Using virtual repository items for customized display

A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon an application programming interface for providing repository item information from one or more different perspectives using virtual repository items within a customizable presentation scheme, the application programming interface comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

• an act of accessing a user-defined presentation scheme that describes a manner in which repository items are to be presented;
• an act of generating virtual repository items for actual repository items based on the user-defined presentation scheme, wherein virtual repository items are generated for presentation along with their actual repository items;
• an act of mapping the virtual repository items to different virtualized sets of repository items according to the user-defined presentation scheme, wherein the virtualized sets comprise at least one of actual repository items or virtual repository items;
• and
• an act of presenting the virtualized sets of repository items in one or more different perspectives within the user-defined presentation scheme.

A computer program product for implementing a method for presenting directory item information in multiple different perspectives using virtual repository items within a customizable display scheme, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to perform the method, the method comprising:

• an act of receiving a customizable display scheme that represents a structure describing how directory items are to be presented within the scheme;
• an act of creating virtual directory items for actual directory items based on the customizable display scheme, wherein virtual directory items are created for displaying along with their actual directory items;
• an act of coupling the virtual directory items to different virtualized sets of directory items according to the customizable display scheme, wherein the virtualized sets comprise one or more of actual directory items or virtual directory items;
• and
• an act of displaying the virtualized sets of directory items in one or more different perspectives within the customizable display scheme.