Object-oriented framework for hyperlink navigation

A method of browsing documents of multiple applications in a computer system, each application implementing a server which provides document objects to encapsulate data of documents associated with the application and to display views of the documents, the method comprising:

• providing a frame object for managing a frame having a document display area;
• creating a first document object to encapsulate data of a first document using a server of a first application associated with the first document, the first document containing a hyperlink to a second document associated with a second application;
• causing the frame object to host the first document object with the first document object displaying a view of the first document in the document display area;
• creating a second document object to encapsulate data of the second document using a server of the second application;
• and
• on activation of the hyperlink by a user, causing the frame object to host the second document object with the second document object displaying a view of the second document in place of the view of the first document in the document display area.

A method of browsing documents of mutliple applications in a computer system having a video display, comprising:

• displaying a view in a first window associated with a first application on the video display, the view including a hyperlink which designates a target associated with a second application, the first window having a window position on the video display;
• on user activation of the hyperlink, performing the steps of:
• causing the second application to be loaded on the computer system;
• passing the window position from the first application to the second application;
• positioning a second window associated with the second application at the window position on the video display;
• and
• displaying a view of the target in the second window on the video display.

A method of browsing documents of multiple applications in a computer system having a video display, comprising:

• maintaining a navigation stack of previously navigated hyperlink targets;
• displaying a container document with a first application on the video display, the container document containing a hyperlink to a target document associated with a second application;
• on user activation of the hyperlink, navigating to the target document, wherein the step of navigating comprises:
• displaying the target document with the second application on the video display;
• and
• registering the target document in the navigation stack.

A method of browsing documents in a computer system having a video display, comprising:

• maintaining a cache of objects in a running state;
• maintaining a table of the cached objects;
• navigating a hyperlink contained in a container document object to a target document object;
• on navigating the hyperlink, checking the table of running objects to determine whether the target document object is one of the cached objects, and binding to the cached target document object if the target document object is cached;
• and
• on navigating the hyperlink, caching the container document object in a running state in the cache.

A hyperlink navigation system for unified browsing of documents from multiple applications in a computer, comprising:

• a first server application for instantiating a hyperlink container object, the hyperlink container object encapsulating data of a container document containing a hyperlink and operating to display a view of the container document;
• a second server application for instantiating a hyperlink target object, the hyperlink target object encapsulating data of a target document indicated by the hyperlink and operating to display a view of the target document;
• a frame object for hosting one of the hyperlink container object and the hyperlink target object and for managing a frame having a display area in which the hosted object displays its respective view;
• and
• a system defined hyperlink object operative to navigate the hyperlink by causing the frame object to change from hosting the hyperlink container object to hosting the hyperlink target object.