Buddy list-based sharing of electronic content
View Patent ↗Instant messaging (IM) entities may be invited to an electronic calendar event using an instant message. Selecting the IM entities as invitees to the event may include dragging and dropping names of the IM entities from a buddy list of an IM application to an event from an electronic calendar application, or vice versa. A method of inviting an entity to a calendar event includes providing a calendar event from a calendar application and recognizing, by the calendar application, an IM entity as an invitee to the event.
1. A computer-implemented method for sharing an electronic file with multiple different co-users, the method comprising:
enabling access to a contacts list user interface that makes perceivable on-line identifiers and on-line presence information for co-users corresponding to at least some of those on-line identifiers;
enabling a user to manipulate the contacts list interface to designate at least two on-line identifiers that appear in the contacts list as corresponding to co-users with whom an electronic file is to be shared;
receiving, from the user and via manipulation of the contacts list interface, a designation of at least two on-line identifiers that appear in the contacts list as on-line identifiers that correspond to co-users with whom an electronic file is to be shared;
in response to receiving the designation of the at least two on-line identifiers as corresponding to co-users with whom an electronic file is to be shared, causing an updating of the contacts list user interface to visually reflect the designation of the at least two on-line identifiers;
while the contacts list user interface continues to visually reflect the designation of the at least two on-line identifiers, receiving, from the user, an indication of an electronic file that is to be shared with the co-users corresponding to the at least two designated on-line identifiers;
in response to receiving the designation of the at least two on-line identifiers as corresponding to co-users with whom an electronic file is to be shared and receiving the indication of the electronic file that is to be shared:
automatically generating separate electronic communications to be sent to each of the co-users corresponding to the at least two on-line identifiers designated by the user, wherein each of the separate electronic communications is configured to enable the co-user for whom it is intended to reply to the user but not other of the co-users corresponding to the at least two on-line identifiers designated by the user, and
including, within each of the automatically-generated electronic communications, the electronic file that is to be shared; and
enabling the user to send the separate, automatically-generated electronic communications, including the electronic file that is to be shared, to the co-users corresponding to the at least two on-line identifiers designated by the user.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving, from the user, an indication of the electronic file that is to be shared with the co-users corresponding to the at least two designated on-line identifiers while the contacts list user interface continues to visually reflect the designation of the at least two on-line identifiers includes:
receiving, from the user, a request to move a position at which the representation of the electronic file is visually displayed to a new position;
in response to receiving the request to move the position at which the representation of the electronic file is visually displayed to the new position, causing the representation of the electronic file to be moved to the new location; and
determining that the new location is within a predefined vicinity of a position at which representation of one of the designated on-line identifiers is visually displayed while the contacts list user interface continues to visually reflect the designation of the at least two on-line identifiers.
3. A computer-implemented method for sharing an electronic file with multiple different co-users, the method comprising:
enabling access to a contacts list user interface that makes perceivable on-line identifiers and on-line presence information for co-users corresponding to at least some of those on-line identifiers;
enabling the user to manipulate the contacts list interface to modify positions at which at least two on-line identifiers that appear in the contacts list are visually displayed;
receiving, from the user and via manipulation of the contacts list interface, a request to move the position at which a first on-line identifier that appears in the contacts list is visually displayed to a first new position;
in response to receiving the request to move the position at which the first on-line identifier that appears in the contacts list is visually displayed to the first new position, causing a representation of the first on-line identifier to be moved to the first new position;
receiving, from the user and via manipulation of the contacts list interface, a request to move the position at which a second on-line identifier that appears in the contacts list is visually displayed to a second new position;
in response to receiving the request to move the position at which the second on-line identifier that appears in the contacts list is visually displayed to the second new position, causing a representation of the second on-line identifier to be moved to the second new position;
determining that the first new position is within a predefined vicinity of a position at which a representation of a electronic file is visually displayed;
determining that the second new position is within the predefined vicinity of the position at which the representation of a electronic file is visually displayed;
based on determining that both the first new position and the second new position are within the predefined vicinity of the position at which the representation of the electronic file is visually displayed:
automatically generating separate electronic communications to the co-users corresponding to each of the first on-line identifier and the second on-line identifier, wherein each of the separate electronic communications is configured to enable the co-user for whom it is intended to reply to the user but not to the other co-user, and
including, within each of the automatically-generated electronic communications, the electronic file that is to be shared; and
enabling the user to send the separate, automatically-generated electronic communications, including the electronic file that is to be shared, to the co-users corresponding to each of the first on-line identifier and the second on-line identifier.
4. A computer-implemented method for sharing an electronic file with multiple different co-users, the method comprising:
enabling access to a contacts list user interface that makes perceivable on-line identifiers and on-line presence information for co-users corresponding to at least some of those on-line identifiers, the contacts list user interface including at least one sub-group of on-line identifiers that is visually distinguished from other of the on-line identifiers that appear in the contacts list user interface, that includes multiple on-line identifiers, and that is associated with a visually displayed label for the sub-group;
receiving, from the user, a request to move a position at which a representation of an electronic file is visually displayed to a new position;
in response to receiving the request to move the position at which the representation of the electronic file is visually displayed to the new position, causing the representation of the electronic file to be moved to the new position;
determining that the new position is within a predefined vicinity of a position at which the label for the sub-group is displayed;
in response to determining that the new position is within the predefined vicinity of the position at which the representation of the electronic file is visually displayed:
automatically generating separate electronic communications to each of the co-users corresponding to the on-line identifiers included within the sub-group, wherein each of the separate electronic communications is configured to enable the co-user for whom it is intended to reply to the user but not other of the co-users corresponding to the on-line identifiers included in the sub-group, and
including, within each of the automatically-generated electronic communications, the electronic file that is to be shared; and
enabling the user to send the separate, automatically-generated electronic communications, including the electronic file that is to be shared, to the co-users corresponding to the on-line identifiers included within the sub-group.
5. A computer-implemented method for sharing an electronic file with multiple different co-users, the method comprising:
enabling access to a contacts list user interface that makes perceivable on-line identifiers and on-line presence information for co-users corresponding to at least some of those on-line identifiers, the contacts list user interface including at least one sub-group of on-line identifiers that is visually distinguished from other of the on-line identifiers that appear in the contacts list user interface, that includes multiple on-line identifiers, and that is associated with a visually displayed label for the sub-group;
enabling the user to manipulate the contacts list interface to modify a position at which a representation of the label for the sub-group is visually displayed;
receiving, from the user and via manipulation of the contacts list interface, a request to move the position at which the label for the sub-group is visually displayed to a new position;
in response to receiving the request to move the position at which the label for the sub-group is visually displayed to the new position, causing a representation of the label for the sub-group to be moved to the new position;
determining that the new position is within a predefined vicinity of a position at which a representation of a electronic file is visually displayed;
in response to determining that the new position is within the predefined vicinity of the position at which the representation of the electronic file is visually displayed:
automatically generating separate electronic communications to each of the co-users corresponding to the on-line identifiers included within the sub-group, wherein each of the separate electronic communications is configured to enable the co-user for whom it is intended to reply to the user but not other of the co-users corresponding to the on-line identifiers included in the sub-group, and
including, within each of the automatically-generated electronic communications, the electronic file that is to be shared; and
enabling the user to send the separate, automatically-generated electronic communications, including the electronic file that is to be shared, to the co-users corresponding to the on-line identifiers included within the sub-group.
6. A computer-implemented method for sharing an electronic file with multiple different co-users, the method comprising:
enabling access to a contacts list user interface that makes perceivable on-line identifiers and on-line presence information for co-users corresponding to at least some of those on-line identifiers;
receiving, from a user, an indication of an electronic file that is to be shared with other co-users;
enabling the user to manipulate the contacts list interface to designate at least two on-line identifiers that appear in the contacts list as corresponding to co-users with whom copies of the same electronic file are to be shared;
in response to receiving the indication of the electronic file that is to be shared and the designation of the at least two on-line identifiers as corresponding to co-users with whom copies of the same electronic file are to be shared:
automatically generating separate electronic communications to each of the co-users corresponding to the at least two on-line identifiers designated by the user, wherein each of the separate electronic communications is configured to enable the co-user for whom it is intended to reply to the user but not other of the co-users corresponding to the at least two on-line identifiers designated by the user, and
including, within each of the automatically-generated electronic communications, the electronic file that is to be shared; and
enabling the user to send the separate, automatically-generated electronic communications, including the electronic file that is to be shared, to the co-users corresponding to the at least two on-line identifiers designated by the user.