Customizable web application navigation

1. A method comprising:

operating at least one programmed processor to carry out acts identified by executable instructions with which the at least one programmed processor is programmed, the acts comprising:

displaying to a user of a web application a web page, wherein displayed content of the web page comprises:

i) a list of elements, the elements each associated with at least one of a plurality of web application components of the web application, the web application comprising a plurality of web pages to perform at least one function, a first web application component of the plurality of web application components comprising at least one first web page to perform a first function to edit first data in a first data store and a second web application component of the plurality of web application components comprising at least one second web page to perform a second function to edit second data in a second data store, and

ii) at least one link to at least one tool for editing display preferences for the list of elements each associated with at least one of the plurality of web application components of the web application;

detecting and storing edits made to the display preferences for the list of elements using the at least one tool, the storing comprising storing the edits made to the display preferences for the list of elements in connection with a subscription with which the user is associated; and

rendering for display to at least one user associated with the subscription, based on the display preferences for the list of elements that are associated with the subscription, a portion of at least one web page associated with the web application.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein an element of the list is a link to at least one web application component, and the portion of the web page comprises a navigation section comprising a list of links to the plurality of web application components.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a web application component is a web page associated with the web application or a container for web pages associated with the web application.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one tool for editing the list comprises at least one tool from a group consisting of tools for hiding, showing, re-ordering, renaming, rearranging in a hierarchy, adding, and removing elements of the list, and

an edit made to the display preferences by the user comprises at least one of hiding, showing, re-ordering, renaming, rearranging in a hierarchy, adding, and removing elements of the list.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein rendering the portion of the web page comprises rendering the portion of the web page using the display preferences for a plurality of users sharing the subscription to the web application.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein rendering the portion of the web page for each of a plurality of users comprises rendering the portion based on display preferences provided by an administrator for the subscription.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein rendering the portion of the web page comprises rendering the portion of the web page using the display preferences unique to each user of the web application.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the act of rendering is performed after receiving an indication from the user that the user is temporarily finished editing the display preferences.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the act of rendering is performed upon receiving each edit made by the user as the user is making edits to the display preferences.

10. An apparatus comprising:

at least one computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon a plurality of structures each for storing computer-readable data identifying display preferences for a particular subscriber, the structure comprising:

at least one element, each element comprising:

a unique identifier for the element;

a link to at least one web application component;

a title for the element; and

a number of sub-element links, each sub-element link comprising a reference to a sub-element having the same structure as an element,

wherein each web application component identified in the structure is related to a web application that comprises a plurality of web pages and performs at least one function to edit data in a data store, a first web application component of the at least one web application component comprising at least one first web page to perform a first function to edit first data in a first data store and a second web application component of the at least one web application component comprising at least one second web page to perform a second function to edit second data in a second data store, the first data being different from the second data and the first function being different from the second function; and

at least one processor adapted to:

receive at least one request to provide a web page to a requesting client computer;

determine an associated subscriber with which the requesting client computer is associated;

create, based on a structure of the plurality of structures that is associated with the associated subscriber, a navigation bar comprising a plurality of entries and at least one link to at least one tool for editing the display preferences identified by the structure, wherein an order of sub-element links and the title of each element in the structure identify the display preferences that are used in creating each entry of the navigation bar; and

respond to each of the at least one request with a web page comprising content and the navigation bar.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein a web application component is a web page associated with the web application or a container for web pages associated with the web application.

12. At least one computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed, instruct a computer to carry out a method, the method comprising:

retrieving, for a subscription, a set of display preferences for a list of elements, each element associated with at least one web application component of a web application, the web application comprising a plurality of web pages to perform at least one function, each web application component being related to a function of a web application that performs a function to edit data in a data store, a first web application component of the at least one web application component comprising at least one first web page to perform a first function to edit first data in a first data store and a second web application component of the at least one web application component comprising at least one second web page to perform a second function to edit second data in a second data store, the first data being different from the second data, the display preferences comprising a desired contents and ordering of the list of elements;

rendering, based at least in part on the display preferences for the subscription, a first web page comprising:

i) at least one link to at least one tool for editing the display preferences of the list of elements, and

ii) the list of elements, wherein rendering the first web page comprises rendering the list of elements according to the desired contents and ordering of the display preferences;

detecting and storing edits made to the display preferences for the subscription by a user of the web page; and

rendering, based at least in part on edited display preferences for the subscription, a second web page comprising the list of elements according to the display preferences.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein an element of the list is a hyperlink to a web application component, and the portion of the web page comprises a navigation section comprising at least one hyperlink to the at least one other web page.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein a web application component is a web page associated with the web application or a container for web pages associated with the web application.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one tool for editing the list comprises at least one tool from a group consisting of tools for hiding, showing, re-ordering, renaming, rearranging in a hierarchy, adding, and removing elements, and

an edit made to the display preferences by the user comprises at least one of hiding, showing, re-ordering, renaming, rearranging in a hierarchy, adding, and removing elements of the list.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein rendering the second web page comprising the list of elements comprises rendering the second web page comprising the list of elements using the display preferences for a plurality of users sharing the subscription to a web application.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the rendering the second web page comprising the list of elements for each of a plurality of users comprises rendering the portion based on display preferences provided by an administrator for the subscription.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein rendering the second web page comprising the list of elements comprises rendering the second web page comprising the list of elements using the display preferences unique to each user of the web application.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the act of rendering a second web page is performed after receiving an indication from the user indicating that the user is temporarily finished editing the display preferences.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein the act of rendering a second web page is performed upon receiving each edit made by the user as the user is making edits to the display preferences.