Whole module items in a sidebar

Abstract

Some application modules of a sidebar comprise a list of items. For example, an email module comprises message items while a photo slideshow does not comprise items. In known sidebars, the number of items in an application module display area is not discrete. For example, in an email module the last item in the list can be partially displayed. In one embodiment, application modules that comprise items are forced to display a whole number of menu items. When a user resizes an application module, the application module will “snap” to fully include or fully exclude an item as opposed to displaying a partial item. A whole item display format can also be implemented in an application module's slidesheet.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This continuation application claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. ______, filed Jan. 4, 2006, entitled NETWORK USER DATABASE FOR A SIDEBAR, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This disclosure is directed to computers and computer applications and, more particularly, to methods and systems of providing whole items in a module for a software tool that acts as an application aggregator for access to existing applications and that also adds additional features and functions, which in one embodiment, can be presented as a sidebar, the sidebar comprises a plurality of applications, such as, for example, Internet services and other computer applications. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Many Internet content providers, such as, for example, Yahoo!, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., offer a large number of Internet services, such as, for example, searching, email, news, photo sharing, maps, fin...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0072] The Internet allows people to connect and share thoughts in a number of different ways. For example, social networking communities allow users to add friends to their network, and thereby connected to many other people through their friends' friends. Social networking websites allow their users to post blogs, photos, blasts, and other media that a user wants to share with their group of friends, such as Yahoo! 360, offered by Yahoo! Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. Another example of a community network is an online photo sharing website. Photos are assigned tags and posted to a user's photo site. Other users can search for photos by user, group or tag. They can also comment on the photo. Yet another example of a community network is a review network. People know their friends tastes, so they can trust a friend's review more than another person's review. Many of these community networks provide email updates when a user's friend makes a new post. Vitality is an application module that, in one embodiment, seeks out updates to a user's community networks and lists them in a sidebar. Thus, the user can stay current with all their community networks without having to visit a number of different websites.

Problems solved by technology

Present sidebars do not fully utilize the potential of the UDB, however.

Images