Method and systems for hyperlinking files

1. A method for hyperlinking a main file with N target files, said main file and said N target files being stored in a computer readable storage medium of a computer system, said N at least 1, said method comprising:

hyperlinking a primary filename of the main file with N target file addresses to form a composite filename, wherein the primary filename has a form of F.E, wherein the composite filename has a form of F(A).E, wherein F represents a name component of the primary filename, wherein E represents an extension component of the primary filename, wherein the N target files are denoted as T 1 , T 2 , . . . , T N having the associated N target file addresses respectively denoted as A 1 , A 2 , . . . , A N , wherein A represents A 1 , A 2 , . . . , A N , wherein symbol (between said F and said A denotes a first control character that separates said F and said A, wherein symbol) between said A and said E denotes a second control character that separates said A and said E, wherein the second control character differs from the first control character, wherein the main file is a different file than each target file of the N target files, wherein the primary filename of the main file differs from the filename of each target file of the N target files, wherein the main file has an address that differs from each target file address of the N target file addresses and wherein a target file of the N target files consists of metadata, a computer program, a text document, graphics, a picture, audio, video, or a combination thereof; and

storing the composite filename in said computer readable storage medium.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target file T i is a source file of the main file such that A i is a source file address of the source file T i , and wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein N is at least 2, wherein A is represented in a form of A 1 {A 2 { . . . {A N , and wherein said symbol { denotes a third control character that separates A n−1 and A n for n=2, . . . , N, and wherein the third control character differs from both the first control character and the second control character.

4. The method of claim 3 , said method further comprising determining whether corresponding path portions of two consecutive target file addresses A i and A i+1 , is a common path, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N−1, and if said determining determines that said corresponding path portions is a common path then:

inserting a fourth control character denoted by a symbol } at the end of the common path of A i , wherein the fourth control character differs from the first control character, the second control character, and the third control character; and

removing the common path from A i+1 .

5. The method of claim 1 , said method further comprising specifying predetermined character strings and associated substitute characters; and for n=1, 2, . . . , N:

identifying in A n at least one character string of said predetermined character strings; and

replacing in A n each identified character string with its associated substitute character.

6. The method of claim 1 , said method further comprising:

decoding the composite filename, by parsing the composite filename, to extract from the composite filename a target file address A i of the N target file addresses, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N; and

accessing the target file T i at the target file address A i .

7. The method of claim 6 , said method further comprising:

analyzing the target file address A i to determine a file type of the target file T i ; and

launching an application that is associated to the file type of the target file T i .

8. An apparatus comprising: a computer system, said computer system comprising a computer readable storage medium, said computer readable storage medium comprising software configured to be executed by the computer system to implement a method for hyperlinking a main file with N target files, said main file and said N target files being stored in the computer system, said N at least 1, said method comprising:

hyperlinking a primary filename of the main file with N target file addresses to form a composite filename, wherein the primary filename has a form of F.E, wherein the composite filename has a form of F(A).E, wherein F represents a name component of the primary filename, wherein E represents an extension component of the primary filename, wherein the N target files are denoted as T 1 , T 2 , . . . , T N having the associated N target file addresses respectively denoted as A 1 , A 2 , . . . , A N , wherein A represents A 1 , A 2 , . . . , A N , wherein symbol ( between said F and said A denotes a first control character that separates said F and said A, wherein symbol ) between said A and said E denotes a second control character that separates said A and said E, wherein the second control character differs from the first control character, wherein the main file is a different file than each target file of the N target files, wherein the primary filename of the main file differs from the filename of each target file of the N target files, wherein the main file has an address that differs from each target file address of the N target file addresses and wherein a target file of the N target files consists of metadata, a computer program, a text document, graphics, a picture, audio, video, or a combination thereof; and

storing the composite filename in said computer readable storage medium.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the target file T i is a source file of the main file such that A i is a source file address of the source file T i , and wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein N is at least 2, wherein A is represented in a form of A 1 {A 2 { . . . {A N , and wherein said symbol { denotes a third control character that separates A n−1 and A n for n=2, N, and wherein the third control character differs from both the first control character and the second control character.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , said method further comprising determining whether corresponding path portions of two consecutive target file addresses A i and A i+1 , is a common path, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N−1, and if said determining determines that said corresponding path portions is a common path then:

inserting a fourth control character denoted by a symbol } at the end of the common path of A i , wherein the fourth control character differs from the first control character, the second control character, and the third control character; and

removing the common path from A i+1 .

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , said method further comprising specifying predetermined character strings and associated substitute characters; and for n=1, 2, . . . , N:

identifying in A n at least one character string of said predetermined character strings; and

replacing in A n each identified character string with its associated substitute character.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , said method further comprising:

decoding the composite filename, by parsing the composite filename, to extract from the composite filename a target file address A i of the N target file addresses, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N; and

accessing the target file T i at the target file address A i .

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , said method further comprising:

analyzing the target file address A i to determine a file type of the target file T i ; and

launching an application that is associated to the file type of the target file T i .

15. A computer readable storage medium comprising software configured to be executed by a computer system to implement a method for hyperlinking a main file with N target files, said main file and said N target files being stored in the computer system, said N at least 1, said method comprising:

hyperlinking a primary filename of the main file with N target file addresses to form a composite filename, wherein the primary filename has a form of F.E, wherein the composite filename has a form of F(A).E, wherein F represents a name component of the primary filename, wherein E represents an extension component of the primary filename, wherein the N target files are denoted as T 1 , T 2 , . . . , T N having the associated N target file addresses respectively denoted as A 1 , A 2 , . . . , A N , wherein A represents A 1 , A 2 , . . . , A N , wherein symbol (between said F and said A denotes a first control character that separates said F and said A, wherein symbol) between said A and said E denotes a second control character that separates said A and said E, wherein the second control character differs from the first control character, wherein the main file is a different file than each target file of the N target files, wherein the primary filename of the main file differs from the filename of each target file of the N target files, wherein the main file has an address that differs from each target file address of the N target file addresses and wherein a target file of the N target files consists of metadata, a computer program, a text document, graphics, a picture, audio, video, or a combination thereof; and

storing the composite filename in said computer readable storage medium.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the target file T i is a source file of the main file such that A i is a source file address of the source file T i , and wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein N is at least 2, wherein A is represented in a form of A 1 {A 2 { . . . {A N , and wherein said symbol { denotes a third control character that separates A n−1 and A n for n=2, N, and wherein the third control character differs from both the first control character and the second control character.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17 , said method further comprising determining whether corresponding path portions of two consecutive target file addresses A i and A i+1 , is a common path, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N−1, and if said determining determines that said corresponding path portions is a common path then:

inserting a fourth control character denoted by a symbol } at the end of the common path of A i , wherein the fourth control character differs from the first control character, the second control character, and the third control character; and

removing the common path from A i+1 .

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , said method further comprising specifying predetermined character strings and associated substitute characters; and for n=1, 2, . . . , N:

identifying in A n at least one character string of said predetermined character strings; and

replacing in A n each identified character string with its associated substitute character.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , said method further comprising:

decoding the composite filename, by parsing the composite filename, to extract from the composite filename a target file address A i of the N target file addresses, wherein i is selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, . . . , and N; and

accessing the target file T i at the target file address A i .

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 20 , said method further comprising:

analyzing the target file address A i to determine a file type of the target file T i ; and

launching an application that is associated to the file type of the target file T i .