting the collection of at least one link; and 
 not deleting the data items referenced by the one or more links.    
   
   
       39 . A computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for saving search criteria from an email search, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising: 
 receiving a query specifying metadata search parameters;    associating the query with a first virtual folder;    continuously updating the first virtual folder to store links to data items that currently satisfy the search criteria; and    modifying at least one of the data items that satisfy the search criteria via the links in the virtual folder.    
   
   
       40 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 39  wherein receiving the query includes receiving a find operation.  
   
   
       41 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 39  further comprising creating the first virtual folder as a MAPI folder.  
   
   
       42 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 39  further comprising populating a second virtual folder with at least one link that references the data item in the datastore;  
   
   
       43 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 42  further comprising deleting the second virtual folder and the links contained therein; and 
 maintaining the data items referenced by the links in the first virtual folder.    
   
   
       44 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 39  wherein the steps of receiving, saving and modifying occur on a remote computer, and the method further comprising sending the query of search criteria from a local computer.  
   
   
       45 . A system for searching a datastore, the system comprising: 
 a memory storage; and    a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to: 
 provide a first user interface element capable of being continuously updated to display a search folder which contains links to data items in a datastore that satisfy at least one search criterion,  
 provide a second user interface element capable of displaying a search criteria which controls the search criteria for the search folder, and  
 provide a third user interface element capable of instructing a datastore to modify a data item referred to by a link contained in the search folder.  
   
   
   
       46 . The system of  claim 45  wherein the datastore resides on a first memory storage coupled to a processing unit, and the first, second, and third user interface elements resides on a second memory storage coupled to a processing unit different than the first memory storage coupled to a processing unit.  
   
   
       47 . The system of  claim 45  wherein the system is further operative to provide a search user interface element that indicates to the user that the current search criteria is to be saved as a search folder.  
   
   
       48 . The system of  claim 45  wherein the system is further operative to provide a MAPI folder that stores the links.  
   
   
       49 . The system of  claim 45  wherein the datastore contains one or more email data items.  
   
   
       50 . The system of  claim 45  wherein the system is further operative to provide a fourth user interface element capable of deleting the search folder and the links without deleting the data items stored in the datastore.  
   
   
       51 . The system of  claim 45  wherein the system is further operative to provide: 
 a search user interface element that indicates to the user that the current search criteria is to be saved as a search folder,    a MAPI folder that stores the links, and    wherein the datastore contains one or more email data items.