Using virtual repository items for customized display

1. At a computer system, a method for providing repository item information from one or more different perspectives using virtual repository items within a customizable presentation scheme, the method comprising:

an act of accessing one or more actual repository items from a repository;

an act of accessing one or more user-defined presentation schemes that describe different manners in which repository items are to be presented;

an act of generating virtual repository items for the one or more actual repository items based on the one or more user-defined presentation schemes, wherein a plurality of different virtual repository items are generated for some of the actual repository items in accordance with the one or more user-defined presentation schemes;

an act of mapping the virtual repository items to one or more different virtualized sets of repository items according to the one or more user-defined presentation schemes, wherein the one or more different virtualized sets comprise at least one actual repository item and at least one virtual repository item; and

an act of presenting the virtualized sets of repository items, presentation of the virtualized sets including simultaneously presenting a plurality of different presentation perspectives for one or more actual repository items based on the one or more user-defined presentation schemes, including simultaneously presenting multiple versions of at least one actual repository item, the multiple versions including:

for each actual repository item, the actual repository item and one or more virtual repository items for the actual repository item.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more user-defined presentation schemes use monikers to refer to repository items and virtual repository items.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the monikers are globally unique identifiers (GUID's).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of the presentation perspectives comprises a diagram.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of the presentation perspectives comprises a list.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising allowing a user to dynamically restructure the presentation of the virtualized sets based on a modification of the one or more presentation schemes.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virtualized sets are presented according to the domain to which the actual repository item belongs.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a browser is used to view virtualized sets.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more user-defined presentation schemes are scalable to include a plurality of virtualized sets.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising efficiently searching the virtualized sets by deferring the loading of providers and the execution of provider instructions until appropriate.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein each of the simultaneously presented multiple versions of the at least one actual repository item represent the at least one actual repository item in an different format arrangement for each different user-defined scheme.

12. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer program product for implementing a method for providing repository item information from one or more different perspectives using virtual repository items within a customizable presentation scheme, the the computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the computing system to perform the method, including the following:

access one or more actually repository items from a repository;

access one or more user-defined presentation schemes that describe different manners in which repository items are to be presented;

generate virtual repository items for the one or more actual repository items based on the one or more user-defined presentation schemes, wherein a plurality of different virtual repository items are generated for some of the actual repository items in accordance with the one or more user-defined presentation schemes;

map the virtual repository items to different virtualized sets of repository items according to the one or more user-defined presentation schemes, wherein the one or more different virtualized sets comprise at least one actual repository item and at least one virtual repository item; and

present the virtualized sets of repository items, presentation of the virtualized sets including simultaneously presenting a plurality of different presentation perspectives for one or more actual repository items based on the one or more user-defined presentation schemes, including simultaneously presenting multiple versions of at least one actual repository item, the multiple versions including:

for each actual repository item, the actual repository item and one or more virtual repository items for the actual repository item.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 , further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to present custom search panels.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the presented search panels provide for searching by one or more of accessibility, abstract class, interface or namespace.

15. The computer program product of claim 12 , further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to allow a user to dynamically restructure the presentation of the virtualized sets based on a modification of the one or more presentation schemes.

16. The computer program product of claim 12 , further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to efficiently search the virtualized sets by deferring the loading of providers and the execution of provider instructions until appropriate.