Album Display Method Hiding Cached Media via Marker Files
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face inconvenience when searching for specific pictures in electronic device galleries due to the display of numerous irrelevant cached albums, which clutter the interface and hinder efficient picture management.
Innovation Solution
An album display method that allows users to hide unwanted albums by adding a .nomedia file to the album folder, changing the media type to non-media, and providing a user interface to track and unhide hidden albums, thereby controlling which albums are displayed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If all cached albums are displayed in the gallery, then the user can access all pictures, but the interface becomes cluttered and search efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts hidden albums from the default gallery view by creating a separate hidden album storage location. When albums are hidden, they are removed from the main gallery display but remain accessible through a dedicated hidden album entry, thus reducing interface clutter while preserving data accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the album display into two distinct parts: visible albums in the main gallery and hidden albums in a separate hidden album folder. This segmentation allows users to organize albums by visibility status, improving search efficiency by reducing the number of albums displayed in the primary view.
2Ease of operation
If hidden albums are completely removed from the system, then the interface is simplified, but the user cannot retrieve or view hidden pictures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a hidden album entry as an intermediary in the gallery interface. This entry serves as a mediator that provides access to hidden albums without displaying them in the main view. The hidden album entry acts as a gateway, allowing users to retrieve and view hidden pictures while maintaining interface simplicity in the primary gallery view.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a predetermined hidden album storage location and entry point before users need to access hidden content. The hidden album folder and its corresponding entry in the gallery are pre-configured, enabling users to retrieve hidden pictures whenever needed without requiring complex recovery procedures.
3Reliability
If the system scans all albums including hidden ones, then all pictures are indexed, but the scanning process becomes slower and more resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts hidden albums from the default scanning path by storing them in a separate hidden album folder with a specific naming convention (e.g., .nomedia folder or hidden directory). The scanning mechanism is configured to exclude these hidden folders from routine scans, improving scanning speed while maintaining the ability to access hidden content through the dedicated hidden album entry.
4Ease of operation
If users can hide albums, then irrelevant cached albums can be concealed, but the system complexity increases due to hide/unhide functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service hide/unhide mechanism where users can control album visibility through simple long-press operations. The system automatically manages the hidden status by moving albums to or from the hidden folder based on user actions, eliminating the need for complex manual configuration or additional settings menus.
Solution Approach 2:
The hidden album entry in the gallery serves multiple functions: it acts as a visual indicator of hidden content, provides access to all hidden albums, and maintains the album structure. This multi-functional design simplifies the interface by consolidating hide/unhide operations into a single entry point rather than requiring separate management mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes: After scanning a picture in a first folder, an electronic device displays a first user interface, where the first user interface includes a first album that includes the picture in the first folder, a quantity of times the first album has been hidden, and a hide operation item, wherein the quantity of times which the first album has been hidden is from a server. After detecting an operation performed on the hide operation item, the electronic device adds a first file to the first folder, and changes a media type of the picture in the first folder to a non-media file type. In response to the operation performed on the hide operation item, the electronic device displays a second user interface on the electronic device, where the second user interface is an interface obtained after the first album on the first user interface is hidden.