Multi-pane navigation model for graphical user interfaces

1 . In a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a user interface selection device, a method for displaying selectable items in a hierarchy, the method comprising:

defining at least three panes;

displaying a plurality of selectable top-level containers in a top-level pane, said top-level containers being displayed in a navigational hierarchy;

displaying at least one selectable first detail-level container in a first detail-level pane, wherein the first detail container is derived from a top-level container selected from the top-level pane;

displaying at least one selectable detail-level object in a second detail-level pane, wherein the detail-level object is derived from a first detail-level container selected from the first-level pane.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected first detail-level container comprises a second detail-level container.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

selecting the first detail-level container; and

displaying a selectable tab, table, or table of selectable tabs in the second detail-level pane, said selectable tab representing a second detail-level container derived from the first detail-level container.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

selecting a tab representing the second detail-level container; and

displaying a detail-level object derived from the second detail-level container in the second detail-level pane.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a plurality of second detail-level panes.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of second detail-level panes contain objects or containers independently derived from a plurality of first detail-level containers selected from the first detail-level pane.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

selecting a top-level container in the top-level pane; and

displaying a set of selectable first detail-level containers in the first detail-level pane, said set of selectable first detail-level containers comprising a first detail-level root container displayed in a tree hierarchy, the first detail-level root container corresponding to the selected top-level container.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

selecting a top-level container in the top-level pane; and

displaying two or more first detail-level tree hierarchies in the first detail-level pane, wherein the tree hierarchies are derived from the selected top-level container.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first detail-level tree hierarchies are independently selectable.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first detail-level tree hierarchies are displayed in the first detail-level pane by a selectable user interface component, wherein the selectable user interface component is selected from the group comprising selectable tabs, selectable table, and selectable table comprising tabs.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

selecting the selectable user interface component; and

displaying a first detail-level tree comprising a set of selectable first detail-level containers in the first detail-level pane, the first detail-level tree being derived from the selected user interface component.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-executable method of claim 1 .

13 . A method of navigating a hierarchy of selectable items in a top-level pane, the method comprising:

selecting a top-level item in the top-level pane;

displaying a first detail-level pane comprising at least one selectable first detail-level item derived from the selected top-level item;

selecting a first detail-level item in the first detail-level pane;

displaying a second detail-level pane comprising at least one selectable second detail-level item derived from the selected first detail-level item.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the selected first detail-level item is a first detail-level container comprising at least one second detail-level container.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein a selectable tab that corresponds to the second detail-level container is displayed in the second detail-level pane.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

selecting the second detail-level tab; and

displaying, in the second detail-level pane, one or more objects that correspond to the selected second detail-level tab.

17 . The method of claim 13 , wherein selecting a second top-level item changes the items displayed in the first detail-level pane and the second detail-level pane.

18 . A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

providing a top-level pane for displaying a tree hierarchy of selectable items;

providing a first detail-level pane for displaying at least one first detail-level item linked to one of the items in the tree hierarchy of the top-level pane;

providing one or more second detail-level panes wherein each second detail-level pane displays one or more selectable tabs linked to the first detail-level item, said selectable tabs each representing a container of one or more second detail-level objects; and

displaying the contents of a selected tab in the second detail-level pane.

19 . The computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the first detailed-level pane comprises one or more tree hierarchies of items.

20 . The computer-readable medium of claim 19 further comprising:

displaying the first detail-level tree hierarchies in the first detail-level pane by a selectable user interface component, wherein the selectable user interface component is selected from the group comprising selectable tabs, selectable table, and selectable table comprising tabs.